Froth Flotation Rake Blades for Bitumen Recovery
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional froth flotation methods and apparatuses face inefficiency due to the entrainment of slurry and liquid pockets into the froth phase, leading to impurities being carried away with the valuable substance, which reduces separation efficiency.
Innovation Solution
A froth flotation method and apparatus that generates continuously moving negative pressure zones in the froth phase using rotating sloped rake blades or a helical rotor to capture and guide unwanted slurry and liquid pockets back to the slurry phase, preventing their entrainment into the froth overflow.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If conventional flotation methods are used to extract valuable substance from slurry, then the valuable substance is recovered, but slurry and liquid pockets are entrained into the froth phase causing impurities
Solution Approach 1:
The rake blades perform preliminary action by disrupting the froth phase before overflow occurs, preventing slurry and liquid pockets from being carried away with the froth. This preliminary disruption action eliminates the harmful entrainment before it can affect the final product.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention converts the harmful entrained slurry and liquid pockets into a benefit by using the rake blades to guide them back to the slurry phase. The negative pressure zones created by the rake blades cause the entrained materials to be drawn back down, transforming a harmful effect into a useful separation mechanism.
2Measurement precision
If gas bubbles are fed into slurry to form froth phase, then valuable substance is captured and rises to surface, but impurities are also carried into froth overflow
Solution Approach 1:
The rake blades extract and remove the harmful impurities (slurry and liquid pockets) from the froth phase by creating negative pressure zones that draw them back to the slurry phase. This extraction action separates the valuable froth from the unwanted impurities before overflow.
Solution Approach 2:
The rake blades act as an intermediary mechanism between the froth phase and slurry phase, creating negative pressure zones that mediate the return of entrained impurities from the froth to the slurry, improving separation efficiency.
3Manufacturing precision
If mechanical means are added to return entrained slurry from froth phase, then separation efficiency is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The flotation vessel is designed with multi-functionality by integrating the rake blade mechanism directly into the existing structure. The rake blades serve multiple functions: they disrupt the froth phase, create negative pressure zones, and guide impurities back to slurry, all within the same apparatus without requiring separate complex systems.
Solution Approach 2:
The rake blade mechanism is designed to be self-regulating, where the rotation of the rake blades automatically creates negative pressure zones that draw impurities back to the slurry phase without requiring additional control systems or complex mechanical means.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This approach effectively reduces the entrainment of impurities into the froth phase, thereby improving the separation efficiency of valuable substances like bitumen from oil sand slurries.
Implementation Method 1
When the particles of the valuable substance come to contact with the gas bubbles they are attached to the bubbles and rise upwards to the surface of the slurry to form a foam bed
Implementation Method 2
mechanically generating continuously moving negative pressure zones in the froth phase in the flotation vessel before the overflow, said zones extending from the froth phase to the slurry phase and said zones capturing unwanted slurry and liquid pockets
Data Source
AI summary
A froth flotation method and apparatus for extracting a valuable substance from a slurry comprising a mixture of solid phase, liquid phase and said substance. A gas dispersing mechanism (4) feeds gas into the slurry (1) in a flotation vessel (2) to infuse gas bubbles into the slurry. The slurry is agitated in the flotation vessel (2) for dispersing the gas bubbles into the slurry. The gas bubbles capture the valuable substance from the slurry and form a froth phase F above the slurry phase S. The froth phase F exits the vessel by overflow. Continuously moving negative pressure zones (7) are mechanically generated by rake blades (9) in the froth phase (F). The negative pressure zones (7) extend from the froth phase (F) to the slurry phase (S). The negative pressure zones (7) capture unwanted slurry and liquid pockets (8) entrained from the slurry phase to the froth phase (F) and form paths for guiding said unwanted slurry and liquid pockets (8) via said paths from the froth phase (F) downwardly back to the slurry phase (S).