Magneto-Centrifugal Flotation Cell for High-Solids Ore Concentration
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional ore flotation cells require excessive water usage, with solids percentages often limited to around 17% in columnar cells, leading to inefficiencies and high water consumption, especially when dealing with sulfide ores.
Innovation Solution
A magnetic-centrifugal flotation cell that applies an axial magnetic field to utilize Lorentz forces, enhancing particle separation by varying magnetic field intensity and particle velocity, allowing for higher solids concentrations and reduced water usage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If conventional flotation cells operate with low solids percentage (around 17% in columnar cells), then the flotation process can proceed, but water consumption increases significantly (water percent around 83%)
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies magnetic field pre-conditioning to particles before flotation, modifying their surface properties and aggregation state in advance. This preliminary magnetic treatment allows particles to be more effectively attached to bubbles and reduces the water required for effective separation, enabling operation at higher solids concentrations
Solution Approach 2:
The invention changes the physical-chemical parameters of the slurry by introducing magnetic field intensity as a controlling variable. By adjusting magnetic field strength and particle magnetic susceptibility, the system optimizes particle-bubble attachment efficiency, allowing reduced water content while maintaining separation effectiveness
2Quantity of substance
If slurry density and viscosity are increased above 40% solids, then water consumption is reduced, but flotation efficiency decreases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
Magnetic field pre-conditioning is applied to modify particle surface properties and control aggregation before the flotation process begins. This preliminary treatment ensures that even at high solids concentrations (above 40%), particles maintain optimal attachment characteristics to bubbles, preventing efficiency loss that would normally occur at such high densities
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces purely mechanical mixing and bubble-particle interaction with a magnetic field-assisted mechanism. The magnetic field provides additional control over particle behavior and attachment, compensating for the reduced fluidity and increased viscosity at high solids percentages, thereby maintaining flotation efficiency
3Ease of operation
If fresh water makeup is added to recirculated water, then operational requirements are met, but overall water consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
Magnetic field treatment is applied preliminarily to enhance particle-bubble attachment efficiency, which allows the system to maintain effective flotation with reduced water volumes. This reduces the total water circulation requirement and minimizes the need for fresh water makeup while preserving operational capability
Solution Approach 2:
By changing the magnetic field parameters and utilizing particles with appropriate magnetic susceptibility, the system optimizes the flotation process to require less water for effective separation. This parameter change enables reduced water consumption while maintaining ease of operation through controlled magnetic enhancement of the separation mechanism
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
The magnetic-centrifugal flotation cell achieves significant ore concentration and recovery rates comparable to conventional cells while significantly reducing water requirements, enabling operation with higher solids percentages and improved efficiency.
Implementation Method 1
The operation of this flotation cell will be explained based on the attached drawings and the theoretical principles of the phenomena that take place inside the same. In the first place, it is accepted that the impact of centrifugal effects habitually brings together mass separation (density and size, because mass is proportional to the product of density times the size to the cube) of particles, where the particles with a greater mass, in principle, will move eccentrically
Implementation Method 2
The operation of this flotation cell will be explained based on the attached drawings and the theoretical principles of the phenomena that take place inside the same. In the first place, it is accepted that the impact of centrifugal effects habitually brings together mass separation (density and size, because mass is proportional to the product of density times the size to the cube) of particles, where the particles with a greater mass, in principle, will move eccentrically
Implementation Method 3
The ore flotation process is an industrial operation widely used to separate sulfide ores containing metals of economic interest
Data Source
AI summary
The invention relates to a magneto-centrifugal flotation cell for ore concentration which reduces water consumption. A disadvantage of conventional flotation cells is the use of a large amount of water, some flotation cells requiring at least 60% water. The present invention uses ore pulp with increased density and viscosity, owing to the application of an axial magnetic field, wherein the Lorentz force, which is the force exerted by an electromagnetic field that receives a charged particle or an electrical current, can be used. The solution is a cell which, in addition to the forces that usually act on conventional flotation cells, uses external forces which, in principle, produce synergy in the separation of ore particles that have different gravitational and magnetic properties.