National University of Science and Technology MISiS, Moscow, Russia:

V. D. Samygin, Professor, Doctor of Engineering Sciences
Ch. A. Lekhatinov, Engineer, tchin@misis.ru
M. S. Tertyshnikov, Master

Joint Institute of High Temperatures, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia:
Yu. V. Ryabov, Researcher

The comparison testing employed a multizone flotation machine (MZFM) and conventional flotation machine 237 FL-A and samples 500 g in weight. MZFM was run in flow-circulating mode. The test parameters were: speed of the pump, pressure ahead of the aerator, air flow rate; the test parameters were automatically taken from the sensors, and the pulp slurry flow rate was recorded by the filling time of calibrated reservoir. Flotation froth was taken in fixed periods of time. The air flow rate and pulp slurry flow rate were maintained at 200±20 cm³/min and 2300±100 cm³/min, respectively. The pulp slurry had pH = 7.1 originally and рН = 10.5–11.8 after the flotation. The mineralization time being the same, MZFM had mechanical specifications and aeration characteristics differing from the same figures of the conventional flotation machine as follows: air flow rate 7 times less, pulp slurry surface area 19 times smaller, working area 7 times smaller, and mineralization zone 100 times higher. The tests in MZFM resulted in the increase in carbon recovery from Kashirskaya State District Power Plant ash by 14% as compared with the laboratory conventional flotation machine at the same carbon mass fraction of 62%. Specific carbon flotation rate Гε (g/ cm²·min) and mineralization rate М (g/cm³·min) also grew 21–29 and 15–20 times, respectively. Though the increase in Г_ω and М_ω, the solid-to-liquid ratio was 1.7 times higher in MZFM than in the conventional flotation machine as Г_γ and М_γ of solid grew faster. The decrease in mechanical capture and increase in flotation selectivity in MZFM was promoted by reduction in transition of water per unit interface of the pulp slurry and froth. The better performance of MZFM is not the outcome of the smaller area of the pulp slurry–froth interface or the higher mineralization but the consequence of elimination of incompatibility between hydrodynamic regimes of flotation subprocesses by means of spatial separation of zones in the machine. Thus, MZFM run in the flow–circulating mode exhibits better selectivity and intensity of operation as againts the coventional flotatation machine run in the periodic mode. Given 7 times smaller cells of MZFM, their benefits per all parameters of operation are evident, which improves their engineering-and-economic performance.

The studies were supported by the Russian Foundation for Basic Research, agreement no. 14-05-00938/14 date Feb 3, 2014.

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