Flotation Plant Process Control & Automation
The variables involved in a complex process like flotation can be classified as follows: a. Disturbance variables – which are undesired properties of the process input which affect the value of the process output but which are not subject to adjustment. They are the result of changes in the properties of the feed, like changes […]
How to Recover Cobalt and Nickel from Copper
It is the goal of the Bureau of Mines to help maintain an adequate supply of minerals to meet national economic and strategic needs. Among the activities designed to attain this goal is that of advancing minerals technology by making improvements in metals and minerals processing. Toward that end, the Bureau of Mines has been […]
Effect Grinding Media on Selective Flotation of Copper Lead Zinc
The normal practice for processing complex sulphide ore has been to grind with steel balls and/or rods in steel mills before flotation. Little thought had been given to the effect of grinding media on flotation selectivity of copper – lead zinc ore. Ore Sample The mill feed for the pilot-plant investigation was from a copper-zinc […]
Swirl Flotation in Centrifugal Field by Air Sparged Hydrocyclone
The effects of operating variables on water transport to the overflow, classification of hydrophilic particles and the recovery of copper and molybdenum from a low-grade porphyry ore are presented. Recoveries of copper and molybdenum exceeding 90 percent at a grade of 8 percent Cu and 0.2 percent Mo were realized for minus 100 mesh (149 […]
Separation of Copper-Nickel by Flotation and Magnetic Methods
As part of our mission to investigate technology options for the development of domestic mineral resources, conducted tests aimed at separating the copper-nickel values in bulk sulfide mattes into copper-rich and nickel-rich fractions. Resources in the Duluth Gabbro Complex are estimated to be 4.4 billion short tons of mineralized rock grading more than 0.50 pct […]
Flotation Kinetics Data Analysis
Several reasons contribute to the wide gap in the industrial application of the academic models. These include: 1) the lack of generality in the model, e.g., the model is limited to certain size ranges; 2) the academic models involve complicated mathematics 3) confusion about the order of the flotation rate, e.g., several authors proposed a […]
Large Flotation Cells Mechanism
The development of larger size flotation machines, which started in the 1950’s and 1960’s, is still proceeding. The largest mechanical flotation machines available today have unit volumes in the range of 38 to 42 m³ (1,350 to 1,500 cft). In fact, the motivating forces of increasing capital and energy costs and decreasing ore grades, which […]
Froth Flotation Rate Limitations
A physical model of flotation, derived from viewing froth as a kinetic species since it constitutes the carrier of ore particles, not only agrees with and is simulated by engineering math models, but is statistically verified by actual laboratory flotation data. The model couples the mechanical removal of froth using paddles with the more rapid […]
Dialkyldithiophosphinates in Sulfide Flotation
Dialkyldithiophosphinates are a new class of flotation collectors for base metal sulfide ores. Structurally, they are quite different from the conventional collectors such as mercaptans, xanthates, thionocarbamates and dithiophosphates. Organophosphines and their derivatives form strong metal complexes. Thus, they offer potential applications in mineral beneficiation, metal recovery, corrosion inhibition, lubrication, sequestering agents and catalysts. One […]
Copper Chalcocite Derimming of Pyrite with Cyanide
Many of the major copper ore bodies throughout the world contain chalcocite (79.9% Cu) as the principal copper mineral, yet the grades of copper concentrates produced from these ores rarely exceeds 25 to 28% Cu and in one known instance went as low as 13%. The low grade has traditionally been attributed to the presence […]