Development of a Particle-Bubble Collision Model for Flotation columns

✍ Scribed by Egiebor, N. O. ;Zhou, Z. A. ;Nyavor, K.

• Publisher: Curtin University of Technology
• Year: 2008
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 743 KB
• Volume: 5
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0969-1855
• DOI: 10.1002/apj.5500050205

✦ Synopsis

Abstract

Particle‐bubble collisions in bubble swarm systems have been modelled based on previous work on single bubble systems and bubbly flow characterization. This approach relates the overall collision probability to bubble and particle sizes, gas holdup, column height, and other operating parameters, thus providing a theoretical basis for column design and analysis of particle collection in flotation columns. The simulated results indicate that the existing collision models based on single bubble systems cannot be accurately applied to actual flotation columns for analysis of the particle‐bubble collision process. This is mainly due to the effect of gas holdup, bubble interaction, and multi‐layers of bubbles in a swarm. For column flotation of fine particles under normal operating conditions, a recovery zone of about 10 meters is sufficient to ensure that the collision probability approaches unity. For bigger particles, higher gas holdups, and smaller bubble sizes, much shorter recovery zone heights can be used to achieve the same high collision probability.