Hydrodynamics intensification and interface control in the flotation conditioning process using fractal impellers

Abstract

Flotation conditioning, an essential part affecting the function of flotation reagent and flotation performance, has gradually become a key field for the process enhancement of flotation. A fractal impeller device was proposed in this paper for use in pre-flotation pulp conditioning. The flow field characteristics and relevant effects on the liquid–solid mixing performance were investigated by the numerical simulation of computational fluid dynamics. The outcome of particle surface modification was assessed by studying changes in the contact angle and zeta potential of diaspore particles. These results showed that the increase of turbulent kinetic energy induced by the fractal impeller improved the dispersion of mineral particles. Meanwhile, the strong turbulence and high shear induced by the fractal impeller provided favorable conditions for collector adsorption and particle modification, leading to the increase in contact angle under relatively higher energy input. This work introduced a kind of novel fractal impellers used in the flotation conditioning to strengthen the flotation separation of minerals.