Overview of Typical Coal Flotation Flowsheets in China’s Coal Preparation Plants

Abstract

The entrainment of high-ash fine slime severely contaminates clean coal product of traditional flotation cell, leading to serious technical problems such as high ash in clean coal, low recovery, and the sacrifice of the yield of gravity separation to lower the ash content of final product. In order to solve those issues, the performance of FCMC series cyclonic microbubble flotation column and traditional flotation cell were compared. Several typical flowsheets for the separation of coal flotation in China’s coal preparation plants (CPPs) were extensively reviewed and deeply explored. Results show that FCMC flotation column is especially suitable for the beneficiation of fine and non-selective coal slime downstream the heavy medium separation. The mixed (one-stage) flotation process utilizing the combination of flotation column and clean coal quick-operating pressure filter is recommended in newly built and retrofitted CPPs. As for those utilizing one-stage flotation flowsheet equipped with traditional flotation cell and pressurized filter, either classified flotation process or secondary flotation for the filtrate of pressurized filter using flotation column and clean coal quick-operating pressure filter is recommended in their technical modifications.