The influence of flotation slurry concentration

During the flotation process of the flotation machine, whether the slurry concentration in the tank is reasonable not only affects the quality and recovery rate of mineral recovery, but also affects the consumption of added chemicals and the consumption of water and electricity. The concentration of ore pulp has the following factors:

    1. Pulp concentration affects flotation time

    In the whole process of flotation, under certain conditions, the slurry flow rate is also certain. The number of flotation machines and the flotation time are fixed. When the concentration of the slurry in the flotation machine changes, the flow rate of the slurry in the tank will also decrease or increase, and the residence time (flotation time) of the slurry in the flotation machine will be extended or shortened, thereby reducing the flotation time. The length directly affects the recovery rate and grade.

    2. The slurry concentration affects the agent volume concentration

    The dosage in the flotation machine is generally calculated in units of grams/ton. If the dosage of the medicament remains unchanged, the ratio of the medicament to the slurry concentration is very important. In the flotation process, if the concentration of minerals to be flotated is just the best condition in a certain reagent volume concentration, then the change of the slurry concentration will increase or decrease, which will cause adverse conditions and affect the flotation index.

    3. The slurry concentration affects the degree of slurry aeration

    If the pulp concentration in the flotation machine is too large or too small, the aeration of the pulp will be reduced. The degree of aeration directly affects the flotation time. Generally speaking, a larger amount of aeration can increase the production capacity of the flotation machine and get better flotation indexes.

    If the flotation machine wants to achieve a good flotation rate, it is necessary to control the size of the slurry concentration, which should be determined according to the nature of the ore and the flotation conditions. The general principle is: when the specific gravity of the ore is larger and the material size is coarser, a larger flotation concentration should be used for roughing and sweeping operations. Conversely, if the ore has a smaller specific gravity and a finer grain size, a lower concentration should be used for beneficiation operations or separation operations of mixed concentrates. In production practice, rough selection is 20-40%, mostly 25-35%; selection 10-20%; sweep selection 20-40%.