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Column flotation cells have become the most popular machine designed for industrial applications that require the separation and concentration of wanted or unwanted minerals from the rest material associated in a pulp. To achieve this process separation an air sparging device, which is required to produce bubbles in the flotation cell is required. In column flotation operations, Sparger sparging devices are employed in column flotation operations to generate small bubbles into the cell with the aim to carry the the desired mineral to the surface for later be recovered and proceeded. However, field studies suggest that air injector sparging systems are not always optimized. Two of the reasonsReasons that contributinge to the lack of optimization areis unfavorable state are: (i) ineffective internal design of the sparging system, and (ii) poor operation techniques employed inby the industrial processing industrial plants. The present project intends to better understand sparging performance into the column cell and how to optimize sparging systems more effectively. To achieve this end, With this in mind, data of for gas-water injection rate, froth addition, and inlet-pressure have been collected and analyzed. The This data not only will facilitate an insight of to better operational practices that plant operators can employ to improve column performance, but it also will make it possible to correct flaws in the design of the sparging systems currently used in column flotation operations. / Master of Science

Research Doctorate - Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) / This thesis describes a study in which the aim was to develop an improved method for computational fluid dynamics (CFD) modelling of gas-liquid flow in mechanically-stirred tanks. Stirred tanks are commonly used in the process industries for carrying out a wide range of mixing operations and chemical reactions, yet considerable uncertainties remain in design and scale-up procedures. Computational modelling is of interest since it may assist in investigating the detailed flow characteristics of stirred tanks. However, as shown by a review of the literature, a range of limitations have been evident in previously published modelling methods. In the development of the modelling method, single-phase liquid flow was firstly considered, as a basis for extension to multiphase flow. A finite volume method was used to solve the equations for conservation of mass and momentum, in conjunction with the k-epsilon turbulence model. Simulation results were compared with experimental measurements for tanks stirred by a Rushton turbine and by a Lightnin A315 impeller. Comparison was made between different methods which account for impeller motion. Accuracy was assessed in terms of the prediction of velocities, power and flow numbers, the presence of trailing vortices, pressures around the impeller, and the turbulent kinetic energy and dissipation rate. The effect of grid density was investigated. For gas dispersion in a liquid, the modelling method employed the Eulerian-Eulerian two-fluid equations, again in conjunction with the k-espilon turbulence model. The correct specification of the equations was firstly reviewed. Different forms of the turbulent dispersion force were compared. For the drag force, it was found that existing correlations did not properly account for the effect of turbulence in increasing the bubble drag coefficient. By analysing literature data, a new equation was proposed to account for this increase in drag. For the prediction of bubble size, a bubble number density equation was introduced, which takes into account the effects of break-up and coalescence. The modelling method also allows for gas cavity formation behind impeller blades. Simulations of gas-liquid flow were again carried out for tanks stirred by a Rushton turbine and by a Lightnin A315 impeller. Again, the impeller geometry was included explicitly. A series of simulations were carried out to test the individual effects of various alternative modelling options. With the final method, based on developments in this study, simulation results show reasonable overall agreement in comparison with experimental data for bubble size, gas volume fraction, overall gas holdup and gassed power draw. In comparison to results based on previously published modelling methods, a significant improvement has been demonstrated. However, a number of limitations have been identified in the modelling method, which can be attributed either to the practical limitations on computer resources, or to a lack of understanding of the underlying physics. Recommendations have been made regarding investigations which could assist with further improvement of the CFD modelling method.

Bubble size is considered to be one of the most important parameters affecting the performance of froth flotation cells. However, monitoring, controlling and predicting bubble size is a very challenging task. This dissertation presents results obtained from a comprehensive pilot- and industrial-scale experimental investigation of gas dispersion performance of two commercially available flotation cells. To facilitate this investigation, a continuous pilot-scale flotation system was developed and tested. The results of the hydrodynamic and metallurgical testing conducted on the pilot-scale flotation circuit are presented. In addition, an assessment of the impact of two commercially available rotor/stator mechanism designs on bubble generation was performed under non-coalescing conditions. Based on obtained results, the mechanisms of gas dispersion throughout the flotation cell and gas cavity formation behind the impeller blades have been presented and discussed. A new in-situ optical bubble sampling method was also developed as part of this investigation. The new system allowed an accurate estimation of local bubble sizes and determination of overall gas dispersion patterns within the cell. The new method was compared to the existing ex-situ bubble sampling method commonly used in industry. Two image analysis techniques were also evaluated, i.e., a template matching BubbleSEdit technique and the edge detection Northern Eclipse technique. Significant variations in bubble size as a function of the sampling method, sampling location, operating condition, machine type and image analysis method were observed. Generally, bubbles observed with the in-situ sampling method appeared to be larger than bubbles recorded with the ex-situ method. Furthermore, the mean bubble size determined by the Northern Eclipse bubble sizing method was smaller than the BubbleSEdit value. The experimental tests also revealed that sampling location had a strong effect on measured local mean bubble size and bubble size distribution in both vertical and horizontal directions. In addition, aeration rate was found to have a profound impact on the gas dispersion pattern in the cell and on local bubble size. Agitation rate also had a significant effect on bubble size, although the degree of impact strongly depended on the agitation level, chemical conditions in the cell and the machine type. / Ph. D.

In the context of an increasing production of industrial toxic substances (TIC; Toxic Industrial Compound), the risk of accidental release of hazardous substances is growing in spite of the gradual implementation of safer technological processes and safety improvement measures. To mitigate the consequences of chemical accidents or to prepare preventive protective measures before the accident, it is necessary to know or at least estimate the course of accidents. In particular, it applies to the range of traumatic events and fatal accidents. One of the tools that can express the impact of accidents is modelling programs. This diploma thesis presents a comparison of outputs from two special types of software ? a foreign program the ALOHA and the TerEx developed in the Czech Republic. The purpose of the thesis was to indicate theoretical aspects related to gaseous toxic substances diffusion in the ground atmospheric layer and to describe modelling of their ill effects range. To achieve this objective, scientific literature and consultation with experts were used. The practical section of the thesis aimed at determining to what extent the results of both programs differ when initial conditions were identical. To achieve this goal, the intercomparison of outputs (e.g. hurtful concentration range) of the two programs that provided results for the same input data sets (type and quantity of hazardous substances, environmental temperature, wind speed, degree of cloud cover, weather stability class, type of ground surface) was used. After the assessment of the comparison it is possible to generalize the results stating that the software ALOHA compared to the TerEx is more conservative, which means that the ALOHA software provides longer anticipated ranges of danger. Therefore, it depends on the user (the person responsible ? crisis manager, intervention commander, mayor of the village), which approach they select or recommend ? to prepare a greater or a smaller area for a possible accident (to ensure public awareness, to implement technical measures to mitigate the impact of that accident, to assess the amount of financial resources, etc.). As a subsequent step it would be appropriate to verify the theoretical results experimentally, by field testing, which would be conducted under the same meteorological conditions under which the modelling was made by the mentioned programs. This would thus confirm the legitimacy of the special software use for the purpose of estimating the range of negative effects of chemical accidents.

This thesis addresses the problem of detecting changes in the activity of a distant gas source from the response of an array of metal oxide (MOX) gas sensors deployed in an Open Sampling System (OSS). Changes can occur due to gas source activity such as a sudden alteration in concentration or due to exposure to a different compound. Applications such as gas-leak detection in mines or large-scale pollution monitoring can benefit from reliable change detection algorithms, especially where it is impractical to continuously store or transfer sensor readings, or where reliable calibration is difficult to achieve. Here, it is desirable to detect a change point indicating a significant event, e.g. presence of gas or a sudden change in concentration. The main challenges are turbulent dispersion of gas and the slow response and recovery times of MOX sensors. Due to these challenges, the gas sensor response exhibits fluctuations that interfere with the changes of interest. The contributions of this thesis are centred on developing change detection methods using MOX sensor responses. First, we apply the Generalized Likelihood Ratio algorithm (GLR), a commonly used method that does not make any a priori assumption about change events. Next, we propose TREFEX, a novel change point detection algorithm, which models the response of MOX sensors as a piecewise exponential signal and considers the junctions between consecutive exponentials as change points. We also propose the rTREFEX algorithm as an extension of TREFEX. The core idea behind rTREFEX is an attempt to improve the fitted exponentials of TREFEX by minimizing the number of exponentials even further. GLR, TREFEX and rTREFEX are evaluated for various MOX sensors and gas emission profiles. A sensor selection algorithm is then introduced and the change detection algorithms are evaluated with the selected sensor subsets. A comparison between the three proposed algorithms shows clearly superior performance of rTREFEX both in detection performance and in estimating the change time. Further, rTREFEX is evaluated in real-world experiments where data is gathered by a mobile robot. Finally, a gas dispersion simulation was developed which integrates OpenFOAM flow simulation and a filament-based gas propagation model to simulate gas dispersion for compressible flows with a realistic turbulence model.

A percepção crescente da sociedade em relação aos perigos inerentes às instalações industriais que manipulam grandes inventários de substâncias perigosas faz com que a ferramenta análise quantitativa de risco ganhe importância na complexa discussão sobre a viabilidade destes empreendimentos, no intuito de promover a ocupação adequada do solo na área urbana e prevenir a ocorrência do chamado acidente maior. Contudo, para se chegar à expressão de risco de uma determinada instalação industrial deve-se aplicar um conjunto de técnicas e de modelos matemáticos, entre os quais estão os modelos de dispersão atmosférica, usados para se estimar a área afetada na vizinhança da mesma por liberações acidentais que levam à formação de nuvens de substâncias químicas na atmosfera. Em decorrência da complexidade inerente ao próprio processo de dispersão atmosférica, especialmente no que tange aos denominados gases densos, existe uma diversidade de modelos que podem ser aplicados no escopo da análise de risco, o que leva a seus usuários, naturalmente, ao questionamento sobre a suscetibilidade dos resultados finais ao tipo de modelagem adotada. Neste sentido, este trabalho estuda o processo de dispersão atmosférica de nuvens densas formadas em liberações acidentais, identificando as principais possibilidades de modelagem deste processo e, ao final, apresenta um estudo de caso demonstrando que diferentes modelagens desta dispersão, comumente empregadas em análise de risco de instalações industriais, podem produzir variações na estimativa do risco de uma mesma instalação e, portanto, influenciar as decisões baseadas em risco. / The concern of the society about the risks posed by activities that deal with hazardous substances has increased in an environment strongly industrialized and with high population density in view of the inherent potential hazards of them as well as the impact of recent accidental episodes, even though their benefits provided. In this context the quantitative risk analysis is presented as an essential tool to assess the risk of these activities and compose a complex discussion about its feasibility. Some of these accident scenarios may involve the formation of a hazardous product cloud and its subsequent air dispersion in the off-site region when an accidental released take place and one should apply the so-called atmospheric dispersion models for estimating the consequences of the releases. Due to the complexity involved in this atmospheric dispersion process, there is a wide variety of mathematical models that can be applied for estimating the offsite consequences of the accidental releases leading, naturally, to one wonder whether the final risk expression of a facility is susceptible to these differences. Often in the world of industrial use of hazardous materials, toxic or flammable there is a possibility that these accidental releases produce clouds that are denser than air, a situation that demands even more attention in terms of risk aspects involved. Then, this dissertation studies the process of atmospheric dispersion of heavier-than-air clouds produced after an accidental release, identifying the main ways of modelling the process and presents a case study comparing different dispersion models that demonstrates that the final expression of risk of a typical installation can be different when it is used different dispersion model in the process.

A qualidade da dispersão de gás em células de flotação é comumente caracterizada através de parâmetros como velocidade superficial do gás (Jg), hold-up do gás (?g), distribuição de tamanho de bolha (db ou D3,2) e fluxo de superfície de bolha (Sb). Sendo um processo de separação de minerais que é dependente da interação (colisão + adesão) entre partículas hidrofóbicas e bolhas de ar, a flotação tem seu desempenho dependente de uma dispersão de gás apropriada na polpa de minério. Desta forma, este trabalho objetivou caracterizar o estado da dispersão de gás de duas células em um banco composto por quatro células Wemco de 42,5 m³ (subaeradas), operando em série na usina da Vale Fertilizantes (Cajati-SP). Realizaram-se três campanhas de medidas que foram conduzidas sob diferentes condições operacionais: a) Diâmetro do rotor (D) de 1,09 m e rotação (N) entre 145 RPM e 175 RPM; b) D = 0,99 m e N entre 110 RPM e 190 RPM; c) D = 0,99 m e N de 120 RPM e de 130 RPM. Observaram-se os seguintes valores de dispersão de gás: 0,7 <= Jg <= 5,4 cm/s, 7 <= ?g <= 15%, 1,6 <= D3,2 <= 2,4 mm e Sb na faixa de 24 a 162 s-1. A magnitude de Jg medida na 1ª e 2ª campanhas mostrou-se acima dos valores reportados pela literatura, indicando necessidade de modificação de condições operacionais dos equipamentos, assim como cuidadosa manutenção. Posteriormente, a 3ª campanha indicou maior conformidade dos parâmetros de dispersão de gás em relação à literatura, constatando-se uma considerável melhora de desempenho do processo de flotação. / The quality of gas dispersion within flotation cells is usually characterized by superficial gas velocity (Jg), gas hold-up (?g), bubble size distribution (db or D3,2) and bubble surface area flux (Sb). Because flotation is a separation process which depends largely on the interaction (collision + adhesion) of hydrophobic particles and air bubbles, process performance is dependent on appropriate gas dispersion within the slurry. Thus, this study aimed to characterize the gas dispersion of two flotation cells on a flotation bank composed of four 42.5 m³ Wemco cells (sub aerated), operating in series at the plant of Vale Fertilizantes (Cajati-SP). There were three measurement campaigns conducted under different operating conditions: a) Impeller diameter (D) of 1.09 m and impeller rotation speed (N) between 145 and 175 min-1; b) D = 0.99 m and 110 <= N <= 190 min-1; c) D = 0.99 m and N = 120 and 130 min-1. The following gas dispersion values were determined: 0.7 <= Jg <= 5.4 cm/s, 7 <= ?g <= 15%, 1.6 <= D3,2 <= 2.4 mm and Sb in the range of 24 to 162 s-1. The magnitude of Jg at 1st and 2nd campaigns showed to be higher than the values reported in literature, calling for modification of operational conditions of the equipments, as well as carefully maintenance. In addition, results from the 3rd campaign indicated values of gas dispersion parameters that matched those reported by current literature, accompanied by considerable mprovement in process performance.

A percepção crescente da sociedade em relação aos perigos inerentes às instalações industriais que manipulam grandes inventários de substâncias perigosas faz com que a ferramenta análise quantitativa de risco ganhe importância na complexa discussão sobre a viabilidade destes empreendimentos, no intuito de promover a ocupação adequada do solo na área urbana e prevenir a ocorrência do chamado acidente maior. Contudo, para se chegar à expressão de risco de uma determinada instalação industrial deve-se aplicar um conjunto de técnicas e de modelos matemáticos, entre os quais estão os modelos de dispersão atmosférica, usados para se estimar a área afetada na vizinhança da mesma por liberações acidentais que levam à formação de nuvens de substâncias químicas na atmosfera. Em decorrência da complexidade inerente ao próprio processo de dispersão atmosférica, especialmente no que tange aos denominados gases densos, existe uma diversidade de modelos que podem ser aplicados no escopo da análise de risco, o que leva a seus usuários, naturalmente, ao questionamento sobre a suscetibilidade dos resultados finais ao tipo de modelagem adotada. Neste sentido, este trabalho estuda o processo de dispersão atmosférica de nuvens densas formadas em liberações acidentais, identificando as principais possibilidades de modelagem deste processo e, ao final, apresenta um estudo de caso demonstrando que diferentes modelagens desta dispersão, comumente empregadas em análise de risco de instalações industriais, podem produzir variações na estimativa do risco de uma mesma instalação e, portanto, influenciar as decisões baseadas em risco. / The concern of the society about the risks posed by activities that deal with hazardous substances has increased in an environment strongly industrialized and with high population density in view of the inherent potential hazards of them as well as the impact of recent accidental episodes, even though their benefits provided. In this context the quantitative risk analysis is presented as an essential tool to assess the risk of these activities and compose a complex discussion about its feasibility. Some of these accident scenarios may involve the formation of a hazardous product cloud and its subsequent air dispersion in the off-site region when an accidental released take place and one should apply the so-called atmospheric dispersion models for estimating the consequences of the releases. Due to the complexity involved in this atmospheric dispersion process, there is a wide variety of mathematical models that can be applied for estimating the offsite consequences of the accidental releases leading, naturally, to one wonder whether the final risk expression of a facility is susceptible to these differences. Often in the world of industrial use of hazardous materials, toxic or flammable there is a possibility that these accidental releases produce clouds that are denser than air, a situation that demands even more attention in terms of risk aspects involved. Then, this dissertation studies the process of atmospheric dispersion of heavier-than-air clouds produced after an accidental release, identifying the main ways of modelling the process and presents a case study comparing different dispersion models that demonstrates that the final expression of risk of a typical installation can be different when it is used different dispersion model in the process.