This basic research project was aimed at assessing the potential of wash water for mechanical flotation machines. Test work at laboratory scale first examined the nature of entrainment; froth structures with and without wash water; and the location, geometry, and flowrate of wash water addition. The relationship between slurry, total water recovery and gangue recovery was characterized. Confirmatory work at pilot plant was completed. / The effect of wash water on metallurgical performance was tested with various streams from the Falconbridge Strathcona mill at laboratory and pilot and full plant scale, and with the secondary cleaner stage at the Eastmaque Kirkland Lake mill. / Results show that mechanical entrainment is the major means of gangue transport up to the slurry-froth interface. Transport into the froth is mostly hydraulic, although entrapment becomes dominant at low water recoveries. Free gangue recovery was closely related to slurry water recovery at all three scales. Wash water at an optimum superficial rate of 0.03 to 0.07 cm/s reduced entrainment by anywhere from 30 to 70%, typical values being around 50%. / Wash water can be further assisted by mechanical and ultrasonic vibration of the froth, difficult to achieve at plant scale, or with warm wash water, which becomes attractive if a waste heat source is available. A further rejection of 10 to 20% then becomes possible. / Distributor geometry was aimed at washing the entire froth surface at laboratory and pilot scale. It was observed that the recovery of hydrophobic minerals generally increased because the froth was stabilized. At plant scale, two perforated pipes close to the concentrate weir yielded the most reject. Froth stabilization was lost, and recoveries decreased.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:LACETR/oai:collectionscanada.gc.ca:QMM.74232 |
| Date | January 1989 |
| Creators | Kaya, Muammer |
| Publisher | McGill University |
| Source Sets | Library and Archives Canada ETDs Repository / Centre d'archives des thèses électroniques de Bibliothèque et Archives Canada |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Electronic Thesis or Dissertation |
| Format | application/pdf |
| Coverage | Doctor of Philosophy (Department of Mining and Metallurgical Engineering.) |
| Rights | All items in eScholarship@McGill are protected by copyright with all rights reserved unless otherwise indicated. |
| Relation | alephsysno: 000945426, proquestno: AAINL57236, Theses scanned by UMI/ProQuest. |
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