METHOD OF FOAM SEPARATION AND FLOTATION Russian patent published in 1997 - IPC

FIELD: mineral concentration, in particular, flotation; applicable in processing of ore and nonmetalliferous raw materials. SUBSTANCE: method includes conditioning on initial material with reagents in the presence of oily reagents; preparation of foam layer by introduction into pulp of foaming agent and gas in form of finely dispersed bubbles; supply of conditioned raw material to foam layer and into pulp body; separation in foam layer and in pulp body; producing and removal of foam and cell products with their simultaneous dewatering to produce solid and liquid phases. Supply of conditioned raw material to foam layer and into pulp body is effected after mechanical activation of useful component particles in intensive attrition with their concurrent heat treatment with high-temperature liquid flow, superheated steam or hot air into which oily substances and surfactants are preliminarily introduced. Conditioning of initial material with reagents is carried out with the use of finely dispersed surfactants and oily substances in aerohydraulic mixture simultaneously with separation of initial raw material into coarse-grained, medium-grained and fine-grained products. Coarse-grained, medium-grained and fine-grained products are conditioned by jet stirring of pulp with finely dispersed aerohydraulic mixture of water, air, surfactants and oily substances. After this, medium-grained product is supplied for flotation separation into pulp body from below upward in pulp body center part in direction of action of Archimedean forces, and fine-grained product in distributed state over periphery part is supplied at angle to direction of Archimedean forces. Liquid phase obtained by dewatering of cell product is supplied together with coarse-grained, medium-grained and fine-grained products for their distribution in pulp. EFFECT: higher efficiency. 3 cl, 9 dwg