ISSN Online: 2379-1748
ISBN Flash Drive: 978-1-56700-517-2
5-6th Thermal and Fluids Engineering Conference (TFEC)
COMPUTATIONAL STUDIES OF FLOTATION
Abstract
Froth flotation, where buoyant bubbles are used to separate hydrophobic particles from a slurry and bring them to the top of a tank where they can be skimmed off is the most widely used mineral separation technique. A numerical model of the process is presented, using a hybrid finite-volume/front-tracking approach, where the governing equations are solved on a fixed structured grid but the interface between the different
material is tracked using an unstructured moving grid. Many of the processes taking place in flotation are reasonably well understood individually and can be described mathematically, at least approximately. The full problem is therefore well suited for large-scale simulations, where the effect of the various parameters can be examined. Here, we present preliminary results for two-dimensional flow of bubbles capturing heavy
particles and carrying them to the surface, where they form froth.
Video presentation
Video presentation
KEY WORDS:
Flotation DNS