Flotation Kinetics

Flotation kinetics is the study of the variation in amount of froth overflow product with flotation time, and the quantitative identification of all rate con- trolling variables. With such variables maintained constant, the algebraic relationship between the proportion of mineral floated and flotation time is a flotation rate equation. This contains the constant values of all the rate determining variables implicit in one or more rate constants which must be evaluated from experimental data. The form or forms of the rate equation can either be deduced from assumptions or facts established about the mechanism of the process, or, more commonly, determined empirically or by analogy with similar rate process. (See pages 215 to 226 and 221 to 227.) The earliest contributions on flotation kinetics came in the mid- ~hirties,3,27,31 with interest increasing in recent years. The broad goal of these studies is the reduction of the total variability of a flotation system to equations among the individual variables, or among a lesser number of dimensionless groups.43 Although the goal is at present far from realization, its attainment will yield many practical advantages. The quantitative under- standing of the process should lead to improvements both in metallurgical results and flotation cell design. It should lead also to reliable methods for scaling-up* of laboratory and pilot plant results to full size operation without the need for expensive and time-consuming mill tests on commercial machines. Finally, this type of quantitative information will assist the automation of flotation cells and circuits as well as control by computers. Replacing present methods of control based on post-mortem assays and trial and error manipulation of reagents and cell variables by control through exact process analysis should yield higher levels of grade and recovery through reduction of the large variability of present-day results. CHEMICAL ENGINEERING ANALOGIES: Industrial flotation always involves flow of pulp through a series of stirred tanks. It thus bears formal analogy to many chemical engineering processes, the kinetics of which in flow systems has been studied for many de- cades.38,39,73,83 It will be useful to review these studies before considering flotation kinetics. Batch and continuous treatment are classified in Fig. 1. Batch operation in the true sense is unknown in flotation where concentrate is always removed