Dual Air Flow Flotation Column

The Dual Air Flow Flotation Column adopts two types of inflation methods (upper jet self-aspirating; lower part  bubble generator ).  It effectively recovers coarse, medium-coarse, fine, and ultrafine minerals, and is currently applied in the flotation of non-ferrous metals and non-metals minerals such as copper, lead, zinc, gold, silver, and tin.

1. Structure

The  Dual Air Flow Flotation Column is a new type of high-efficiency flotation equipment that integrates machinery, electricity, and hydraulics. Its design concept is based on a profound understanding of the mineral separation process, and its core structure is precisely composed of five major systems:

Pipe Flow Flotation System: As the core area for pre-mineralization of the slurry, it utilizes the jet principle to generate high-energy mixing.

Column Separation System: Internally filled with multiple layers of perforated corrugated plates, it provides a stable static environment for the collision and adsorption of bubbles and mineral particles.

Lower Aeration System: It uses a special microporous aerator to ensure the minimization and uniform distribution of bubbles at the bottom.

Spraying System: It effectively enhances the concentrate foam layer flow with pressure water.

PLC Control System: It achieves automated monitoring of the entire process, ensuring the stability of equipment operation.

2. Working Principle

The core advantage of the TR dual-airflow flotation column lies in its unique “dual-airflow” mineralization method, which achieves double enrichment and significantly enhances separation efficiency.

2.1，Upper jet mineralization (first enrichment): The slurry is pumped from the top into the lower conduit, where a specially designed nozzle converts pressure energy into a high-speed jet. This high-speed fluid creates a negative pressure zone within the conduit, automatically drawing in air. Under intense turbulent shear, the gas is fragmented into countless tiny bubbles, which collide violently with the mineral particles, completing the first rapid and efficient mineralization process.

2.2，Lower aeration mineralization (second enrichment): After the upper treatment, un-floated coarse particles, difficult-to-select minerals, and ailings sink. At this point, they encounter tiny bubbles generated by the bottom aeration system, which are further cut by the filling medium. These microbubbles collide and adsorb with the settling minerals again, conducting a second deep enrichment, minimizing the loss of valuable minerals.

Ultimately, the mineralized bubbles carrying the target minerals float to the top and overflow as concentrate, while the tailings are discharged from the bottom, achieving precise separation of minerals.

3. Seven Major Features

The  dual-airflow flotation column demonstrates seven significant advantages in practical applications due to its innovative design:

3.1，Good aeration performance, high mineralization efficiency: Unique dual-airway design: upper jet self-aspirating; lower part uses a bubble generator + filling medium to cut and form tiny bubbles (preventing bubble coalescence and rupture). Good aeration performance, high mineralization efficiency.

3.2，Short flotation time, large processing capacity: Pipe flow mineralization flotation, short mineralization time (5-10s), fast flotation speed. Multiple lower conduits can be inserted in parallel within the column to increase the overall system’s processing capacity without affecting separation indicators, achieving 1.5 to 2 times the processing capacity of traditional flotation columns.

3.3，Slurry mixed flow, good separation environment: The upper part of the dual-airflow flotation column uses jet self-aspiration for feeding; the slurry flows downward while the gas flows upward, creating convection, resulting in a good separation environment and strong collection ability.

3.4，Low energy consumption, low operating costs: No moving parts, fewer wear parts, low maintenance, and high equipment operation rate; compared to conventional flotation machines: energy consumption is reduced by about 20-50%, and reagent consumption is reduced by 10-30%.

3.5，High degree of automation, easy operation and maintenance Frequency conversion control for feeding; automatic detection and control of liquid levels; convenient gas flow adjustment; simple foam thickness setting and easy adjustment; easy to operate, no need for constant supervision.

3.6，Small footprint, low investment cost:     The dual-airflow flotation column has high separation efficiency. One device can replace one or even several flotation operations. The processing capacity is calculated based on the lower tube as a unit, allowing multiple lower tubes to be connected in parallel to increase system processing capacity without affecting separation indicators. Generally, the footprint is reduced by 30% to 60%.

3.7，Wide separation particle size range, broad application :     The dual-airflow flotation column employs two aeration methods, effectively recovering coarse, medium-coarse, fine, and ultra-fine mineral particles. It has been applied in the flotation of non-ferrous metals such as copper, lead, zinc, gold, silver, tin, and non-metals.

4. Technical Specification

To meet the needs of different scale mineral processing plants, the  dual-airflow flotation column offers various specifications. Below are the main technical parameters:

(Note: The above data is for reference only; specific parameters can be customized and adjusted based on ore properties and process requirements.)

5. Typical Application Case Sharing

Case 1: copper, lead, zinc, sulphur flotation by dual-airflow flotation column and flotation cell

The company completed the construction of a new flotation plant  with a scale of 1000t/d processing capacity. The separation process consists of three stages using a column flotation combined with tank flotation: the first stage is copper-lead mixed flotation (dual-airflow flotation column) + 2 stages of  cleaner (flotation cell)+ 2 stages of scavenging (flotation cell), the second stage is zinc-sulfur mixed flotation (dual-airflow flotation column)+ 1 stage of  cleaner (flotation cell) +  2 stages of scavenging (flotation cell), and the third stage is zinc-sulfur separation flotation  (dual-airflow flotation column) + 1 stage of  cleaner (flotation cell) +  2 stages of scavenging (flotation cell).

The dual air-flow flotation columns serve as the roughing for each flotation stage, and flotation cell serve as cleaning and scavenging flotation.

By adopting the new dual air-flow flotation column combined with flotation machine process, the number of equipment was reduced by 29 units compared to the traditional flotation machine process. The separation effect of lead and zinc is significant, with the zinc content in lead and the lead content in zinc being 2-3% lower than the production levels of the processing plant. Additionally, the total installed power was reduced by 406kW, saving 30.76% in electricity, demonstrating clear advantages.

Site layout  of three sets of flotation columns.

three sets of flotation columns jet feeding device installation

Case 2: Selecting sulfur and gold from gold tailings.

The gold mining company signed a contract for an LF1200 dual-airflow flotation column for industrial application. After continuous operation for one month, the flotation tailings were processed through one LF1200 dual-airflow flotation column. The original ore had a sulfur grade of 19.94% and a gold grade of 0.424 g/t. The sulfur concentrate grade reached 42.83%, with a recovery rate of 92.61%. The gold concentrate grade was 1.229 g/t, with a recovery rate of 82.63%, achieving good indicators, as shown in the table below.

Dual Air Flow Flotation Column with diameters of ф1800 and ф3000 currently being produced for the user in our workshop.