Flow characterization of a flotation column

The flow characteristics of a froth flotation column have been experimentally studied using air and aqueous surfactant solutions without the presence of solids. The hold-up behaviours of the bubbly and the froth zones of the column were linked together using the drift-flux model. The ratio of the gas drift-flux, j_gf, to the bubble terminal velocity, V, for both the bubbly and the froth zones was found to be well correlated by the Richardson–Zaki equation:      

浮选设备流体力学特征参数研究现状

浮选设备是矿物加工工程领域一种重要的气液反应装置，主要包括浮选机和浮选柱。浮选设备应用已有百年历史，随着选矿技术水平的提高，浮选设备逐渐向自动化、大型化的方向发展。近年来对浮选设备内流体力学特征参数的研究解析越来越多，进一步促进了设备的合理放大和优化。本工作在简要介绍目前浮选设备的发展和应用现状后，总结了国内外学者对浮选设备内气泡尺寸、气含率和气泡速度3个重要流体力学特征参数的检测方法和研究现状，提出了在今后研究中，开发以机器视觉为核心的检测技术和强化侵入式检测装置的适用性是流体力学特征参数检测手段的发展方向之一。     

An agitated bubble column for use in potash flotation

A novel, agitated bubble column was designed, constructed and operated for the purpose of potash flotation. This report describes the apparatus and presents some typical results regarding bubble size distribution, gas hold-up and flotation efficiency. It was found that the column produced mean bubble diameters and overall gas hold-ups that could be predicted by empirical correlations presented earlier in the literature for aerated, agitated tanks. The column also achieved both a high percentage recovery ( > 90%) and a high product purity (97%).     

高气速下鼓泡塔中气含率分布的测定

在内径476 mm的鼓泡塔内用压差法测定全塔平均气含率与表观气速的关系,进一步利用响应特性良好的双电导探针,考察了不同气速下局部气含率的分布规律。实验结果表明,利用探针法计算得到的全塔平均气含率值与压差法测定值平均误差仅为4.5%,表明探针法测量局部气含率的可靠性良好。实验还表明在高气速下,除分布板影响区外,局部气含率均类似抛物线型分布;随着气速增加,气含率分布趋于陡峭。以实验为依据,拟合了不同气速下(0.05~1.0 m/s)鼓泡塔中局部气含率的关联式,认为塔内局部气含率与径向位置、表观气速和塔径等因素有关。     

Modelling Gas Holdup in Flotation Column Froths

A one‐dimensional steady‐state model is developed for the prediction of axial variation of the gas holdup in flotation column froths. Froth is considered as an inverse fluidized bed of bubbles and hence the frictional pressure gradient is obtained based on the energy balance. Pressure gradient can also be obtained from the Ergun equation with adjustable constants. The model correctly captures the effect of superficial gas velocity, superficial liquid velocity and bubble diameter on the variation of the gas holdup along the froth height. The predictions of the model are in agreement with the experimental data from the literature.     

Gas holdup characteristics in a flotation column with different solids

This paper presents the effect of process variables on gas holdup. It was measured by volume expansion method in a continuously operating flotation column using coal and sphalerite. It was observed that addition of both solids reduced gas holdup. Increase in solid concentration and particle size reduced gas holdup. Also, increase in gas velocity and frother concentration increased the gas holdup as amount of gas increased and bubble surface property favored the formation of small bubbles. An empirical mathematical model was developed to predict gas holdup. The predicted results were in good agreement with the experimental and available published data.     

筛板结构对多级鼓泡塔中流体力学参数的影响

在外径0.3 m的多级鼓泡塔中采用双探针电导探头考察了筛板结构对鼓泡塔中筛板上下两处流体力学参数的影响,并与无筛板鼓泡塔中流体力学参数进行了对比。研究结果表明:带筛板的鼓泡塔中气含率径向分布规律和无筛板的鼓泡塔相类似,筛板上下二侧的平均气含率随表观气速的增加而增加;在鼓泡塔轴向位置上,筛板下侧的气含率普遍比筛板上侧气含率要高;筛板的孔分布方式对于气含率径向分布有着一定影响,但孔径大小对此影响较小。     

多级气液鼓泡塔中筛板结构对气垫层高度及局部气含率的影响

采用压差法和双电导探针法考察了筛板结构对f300 mm多级鼓泡塔中筛板下侧气垫层高度和筛板上下两处局部气含率的影响. 结果表明,气垫层高度随表观气速ug增加而增加,随开孔率降低而增加,当ug从0.04 m/s增加到0.24 m/s时,气垫层高度从0.01 m增加到0.06 m. 而局部气含率的径向分布与普通鼓泡塔相似,都随ug增加而增加,随径向位置r/R增加而减小;筛板的引入使局部气含率在轴向方向发生较大变化,ug=0.027 m/s时,筛板上下两侧的局部气含率均在0.05左右,但ug增加到0.11 m/s时,下侧气含率则普遍增加到0.3~0.35,而上侧则在0.25~0.3之间,下侧普遍比上侧气含率高.     

充填浮选柱捕集区气含率的试验研究

通过冷模试验方法考察了充填浮选柱捕集区的气含率，经试验数据回归分析，气含率εｇ＝０．０９６Ｊｇ０．９１（Ｈｃ／Ｄ）－０．１８。并结合漂移通量的理论，确定充填浮选柱的捕集区为近似均匀鼓泡流。     

Gas holdup in a bubble column with immikible liquid mixtures

Experimental measurement of gas holdup was carried out in a medium-size gas-liquid-liquid bubble column with a multiple nozzle sparger plate using air, water and organic liquids. It was found that the fractional holdup depends on gas velocity, liquid properties, phase inversion in the liquid mixture as well as spreading coefficient of the organic liquid. In the presence of a liquid with a negative spreading coefficient the holdup is a minimum at the phase inversion point. but the reverse is true for a liquid with a positive coefficient of spreading. Observed bubble characteristics have been discussed. Correlations for gas holdup have been developed for different ranges of liquid composition.     

加压大型气液鼓泡床中气含率的实验和关联

对内径0.3 m、高6.6 m的加压鼓泡床中的气含率进行了系统研究，得出了表面张力、粘度、压力等对气含率的影响规律；结果表明，在实验范围内，鼓泡床中的气含率随表面张力和粘度的升高而降低，随压力的升高而升高；并用气泡聚并的能量理论作了定性的解释. 根据542组实验数据得出了气含率的关联式.     

Bubble size distribution in a flotation column

The bubbles that were generated in a flotation column were measured. The bubble size distributions were obtained both for air-water and air-water-coal systems. The size distribution pattern was fitted to different equations. It was found that the bubble size distribution in both the flotation and cleaning zones follows the Rosin-Rommler equation used to describe the particle size distribution in crushing. This study indicates that bubbles in the cleaning zone are always larger than those of the flotation zone and finer bubbles are generated when a mixture of frothers is used instead of individual frothers.     

Drift Flux Modelling for a Two‐Phase System in a Flotation Column

Using different two‐phase systems, a laboratory flotation column was operated over a wide range of bubble size from 250 to 1100 µm. The drift flux analysis for the tests was used to obtain a new correlation to relate the characteristic exponent m in the drift flux equation j_gf = U_tα_g(1 — α_g)^m, to bubble Reynolds number, where j_gf is the drift flux, U_t is the terminal velocity of an individual bubble, α_g is the gas volume fraction, and m is an exponent that depends on flow conditions. m = 20.26 + 1.89 Re_b/4.38 + Re_b.     

Effect of pulp fibres on gas holdup in a flotation column

Column flotation is an emerging technology in the deinking of recycled paper. Deinking efficiency depends primarily on the effect of four physical variables: gas and accepts flowrates, bubble size distribution, and pulp consistency. Experiments to establish operating ranges for these variables by determining their effect on gas holdup were conducted in a laboratory column installed at Bowater's Gatineau (Quebec) mill which processes a pulp (70% ONP/30% OMG) with about 1% consistency. The results showed the general trends expected from a review of previous studies: gas holdup increases with gas and accepts flowrates and with smaller bubble size, and decreases for higher pulp consistencies. However, the review also demonstrated that the published information is of limited application as the bubble size was much larger than that encountered in industrial flotation practice, primarily because of the use of pure water. Industrial pulps contain in most cases surface active agents which have a substantial effect on forming and preserving a small size bubble population.     

PX氧化鼓泡塔反应器流动规律的研究

采用改进的Pavlov管测定鼓泡塔中的液相局部流速,采用电导探针方法测定气含率分布,测定了3种塔径（D200mm,D500mm,D800mm）、不同空塔气速下的流速三维分布和气含率分布。     

鼓泡塔中气泡尺寸分布和局部气含率研究

在内径为0.38 m的鼓泡塔中采用双电导探针法对不同通气速率下的气泡尺寸分布和局部气含率进行了实验研究,分析了气泡尺寸的概率密度分布。结果表明:气泡尺寸随轴向高度的增加而增大,随径向距离增加而减小;鼓泡塔中气液流动可分为过渡流域和充分发展流域,在过渡流域气含率随轴向高度增加而增大,在充分发展流域气含率趋于均值,径向局部气含率分布呈抛物线型下降。高气速下气泡尺寸概率密度分布比低气速下宽,且随轴向高度的增加分布变宽。     

Heat transfer and gas holdup studies in a bubble column: Air-water-sand system

Air-holdup and heat transfer coefficient data are reported for the air-water and air-water-sand system as a function of air velocity in the temperature range 297-343 K as measured in a 0.305 m diameter bubble column operating in semi-batch mode and equipped with either a five- or seven-tube bundle. A 65 μm average size sand powder is used at concentrations of 5 and 10 mass percent in the slurry. Available correlations of gas holdup and heat transfer coefficients are examined on the basis of these data. These are found inappropriate and inadequate for representing these experimental data. Gas holdup data are well represented by an approach based on Nicklin's (1962) work, and heat transfer data are adequately represented by a simple semi-empirical expression. Accurate experimental data on additional systems are needed to develop a reliable heat transfer theory particularly for process representation at temperatures higher than ambient.     

Void fraction distribution in a bisectional bubble column reactor

This article presents the distribution of the local void fraction (α) in a mock-up bisectional bubble column with a diameter of 0.63 m. Owing to the lack of such data in the literature, α was investigated experimentally using a microresistivity (R) probe and a phase discrimination procedure based on the probe signal. The two-phase mixture that consisted of air and tap water was measured at 342 nodes in the vertical half-section plane of the column. Relatively small differences between the volume-integrated local values of α and the measured total gas holdups showed reasonably good agreement under all conditions. Experimental data were used for validation of a bubble column numerical model for a low hydrodynamic regime with commercial computational fluid dynamics (CFD) code. The difference between the CFD calculated total gas holdup and the experimentally measured mean value is 8.8%, while some differences in the local void fraction distributions were found in the lower part of the column. © 2019 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J, 65: 1186–1197, 2019     

Effect of resistance internal on hydrodynamic behaviours and bubble characteristics in a laboratory-scale bubble column

A novel resistance internal is proposed to optimize the flow field and improve the gas–liquid contact in a co-hydrogenation reactor of coal and vacuum residuum. Local gas holdup, local liquid velocity, and characteristics of the bubble were investigated in a scaled-down laboratory model. The quantitative results showed that the resistance internals could reduce the thickness of the liquid reflux layer by a percentage up to 32% and reduce the difference in the local gas holdup at cross-sections of up to 44%. The Sauter mean diameter of the bubble decreased from 20.30 to 16.00 mm, which aroused the increase in bubble surface area by a percentage of up to 71.9%. The resistance internal promoted the breakup of the bubble with multiple mechanisms and provided diversion to fluid. In this work, improvement at multiple scales was realized, and the technical support for industrial application was provided.