Fine coal flotation process intensification: Part 5—Hydrodynamically intensified process for flotation of hard-to-separate coal

Characteristically,fine coal flotation is a process during which the floatability of coal particles tends to become gradually deteriorated.In view of the characteristics of the process,an alternative process is proposed.The process works on energy input and distribution principle,based on which the intensified separation of difficult-to-separate material can be made by enhancing the flow of fluid.It is revealed through study that: with the extension of flotation process,more and more specific energy is consumed for the floating of a unit mass of combustible matter; and in this case,sufficient energy input should be made available,so as to enable the process to be well adaptable to the variation of feed material in floatability and physical property,and to ensure the process design is well suited to the physical property of feed material.On the basis of the findings as described above,a 2-stage flotation process is developed.The use of the process can ensure not only the quality of the concentrate of the easy-to-float material,but also the forced recovery of the difficult-to-float material by dint of its high turbulence energy.