Froth Phase Control with Adjustable Radial Froth Crowders –

The Key to Higher Recovery

Steve Merrill1 Ian Coltrin2 Sudhir Kamath3 Dariusz Lelinski4

1. FLSmidth, USA, Global Product Line Manager-Flotation, [email protected]

2. FLSmidth, USA, Global Product Line Manager-Flotation, [email protected]
3. FLSmidth, USA, Retrofits and Upgrades Director, [email protected]
4. FLSmidth, USA, Global Product Director-Flotation, [email protected]
______________________________________________________________________________________________

Abstract to optimize froth recovery and numerical examples of

Froth flotation has been the heart of mineral doing so.
beneficiation for over a century. Over the years,
developments have been made in flotation cell design, 2. Froth Recovery
size, and in many other aspects of flotation technology.
Despite the overall effectiveness of these 2.1. What is Froth Recovery?
improvements, valuable mineral particles are often lost
along with waste material. These particles are lost There are multiple things that need to occur in a float
when the froth recovery process within a flotation cell in order for recovery to occur. The desired mineral
system is not designed for variable froth conditions must make contact with a bubble, attach to the bubble,
seen in plant operations. and stay attached long enough to travel up the cell,
Both the amount of froth generated and the type of through the froth and into the concentrate launders.
froth in a flotation cell change as concentrate is The collection process from the froth phase to launders
removed down a row of cells. Traditionally, froth is known as froth recovery.
recovery has been designed using a froth carry rate Froth is a three phase mixture of solids, water, and
averaged over the entire row of flotation cells with a gas. The properties of the froth can vary considerably
static amount of open area at the top of the cell. The depending on things like: solids particle size, type of
size of flotation cells has increased dramatically over solids, concentration of solids, reagents used and their
the past two decades, making improvements in launder concentration, etc... Typically, the desired minerals
and froth crowder design necessary to increase the make their way to the top of the froth bed until they
recovery efficiency in the froth zone. To address this are collected into the froth launder.
issue, FLSmidth has created and implemented
Adjustable Radial Froth Crowders that allow flotation
operators to have more control over froth recovery and
optimize the process for the variability of froth
conditions.
The theory behind the need for froth crowding and
observations from practical application of Adjustable
Radial Froth Crowders will be presented and discussed.

1. Introduction

Froth recovery is essential to flotation. It is a key part Figure 1: Illustration of Froth and Pulp phase in a Float
of the overall performance of flotation cells and if Cell.
mismanaged, can result in a large recovery and
financial losses. If done well, along with the rest of the 2.2. Factors that affect Froth Recovery
flowsheet, one can better optimize their circuit
resulting in increased recoveries and efficiences. These 2.2.1. Froth Chemistry
increased efficiences will also help save precious Froth Chemistry is one of the main starting points to
resources such as water and energy. The purpose of maintaining a suitable froth and facilitating an effective
this paper is to present some options that can be used froth recovery. According to Cytec’s (Solvay) Mining
Chemicals Handbook, “Frothers were amonght the first
reagents developed for mineral concentration by froth
flotation; they remain a critical part of the suite of
reagents used today. They must have the property of
generating a froth that is capable of supporting and
enriching a mineral.” Typically froths must have certain
charactaristics such as:
1. The froth must have surface film properties that
will allow the valuable mineral to attach, but
resist the attachment of gangue minerals.
2. Be stable enough to support a considerable
weight of mineral and mobile enough to
transport that mineral to the collection launder.
3. It must be sufficiently transient for the bubbles to
break down and reform continuously, so that the
water and gangue minerals drain back into the
pulp.
4. It must be stable enough to form a froth when air
is introduced during different stages of flotation,
Figure 2: Top of a Float Cell with Illustrated Froth
but not so stable that it will not break down in the
Travel Distances and corresponding radial launders.
launders and sumps.
“The importance of achieving an optimal froth bed
2.2.3. Lip Loading and Froth Carry Rate
cannot be overemphasized, since this is where all the
From a volumetric standpoint, froth is mostly made
enrichment of the valuable minerals occurs as a result
up of air. There is a physical limit to how much
of hydrophilic gangue particles draining back into the
material that froth can support. The rate of froth that
pulp while the hydrophobic valuable minerals remain in
can physically flow up to the surface of the cell and
the froth.”
over the launders also has a physical limit. This leads to
There are two main types of frothers in use today:
two factors that are commonly used when evaluating
synthetic alcohols and glycols. They each have their
cell sizing in flotation applications. They are Lip
own characteristics that generate different types of
Loading and the Froth Carry Rate.
froths depending on what the operator is targeting.
Lip Loading is the solids flowrate into the launders
Great care should be taken in selecting the type,
divided by the wetted lip length at the launder froth
dosage, and dosage points for frothers used.
interface. Figure 3 shows (bolded in blue) an illustration
of the lip length for a typical cell. To avoid any froth
2.2.2. Froth Travel Distance
recovery restrictions due to lip length, a rule of thumb
Froth travel distance, as the name implies, is the
is that lip lengths shouldn’t exceed 1.0 – 1.5 t/m/hr.
distance that a particle must travel to reach a collection
However, as with many cases in flotation, there are
launder once arriving at the surface of the froth bed.
always exceptions to this rule and each case needs to
The longer the travel distance, the higher the
be evaluated accordingly.
probability that the particle will become detached from
the bubble and lost back into the cell. The shorter the
distance, the better chance of the particle arriving to
the concentrate launder. Typical recommendations are
that the maximum froth travel distance should be less
than one meter to minimize the risk of drop back.
 rougher and scavenger circuits where most of the easy
floating material has been removed and only a small
amount of more difficult-to-float material is available.

3. Optimizing Froth Recovery

Assuming that froth chemistry and dosages have been
optimized, there are a few other “mechanical” options
that can be implemented to optimize froth recovery.

3.1. Launders
As mentioned in the previous section, froth travel
distance and lip loading are two factors that can be
used in launder design and implementation.
As the size of float cells has significantly increased
over the past 30 years (e.g. During the 1990s the
Figure 3: Illustration of Lip Length and surface area of
largest available float cells were in the ~100m3 range
a Flotation Cell (Outlined in Dark Blue)
whereas today cells as large as 700m3+ are now
available), so has the distance across the top of those
float cells. In order to maintain minimum froth travel
distances of no more than ~1 meter, radial launders
should be considered in many applications.
With the increase in cell volumes, comes an increase
Equation 1: Lip Loading Equation in the amount of concentrate floating to the surface
and into those launders. Care should be taken to
Froth Carry Rate (FCR) is the solids flowrate into the ensure that the lip loading in those scenarios is optimal
launders divided by the cross-sectional area at the (Ideally between 1.0 – 1.5 t/m/hr). The addition of
surface of the cell. Figure 3 shows the cross-sectional radial launders can be used to optimize the overall
surface area of a typcial float cell. launder length for a given process scenario.
Another use of launders is in the launder design itself.
Figure 2 shows an illustration of different types of
radial launders that can be used to optimize the
performance of different cell types. The traditional
rounded radial launders (top half of illustration) are
Equation 2: Froth Carry Rate Equation
generally implemented on cells with outward radial
froth flow patterns as occurs in a self-aspirating
Rules of thumb also exist for the FCR. For most
flotation cell. These launders are notably different from
common sulfide flotation applications the following
the other launder type shown by viewing the tip of the
rates are recommended:
launder which is rounded and optimizes the recovery
 Rougher: 0.8-1.5
into the peripheral launders. This radial movement
 Scavenger: 0.3-0.8
occurs because of the location of the rotor mechanism
 Cleaners: 1.0-2.5 towards the top of the flotation cell which pushes the
These values are a good starting point to look at when slurry and froth out toward the radial and peripheral
evaluating whether or not adjustments need to be launders.
made in the float cells/circuit to optimize the froth The high efficiency radial launders (bottom half of
recovery. A high FCR would indicate that there is too illustration) are generally implemented on forced-air
much material attempting to leave the cell, and that
flotation cells that have different cell hydrodynamics
froth recovery will be restricted due to the physical than their self-aspirating counterpart.
limitations in the cell. This is common at the beginning
of rougher circuits due to the large amount of readily
floatable solids.
A rate that is too low indicates that there is too much
surface area at the top of the cell for the amount of
material that is floating. This case will result in a froth
that is unstable and will be difficult to maintain a
sufficient froth bed. This is common at the end of
 required by the froth to arrive at the launders, thus
increasing the probability that those particles will be
recovered. Two types of crowders that can be used are
the central cone crowders and adjustable radial froth
crowders.

3.2.1. Central Cone Crowders

Figure 4: FLSmidth’s High Efficiency Radial Launders Central cone crowders have become standard in most
larger flotation cells. Due to the increased size of cells
The primary circulation of the forced-air cell in the and larger froth travel distances at the surface, the
pulp phase has a flow pattern and movement towards central crowder exists to reduce the overall surface
the center of the cell as the pulp moves upward. Due area of the cell, and more importantly to reduce the
to this inward flow, conical crowders are also generally froth travel distance at the top of the cell helping to
implemented to influence the froth phase flow push the froth toward the collection launders. These
outward to the collection launders. The flared design crowders can typically be slightly adjusted up or down
of the launder acts as a mouth to ease the collection of during installation to optimize the area that is crowded.
the froth as it is pushed out by the central cone
crowder.

Figure 6: Central Cone Crowder surrounded by High

Efficiency Radial Launders.

3.2.2. Adjustable Radial Froth Crowders

Adjustable Radial Froth Crowders are another useful
tool for optimizing froth carry rates down a row of
Figure 5: Froth Flow with High Efficiency Launders cells. When froth recovery is evaluated on a cell-by-cell
basis down the row, it becomes clear that the
3.2. Froth Crowders optimization needs are different depending upon
where the flotation cell is within the row. At the end of
The last piece in optimizing the froth recovery is the the row, most of the fast or readily floating minerals
proper use of froth crowders. As mentioned have already been removed. As this happens, the froth
previously, froth carry rates typically drop off phase becomes thinner and less stable as the slurry
significantly when the majority of the easy floating moves down the row where upwards of 80% of the
mineral has been removed from the cell. The floatable concentrate is gone.
concentration of attached mineral particles needs to be Adjustable radial froth crowders were designed for
high enough in the froth to form a stable froth phase. this purpose. By reducing the open cross-sectional
Froth crowders can be utiliized to increase this mineral area at the top of the cell, the crowders help facilitate a
concentration by effectively reducing the surface area deeper and more stable froth bed, without reagent
in the cell and crowding the remaining froth and addition, while simultaneously reducing the froth travel
minerals into a smaller area. This allows for a more distance to the nearest launder. The depth that the
stable, thicker froth that can be better controlled by crowders are placed in the cell can easily be adjusted
the operator. The crowders also help push the froth up or down. If more crowding is required, they can be
into the launders and reduce the travel distance lowered. If less is required, they can be raised. This
allows the froth carry rate to be optimized for each froth into a smaller cross sectional area and shorten
individual cell down the row. the froth travel distance. This helps increase the
concentration of minerals present in a given surface
area which gives the operator the ability to better
control the surface and depth of the froth zone. The
result is better froth recovery and/or grade reporting
to the concentrate stream. The last three cells have
very low carry rates due to the small amount of flotable
mineral present at this stage in the circuit.
Reducing the surface area with adjustable radial froth
crowders is the best option to achieve better
performance. Doing so will shift the grade recovery
curve. Through the combination of Adjustable Radial
Figure 7: FLSmidth’s Adjustable Radial Froth Froth Crowders and radial launders, the froth travel
Crowders. distance is reduced, mass pull velocity increased, and
an overall increase in recovery is achieved. In these
instances, the emphasis is to maintain froth depth and
4. Example of Where Adjustable Radial Froth increase mass pull through the circuit. In most cases, a
Crowders Can be Implemented. shift in recovery of more than 1% is expected.

The following table from a study done on a copper N. Conclusions

concentrator shows the corresponding weight pulls and
recoveries collected down a row in a rougher circuit In many mineral processing concentrators losses
along with the corresponding calculated froth carry occurring from flotation cells are commonly between
rates. The first 2-3 cells of the row is where the 1% and 5%, reaching even higher for coarse particle
majority of the froth is collected and where the highest flotation. Often, the root cause of these losses is an
amount of surface area is needed in order to collect as inability to control the froth phase throughout the
much froth as possible coming to the top of the cell. flotation circuit.
Then, there is a much lower amount of concentrate The answer to effective management of froth in
down the rest of the row. flotation cells includes proper use of radial launders
FLSmidth - Flotation Results
and the use of adjustable radial froth crowders. Radial
1 Row of (6) 600m3 Cells
launders and adjustable radial froth crowders provide
Individual Results

Cells
Ret. Time Solids Solids Indvidual Grade, % Distribution, % Carry Rate the following key benefits to existing flotation circuits:
 Minimize froth drop back by optimizing froth
min tph Wt Pull, % Cu Mo Cu Mo tph/m2
Cell 1 Feed 2750.0 100.00 0.320 0.0200 100.0 100.0
Cell 1 Conc 4.4 63.8 2.32 8.12 0.442 58.8 51.2 1.16
Cell 1 Tails 2686.2 97.68 0.135 0.0100 41.2 48.8 travel distances.
 Improve overall process by providing better
Cell 2 Conc 4.5 32.5 1.18 6.24 0.346 23.1 20.5 0.59
Cell 2 Tails 2653.7 96.50 0.060 0.0059 18.1 28.3
Cell 3 Conc 4.6 12.6 0.46 3.32 0.219 4.7 5.0 0.23
Cell 3 Tails 2641.1 96.04 0.051 0.0054 15.4 25.8 froth phase stability.
 Improve metallurgical performance by enabling
Cell 4 Conc 4.6 7.6 0.28 2.24 0.128 1.9 1.8 0.14
Cell 4 Tails 2633.6 95.77 0.045 0.0050 13.4 24.0
Cell 5 Conc 4.6 6.8 0.25 1.58 0.091 1.2 1.1 0.12
Cell 5 Tails 2627.0 95.53 0.041 0.0048 12.3 22.9 froth depth control
Cell 6 Conc 4.6 6.6 0.24 1.33 0.078 1.0 0.9 0.12
Cell 6 Tails 2620.2 95.28 0.038 0.0046 11.2 22.0 Radial launders and adjustable radial froth crowders
Table 1: Row Performance of Cu Ro./Scav. Circuit are easy to install, low risk options that will help
optimize froth recovery in any flotation circuit.
As was mentioned previously, recommended carry
rates for rougher/scavenger circuits range from ~0.3 – References
1.5 tph/m2. When this number drops below ~0.3-0.2,
the froth will be sparse and unstable resulting in Mining Chemicals Handbook, Cytec (Solvay) v. 2010 p.
decreased froth recovery. In order to optimize this 99-100.
situation, there are two options: 1. Pull more material
into the concentrate (this is usually not feasible,
because most of the floatable material has already
been collected so there is a limit in the amount of
floatable material available spread over the surface of
the cell.) 2. Reduce the surface area of the
corresponding float cell in an effort to “squeeze” the