XXXI International Mineral Processing Congress 2024 Proceedings/Washington, DC/Sep 29–Oct 3 2737
the attached and unattached valuable material, as well as
the total solids content (which consists mainly of the non-
floating gangue material).
CONCLUSION
In this paper a new SPH based framework for simulating
flotation cells is presented. It makes use of a momentum
averaged reference frame in order to virtually eliminate
the numerical dispersion that plagues more traditional
Eulerian-Eulerian flotation simulators. The model imple-
ments discrete-continuous and discrete-discrete phase cou-
pling, including granular temperature and pressure so that
high solids contents can be modelled.
The performance of the simulator is demonstrated for a
mechanical flotation cell with and without a design modifi-
cation, as well as for more novel fluidised bed flotation cells
at both laboratory and pilot scale.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
We would like to acknowledge FLSmidth for funding this
research
REFERENCES
Abrahamson, J. (1975). Collision rates of small particles
in a vigorously turbulent fluid. Chemical Engineering
Science, 30, 1371–1379.
Gobin, A., Neau, H., Simonin, O., Llinas, J. R., Reiling, V.,
&Sélo, J. L. (2003). Fluid dynamic numerical simula-
tion of a gas phase polymerization reactor. International
Journal for Numerical Methods in Fluids, 43(10–11),
1199–1220. doi: 10.1002/FLD.542.
Koh, P. T. L., &Schwarz, M. P. (2005). CFD modelling
of bubble-particle attachments in flotation cells. doi:
10.1016/j.mineng.2005.09.013.
Mesa, D., van Heerden, M., Cole, K., Neethling, S. J., &
Brito-Parada, P. R. (2022). Hydrodynamics in a three-
phase flotation system – Fluid following with a new
hydrogel tracer for Positron Emission Particle Tracking
(PEPT). Chemical Engineering Science, 260, 117842.
doi: 10.1016/J.CES.2022.117842.
Neethling, S. J., &Barker, D. J. (2016). Using Smooth
Particle Hydrodynamics (SPH) to model multiphase
mineral processing systems. Minerals Engineering, 90,
17–28. doi: 10.1016/j.mineng.2015.09.022.
Schulze, H. J., Wahl, B., &Gottschalk, G. (1989).
Determination of adhesive strength of particles within
the liquid/gas interface in flotation by means of a cen-
trifuge method. Journal of Colloid and Interface Science,
128(1), 57–65. doi: 10.1016/0021-9797(89)90384-6.
Syamlal, M. (1987). The particle-particle drag term in a mul-
tiparticle model of fluidization.
Wen, C., &Yu, Y. (1966). Mechanics of fluidisation.
Chemical Engineering Progress Symposium Series.
Yoon, R. H., &Luttrell, G. H. (1989). The Effect of Bubble
Size on Fine Particle Flotation. Mineral Procesing and
Extractive Metallurgy Review, 5(1–4), 101–122. doi:
10.1080/08827508908952646
the attached and unattached valuable material, as well as
the total solids content (which consists mainly of the non-
floating gangue material).
CONCLUSION
In this paper a new SPH based framework for simulating
flotation cells is presented. It makes use of a momentum
averaged reference frame in order to virtually eliminate
the numerical dispersion that plagues more traditional
Eulerian-Eulerian flotation simulators. The model imple-
ments discrete-continuous and discrete-discrete phase cou-
pling, including granular temperature and pressure so that
high solids contents can be modelled.
The performance of the simulator is demonstrated for a
mechanical flotation cell with and without a design modifi-
cation, as well as for more novel fluidised bed flotation cells
at both laboratory and pilot scale.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
We would like to acknowledge FLSmidth for funding this
research
REFERENCES
Abrahamson, J. (1975). Collision rates of small particles
in a vigorously turbulent fluid. Chemical Engineering
Science, 30, 1371–1379.
Gobin, A., Neau, H., Simonin, O., Llinas, J. R., Reiling, V.,
&Sélo, J. L. (2003). Fluid dynamic numerical simula-
tion of a gas phase polymerization reactor. International
Journal for Numerical Methods in Fluids, 43(10–11),
1199–1220. doi: 10.1002/FLD.542.
Koh, P. T. L., &Schwarz, M. P. (2005). CFD modelling
of bubble-particle attachments in flotation cells. doi:
10.1016/j.mineng.2005.09.013.
Mesa, D., van Heerden, M., Cole, K., Neethling, S. J., &
Brito-Parada, P. R. (2022). Hydrodynamics in a three-
phase flotation system – Fluid following with a new
hydrogel tracer for Positron Emission Particle Tracking
(PEPT). Chemical Engineering Science, 260, 117842.
doi: 10.1016/J.CES.2022.117842.
Neethling, S. J., &Barker, D. J. (2016). Using Smooth
Particle Hydrodynamics (SPH) to model multiphase
mineral processing systems. Minerals Engineering, 90,
17–28. doi: 10.1016/j.mineng.2015.09.022.
Schulze, H. J., Wahl, B., &Gottschalk, G. (1989).
Determination of adhesive strength of particles within
the liquid/gas interface in flotation by means of a cen-
trifuge method. Journal of Colloid and Interface Science,
128(1), 57–65. doi: 10.1016/0021-9797(89)90384-6.
Syamlal, M. (1987). The particle-particle drag term in a mul-
tiparticle model of fluidization.
Wen, C., &Yu, Y. (1966). Mechanics of fluidisation.
Chemical Engineering Progress Symposium Series.
Yoon, R. H., &Luttrell, G. H. (1989). The Effect of Bubble
Size on Fine Particle Flotation. Mineral Procesing and
Extractive Metallurgy Review, 5(1–4), 101–122. doi:
10.1080/08827508908952646