ADVANCES IN THE STUDY OF HIGH-INTENSITY CONDITIONING AS A MEANS OF IMPROVING MINERAL FLOTATION PERFORMANCE

A systematic investigation into the hydrodynamic and chemical aspects of high intensity conditioning (HIC) prior to mineral flotation has be en conducted. The objectives were to elucidate the mechanisms responsi ble for improvements in flotation performance following HIC, to unders tand the influence of shear in the process and devise appropriate scal e-up criteria. In laboratory experiments it has been shown that metal flotation grade, selectivity and recovery can be improved significantl y following the use of a HIC stage which, if translated to full scale operation, could give excellent improvements in process economics. One of the mineral flotation processes selected for study was nickel roug her flotation from a nickel sulfide orebody, obtained from a currently -operating Western Australian mineral processing site. Extensive exper imental work using rigorously designed laboratory procedures has been completed to study changes to impeller design and investigate pulp rhe ology with the aim of developing scale-up procedures. Such parameters as total work input, rate of work addition, impeller dimensions and co nfiguration, point of addition of reagents and effect of temperature h ave been studied in detail. The construction of a novel, high-shear, c ontinuous HIC cell system has also taken place to optimise shear effic iency. Generic conclusions have been drawn regarding scale-rep of cell design and principles of HIC cell operating procedure. Copyright (C) 1996 Elsevier Science Ltd