NUMERICAL MODELING OF FLOWS IN FLOTATION COLUMNS

Flotation columns are widely used in the mineral processing and coal p reparation industry, Conventional mathematical modeling of flotation c olumns has utilized axial dispersion or tanks-in-series models. Howeve r, for design and scale up purposes these models are somewhat lacking because they do not provide detailed information on the flow fields wi thin the column. This paper presents a two-dimensional, two-phase, flu id-dynamic model with numerical solutions for some cases encountered i n column flotation. The MAC (Marker And Cell) method was employed to o btain the numerical solutions. The simulated flow field reveals the pr esence of a circulating flow structure in flotation columns, which cou ld be one of the primary reasons for mixing in column flotation. The e ffects of some parameters such as superficial gas and liquid velocitie s on the characteristics of the flow structure in flotation columns we re also tested with the numerical model.