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Open AccessArticle
Bubble Size Characterization in the HydroFloat® Fluidized-Bed Flotation Cell Using Tap Water and Seawater
by
Giovanni Gahona
Giovanni Gahona 1,
Luís A. Cisternas
Luís A. Cisternas 1,*,
Natalia Araya-Gómez
Natalia Araya-Gómez 2,
Freddy A. Lucay
Freddy A. Lucay 3,
Edelmira D. Gálvez
Edelmira D. Gálvez 4,
Alejandro Lopéz-Valdivieso
Alejandro Lopéz-Valdivieso 5 and
Felipe Valdes
Felipe Valdes 6
1
Departamento de Ingeniería Química y Procesos de Minerales, Universidad de Antofagasta, 1240000 Antofagasta, Chile
2
Department of Chemical and Metallurgical Engineering, School of Chemical Engineering, Aalto University, 02150 Espoo, Finland
3
Escuela de Ingeniería Química, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Valparaíso, 2374631 Valparaíso, Chile
4
Departamento de Ingeniería Metalúrgica y Minas, Universidad Católica del Norte, 1240000 Antofagasta, Chile
5
Instituto de Metalurgia, Universidad Autónoma de San Luis de Potosi, 78000 San Luis Potosi, Mexico
6
Eriez Flotation Group Chile S.A., 7560908 Santiago, Chile
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Minerals 2024, 14(8), 813; https://doi.org/10.3390/min14080813 (registering DOI)
Submission received: 20 June 2024
/
Revised: 25 July 2024
/
Accepted: 8 August 2024
/
Published: 11 August 2024
Abstract
This research aims to analyze the behavior of bubble size distribution in the HydroFloat® with seawater and tap water. The study characterized bubble size in a two-phase gas–water system in a fluidized-bed flotation cell. The impact of seawater was compared to tap water using two frothers, MIBC and polyglycol F507. The experimental design was used to investigate the influence of various parameters such as superficial air velocity, superficial liquid velocity, frother concentration, and seawater concentration on bubble size. The results indicate that the critical coalescence concentration followed the order of MIBC > F507. Bubble size decreases with increasing superficial liquid velocity, while the superficial gas velocity and frother/seawater concentration have the opposite effect. ANOVA results reveal that all linear factors are significant, the quadratic terms of the frother and seawater concentrations are significant, and the interaction term for the superficial air velocity–superficial liquid velocity is nonsignificant for bubble size. Global sensitivity analysis demonstrates that the variables significantly affecting bubble size are frother concentration and seawater concentration, followed by superficial water velocity. The superficial gas velocity has minimal impact on bubble size under the conditions studied.
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MDPI and ACS Style
Gahona, G.; Cisternas, L.A.; Araya-Gómez, N.; Lucay, F.A.; Gálvez, E.D.; Lopéz-Valdivieso, A.; Valdes, F.
Bubble Size Characterization in the HydroFloat® Fluidized-Bed Flotation Cell Using Tap Water and Seawater. Minerals 2024, 14, 813.
https://doi.org/10.3390/min14080813
AMA Style
Gahona G, Cisternas LA, Araya-Gómez N, Lucay FA, Gálvez ED, Lopéz-Valdivieso A, Valdes F.
Bubble Size Characterization in the HydroFloat® Fluidized-Bed Flotation Cell Using Tap Water and Seawater. Minerals. 2024; 14(8):813.
https://doi.org/10.3390/min14080813
Chicago/Turabian Style
Gahona, Giovanni, Luís A. Cisternas, Natalia Araya-Gómez, Freddy A. Lucay, Edelmira D. Gálvez, Alejandro Lopéz-Valdivieso, and Felipe Valdes.
2024. "Bubble Size Characterization in the HydroFloat® Fluidized-Bed Flotation Cell Using Tap Water and Seawater" Minerals 14, no. 8: 813.
https://doi.org/10.3390/min14080813
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