Overview of new flotation equipment worldwide and application prospects in Vietnam

Abstract

Flotation has been applied industrially in mineral processing since the early twentieth century, marking over a century of use. During this long period, the most common flotation equipment was the compartment - agitator type. The principal structure of this equipment also has been changed very little. This is why they are referred to as traditional flotation equipment. In a flotation plant, each flotation stage consists of many consecutive compartments, with compartment capacity depending on the pulp flow and the number of compartments determined by the flotation time. However, traditional machines are increasingly revealing more and more shortcomings: Difficulty in designing large-capacity machines, leading to many machine compartments in a plant; high electricity costs; suboptimal agitation mode; challenges in maintenance and warranty; difficulties in adjusting technology (each compartments requires different adjustment, foam thickness varies across compartments...). As a result, in recent decades, people have focused on researching new types of equipment with high efficiency, reduced investment costs and production costs. New equipment without machine compartment - agitator is commonly called non-traditional flotation machines. This paper introduces the structural characteristics and principles of some of the most important new flotation machines, which are being effectively used in the field of mineral processing worldwide, and explores their application prospects in Vietnam.