Inflatable Flotation Machine

Product Overview

Inflatable flotation machine is the core sorting equipment representing advanced technology level in modern mineral processing. It realizes the ultimate separation of minerals through the perfect synergy of external forced inflation system and efficient mechanical stirring device. This equipment has become the preferred solution to deal with coarse particles, high density, large specific gravity and difficult-to-select minerals with its significant technical advantages such as large and adjustable inflatable volume, fine and uniform bubbles, and full suspension of slurry, etc. It is widely used in the roughing, sweeping and selecting operations of large-scale non-ferrous metals, ferrous metals and non-metallic ores, and is the key equipment to improve the beneficiation index and economic benefits.

Working Principle

1. Slurry feeding: after grinding and fully adjusting with flotation chemicals, the slurry enters into the flotation tank by self-flow.

2. Forced inflation and dispersion:

   • The external blower provides a stable, high-pressure gas source.

   • The gas is pre-dispersed through the microporous gas distributor.

   • The large-diameter conical impeller rotates at high speed, mixing and shearing the inhaled air and slurry strongly, forming a large number of micro-fine bubbles with uniform size (0.8-2mm).

3. Selective mineralization: After the target mineral particles collide with the bubbles, the hydrophobic minerals selectively attach to the bubbles, forming a stable mineralized foam layer.

4. Separation and Discharge:

   • The scraper mechanism scrapes out the foam layer rich in target minerals as concentrate product.

   • The hydrophilic minerals then remain in the slurry and are discharged as tailings from the end of the tank body into the next operation.

Core structure and design features

• 🛡️ Tank system: "U" type or step type deep tank design, equipped with wear-resistant rubber or polyurethane lining, which effectively prevents coarse particles from settling and accumulating, reduces abrasion and prolongs service life.

• ⚙️ Stirring device: the core adopts large diameter and low speed conical impeller and umbrella/radial stator combination, which has strong stirring force and large slurry circulation to ensure the full suspension of coarse and heavy particles, meanwhile, the energy consumption is lower, and the life of wear parts is longer.

• 💨 Inflating system: independent external blast air supply, through the gas flow regulating device and air disperser, to realize precise and flexible regulation of inflating volume within the range of 0.3-2.5 m³/m²-min, to adapt to the needs of different process stages.

• 🧠 Intelligent control system: integrating automatic liquid level control, intelligent adjustment of filling volume and frequency conversion speed regulation of motor, it can realize accurate and stable control of process parameters, optimize sorting efficiency and facilitate access to the whole plant DCS system.

Core Advantages

Excellent performance

• Superb pulping and suspension: powerful mixing force ensures that high-density, coarse-grained minerals are not easy to sink, and the recovery rate is significantly increased.

• Precise control of bubbles: The generated bubbles are fine, uniform and stable, providing the best conditions for mineralization and good selectivity.

• Wide process adaptability: by adjusting the filling volume, rotating speed and liquid level, it can easily cope with a wide range of ore properties and the requirements of different sorting operations (roughing, sweeping and selecting).

Remarkable economic benefits

• Energy saving and consumption reduction: large diameter and low rotating speed impeller design, compared with the traditional flotation machine can save 30-50%.

• Saving of chemicals: the superior bubble environment improves the utilization rate of chemicals, which can reduce the consumption of chemicals by 10-20%.

• Low maintenance cost: Wear-resistant design prolongs the life of spare parts, and the equipment has a long trouble-free operation time, which greatly reduces the comprehensive maintenance cost.

Typical models and applications selection guide

Suggestions for model selection:

• According to scale: small plant (2-8m³) → medium-sized plant (10-20m³) → large plant (≥30m³)

• According to minerals: coarse particles/high-density ore selection with strong stirring and anti-subsidence type; fine-grained ore selection with high speed and microfoam type.

• According to the process: high capacity type for roughing; high selectivity type for concentrating; high recovery type for sweeping.

Intelligent control and maintenance

• Intelligent control: through PLC system, real-time monitoring and automatic adjustment of liquid level, filling volume, motor load and other key parameters, to realize optimal control and remote management of flotation process.

• Maintenance points:

  • Daily: check the bearing lubrication, filling pipeline, and any abnormal noise.

  • Monthly: check the wear and tear of impeller and stator.

  • Annual: Planned replacement of wear parts (impeller/stator life 12-18 months), overhaul of lining (about 24 months).

Areas of application

• Non-ferrous metals: large sulfide ore processing plants for copper, lead, zinc, molybdenum, nickel, etc.

• Ferrous metals: reverse flotation desiliconization and dephosphorization of iron ore (hematite, magnetite) and manganese ore.

• Non-metallic ores: purification and separation of potash, phosphorite, fluorite, graphite, etc.

• Rare metals: efficient recovery of lithium mica, tantalum niobium ore, etc.