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US-12618010-B2 - Method and system for flotation separation in a magnetically controllable and steerable medium

US12618010B2US 12618010 B2US12618010 B2US 12618010B2US-12618010-B2

Abstract

The present invention provides new techniques related to magnetically controllable and/or steerable froth for use in separation processes of mineral-bearing ore and bitumen. Apparatus is provided featuring a processor configured to contain a fluidic medium having a material-of-interest and also having a surfactant with magnetic properties so as to cause the formation of a froth layer that contains at least some of the material-of-interest and is magnetically responsive; and a magnetic field generator configured to generate a magnetic field and provide non-mechanical mixing and steering/driving of the froth layer in the processor. The material-of-interest may be mineral-bearing ore particles or bitumen. The processor includes a flotation tank, a primary separation vessel (PSV), or a pipe, including a tailings pipeline. The pipe has a non-magnetic pipe section, and the magnetic field generator includes a magnetic coil arranged in relation to non-magnetic pipe section to generate the magnetic field and provide the non-mechanical mixing and steering/driving of the froth layer in the pipe.

Inventors

  • Alan D. Kersey

Assignees

  • CIDRA CORPORATE SERVICES LLC

Dates

Publication Date
20260505
Application Date
20190325

Claims (13)

  1. 1 . A method for non-mechanical stirring of a froth layer in a processor forming part of a mining operation, comprising: providing in a processor a pulp slurry mixture having a pulp slurry with a mineral-particle-of-interest and a surfactant with magnetic properties; configuring the processor as a pipe, including a tailings pipeline; agitating the pulp slurry mixture to cause a formation of a magnetically responsive froth layer having at least some of the mineral-particle-of-interest at a top portion of the processor; and generating a magnetic field with a magnetic field generator to provide non-mechanical mixing, steering and driving of the magnetically responsive froth layer on the top portion of the processor.
  2. 2 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein the mineral-particle-of-interest is mineral-bearing ore particles.
  3. 3 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein the mineral-particle-of-interest is bitumen.
  4. 4 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein the method comprises configuring the processor as a flotation tank or a primary separation vessel (PSV).
  5. 5 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein the method comprises configuring the pipe with a non-magnetic pipe section, and configuring the magnetic field generator with a magnetic coil arranged in relation to the non-magnetic pipe section to generate the magnetic field and provide the non-mechanical mixing and steering/driving of the froth layer in the pipe.
  6. 6 . The method according to claim 5 , wherein the method comprises configuring the pipe as a diverter/skimmer configured to provide a bitumen froth from the pipe.
  7. 7 . The method according to claim 5 , wherein the method comprises configuring the magnetic field generator with respective magnetic froth-steering coils C 1 , C 2 configured to respond to respective controllable currents I 1 , I 2 .
  8. 8 . The method according to claim 7 , wherein the method comprises configuring the respective magnetic froth-steering coils C 1 , C 2 at the top portion of the processor or embedding the respective magnetic froth-steering coils C 1 , C 2 in a wall of the processor.
  9. 9 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein the method comprises agitating the pulp slurry mixture with air bubbles that float through the pulp slurry mixture, attract the mineral-particle-of-interest and cause the formation of the magnetically responsive froth layer.
  10. 10 . The method according to claim 9 , wherein the method comprises agitating the pulp slurry mixture with an agitator arranged in a bottom portion of the processor that mixes the pulp slurry mixture with the air bubbles.
  11. 11 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein the method comprises agitating the pulp slurry mixture with buoyant polymer air bubbles that float through the pulp slurry mixture, attract the mineral-particle-of-interest and cause the formation of the magnetically responsive froth layer.
  12. 12 . The method according to claim 11 , wherein the method comprises agitating the pulp slurry mixture with an agitator arranged in a bottom portion of the processor that mixes the pulp slurry mixture with the buoyant polymer air bubbles.
  13. 13 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein the method comprises providing the magnetic field to stir the magnetically responsive froth layer at a predetermined rate.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS This application is a continuation patent application that claims benefit to patent application Ser. No. 15/782,125, filed 12 Oct. 2017, which itself claims benefit to an earlier-filed continuation patent application Ser. No. 14/380,609, filed 23 Oct. 2014, which corresponds to international patent application serial no. PCT/US2013/028303, filed 28 Feb. 2013, which claims benefit to Provisional Patent Application No. 61/604,088, filed 28 Feb. 2012, and U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/616,604, filed Mar. 28, 2012, which is incorporated by reference in their entirety. This application is also related to the following nine PCT applications, which are all concurrently filed on 25 May 2012 as follows: PCT application no. PCT/US12/39591, entitled “Method and system for releasing mineral from synthetic bubbles and beads,”PCT application no. PCT/US12/39528, entitled “Flotation separation using lightweight synthetic bubbles and beads;”PCT application no. PCT/US12/39524, entitled “Mineral separation using functionalized polymer membranes;”PCT application no. PCT/US12/39540, entitled “Mineral separation using sized, weighted and magnetized beads;”PCT application no. PCT/US12/39576, entitled “Synthetic bubbles/beads functionalized with molecules for attracting or attaching to mineral particles of interest;”PCT application no. PCT/US/39596, entitled “Synthetic bubbles and beads having hydrophobic surface;”PCT application no. PCT/US12/39631, entitled “Mineral separation using functionalized filters and membranes;”.PCT application no. PCT/US12/39655, entitled “Mineral recovery in tailings using functionalized polymers;” andPCT application no. PCT/US12/39658, entitled “Techniques for transporting synthetic beads or bubbles In a flotation cell or column.” BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Technical Field This invention relates generally to a method and apparatus for separating valuable material from unwanted material in a mixture, such as a pulp slurry. 2. Description of Related Art Flotation processing for the separation of materials is a widely utilized technology, particularly in the fields of minerals recovery, industrial waste water treatment, and paper recycling for example. Mineral Separation In the case of minerals separation, the mineral bearing ore is crushed and ground to a size, typically around 100 microns, such that a high degree of liberation occurs between the ore minerals and the gangue (waste) material. In the case of copper mineral extraction as an example, the ground ore is then wet, suspended in a slurry, or ‘pulp’, and mixed with reagents such as xanthates or other reagents, which render the copper sulfide particles hydrophobic. In many industrial processes, froth flotation is used to separate valuable or desired material from unwanted material (e.g., gangue). In effect, flotation works by taking advantage of differences in the hydrophobicity of the mineral-bearing ore particles and the waste gangue. By way of example, in this process a mixture of water, valuable material, unwanted material, chemicals and air is placed into a flotation cell. In particular, a pulp slurry of hydrophobic particles and hydrophilic particles may be introduced to a water filled tank containing surfactant which is aerated, creating bubbles. The chemicals are used to make the desired material hydrophobic and the air is used to carry the material to the surface of the flotation cell. When the hydrophobic material and the air bubbles collide they become attached to each other. The bubble rises to the surface carrying the desired material with it, forming a froth. The froth is removed and the concentrate is further refined. The surfactant is key in the generation of the froth, and the quality and physical and chemical properties of the froth are essentially important in determining the efficiency of the separation process. In flotation separation processes, multiple stages of flotation are used: For example, see the flotation circuit shown in FIG. 12a. Air is constantly forced through the pulp slurry and the air bubbles attach to the hydrophobic mineral particles, which are conducted to the surface, where they form a froth and are skimmed off. For example, see the flotation cell in FIG. 12b. The ground ore is generally subjected to processing in ‘rougher’ and ‘cleaner-scavenger’ cells to remove excess gangue and to remove other sulfide minerals. In flotation the kinetics that drive the transport of the froth layer are an important aspect of the efficiency of the separation process and overall mineral recovery. In general, the froth is allowed to build up, collecting minerals of interest. The froth then flows over the process cell discharge lip or weir to be collected as concentrate. This process generally relies on froth mobility, and the natural hydro-dynamics of the cell. The notion of froth residence time is important: With the right residence time, the froth layer persists long