FLOTATION
Floating to the top
TAKRAF DELKOR BQR cells with MAXGen mechanisms installed at an Australian gold mine
New flotation technologies being introduced reflect a drive for greater sustainability , desire to achieve greater efficiency from existing plants & also a move to better handle fines & coarse particles , reports Paul Moore
The central technology recovering most metals and minerals in the mining industry today remains flotation . However , it is also an industry that is not standing still – new technologies are being brought in – both by the largest two players and market leaders , but also by a number of other innovative companies . The focus as before is on efficiency but increasingly on sustainability as well . The importance of the retrofit market , and in particular replacing older mechanisms , is also very clear .
For this article we began by talking with Metso Outotec – namely Alejandro Yáñez , Senior Manager , Concorde Technology ; Antti Rinne , VP Flotation ; and Guillermo Bermudez , Director , Flotation Products . Metso Outotec says it can provide the whole concentrator plant circuit and has in-house capabilities starting from test work , to modelling and simulation , to running tradeoffs with different equipment selections and plant layouts , to designing a plant for optimised revenues . It has also delivered pilot equipment to several test facilities in recent years . It says whenever piloting is possible , more accurate process modelling will be possible to support an optimised flowsheet and layout . It will also allow easier creation of a digital twin .
Starting with the Concorde Cell™ , this was introduced in November 2021 and was Metso Outotec ’ s most significant flotation launch in several years . The patented technology Metso Outotec said is the first fine and ultra-fine flotation solution for more finely disseminated and complex orebodies that have previously been inaccessible . On the market response to the Concorde Cell , Yáñez comments : “ Introducing a new technology to the industry can be a long journey . Metso Outotec ’ s Concorde Cell journey started back in 2018 when first prototypes were developed , then introduced demonstrative and production units into mineral processing flowsheets . The patented Concorde Cell technology is the first fine and ultra-fine solution for complex and previously inaccessible ore types within various mineral processing flowsheets including gold , copper , nickel , platinum , silver , lead , zinc & molybdenum . We see a very positive market response to the Concorde Cell offering . In April 2022 Metso Outotec also launched the Concorde Blast Tube™ Upgrade to help miners operating with self-aspirated pneumatic flotation cells to enhance fine and ultrafine particle selectivity . The Concorde Cell™ technology has been in the industry as a production unit since Q1 2020 . We have secured plant level experience in copper , silver , platinum among other applications so far and are preparing for the commissioning of additional units in nickel and gold applications in the coming months .”
But there is also a strong sustainability angle to the Concorde Cell and Metso Outotec ’ s other key flotation technologies . Rinne said that in flotation , Metso Outotec has been able to achieve significant savings in energy
consumption combined with improved yield of valuables , and these all count very well towards its Planet Positive targets .
“ The Concorde Cell technology enables the efficient use of earth ’ s resources with increased recovery of fines and smaller plant footprint , helping miners to minimise energy and water consumption per metal production targets . The energy-efficient TankCell ® flotation cells are part of our Planet Positive offering and are designed to provide optimal metallurgical performance sustainably . All components as well as electrical equipment have been selected for maximum availability and operating life . When combining TankCell flotation with the Concorde Cell , customers can unlock the potential for even further improved performance . Higher recovery , selectivity and final concentrate grade are just a few of the benefits . On top of this , we have a comprehensive automation , services and modernisation offering to support our customers ’ flotation process improvement and optimisation needs .”
The company recently re-launched its TankCell ® technology which continues to be the leading mechanical flotation cell product in the world . In the launch statement , Metso Outotec says that since the 1990s , it has delivered nearly 8,000 TankCell flotation cells to mining customers around the world , with a size range that goes from 5 m 3 to 630 m 3 . TankCell units are equipped with the FloatForce ® mixing mechanism , which provides improved flotation hydrodynamics and pumping performance at high air dispersion rates . Thanks to this innovative mixing mechanism , particle recovery in the flotation cell is very efficient while power consumption and the risk of sanding is reduced , according to the company . Rinne additionally told IM that it is working on exciting new developments in the innovative FloatForce technology and expects to introduce the nextgeneration mixing mechanisms soon . The RCS cell design , which came from the Metso side of the company from before the merger with
The patented Concorde technology is a new fine and ultra-fine flotation solution for complex and previously inaccessible ore types
OCTOBER 2022 | International Mining 49