Abstract

The aim of this work consisted of developing a flotation model based on industrial data from modern and large mechanical flotation cells (up to 300 m(3)). Using industrial data from different flotation plants a general model was develop considering the metallurgical performance, residence time distribution, and operational and hydrodynamic conditions. The model considers the behaviour of each cell in a flotation bank separately, using a distributed approach. The overall mineral recovery by true flotation, in terms of the collection and froth zone recoveries and the gangue entrainment into the concentrate, was calculated. The mineral feed characterization by particle size and liberation classes allowed the evaluation of the metallurgical performance along the flotation bank. This paper presents a new approach for flotation circuit modelling and simulation, which addresses the challenges for improving the froth behaviour by varying the cell design as well as the potential for circuit optimization.