Acoustical methods and an associated device, to estimate one or more properties of bubbles in a liquid like medium are provided. Principally, the acoustical method comprises acoustically exciting one or more bubbles in a liquid like medium to oscillate at a resonant frequency, detecting a first signal emitted from an acoustical source arranged to acoustically excite the one or more bubbles and detecting a second signal produced from the one or more bubble oscillations, deriving at least a first and a second characteristic by performing frequency domain analysis on the detected first and second signals, the first characteristic comprising a frequency interference minimum f.sub.1min and the second characteristic comprising a bubble resonance fundamental frequency maximum f.sub.1max and estimating one or more bubble properties from at least the first and second characteristics. Further provided are acoustical methods to estimate the equilibrium size and location of one or more bubbles in a liquid-like medium.

A wide-size-fraction flotation system and process includes feeding coal slime to be floated into a stirrer, adding water to the floating coal slime in the stirrer, stirring, then feeding same into a grading cyclone through a first feeding pump for pre-grading; after grading of the coal slime in the grading cyclone, feeding overflow in the grading cyclone into a flotation column through a second feeding pump for flotation, discharging flotation tailings through an underflow port of the flotation column, collecting flotation concentrates through an overflow port of the flotation column and feeding same into a bubble generator through a fourth feeding pump, and the flotation concentrates passing through the bubble generator and being fed from the bottom of a hydraulic flotation machine; and feeding underflow in the grading cyclone into the hydraulic flotation machine through a third feeding pump, for flotation and recovery.

A method for treating process water of a flotation arrangement is disclosed. The process comprising the steps of a) dewatering overflow of a mineral flotation circuit in a gravitational solid-liquid separator to separate a sediment from a supernatant comprising water, silica-containing particles and soluble SiO2, fine particles, microbes, and residual flotation chemicals; b) subjecting the supernatant to cleaning flotation, in which at least 90% of the flotation gas bubbles have a size from 0.2 to 250 μm, in a cleaning flotation unit for collecting at least silica-containing particles, for separating at least silica-containing particles from the supernatant into cleaning flotation overflow, and for forming purified process water as cleaning flotation underflow; c) removing cleaning flotation overflow as tailings; and d) recirculating purified process water into the mineral flotation circuit. A process water treatment arrangement is also disclosed.

Voltage regulated electrolytic water purification methods and systems are provided. The methods and systems utilize a series of deflocculation tanks each containing a series of electrodes and a bubbler to remove contaminants from water. The water purification methods and systems increase the life of the electrodes, allowing for reduced maintenance.

A sparger for injection of bubbles into a flotation system comprises a housing, a movable rod assembly, and a sensor system that comprises a sensor and a target that move relative to each other. One of the sensor and the target is located in the housing and the other is located on or attached to the movable rod assembly. The sensor for measuring motion, including position and vibration, relative to the target based on the movement of the movable rod assembly. The sensor system for determining operating parameters of the sparger based on the analysis of the measurement of the motion of the sensor relative to the target.

The invention relates to a submersible system (1) for measuring the density and/or concentration of solids in a dispersion, which can be in the form of a liquid, a mixture of multiple liquids, a suspension of solids in liquid, or a combination of these forms, inside of a reactor (11) into which gas in the form of bubbles is introduced, the system comprising: an open, pass-through gas exclusion device (4) having a tubular body (5) with a variable cross-section through which the dispersion without gas bubbles enters, the device coupling to an inlet tube (6); a scaled chamber (8) that has a means for measuring density, when the dispersion circulates between an inlet (14) of the sealed chamber (8) and an outlet (15) of the sealed chamber (8). The outlet (15) of the sealed chamber (8) is coupled to an outlet tube (7) through which the dispersion returns to the reactor (11) in which same is being processed. The system also comprises a transmitter (9) connected to a sensor, which generates an output signal proportional to the density of the dispersion without gas bubbles by means of the sensor located inside the sealed chamber (8); and a processing unit (10) that generates an output signal (16) proportional to the concentration of solids in the gasless dispersion, as well as the pulp density. The invention further comprises a method for obtaining the concentration and density of the pulp.

Disclosed is a method for optimizing a mineral recovery process from ore material using a flotation chamber. The method comprises implementing a machine learning model to determine operational parameters of the flotation chamber, for the mineral recovery process based on a geometry of the flotation chamber and properties of the ore material. The method further comprises simulating the mineral recovery process using ranges of the determined operational parameters to determine a factor representative of a relationship between a gas hold-up value and a bubble diameter value. The method further comprises calculating the gas hold-up value and the bubble diameter value based on determined the operational parameters and the determined factor. The method further comprises utilizing the determined gas hold-up value and bubble diameter value to determine optimized values of the operational parameters for the mineral recovery process by implementing a virtual sensor, to achieve higher throughput of recovered minerals from the ore material.

In an effort in solving the difficulties with cleaning cationic metal processing fluids and/or emulsions, processes for cleaning a metal processing fluid which is substantially free of fatty acids is provided herein and includes treating the metal processing fluid with dissolved air floatation. Also provided are processes for deforming metals and removing suspended foreign matter from a contaminated metal processing fluid and/or emulsions which are substantially free of fatty acids is provided and include the use of DAF technology. In one embodiment, the process is performed in the absence of a filter. In another embodiment, the process is performed in the absence of a filter which is capable of removing suspended foreign material in the contaminated metal processing fluid.

There is disclosed processes and systems for improving the efficiency of the separation of insoluble contaminants from a fluid in a floatation unit.

This sampling device for a coagulation treatment device (1) comprises at least: a sealed-type coagulation reaction tank to which is introduced water to be treated to which a flocculant has been added; and a solid-liquid separation tank to which is introduced the water to be treated that has been drawn from the coagulation reaction tank, the sampling device comprising a sampling tank, a coagulation sensor installed inside the sampling tank, and a water sending pipe (43) which sends, from the coagulation reaction tank of the coagulation treatment device to the sampling tank, a part of the water to be treated inside the coagulation reaction tank.