A rotor of a gas dispersion arrangement, including a cover disc, air slots arranged to protrude away from the cover disc, the air slots defining an interior space in the interior of the rotor, an air channel connected to the air slot for supplying air to be dispensed in slurry, and slurry slots arranged between and an alternating way with the air slots around the interior space. The slurry slots are in fluid communication with the interior space, and radially extending blades are arranged for separating the air slot from adjacent slurry slots. The cover disc includes at least one through-hole extending from an upper surface of the cover disc to at least one of the slurry slots.

An apparatus for foam separation comprises a foam separation cell (12; 112; 212) provided with a treatment chamber (13), inside of which a flow of liquid containing material to be separated can be introduced. The apparatus further comprises one or more devices (21, 27) for introducing and/or generating air bubbles, useful to carry out the foam separation between the hydrophobic material and the hydrophilic material.

A flotation machine includes a stator positioned in a tank adjacent a rotor. The stator has a plurality of vanes. Each of the vanes has a plurality of slots formed therein. Each of the slots has a shape that is elongated in a direction along the width of the vane in which the slot is formed. Each of the vanes is spaced apart from the other vanes to which that vane is adjacent. The vanes are positioned in series adjacent a periphery of the stator to define a central opening within the stator that is sized such that the rotor of a flotation machine may be positioned therein. The stator may be retrofitted onto a prior flotation machine installation. For instance, a stator may be offered for sale and then installed onto a flotation machine. A previous stator may be removed before the installation of the new stator.

A process for separating a vapor from a gas is disclosed. A cryogenic liquid is provided to an inlet of a froth flotation device. A carrier gas is provided to a gas distributor of the froth flotation device. The carrier gas comprises a product vapor. Bubbles of the carrier gas are produced and passed through the cryogenic liquid in the froth flotation device. A portion of the product vapor desublimates, condenses, crystallizes, or a combination thereof to produce a solid product and a product-depleted carrier gas. Bubbles of the product-depleted carrier gas collect the solid product as a froth concentrate. The froth concentrate is removed by overflowing out of the froth flotation device.

Several agitators for generating a mixture are described which generally have a housing and an impeller rotatably mounted within the housing. The impeller has a first end with a first end face, and plurality of protuberances and at least one compressed gas channel outlet disposed on the first end face. The agitator also has a mixing chamber that is located adjacent to the plurality of protuberances, a fluid inlet extending through the housing for supplying a mixing fluid to the mixing chamber, and a fluid outlet extending through the housing for discharging the mixture from mixing chamber. When the compressed gas and the mixing fluid are supplied to the mixing chamber, the compressed gas becomes uncompressed gas, and rotation of the impeller agitates the uncompressed gas and the mixing fluid and disperses the uncompressed gas and at least a portion of the mixing fluid to generate the mixture.

Several agitators for generating a mixture are described which generally have a housing and an impeller rotatably mounted within the housing. The impeller has a first end with a first end face, and plurality of protuberances and at least one compressed gas channel outlet disposed on the first end face. The agitator also has a mixing chamber that is located adjacent to the plurality of protuberances, a fluid inlet extending through the housing for supplying a mixing fluid to the mixing chamber, and a fluid outlet extending through the housing for discharging the mixture from mixing chamber. When the compressed gas and the mixing fluid are supplied to the mixing chamber, the compressed gas becomes uncompressed gas, and rotation of the impeller agitates the uncompressed gas and the mixing fluid and disperses the uncompressed gas and at least a portion of the mixing fluid to generate the mixture.

Apparatus featuring synthetic bubbles or beads and a flotation stage. The synthetic bubbles or beads are configured with a polymer or polymer-based material functionalized to attach to the valuable material in a mixture to form at least some enriched synthetic bubbles or beads having the valuable material attached thereto, and also configured to be transported through the mixture based at least partly on a characteristic of the synthetic bubbles or beads. The flotation stage has the mixture containing valuable material, and is configured to receive the synthetic bubbles or beads and to provide the at least some enriched synthetic bubbles or beads having the valuable material attached thereto based at least partly the characteristic of the synthetic bubbles or beads.

A flotation machine includes a wash water system that is connectable adjacent a tank to direct sprays of water into froth within a froth zone. Wash water panel assemblies of the system can be positioned adjacent the tank so that each of the wash water panel assemblies are moveable between an open position and a closed position. Each wash water panel assembly can include an outer panel body that at least partially defines a reservoir in which wash water is passable and a spray membrane positionable adjacent the outer panel body. The spray membrane can have a plurality of spray holes in fluid communication with the reservoir such that water is passable from the reservoir and through the spray membrane via the spray holes for spraying water into the froth in the froth zone.

A flotation machine includes a wash water system that is connectable adjacent a tank to direct sprays of water into froth within a froth zone. Wash water panel assemblies of the system can be positioned adjacent the tank so that each of the wash water panel assemblies are moveable between an open position and a closed position. Each wash water panel assembly can include an outer panel body that at least partially defines a reservoir in which wash water is passable and a spray membrane positionable adjacent the outer panel body. The spray membrane can have a plurality of spray holes in fluid communication with the reservoir such that water is passable from the reservoir and through the spray membrane via the spray holes for spraying water into the froth in the froth zone.

A rotor for use in a slurry separation flotation cell having a tank within which the rotor is contained. The rotor has a shaft that has a conduit adapted to communicate a fluid, preferably a gas such as air, therethrough. The rotor also has impeller blades extending radially from the shaft and a baffle adjacent the bottom of the impeller blades. The baffle extends from an end of the shaft to at or near an outer edge of the impeller blades, directing the gas to the outer edges of the impeller blades for dispersion into the slurry. The rotor is located adjacent a floor of the tank and, in use, draws slurry downwards into the impeller portion and forces it outwards with the gas being mixed therein.