A flotation separation apparatus for separating particles in suspensions, feeds slurry containing the particles through an inlet into a contactor where gas is fed through an inlet to mix with the slurry, for example in a downwardly plunging jet, to form a gas-liquid bubbly two-phase mixture under pressure from an outlet restriction in a throttling duct. The mixture is passed through a flow manipulator configured to induce a high energy dissipation rate, for example by way of a Shockwave formed in a diverging section of the throttling duct reducing the size of the bubbles and brining those bubbles into intimate contact with particles in the mixture which is released into a separation cell where a flow manipulating draft tube is provided to reduce turbulence in the mixture. Alternative apparatus and methods for inducing the high energy dissipation rate and for reducing turbulence in the mixture are also described and claimed.

An ultrafine bubble cleaning apparatus uses a liquid containing ultrafine bubbles having a size of less than 30 nm to rinse fine particles adhered to soil, sand, etc. to separate and collect the fine particles. The ultrafine bubble cleaning apparatus includes a water tank-shaped reservoir, a stirring device, a supernatant discharge device including a pump for discharging a supernatant of the liquid in the reservoir, and a sedimentation extraction device. Substances are loaded into the ultrafine bubble-containing liquid stored in the reservoir, and the ultrafine bubble-containing liquid is repeatedly brought into contact with the surface of the substance using the stirring device. When ultrafine bubbles get into a space between fine metal particles adhered to the surfaces, cracks, and pits of the substances to be cleaned (including metal ions) and fine particles of organic substances including a solvent, a chemical, and oil, the fine particles are separated and floated.

A feedwell apparatus trough, plant and use. The apparatus is adapted to materials including liquids carrying suspended particles, such as slurry containing minerals. The feedwell apparatus includes a supply channel for receiving the material, a trough, a first end of which being connected in fluid communication with the supply channel. The trough has a curved shape that turns in one direction, and a series of through-openings in the wall(s) of the trough. The through-openings are arranged in the trough in unequal pattern such that the area of the through-openings in pro-portion to the corresponding area of the walls has its minimum value in portion of the trough close to the first end thereof, and the relation being arranged to grow with the distance from the first end.

Disclosed is a vortex mineralization-static separation flotation device and a flotation method. The device comprises: a static separator provided with a separation chamber and a vortex mineralizer provided with a mineralization cylinder. The separation chamber includes a raw ore treatment pipeline and an intermediate ore treatment pipeline. The mineralization cylinder includes a vortex mineralization pipeline. The method comprises: the mineralization cylinder being full of a raw ore slurry and the raw ore slurry in the separation chamber reaching a set level, turning on air conduits and an agitation device to make air enter the mineralization cylinder and form tiny bubbles to collide with first mineral particles and mineralize to form an aerated intermediate ore slurry; the aerated intermediate ore slurry entering the separation chamber and performing collision and mineralization with second mineral particles and the raw ore slurry, and concentrate froth being formed at a top of the separation chamber to be collected.

The present disclosure relates generally to systems, apparatuses, and processes for preparing a gas-infused additive that is useful within gas-floatation systems configured to separate solids and/or oils from a liquid within a suspension. The gas-infused additive can be injected into systems having a floatation consolidator to provide additional dissolved gas to the system. Advantageously, the processes and apparatuses disclosed herein are compatible with systems and processes having a single injection point for the addition of an additive or gas, without requiring substantial modification or reconfiguration of the system. The inventions described herein additionally teach that the gas-infused additive can be prepared and injected downstream of any pump present within the system, thereby protecting the pump from the damaging effects of cavitation corrosion and similar phenomena.

The embodiments of this disclosure are related to a water treatment system comprising a flotation tank, a shell-tube inlet conduit connected to the flotation tank and comprising a shell configured to supply a gas and at least one tube configured to supply untreated water, wherein each of the shell and the tube has a first part exposed to an outside of the flotation tank and a second part extending into the flotation tank, a microbubble forming means positioned on or adjacent to the second part of the shell, and a treated water outlet connected to the flotation tank and configured to allow treated water separated from solids in the flotation tank to be discharged therethrough.

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.