A sparger device for sparging fluid into a slurry tank includes a hollow elongated body having a nozzle opening for sparging a sparging fluid flow to a slurry tank. The device further includes a needle for opening and closing the nozzle opening, and a control device being arranged to actuate the needle. The control device includes a control chamber partitioned into a first portion and second portion such that a pressure differential between the first portion and the second portion, closes or opens the nozzle opening and prevents slurry backflow from the slurry tank. The second portion may be provided with a control fluid pressure preventing slurry. A flotation apparatus and a flotation system in with such a sparger device are also discussed.

In a method for separating low density particles from feed slurries, a bubbly mixture is formed in a downcomer and issues into a mid region in a chamber. An inverted reflux classifier is formed by parallel inclined plates below the mid region allowing for efficient separation of low density particles which rise up to form a densely packed foam in the top of the chamber, and denser particles which fall downwardly to an outlet.

Uses of a method of producing small bubbles of gas in a liquid include gas transfer in airlift bioreactors and anaerobic digesters, and particle separation. The method uses a source of the gas under pressure, a conduit opening into a liquid and oscillating the gas passing along the conduit. The oscillation is effected by fluidic oscillator, comprising a diverter that divides the supply into respect outputs, each output being controlled by a control port, wherein the control ports are interconnected by a closed loop. Separation of algae from water involves delivering a laminar flow of microbubbles in the range 10 to 100 m diameter. Such bubbles also deliver a laminar flow in bioreactors that delivers enhanced liquid flow despite the small bubbles, which improves mixing and also enhances efficiency of gas exchange and retention of the bubbles in the reactor.

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 present invention relates to a new apparatus and a new method for the purification and the recovery of extra-chromosomal nucleic acids sequence(s).

Disclosed herein is a multibubble injection type DAF (Dissolved Air Flotation) water treatment apparatus which supplies fine bubbles injected through injection of saturated water to a lower area of a separation zone as well as a lower area of a contact zone of a flotation basin, thereby improving removal efficiency of flocs.

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.

A flotation line for treating mineral ore particles suspended in slurry is disclosed. The flotation line includes a scavenger part and a scavenger cleaner part. The flotation line is characterized in that the scavenger part or the scavenger cleaner part includes a flotation cell with blast tubes for introducing slurry infeed into the flotation cell; or in that the scavenger part or the scavenger cleaner part is followed by a flotation cell with blast tubes for introducing slurry infeed into the flotation cell. Further, a use of the flotation line is presented, as well as a flotation plant including a flotation line according to the invention.

Separation of hydrophobic particles from a mixture of particles in a fluid is performed by providing a fluidized bed as a relatively non-turbulent contacting mechanism in a flotation cell incorporating a settling chamber located immediately above the fluidized bed. Hydrophobic particles attach to bubbles in the fluidized bed and rise to the interface with the settling chamber where non-hydrophobic particles flow over the lip of an internal launder and are removed as tailings at. The hydrophobic particles attached to bubbles float upwardly in the relatively placid settling chamber where unwanted gangue can fall back to interface. The bubbles form a froth layer at the upper surface of the settling chamber, and flow over the launder lip carrying the hydrophobic particles. An operation of the apparatus is kept stable by recirculating fluid from the settling chamber via pip and pump to mix with new feed entering at duct.

A flotation circuit (1) is characterised in that it comprises a sparger (8) having a sparging mix conduit or chamber (45); and a tube (31) comprising a flexible perforated membrane disposed within the sparging mix conduit or chamber (45). The tube (31) is configured to receive an aerated fluid (27) comprising a combination of sparger water (13), reagent (17), and sparger air or gas (21) therein, shear the aerated fluid (27) upon passing of the aerated fluid (27) through the flexible perforated membrane of the tube (31), and disperse sheared aerated fluid (27) into the sparging mix conduit or chamber (45) where it is combined with incoming feed slurry (2) or diluted incoming feed slurry (4) moving within the sparging mix conduit or chamber (45) to form reagentized aerated slurry (29) for feeding a flotation apparatus (30).