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.

A flotation line for treating mineral ore particles suspended in slurry, including at least three flotation units arranged in fluid connection with each other for allowing gravity-driven slurry flow between flotation units, and a feed inlet for supplying slurry into a first flotation unit; wherein at least three flotation units are configured to be uniplanar, each flotation unit includes at least one flotation cell; and wherein the launder lip height of each uniplanar flotation unit is lower than the launder lip height of the preceding uniplanar flotation unit in the direction of the slurry flow, so that an angle of sloping between a first uniplanar flotation cell, equipped with a launder lip and being larger than 150 m.sup.3, and a last uniplanar flotation cell, equipped with a launder lip and being larger than 40 m.sup.3, is formed; and the angle is 1.5 to 10 degrees relative to horizontal.

A granular litter cleaning apparatus comprises a separation system having a separation tank adapted to receive a mixture of granules and plastic litter, and water therein, the separation tank having a top opening, and a closeable bottom outlet, and at least one water inlet for feeding water to the separation tank. A collect subsystem is for conveying a mixture of granules and plastic litter to the separation tank. A pump system is in fluid communication with the water inlet. The pump system is operated to raise a level of water in the separation tank to skim water with plastic litter out through the top opening of the separation tank. The closeable bottom outlet is openable to empty the separation tank from granules decanted in a bottom of the separation tank. A process for separating plastic litter from granules is also provided.

A fluidized bed separator (1) includes a feed section (4) between an upper separation chamber (19) and a main separation chamber (6). The feed section (4) has one or more feed pipes (11) extending horizontally and transversely with respect to a body wall (10) of the fluidized bed separator (1). The one or more feed pipes (11) are positioned completely and entirely underneath the inclined plates (17). An external oversize protection apparatus (3) which is separate from and external to the body wall (10) may be operatively coupled to the one or more feed pipes (11). One or more lamella cartridges (49) may be provided within channels (18) of the upper separation chamber (19), and one or more breakaway plates (54, 55) may be inserted within channels (18) to prevent sanding and facilitate insertion and extraction of the lamella cartridges (49).

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.

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.

A pre-flotation high efficiency slurry conditioning device for wide-particle-grade flotation, suitable for coal slime flotation. Said device comprises a slurry conditioning drum (15) having a columnar structure on top and an inverted frustrum structure below, an ore slurry outlet (4) is provided at an upper part of a side wall, ore slurry pump separation openings (5) are provided at two sides below the ore slurry outlet (4), ore slurry jet openings (17) are respectively provided at two sides of the columnar structure, and circular cutting isolation plates (11) and flow guide plates (10) are provided in alternation at inner sides of the upper half of the slurry conditioning drum (15); a dual channel jet circulation chemical feed system comprises chemical feed pipes (13), each chemical feed pipe (13) comprises an inlet end, a diffusion end, and a chemical feed pipe opening arranged at a throat area of said pipe, the inlet end is connected to a three-way pipe by means of a centrifugal pump (8), which is connected to an ore slurry inlet (6) and an ore slurry pump separation opening (5), a mixing shaft (7) is provided in the axial direction within the slurry conditioning drum (15), a plurality of mixing impellers (14) are arranged on the mixing shaft (7), and the bottom-most two mixing impellers (14) and the lowest two circular cutting isolation plates (11) are arranged at a same horizontal height. The present apparatus can effectively improve coal slime hydrophobic flocculation and fine slime separation, improve an ore slurry preprocessing effect, and effectively alleviate internal flow field pressure within a flotation device.

The present invention relates to apparatus for simultaneous grinding and froth flotation of at least one crude mineral and/or pigment, a process carried out in the apparatus for manufacturing at least one ground mineral and/or pigment, use of the ground mineral and/or pigment bearing phase obtainable by the process in paper applications as well as in paper, plastics, paints, coatings, adhesives, sealants, food, feed, pharma, concrete, cement, cosmetic, water treatment and/or agriculture applications, preferably in a wet end process of paper machine, in cigarette paper, board, and/or coating applications, or as support for rotogravure and/or offset and/or ink jet printing and/or continuous ink jet printing and/or flexography and/or electrophotography and/or decoration surfaces and the ground mineral and/or pigment bearing phase or ground mineral and/or pigment obtainable by the process.

There is provided a method of treating fluid such as tailings from tailings ponds resulting from oil sands production. A fluid treatment separator has a separation chamber having an oil outlet and a water chamber having a water outlet below the height of the oil outlet. A fluid passage connects between the separation and water chambers. The fluid passage is below the height of the water outlet. A centrifuge flow separator is in the separation chamber. A centrifuge flow diffuser is oriented to direct mixed fluids into the centrifuge flow separator. Preferably, the centrifuge flow diffuser is a ring diffuser and the centrifuge flow separator is a centrifuge cone. A fluid treatment system includes a fluid treatment separator and a phase separator and may include multiple fluid treatment separators and phase separators connected in series.

Apparatus uses hydrophobic synthetic beads to recover mineral particles in a slurry. The synthetic beads and the slurry are mixed into a mixture for processing. The apparatus has an interaction vessel installed in a section of pipeline. The interaction vessel is made from a pipeline folded or coiled into a compact struction having a continuous flow path. The interaction vessel has an input to receive the mixture of slurry and synthetic beads. The folded or coiled structure is used to increase the residence time of the mixture in the flow path, allowing more time for the mineral particles in the slurry to attach to the surface of the synthetic bead, while maintaining a small footprint. The interaction vessel may be formed from a number of loops of pipe section. The interaction vessel may be formed from one or more folded structures.