Disintegration of ore floccules before floatation concentration on the basis of dynamic effects of controlled high-energy ultrasound

Abstract

The object is to investigate and improve performance indicators of ore floccules disintegration before floatation concentration on the basis of dynamic effects of controlled high-energy ultrasound. The methods used for this research include analysis of domestic and foreign experience, systematization of available approaches and methods, methods of numerical simulation for synthesis and analysis of mathematical model, methods of mathematical statistics and probability theory for processing the results of experiments, methods of analytical design and computer simulation in the synthesis and analysis of control system, methods of system analysis in the development of control algorithms. The scientific novelty consists in method for determining optimal parameters of the high-energy ultrasound, which maintains special cavitation mode with the known gas bubble size in the slurry. The practical significance of the studies includes algorithm and formula for determining optimal parameters of the high-energy ultrasound on the basis of known gas bubble size in the slurry. The results of the research are as follows. In the process of ore crushing, hematite, martite, iron hydroxide and magnetite particles are fixed on the surface of quartz grains. Yet, the combined mineral particles can be removed from the surface of the useful component grains while processing slurry by means of ultrasound radiation that causes some physical, chemical and physical-chemical processes in the slurry, including cavitation ones. The research work focuses on the mathematical description of cavitation processes in the heterogeneous environment and the generalized model of air bubble dynamics. On the basis of dependencies enabling us to calculate the optimal initial radius of bubbles for the maximum expansion as to the acoustic frequency and pressure amplitude, the optimal parameters of high-energy ultrasound source are determined.