Investigation of the aeration performance of flotation columns with heat gated conduits

Flotation is one of the most common methods in the processing of metallic and nonmetallic ores. Additionally, it is an effective way of separating particles and oils from wastewater. Thus, it is commonly used in environmental and mining engineering. In the recent years, it also had application in civil engineering in the flotation of waters. Flotation of waters can be conducted in various ways. The aeration conducted with capped conduits is a special example of this. The high-speed flow provided in the pressurized conduit includes air-water mixture flow. The air flow results from the narrowing provided by the gate of the conduit and the balancing between the low pressure caused by increased speed and atmospheric pressure. The air, which is dragged through the flow in a form of many bubbles, accelerates the oxygen transfer and thus, increases the air efficiency. The amount of the bubbles is one of the most significant parameters affecting the performance of flotation cells. In this study, it was aimed to provide air flow into the system by integrating the pressurized conduit used in the aeration of waters into flotation cell. In order to case this study, a new flotation system was developed in pilot scale. In this new pilot scale system, the effects of conduit length, water discharge supplied into the system, water jet contact angle and contraction ratio of conduit caps on flotation efficiency were investigated. The results indicated that flotation cells, which were supported by pressurized conduit were rather effective in aeration and air bubbles' flow into the system.