| Article ID | Journal | Published Year | Pages | File Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 233518 | Minerals Engineering | 2012 | 8 Pages |
This paper investigates a promising acoustic emission (AE) technique for estimating solids mass loading on pulp bubbles, with potential for on-line monitoring of attached solids in industrial flotation cells. It is observed that the coating of solids on a bubble surface results in a decrease in the fundamental (Minnaert) AE resonance frequency. Analytical models are derived to relate the resonance frequency of a loaded bubble to its size, attached solids mass loading and geometrical covering of particles. The AE resulting from induced pulsations of a solids loaded bubble is measured and linked with high-speed photographic recordings of the oscillations. These experiments have been performed for the attachment of a monolayer, multilayer and cluster of particles onto a gas bubble. The efficacy of the monitoring approach for these types of solids loading is demonstrated and a comparison is made of the sophistication of modelling necessary for adequate prediction of attached solids mass loading.
Graphical abstractFigure optionsDownload full-size imageDownload as PowerPoint slideHighlight► Analytical models are proposed for the resonance frequency of a loaded bubble. ► An active acoustic technique is applied to measure the resonance frequency. ► Monolayer bubble loading can be estimated from loaded/unloaded resonance frequency. ► The developed technique can measure single bubble loading to ∼0.1 mg accuracy. ► The proposed methodology is especially applicable to systems with small bubbles..
