The trend towards larger flotation cell volumes, which is in part being driven by the increasing pressure on concentrators to reduce CAPEX and OPEX costs, has resulted in an increasing need to be able to control the cell-specific mass pull – the velocity at which concentrate is removed from the cell. A smaller froth surface area to cell volume ratio can result in your process being more sensitive to material feed changes and ore grades, among other factors. Traditionally, flotation plant operators have relied on visual assessments of froth appearance when making operational decisions. As operators’ interpretations can vary greatly from shift to shift, this can lead to inconsistent process results.
Metso FrothSense+™ – one of the few non-invasive froth stability measurement devices available – solves this challenge by providing accurate data around the clock to advanced process control systems such as Metso ACT, which can be utilized to maintain a steady mass pull. It can work in conjunction with other Metso control solutions to maintain steady KPIs and generate data that can be used by your engineering team to maintain process reliability and support continuous improvement.
The system measures several essential froth properties, including speed, direction, bubble size, stability, and color, while also providing statistical data related to these variables. The combination of measured properties and on-line analyzer assays allows you to develop efficient and robust strategies for advanced flotation process control using a system such as Metso ACT. Metso FrothSense also provides high-quality live video streams from the froth cameras directly to the control room.
Scope
- Froth imagers
- Connection cabinets
- Analysis server
- Metso FrothSense+™ and Metso ACT software license
- Automatic froth speed control software