Study on influence of stirring intensity on the flow characteristics of solid-liquid phases in flotation machine

Abstract The internal flow field characteristics of the KYF flotation machine with a U tank of 50 L for solid-liquid two phases are numerically simulated by using the standard k-e turbulence model and discrete particle model based on the validation of the LDV measurement. The results show that the flow field in the flotation machine is distributed into two cycles up and down, and the fluid velocity in the separating zone is lower than that of the stirring zone. The pressure on the rotor and stator increases with the stirring intensity. Furthermore, the maximum surface pressure on the stator is higher than that on the rotor from 1.25 to 1.75 times. The investigation of the influence of stirring intensity on the flow field helps to understand the complex flow characteristics of velocity and pressure, which could guide the flotation process.