Online Optimisation of the Froth Phase in Industrial Flotation Cells with the Portable Froth Sensor

摘要

It has been shown that the froth phase is of critical importance to flotation performance. Two of the most important indicators of froth phase health are the froth height above the lip and the froth velocity. In this paper we introduce a novel sensor - the Portable Froth Sensor - developed by Stone Three Mining in collaboration with Anglo American Platinum. With this sensor, non-contact measurements of froth velocity and height can be obtained, thus allowing for online optimisation of the froth phase on industrial scale flotation cells. It relies solely on computer vision and provides improved accuracy and ease of use over alternative manual methods. We discuss the principles of the sensor's operation and present results achieved on a UG2 rougher flotation cell, where froth measurements are used to determine optimum aeration rates.