New imaging technology increases efficiency of flotation processes

摘要

It is now possible to use measurement devices based on impedance tomography to create real-time 3D images from inside the pipelines and tanks used by the processing industries. One significant application for this technology, spearheaded by the Finnish company Numcore Oy, is concentration plants in the mining industry. The technology opens up entirely new possibilities to control flotation processes, an important component in the concentration process of minerals. "Problems emerge if the froth cannot carry the load of mineral particles or the process otherwise becomes disturbed. The froth bed then disappears, and restarting the process wastes valuable time," says Jukka Hakola, Numcore's Vice President of Sales and Marketing.