A new method for assessing coarse particle flotation performance Part 2: Assessment of reproducibility using data from a mechanical cell

Abstract

In Part I, we introduced distributed rate constants into the algorithm of Crompton et al (2023) used for describing the partitioning of hydrophobic particles in coarse particle flotation. The Part I paper applied the new algorithm to a previous data set generated using the CoarseAIR^TM fluidised bed separator. This Part II paper investigated the uncertainty in the new algorithm. A mechanical cell was used to simulate the coarse particle flotation process, providing a means for preparing pseudo steady state feed, product, and reject samples. A comprehensive protocol for preparing the samples was established. The overall methodology was then repeated multiple times, providing a basis for quantifying the reproducibility and reliability of the methodology, confirming its robustness.