On kinetic coupling in meso-scalephenomena in mineral froth flotation

In current flotation models the system description and definition of boundary conditions areincomplete. The system definition of most models implies that all energy introduced into the systemby agitation is dissipated to heat at the smallest scales of turbulence in an unbounded, single phaseliquid continuum and that bubbles act like hard spheres in near laminar flow. In the interactivemultiphase flotation system this cannot be the case, although good modeling results may be obtainedon an averaged basis. Turbulent systems are of transient nature and therefore averaging proceduresand definition of boundary conditions need to be considered carefully. For modeling of flotationthrough its subprocesses a broader constitutive formulation is needed. This formulation includesbubble and particle dynamics in anisotropic and non-equilibrium states, use of non-sphericalbubbles, and the effects of aggregate-flow interactions. These local energy fluxes disturb the spatialand temporal distribution of energy dissipation and pressure. The result is a markedly differentflotation regime than would result from pseudo-single phase modeling. These subprocesses canaccount for a substantial part of the energy budget of the flotation process and insight in the dynamicsof these processes can lead to flotation models with higher order coupling. In this paper we exploreanisotropic and non-equilibrium kinetics of bubble-particle-flow interaction and aim to contributeto a deeper understanding of the flotation process.