Winter Production Challenges: The Impact of Low Temperatures on Flotation Indicators and Corresponding Strategies

This article will begin by exploring the microscopic mechanisms by which low temperatures affect flotation systems, combining the impact characteristics of different types of reagents, and systematically elucidating winter flotation coping strategies with both theoretical and practical value. The aim is to provide mining technicians with a rigorous, precise, and efficient winter flotation optimization scheme.

01

Key Mechanisms of Low Temperature's Impact on Flotation Systems

The negative impact of low temperatures on flotation indicators is not caused by a single factor, but rather by a series of complex physicochemical and hydrodynamic effects. Understanding these microscopic mechanisms is a prerequisite for developing scientific coping strategies.

1. Deterioration of Slurry Rheological Properties—Increased Viscosity and Impaired Dynamics

At low temperatures, the viscosity of the slurry increases significantly. For example, in the flotation of a certain lead-zinc ore, when the slurry temperature drops from 20℃ to 5℃, the slurry viscosity can increase by more than 10%.

• Impaired Bubble Dynamics: Increased slurry viscosity directly reduces the rising speed of bubbles in the slurry and decreases the effective collision rate (i.e., mineralization probability) between bubbles and mineral particles. According to flotation kinetics, this leads to a decrease in the flotation rate constant (K), a prolonged mineral float time, and ultimately a decrease in recovery rate.
• Bubble-particle adhesion: Viscosity changes also affect the drainage rate and mechanical strength of the mineralized bubble membrane, causing coarse minerals to easily detach, further reducing the recovery rate of coarse particles.

2. Reduced Reagent Solubility and Chemisorption Rate – Weakened Surface Chemical Activity

Low temperature is the fundamental reason for the reduced efficiency of conventional flotation reagents, especially those whose solubility is significantly affected by temperature.

Suppressed Collector Activity:

Fatty Acids (e.g., non-sulfide mineral flotation): The solubility of collectors such as oleic acid and fatty acid soaps decreases significantly with decreasing temperature, easily precipitating solids or forming gels. This results in insufficient effective collector concentration in the liquid phase, making it difficult to form an effective hydrophobic layer on the mineral surface, thus drastically weakening the collecting ability.

Sulfide Mineral Collectors (e.g., xanthate): Low temperatures reduce the oxidation level on the surface of minerals (e.g., galena), reducing the number of surface-active adsorption sites and thus decreasing the amount of chemisorption by the collector. For example, the xanthate adsorption capacity of galena at 5°C is significantly lower than at 20°C, resulting in a 7 percentage point reduction in recovery.

Slow-acting depressants and activators: Most chemical reaction rates (including the selective adsorption of depressants to minerals and the activation reaction of activators) follow the Arrhenius equation. As temperature decreases, the reaction rate constant (k) decreases, leading to incomplete inhibition or activation, reduced sorting selectivity, and lower concentrate grade.

Reduced frother efficiency: A very small number of frothers may experience reduced activity or even precipitation at low temperatures, resulting in smaller, more brittle, or unstable foam volumes, affecting concentrate scraping and the stability of mineralized bubbles.

3. Examples of Deterioration in Flotation Performance at Low Temperatures

02

Practical Guidance: Systematic Strategies for Addressing Flotation Indicators in Winter

To address the flotation challenges caused by low temperatures, a systematic approach should be adopted, focusing on two main aspects: "heating and insulation" and "reagent optimization."

1. Thermal Energy Security Strategy: Heating and Insulation Technologies

Although heating the slurry increases energy costs, it is a necessary investment in extremely cold regions or for minerals that require heating to maintain indicators (such as non-sulfide ores).

Techno-economic trade-offs: Mines should calculate the energy consumption cost of heating versus the economic benefits of improving recovery rate based on their specific ore type (non-sulfide ores are extremely sensitive to temperature) and flotation index requirements, and select the most economical and feasible heating temperature and insulation measures.

2. Reagent system optimization strategy: High efficiency and low temperature resistance

Optimizing the reagent system is the core technology for winter production without significantly increasing heating costs.

3. Process Parameter Fine-tuning Strategies

• Pulp Concentration: Appropriately reducing the pulp concentration (increasing dilution) partially offsets the increase in viscosity caused by low temperature, improves rheological properties, and facilitates bubble movement.
• Flotation Time: Due to the decrease in the flotation rate constant K, the roughing time should be appropriately extended to ensure sufficient mineralization time for valuable minerals and maintain recovery rate.
• Aeration Rate and Agitation: Appropriately increasing the aeration rate and agitation intensity of the flotation machine helps overcome viscous resistance, increases bubble dispersion, and enhances the contact probability between mineral particles and bubbles.

03

 Outlook: Development Trends of Low-Temperature Flotation Technology

Faced with increasingly stringent environmental protection and cost control requirements, the mineral processing industry's research on low-temperature flotation technology for winter is developing in the following directions:

1.  Development of novel, high-efficiency, low-temperature resistant reagents: In particular, composite and amphoteric flotation reagents possessing strong collecting power, high selectivity, and excellent low-temperature solubility are a key focus of future reagent research.
2. Intelligent control of pulp temperature: Utilizing advanced sensors and artificial intelligence (AI) technology to achieve real-time monitoring and prediction of pulp temperature, viscosity, and foam state, combined with an automatic reagent dosing system, enables precise and intelligent control of the flotation process.
3. Waste heat recovery and utilization: Introducing low-grade heat sources (such as generator waste heat and steam condensate) from the mineral processing plant or surrounding industries into the grinding water system to preheat the pulp in the most economical way will be crucial for reducing energy consumption in winter production.

The impact of low temperatures in winter on flotation production is multifaceted and profound, involving complex changes in fluid mechanics, surface chemistry, and reagent action mechanisms. Successful winter flotation production management requires technicians to have a deep understanding of these mechanisms and to establish a comprehensive technical system that prioritizes reagent optimization and supplements it with thermal energy assurance. This system involves precise reagent adjustments, scientific heat preservation and heating measures, and flexible fine-tuning of process parameters. Only in this way can the challenges of winter be effectively addressed, ensuring stable mineral processing indicators and maximizing economic benefits.