Outotec SEAP Customer eNewsletter 3/2018 5
FLOTATION LAUNDER DESIGN, DOES IT MATTER?
There are two key factors at play when deciding the flo-
tation equipment selection for your circuit viz. residence
time and froth transport parameters. Both are highly
dependent on the specific ore characteristics such as
mineral grade, liberation, flotation kinetics and specific
gravity.
The first factor, residence time, dictates the circuits’ re-
quired volume and is determined from lab scale testwork
with design scale up factors applied.
The second factor, froth transport parameters, is used to
select the launder arrangement for froth removal. It is
more difficult to quantify as the laboratory scraping tech-
nique does not mimic the natural behaviour of a full-scale
plant. Thus, industry “rules of thumb” were developed
some 15 years ago based on experience and metallurgical
survey data.
This article will discuss how these industry rules of thumb
for launder arrangements compare against plant data
at various sites. We also discuss how to adjust these
parameters for operating float cells.
- note: values for whole banks of cells. Individual cell values may vary.
Rules of thumb for froth carry rates.
Launder design and froth transport
There are three froth transport parameters which are
used to calculate the optimal launder design. Two of
these parameters, froth carry rate (FCR) and lip loading
(LL), are governed by these industry ‘rules of thumb’.
With the third parameter, froth transport distance (FTD),
Outotec is not aware of any industry rules of thumb.
So let’s discuss these two parameters which are actually
governed by rules of thumb and how they compare to
actual plant data.
1. Froth Carry Rate (FCR)
Is defined as the amount of dry concentrate (tonne) trans-
ported by the froth over a specific surface area (m2) in a
given time frame (hours), giving us the units (t/m2h). In the
table below, you can see the “rules-of-thumb” for froth
carry rates of different flotation duties i.e. the rougher,
scavenger and cleaner. The values given refer to whole
banks of flotation cells. Individual cells in the bank may
have higher or lower values. Particle size and mineral type
will also affect these design values. The values given are
generally representative of base metal sulfide operations
with a feed particle size P80 >80 microns. For non-sulfide
minerals, such as iron or coal, much higher froth carry
rates have been observed.

2. Lip Loading (LL)
The second parameter to consider is lip loading. This is
defined as the amount of dry concentrate passing over the
launder lip per hour per unit length, and is expressed in
units of t/m/h.
Once, the FCR is considered suitable, the lip loading
should be calculated. Different launder configurations
will have different lip lengths. The rule-of-thumb is to
keep this value <1.5 t/m/h.
Froth transport parameters vs industry “rules of
thumb”
We compared froth transport parameters calculated from
measured plant data to the industry “rules of thumb”.
The measured data was taken from the JKTech database,
which is one of the most comprehensive databases of
metallurgical and plant operating data.
The data has been analysed in different ways and the key
findings were:
• The froth parameters (FCR and LL) were generally
below the industry “rules of thumb”. This implies that
in most circuits we don’t have sufficient crowding in
our cells.
• Of all the commodities investigated, copper opera-
tions best followed the industry “rules of thumb”.
• There was no correlation between cell size or
type and the froth transport parameters. Instead,
emphasis was placed on cell duty (i.e. rougher, scav-
enger or cleaner).
• Operations with finer grinds had less crowding. This
follows the industry practice of allowing more froth
surface area for finer sized particles.
• Lastly, and most importantly, it was observed that the
froth transport parameters were significantly different
Review of operating data - down-the-bank.
Outotec SEAP Customer eNewsletter 3/2018 6
for cells down the bank i.e. the first cell’s FCR and LL
were significantly higher than the last cell’s values.
This confirmed that having one type of launder
arrangement for all the cells down the bank is not the
best approach.
The key question “Do we need to worry about launder
design?” considering there are so many operations with
froth transport parameters outside the industry “rules
of thumb”. Well, our answer is an emphatic yes. In the
past, most circuits were designed with sufficient flotation
redundancy that efficient froth removal was not critical.
This approach can still be adopted, however ore types are
also becoming more difficult to treat. It would be risky to
ignore froth transport parameters and adopt one launder
design for all ore characteristics and flotation duties.
Launder design - 5 warning signs
For those existing operations, where you feel the launder
design may be affecting your circuit’s metallurgical
performance, below are the top five indicators…
1. A change in ore feed conditions i.e. grade or mineral
when compared to the initial circuit design
2. Variable metal grade/recoveries when compared to
laboratory float testwork
3. Difficulty maintaining consistent concentrate mass
recovery, periods with no mass pull and/or high mass
pull
4. Metal visually present on the float cell froth surface
due to poor froth mobility i.e. sticky froth properties
5. High reagent consumption e.g. frother to maintain
stable froth conditions
7 Outotec SEAP Customer eNewsletter 3/2018
Froth crowder.
If this is your plant situation, Outotec can modify your
launder arrangement. Below are three most common
scenarios:
Scenario 1 – FCR is too low and/or FTD too long
(for e.g. in the scavengers)
• Cell crowding can be physically modified
• Easy to increase booster cone size if perimeter
launders installed, reduces FTD
• Radial froth crowders can also be installed for
perimeter and central launders
• Increasing superficial gas velocity profile down-the-
bank to balance FCR
Scenario 2 – LL is too high and/or FTD too long
• Install radial launders to provide additional lip length
and reduce transport distance
Scenario 3 – FCR is too high
• Split feeding – feed to first cell is split to first two
cells. Averages out FCR over both cells
From left to right - external launder, internal launder and donut launder.
Radial froth crowder.
For new circuits, Outotec can also provide customised
launder arrangements depending on the specific ore
characteristics. For example, if the ore type has very fast
floating kinetics, we would recommend a combination of
launder arrangements. For the first few cells, where the
mass pull is expected to be high, external launders and
for the last cells, where low mass pulls are likely, donut
launders with radial crowders.
Conclusions
By optimising the FCR, LL and FTD, we may get to a
stage where we can reduce the residence time scale-up
factor between laboratory and full-scale, building smaller
plants and having savings in both capital and operating
expenses.
Some of the launder designs available.
FOR MORE DETAILED RESULTS PLEASE CONTACT:
SHERWIN.MORGAN@OUTOTEC.COM