The basic idea is to perform flotation kinetic tests and the determine the flotation rate parameters. You can evaluate different particle sizes to determine the optimum recovery of the valuable minerals. There is not a standard rule to scale up the flotation time, many times the experience or the performance of a similar ore can help to determine the industrial flotation time.

If you want to evaluate the effect of the air flow rate, you have to determine the optimum conditions to get an acceptable recovery. Also, it is important to evaluate the mass pull, the presence of gangue minerals and the displacement of some minerals. If the recovery is good, you have to select the optimum flotation time in the lab. There are some standard factors used to scale up the flotation time. 

The MFT test is the Minnovex Flotation Tests. Basically, it is a batch flotation test whose main objective is to know the effect of different ore types from a deposit and the kinetic parameters. The goal of the test is to know the kinetics parameters for the  mineral species present in the ore. In this case, it is necessary to use a preliminary set of flotation reagents and conditions to run the tests. The test is performed in a lab flotation machine specially designed to improve the froth skimming. It is common to compare the effect of the particle size on the recovery. 

Results from the Outotec flotation tests try to determine the relationship between the laboratory and a flotation plant. If you plot the recovery curves from the lab and the plant in the same chart, it is possible to know the scale up factor.

Thanks for answering me.

but I don't know to in curve , recovery related (what?) plotted. I don't know to rich kinetic parameter in the plant. What about scale up and factoring in entrainment; do I need to do that?

Entrainment in lab and plant how rich?

can help me?

Thanks.

Hello sherafat71,

I think I may have a language barrier in clearly understanding you.

Please be sure to read https://www.911metallurgist.com/blog/flotation-time-scale-up-factors-laboratory-to-plant and https://www.911metallurgist.com/blog/flotation-machines with all its PDF articles.  In reviewing those, you may find the answer to your questions.

I don't think I understand your question about Entrainment.  I have never heard of an Entrainment scale up. If you have heavy entrainment in the lab, you need to change your approach (pull rate, frother, density, cell level). If your entrainment is inevitable, you might want to test column cells. https://www.911metallurgist.com/blog/column-cell-carrying-capacity-scale-up

What is it you are working on?  Is this a real plant?

Review https://www.911metallurgist.com/blog/flotation-kinetics-rates-rtd as a real life example for retention time Lab VS Plant.

Anyone else wanting to help, please jump in!

hi. in the MFT method entrainment factor used. but i don't know entrainment factor is estimated and i don't know detail in method.

I work in sulfide zinc and lead in Iran (sfahan)

The relationship between the recovery of gangue and water  is often referred to as the entrainment factor, sometimes mentioned as Ent. The entrainment factor is defined as the recovery of the trapped species divided by the recovery of water.

It is important to mention that kinetic parameters must be related to true flotation. ln the MFT method, the non-sulfide gangue (NSG) is considered as a hydrophilic tracer to decouple true flotation and entrainment. The entrainment parameters of thc NSG can be adjusted to meet the following criteria:

- Most, if not all, of the NSG in the fourth concentrate is recovered by entrainment
- Most, if not all of the NSG in the finest size interval is recovered by entrainment