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Automatic Control of Flotation Columns

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Advanced Control and Supervision of Mineral Processing Plants

Part of the book series: Advances in Industrial Control ((AIC))

Abstract

Since their first commercial application for mineral separation in the early 1980s, flotation columns have become a standard piece of equipment in mineral concentrators particularly for cleaning operations. This chapter presents and discusses the most recent advances in instrumentation and automatic control of flotation columns. It also examines how current industrial practice could benefit from recent academic developments in these areas. A particular emphasis is placed on the development of specific sensors for the continuous monitoring of process operations and their regulation.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Mining, Metallurgical and Materials Engineering, Université Laval, Québec, Canada

    René del Villar

  2. Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Université Laval, Québec, Canada

    André Desbiens & Miguel Maldonado

  3. XStrata Process Support, Falconbridge, Ontario, Canada

    Jocelyn Bouchard

Authors
  1. René del Villar
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  2. André Desbiens
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  3. Miguel Maldonado
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  4. Jocelyn Bouchard
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Departamento de Ingeniería Eléctrica, Universidad de Concepción, Casilla 160-C, Correo 3, Concepción, Chile

    Daniel Sbárbaro

  2. Département de Génie des Mines, de la Métallurgie et des Matériaux, Université Laval, Pavillon Adrien-Pouliot 1065, Avenue de la Médecine, G1V 0A6, Québec, QC, Canada

    René del Villar

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del Villar, R., Desbiens, A., Maldonado, M., Bouchard, J. (2010). Automatic Control of Flotation Columns. In: Sbárbaro, D., del Villar, R. (eds) Advanced Control and Supervision of Mineral Processing Plants. Advances in Industrial Control. Springer, London. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-84996-106-6_6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-84996-106-6_6

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