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Article history:
Received 17 July 2012
Received in revised form 23 June 2014
Accepted 24 June 2014
Available online 26 July 2014
Keywords:
Coal otation
Experimental design
Kinetic analysis
Optimization
PlackettBurman methodology
a b s t r a c t
In this paper, the otation method has been used for the preparation and beneciation of coal samples.
The PlackettBurman methodology has been applied to design of experiments and this experimental design
method is based on Hadamard matrix and ash content and efciency index have been considered as responses.
The operating conditions were chosen based on some screening tests. Results showed that ash content and efciency index could be 15.2% and 42.55 respectively when the values of collector, frother and solid percent were
5.29 kg/t, 78 g/t and 10% respectively. The effects of variables were studied by which increasing and decreasing of
responses could be transparently observed. Coal otation kinetic was studied and the results show that the
optimum time is 2 min to complete the otation process. In this investigation, the coal otation procedure was
optimized and the time of otation has been found by which energy consumption would be signicantly
reduced. Also, coal qualities could be improved by which needs of industry can be considerably satised.
2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
1. Introduction
Coals are heterogeneous mixtures. The hydrophobicity of the former
depends upon the type of material [1] and the rank [2]. Microscopically,
coal has a crosslink network structure of polymeric molecules [3] and
macroscopically, it is made up of nely mixed discrete organic entities
known as macerals [4]. Coals are often highly variable even when
from the same source. So each time a bulk sample is received, a
complete set of experiments is conducted using the classical method
of treating one variable at a time. Coals are used for coke making in
steel industry around the world. Ash has high adverse effects on the
productivity and coke consumption in blast furnace. An increase in the
ash content of a coal concentrate by 1% over a critical limit results in
an increase in coke consumption by about 45% as well as decreasing
blast furnace productivity by about 36%; therefore there is always a
pressure on coal preparation plants to supply coal with very low ash
[5]. Because of this problem, it is necessary to nd some methods to decrease ash content of coal. Flotation as a mineral processing method is
used to produce low ash coal in some industrial plants. Flotation is
one of the most complex mineral processing operations as it is affected
by a very large number of variables. Many of these are beyond the control of the mineral engineer and some cannot be even measured
quantitatively with the available instruments. The relations between
measured and controlled variables are intricately related. Sometimes,
simultaneously changing various component settings will reinforce a
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.fuproc.2014.06.021
0378-3820/ 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
112
100
80
1
B1
B
B1
B
B1
B
B1
B
B1
B
@1
1
60
40
20
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1 C
C
1 C
C
1 C
C:
1 C
C
1 C
C
1 A
1
0
100
1000
Size (m)
100000
10000
30
Distribution
Content
Distribution (%)
25
70
60
50
20
40
15
30
10
20
10
0
0
25000
12000
6000
2360
1000
500
300
150
Size (m)
Fig. 2. Characteristics of the representative ash.
75
< 75
Content (%)
10
80
yield
ash
32
40
10
20
Ash (%)
28
20
15
60
Yield (%)
Efficiency index
36
113
24
20
2EX20
Pine oil
A65
90
Efficiency index
80
Pine oil
90
yield
80
70
70
60
60
50
50
40
40
efficiency index
30
ash
20
10
35
80
125
20
170
215
10
260
A65 (g/t)
90
90
yield
80
Efficiency index
80
70
70
60
60
50
50
efficiency index
40
40
30
30
20
10
20
ash
1.0
1.5
2.0
2.5
3.0
3.5
4.0
4.5
5.0
5.5
10
Collector (kg/t)
90
80
Efficiency index
In the rst step of primary tests, the kind of frother must be chosen
and some tests were performed based on operating condition that it
has been exactly described in the previous paragraphs.
As shown in Figs. 3 and 4ab, A65 can be considered as suitable
frother to perform otation experiments, because the value of yield
and efciency index increased when this frother was used to perform
tests. In addition, some tests were carried out to determine effects of
A65 amount on efciency index, yield and ash value. These tests were
performed at the same operation conditions of previous tests that
they were done to nd the best frother.
When these gures were precisely studied, it is clearly obvious that
the change of frother amount has not had a signicant inuence on ash
content and yield, therefore, they cannot be considered for nding the
value of frother. However, if the curve of efciency index is maintained,
it can be concluded that this factor has been importantly inuenced by
frother dosage. Therefore, frother dosage has been determined based on
this curve and 78 g/t has been chosen for this variable which this decision can be denitely reasonable because of studied proofs.
2EX20
30
H20
Frother type
Dowfroth
H20
Frother type
Dowfroth
90
yield
80
70
70
60
60
50
50
efficiency index
40
40
30
30
20
10
20
ash
5.8
7.0
8.2
9.4
A65
10.6
11.8
10.3
10
14.2
114
Table 1
Coded and actual levels of independent variables used in the experimental design.
Variable
Oil gas
A65
Solid content
Symbol
X1
X2
X3
Unit
kg/t
g/t
%
Role
Coded variable
level
Collector
Frother
+1
3.3
39
10
5.3
78
12
where y is the output and Xi the variables of action called factors [40,41].
The results inserted to Design Expert (DX) software and a model
among several models were chosen and tted to the results. The nal
equations in terms of coded factors are selected as the following
equations:
y1 Ash content 16:150:65X2 0:075X3 0:28X2 X3
Table 3 shows that prediction models of the efciency index and ash
content are signicant; because, P-value of models was under 0.05. Also,
inuences of collector, frother and solid percent were signicant.
Interactions between collector and solid percent and frother and solid
percent were signicant, while, other interactions didn't have a signicant effect on the efciency index.
As shown in Table 4, inuences of frother were signicant on the ash
content and there was an interaction between solid percent and frother.
As Fig. 5 shows the coefcient of multiple determinations (R2) tted
in them by the high value of R2 indicates that the equation is capable to
represent the system under the given experimental domain. Joglekar
and May suggested that for a good t of a model, R2 should be at least
0.80 [42]. R2 was found to be 0.9995 for efciency index and 0.8685
for ash content. The value of R2 shows that there is an acceptable
relationship between predicted and actual values; therefore, the models
were signicantly tted.
4.4. Inuence of miscellaneous variables on responses
The relationships between variables and ash content and efciency
index were studied and their effects on each other were found. In
order to determine these effects, experimental results have been
analyzed by software through which the model can signicantly be
selected and inuences of variable were perfectly portrayed. It was
concluded that the increase in solid content, collector dosage and
frother has increased efciency index. Moreover, interactions between
variables and their inuences on efciency index were maintained in
which some results could be obtained as demonstrated in Fig. 6.
If these interactions are studied, it can rmly be found that there are
interactions between solid content and frother and solid content and
collector dosage and these interactions happened when these variables
Table 2
PlackettBurman design of experiments for the study of three experimental factors in coded and actual levels with experimental results.
Run
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
X1
X2
X3
X1
X2
X3
+1
+1
+1
1
+1
1
1
1
1
+1
+1
+1
1
+1
1
1
1
1
+1
+1
+1
1
+1
1
5.3
5.3
5.3
3.3
5.3
3.3
3.3
3.3
39
78
78
78
39
78
39
39
10
10
12
12
10
12
12
10
Efciency
index
Ash content
(%)
33.3
42.5
39
36.9
37.3
32
35.8
22.4
17.3
14.9
15.6
16.1
16.3
15.4
16.9
16.7
115
Source
Sum of
square
df
Mean
square
F value
P-value
prob N F
Model
X2
X3
X2X3
Residual
Cor total
4.03
3.38
0.045
0.61
0.61
4.64
3
1
1
1
4
7
1.34
3.38
0.045
0.61
0.15
8.81
22.16
0.3
3.97
0.0309
b0.0093
0.6158
0.1172
Signicant
Signicant
Ash (%)
Table 4
Analysis of variance of the developed models for ash content.
Table 3
Analysis of variance of the developed models for efciency index.
Sum of
square
Model
252.23
X1
78.13
X2
58.32
X3
44.18
X1X3
39.61
X2X3
32
Residual
0.13
Cor total 252.36
df Mean
square
F value
5
1
1
1
1
1
2
7
776.09
0.0013
1201.92 b 0.0008
897.23
0.0011
679.69
0.0015
609.31
0.0016
492.31
0.002
50.45
78.13
58.32
44.18
39.61
32
0.065
168.55
Fo
P-value
prob N F
Signicant
Signicant
Signicant
Signicant
Signicant
Signicant
rth
er
(g
/t)
o
Solid c
)
ntent (%
b
Efficiency index
Source
Sol
id
co n
ten
t (%
)
le c
Co l
tor
(kg
/t)
45
efficiency index
c
35
30
25
y = x + 2E-13
R2 = 0.9995
20
20
25
30
35
40
Efficiency index
Observed value
40
45
17.5
ash content
Sol
id
Observed value
17.0
16.5
Fro
the
r (g
/t )
Fig. 6. 3D plot of effect of the interactions (a) between solid percent and frother dosage on
the ash content, (b) between solid percent and collector dosage on the efciency index
and (c) between solid content and frother dosage on the efciency index.
16.0
15.5
15.0
15.0
co n
t en
t (%
)
y = x - 2E-12
R2 = 0.8685
15.5
16.0
16.5
17.0
17.5
Predicted value
Fig. 5. Relationship between predicted and observed values for efciency index and
ash content.
116
Table 5
Results of the process optimization and optimum levels of variables.
Case
Target
Collector
Frother
Solid content
Ash (%)
Efciency index
Desirability
Ash content
Variable
Efciency index
Minimum
In range
Maximum
5.29
78
10
15.2
42.55
90
80
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
0
Fig. 7. 3D plot of effect of the interactions (a) between solid percent and collector dosage
on the efciency index, (b) between solid percent and frother dosage on the efciency
index and (c) between solid percent and frother dosage on the ash content.
25
50
Time (s)
Fig. 8. Cumulative yield for coal in kinetic analysis test.
117
ash content and efciency index could be 15.2% and 42.55 respectively
when the values of collector, frother and solid percent were 5.29 kg/t,
78 g/t and 10% respectively. Besides, the kinetic of the procedure was
studied through which the time of 120 s has been considered as the
optimum time and at this time the otation procedure could be rmly
completed.
Acknowledgment
This research work was partly supported by Iran National Science
Foundation (INSF) under contract number 92000649. The authors also
appreciate Mr. Arash Ashra for his help to this paper.
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