The first Minerals Separation Cells were Pneumatic

 

This was the inaugural lecture in what will become a series of G.D. Delprat Memorial Flotation Lectures, instigated by Prof. Alban Lynch, the first Director of Australia”s JKMRC.

Profs. Nelson and Lynch are co-authors of the AusIMM book The History of Flotation, along with Dr. Greg Harbort of AMEC Minpro. The royalties from the book partially funded the lecture, which was also sponsored by FLSmidth and Outotec.

Accepting this, and explaining that a short lecture such as this must concentrate on a specific area, Michael presented a fascinating history of how cells have developed since their first use on zinc tailings at Broken Hill in 1905, pioneered by G.D. Delprat, one of the most unrecognised, yet important figures in flotation.

The first Minerals Separation cells were pneumatic, and prone to blinding, and were later superceded by Denver Sub-A, Wemco Fagergren and Galigher Agitair cells, the Denver Equipment Company dominating the market by the middle of the century, with over 50% of world sales. A feature of flotation plants in those days was a multitude of parallel banks of many small cells in series, something I remember from my days at Nchanga in the early 70s where many rows of tiny 1.2 m3 Denver Sub-A cells, 20 in series, were gradually being replaced by the then massive 8.6 m3 Fagergrens.

 

This was the inaugural lecture in what will become a series of G.D. Delprat Memorial Flotation Lectures, instigated by Prof. Alban Lynch, the first Director of Australia”s JKMRC.

Profs. Nelson and Lynch are co-authors of the AusIMM book The History of Flotation, along with Dr. Greg Harbort of AMEC Minpro. The royalties from the book partially funded the lecture, which was also sponsored by FLSmidth and Outotec.

Accepting this, and explaining that a short lecture such as this must concentrate on a specific area, Michael presented a fascinating history of how cells have developed since their first use on zinc tailings at Broken Hill in 1905, pioneered by G.D. Delprat, one of the most unrecognised, yet important figures in flotation.

The first Minerals Separation cells were pneumatic, and prone to blinding, and were later superceded by Denver Sub-A, Wemco Fagergren and Galigher Agitair cells, the Denver Equipment Company dominating the market by the middle of the century, with over 50% of world sales. A feature of flotation plants in those days was a multitude of parallel banks of many small cells in series, something I remember from my days at Nchanga in the early 70s where many rows of tiny 1.2 m3 Denver Sub-A cells, 20 in series, were gradually being replaced by the then massive 8.6 m3 Fagergrens.