The effect of microhydrodynamics on bubble-particle collision interaction

Interactions between particles and bubbles are influenced by hydrodynamic forces of the aqueous medium in which the flotation process takes place. This paper investigates the effect of liquid hydrodynamic forces working at short inter-surface separation distance, referred to as microhydrodynamic forces, on the bubble-particle collision (encounter) interaction. The full equation of particle motion around an air bubble with either a mobile surface (e.g., the potential flow) or an immobile surface (e.g., the Stokes flow) has been solved and analyzed numerically. The effect of particle density, size and film thickness (i.e., inter-surface separation distance) on the bubble-particle collision angle and efficiency has been examined. The new results were compared against the results obtained under the condition that microhydrodynamic effect has been ignored (the conventional theory). The effect of microhydrodynamics on the collision angle and efficiency has been found significant. Generally, the microhydrodynamic effect decreases the collision efficiency due to retarding the particle approach to the rising bubble surface. There also exists a critical set of particle size and density, where the collision angle is minimal, for both the mobile and immobile bubble surfaces. Away from the critical particle size and density the collision angle increases to 90 degrees. (C) 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.