Key Benefits

  • 5% better recovery rates
  • +20% lower power consumption
  • Superior metallurgical performance
  • Improves the performance of new and existing machines

Superior metallurgical performance

The lower energy consumption and the superior metallurgical performance of the nextSTEP mechanism is beneficial for any operation. It has a strong positive impact on long term operating costs for green field projects. For brown field projects and existing concentrators, the mechanism is interchangeable with existing FLSmidth forced-air flotation mechanisms and can be retrofitted in any forced air flotation cell. 

When installed, operators note a 15-40% reduction of power requirements and see better wear distribution for increased rotor/stator life. These findings have a strong positive impact on total cost of ownership that can benefit both new and existing installations.

Reduce OPEX and power consumption with nextSTEP

Lowest power consumption on the market
The nextSTEP mechanism demonstrates a significant decrease in power consumption in comparison to other flotation technologies and has proven to be the lowest energy flotation mechanism on the market.
Increased wear life
Even wear patterns increase the life cycle of the mechanism as there are no heavy wear spots during operation. This saves money over the life of the rotor/stator and reduces downtime for repairs or replacements. On top of the even wear patterns, the rotor can be run in a reverse direction to further increase the life cycle of the mechanism.
Improved recovery of coarse particles

When compared to other forced-air flotation designs, the nextSTEP mechanism exhibits stronger air dispersion near the rotor-stator region, higher air hold-up and a stronger pumping effect below the rotor. CFD analysis shows that the nextSTEP mechanism generates a preferred slurry flow and positive froth movement pattern near the top of the tank. This improves froth mobility and recovery of coarse particles over other competitive designs.

Outperforming other forced-air design on the market

nextSTEP Rotor


The nextSTEP Rotor is designed to produce ideal flow streams. It also produces strong enough turbulence to enhance bubble-particle attachment. This signifcantly improves recovery rates and concentration grades while lowering energy requirements.


 

nextSTEP Stator


The patent-pending slotted stator dramatically improves attachment rates which translates into statistically significant recovery increases. This new design provides wider jet flow out of the rotor, as well as cross pattern between stator vanes for better chances of particle flotation. By pairing the curved blades of the nextSTEP Rotor and Stator, superior flotation recovery is achieved while significantly decreasing the power consumption of the mechanism. 



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