title: An apparatus to measure electrical charge of bubble swarms.
abstract: An apparatus has been developed to characterize bubble charge by measuring the swarm potential of gas bubbles. The technique allows in-process measurement of all system variables associated with bubble surface electrical charge: swarm potential, solution conductivity, gas holdup, pH and bubble size distribution. The method was validated by comparing with literature iso-electric point (iep) values. Bubble swarm potential was measured as a function of concentration and pH for a series of non-ionic surfactant frothers, ionic surfactant collectors and multivalent metal ions. Results showed good agreement with established theory and prior experimental findings. The setup is a step towards measurement of charge on flotation size range of bubble swarms.
authors.affiliation: Department of Mining and Materials Engineering, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada. salah.uddin@mail.mcgill.ca
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Uddin
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Jin
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Mirnezami
authors.forename: J A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Finch