Industrial pH Meters and Their Applications in Concentrator Plants
Online pH detection of flotation pulp has long been a challenging problem in mineral processing. The key to proper use of pH meters lies in reasonable model selection, appropriate installation and careful maintenance. Shanghai Woyu Instrument Technology Co., Ltd. introduces the application of industrial pH meters and specific technical measures in a concentrator plant. This method delivers good performance and is applicable to other similar flotation operations.
The pH value of flotation pulp is a critical factor in mineral processing, which determines the quality of mineral processing indicators. However, most concentrator plants in China have not realized online pH detection of pulp. Online pH measurement of pulp remains a bottleneck restricting the automation of mineral processing in China. The main existing problems include short service life of electrodes, large measurement errors, poor stability and heavy maintenance workload.
Nevertheless, pH detection technology and related products are relatively mature and perform well under laboratory conditions. In contrast, online pH detection in many mineral production processes can hardly achieve satisfactory results and may even fail to work normally. Some concentrator plants shy away from online pH measurement; a few even use pH test paper instead of pH meters for measurement.
The author holds that the difficulties in online pulp pH detection are not only caused by objective factors, but more often by improper model
selection, maintenance and technical measures adopted by users. To make good use of pH meters in mineral processing, it is necessary to understand the principle, structure, model selection and maintenance of pH meters, and adopt reasonable measures according to on-site conditions of the concentrator plant.
