Energy-efficient drop-in rotor for mineral flotation machines
This patent covers a redesigned rotor for flotation machines — the industrial equipment used to separate valuable minerals from ore by generating bubbles that attach to target particles and carry them to the surface as froth. The new rotor design uses a specific arrangement of inner and outer blades, along with dedicated gas passageways built into the rotor body, to produce better bubble distribution and generation than conventional designs. The result is more efficient separation performance while drawing less power to spin the rotor. The design can also be made physically smaller than traditional rotors, reducing both manufacturing cost and material use.
What you could build
A drop-in replacement rotor component sold to flotation machine OEMs or directly to mining operations as an aftermarket upgrade, targeting copper, gold, and base-metal concentrators seeking lower energy bills and higher recovery rates.
Who in Virginia should care
Mining equipment suppliers, industrial machinery distributors, or defense-adjacent mineral processing operations (critical minerals) with Virginia footprints would be the most plausible local interest.
Readiness: Prototype likely
Concept — described but not yet demonstrated. Lab validated — supported by experimental results in the patent. Prototype likely — the text describes a built, working embodiment.
Readiness is inferred from the patent text, not from a lab visit.
The record
- Inventors
- Roe-Hoan Yoon, Gerald Luttrell, Saad Ragab, Demetri Telionis, Abdel-Halim Said, Sanja Miskovic, Aaron Noble, Yihong Yang
- Granted
- January 19, 2016
- Status
- Granted patent
- Patent number
- 9238231
Ready to talk?
Virginia Tech Intellectual Properties handles licensing for this technology.
Prosim summaries are generated from public patent text and are not legal advice.