Energy-efficient drop-in rotor for mineral flotation cells
This patent covers a specially shaped rotor for flotation machines — industrial equipment used in mining and mineral processing to separate valuable minerals from waste rock using bubbles. The rotor's blades follow a precisely defined curved profile (described mathematically) that generates more efficient bubble flow while drawing less power than conventional designs. The result is a smaller, cheaper-to-manufacture rotor that still meets or exceeds the separation performance of larger incumbents. The core innovation is the blade geometry itself, locked in by specific polynomial equations.
What you could build
A drop-in replacement rotor for industrial flotation cells sold to mining operations and mineral processing plants; buyers would be mine operators or OEMs of flotation equipment like Metso Outotec, Eriez, or FLSmidth looking to differentiate on energy efficiency.
Who in Virginia should care
Virginia has limited active hard-rock mining but aggregate and coal operations in the western part of the state could use this; more plausibly, defense-adjacent materials processing or mid-Atlantic equipment distributors serving Appalachian mining would be the connection.
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, Demtri Telionis, Abdel-Halim Said, Sanja Miskovic, Aaron Noble, Yihong Yang
- Granted
- February 23, 2016
- Status
- Granted patent
- Patent number
- 9266121
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.