Patent ID: 8281932

Claim:
A process for attaching hydrophobic particles to gas bubbles in a slurry said process comprising: a. introducing a stream of said slurry into a vessel having a cylindrical chamber having a cylindrical inner wall, said chamber being of sufficient length to provide a residence time for said stream in said chamber to permit a diffusion of gas into said stream, and said chamber being operable when oriented in any and all directions, said stream being introduced; i. tangentially in an entry end near a first end of said chamber in a manner to develop a spiral flow of said stream along said chamber inner wall toward the opposite, second end of said chamber, the exit end; and ii. in sufficient volume and pressure to develop a vortex in said stream extending along said chamber, wherein the velocity of said stream is set to achieve centrifugal forces for said vortex to within a range of 20 to less than 50 G's; b. introducing gas into said stream during at least a portion of its travel in said chamber, said gas being introduced to said stream orthogonally, through means located at said chamber inner wall for developing gas bubbles which move into said stream, wherein said means comprise material having porosity with mean pore size of less than 20 microns; and c. discharging said stream of slurry with hydrophobic particles attached to gas bubbles from said vessel via said exit end.