A novel flotation system was used to process fine coal feeds supplied from coal preparation plants. The
system consisted of an inverted fluidized bed arranged above a system of inclined channels. High
fluidization (wash water) fluxes were imposed through a distributor enclosing the free-surface, producing
strong positive bias of up to 2.4 cm/s, ideal for desliming. High gas fluxes of up to 2.6 cm/s, in excess of
the flooding condition, were also imposed. The presence of the inclined channels prevented the entrainment
of gas bubbles into the tailings stream. This paper, which is the third in a series, examines, for the
first time, the hydrodynamic performance of this system on two actual plant feeds, each known to be
difficult to wash. The first feed was a poorly liberated coal with particle size