Lecture two

Classification of Coarsely Dispersed Material

System
Particle Technology and Mixture of Particles
 Measurement of granulo metric state
 Size Reduction Operations
 Agglomeration (Size Enlargement)
 Transportation and Storage of Solids In Bulks
 Mechanical Micro-processes in A Fluid
 Mechanical and Hydro-mechanical Separations
 Mixing Processes and Mixers
below
 Statistical Mean Diameters

• While handling mixture of particles, if it is desired to express

the average size of entire mixture, then we can do it using any
of the statistical averages. However, if particles with a wide
range of sizes are present in the mixture, a statistical mean of
all the sizes may not give any realistic picture. Also, the
statistical mean can be defined in a very large number of ways
such as the length mean, surface mean, volume mean, square
root mean, cube root mean, harmonic mean, etc.
• It is therefore practically impossible to propose in advance
which type of mean shall be best suitable for a given industrial
application. The matter can be decided only from experience.
Also, it is seen on many occasion that if the average size of a
mixture is computed using all the above definitions, each
yields an entirely different value of average size, clearly
indicating that their applicabilities cannot be mutually
compared with each other.
 Example 1
• What is total number of particle and the total surface
area of uniform particulate sample consisting of
spherical particles of the size 2 mm and density 2650
kg/m3, if the sample mass is 20 kg. assume volume
factor is П/6.
Example 2
• What is total number of particle and the total surface
area of uniform particulate sample consisting of short
cylindrical particles of diameter and height 1mm each
and density 2650 kg/m3, if the sample mass is 20 kg.
 Example 3
The density of the particles is 2650 kg/m3 (0.00265 g/mm3) and the shape factors
are a = 0.8 and S = 0.571. For the material between 4-mesh and 200-mesh in
particle size, calculate Mesh Screen Opening, Mass Fraction Ave Particle Cumulative
Dpi Retained, Diameter, fraction

(a) AW (mm2/g) (mm) xi  (mm) 

smaller than
D pi D pi
4 4.699 0.000 - 1.000
(b) NW (particles/g)
6 3.327 0.0251 4.013 0.9749
 
(c) Ni for the 150/200- 8 2.362 0.1250 2.845 0.8499
mesh increment 10 1.651 0.3207 2.007 0.5292

(particles/g) 14 1.168 0.2570 1.409 0.2722

20 0.833 0.1590 1.001 0.1132
(d) fraction of the total 28 0.589 0.0538 0.711 0.0594
number of particles in 35 0.417 0.0210 0.503 0.0384
the 150/200-mesh 48 0.295 0.0102 0.356 0.0282
increment 65 0.208 0.0077 0.252 0.0205
100 0.147 0.0058 0.178 0.0147
150 0.104 0.0041 0.126 0.0106
200 0.074 0.0031 0.089 0.0075
Pan - 0.0075 0.037 0.000
Solution Example 3
mesh Dpi (mm) xi Ave Dpi(mm) xi/Ave Dpi xi/(Ave Dpi)^3 xi(Ave Dpi) xi/(Ave Dpi)^2

4 4.699 0

6 3.327 0.025

8 2.362 0.125

10 1.651 0.321

14 1.168 0.257

20 0.833 0.159

28 0.589 0.054

35 0.417 0.021

48 0.295 0.01

65 0.208 0.008

100 0.147 0.006

150 0.104 0.004

200 0.074 0.003

pan 0.008

From mesh 4 to mesh 200 only)

Screen Error and Screen Effectiveness
 Screening is undoubtedly one of the easiest and most rapid methods of
particle size analysis and separation.
 It must be remembered that the probability of a particle passing
through a screen depends very much also on the direction or
configuration in which the particle approaches the screen.
 This is because for an irregular particle, its surface area exposed to the
screen opening is different in different directions.
 As a result, it is very possible that when fed in one particular direction
or configuration, the particle may pass through the screen but when fed
in another direction the same particle may be retained by the screen.
 Factors affecting screening analysis
 The presence of so called “near mesh particle” always causes
hindrance in screening operation. Near mesh particles to a
screen are those particles having size very close to the aperture
size of the screen.
 As a result, it is very possible that in one particular
configuration, one of such particle passes only partly through
the screen. It thus sits on the screen thereby causing clogging
or blinding of the screen.
 Other disturbing factors are cohesion of particles to each
other due to electrostatic forces or if the particles are moist,
they tend to stick the surface of the screen and also to each
other causing difficulties in screening.
 If the particles are dry (very low moisture content) or if they
are fed in a stream of water (wet screening), then the screening
process will be faster and more efficient.
Screening Effectiveness
• Let yF be the mass fraction of the desired material (particles of
desired size) in the feed, yP that in the product, and yR that in the
reject stream. It must be kept in mind that either the undersize
(material that has passed through the screen) or the oversize
(material that has been retained by the screen) can be our final
product.

If excess fines are not permissible in the

product, then the oversize is collected as
the product, and if it is desired that the
product must contain particles of below a
particular size only, then the undersize
shall constitute the final product.
 Effectiveness vs Capacity of screen
 Efficiency of separation, along with capacity, is the measure of
performance in industrial screening. Capacity and
effectiveness are opposing factors as maximum effectiveness
is related to small capacity, while large capacity is only
attainable at expense of effectiveness. A reasonable balance
between effectiveness and capacity is desired in practice.
 The capacity of screen is measured by the mass of material fed
which can be fed per unit time to a unit area of screen, and can
be simply controlled by varying the feed rate to the equipment.
 The effectiveness can be improved by reducing capacity as
then there will be more contacts per particle and better chances
for passing through the screen aperture on each contact.
Example-4 : Compute the effectiveness of 10-mesh
screen if oversize is the desired product.
Mesh Dp, mm Cumulative mass fraction
Feed Over size Under size
4 4.699 1 1 1
6 3.327 0.95 0.91 1
8 2.362 0.88 0.67 1
10 1.651 0.5 0.18 0.81
14 1.168 0.25 0.03 0.45
20 0.833 0.10 0.01 0.20
28 0.589 0.07 0 0.11
35 0.417 0.04 0 0.05
65 0.208 0.02 0 0.03
 Industrial Screening Equipment
 Industrial screening equipment is used over a wide range of
particle sizes. For small particles woven cloth or wire screen are
used, while for larger sizes perforated metal plates or grids can
be employed.
 Screens are classified on the basis of size of material to be
handled as coarse, intermediate and fine screens and on the basis
of their methods of support as stationary and moving screens.
 Stationary screens can be used for both coarse and fine
screening, but mostly for coarse screening as coarse particles
drops easily. Moving screens, mainly used for fine screening,
are agitated either mechanically or electrically to give linear,
circular, revolving or vibration motion to the screens.
Based on the motion of the machine through its
motor or drive, mechanical screening equipment
can be classified in to different types. These are;
 Grizzlies
 Vibrating screens
 Gyratory screens
 Trommels
 Banana screen
 Reciprocating
 Oscillating
 Grizzlies
 Grizzlies are the most rugged types of industrial screens. They are used for
screening large sizes of rocks of 25 mm and above, as for example, for
sizing the feed to a primary crushing unit.

 They consist of a set of parallel bars usually made of manganese steel and
of trapezoidal in cross-section. Stationary grizzlies are the simples,
requiring no external power supply and needs little maintenance. They are
used to handle dry materials of sizes 50 mm and above, but are not
suitable for moist or sticky materials. Vibrating grizzlies use a cam
arrangement or an eccentric to impart lengthwise reciprocal movement to
alternate bars which permit easy flow of material and prevent clogging.
Inclined grizzlies maintain a slope of 200-500 with the horizontal.
Vibrating screens
Vibrating screens are one of the most popular ones used in chemical
industry. They can handle large tonnages of material, possess high
efficiency, provide good accuracy of sizing, require less maintenance
per ton of material handled and also provide a saving in weight and
installation space. They can be mechanically vibrated using an
eccentric or unbalanced flywheel which will constitute a circular
motion in the vertical plane, or electrically vibrated using an
electromagnet. The frequency or speed of vibration varies from 1500
to 1700 per minute. They can handle a wide variety of materials
starting from 480 mesh to 4 mesh.
 Generally, vibrating screens
consist of a plane screening
surface which is made to
vibrate rapidly by some
mechanism.
 The screening surface are
set in a multi-deck fashion
either horizontally or
inclined. Its steeper
inclination results in
optimum separation of fine
materials.
 The material to be
screened is
introduced at the top
of upper screen. The
material retained by
this screen are
recovered at the toe
of the screen slope
and the particle
passing through the
screen either falls on
lower screen for
further separation or
are collected
separately at the
bottom.
 Gyratory
 Gyratory screens are box-
like machines either square or
round with series of screen
cloths nested one upon the
other. Eccentric impart
oscillations in circular or near
circular orbits. Examples are
the vibro-energy separators
and the gyratory riddles
(widely used in batch
screening).
 These decks are given
gyratory motion of up to
1450 cycles/min.

 Generally, the gyratory

motion is gentler and is
ideal for more fragile
products. Applications of
these are in food,
chemical, minerals,
pharmaceuticals, etc.,
industries.
Trommels
 Trommels screen are revolving screen usually cylindrical or
conical in shape, open at both ends and normally inclined at 5 –
100 with the horizontal. They are rotated about there axis at
around 15 – 20 rpm.

 Trommels have relatively low capacity and low efficiency. They

are however quite efficient for coarse sizes from 6-55 mm and
screening can be carried out dry or wet.

 Several arrangements of trommels can be made to accomplish

separation according to specific process requirements.
Factors affecting the operation of
trommels
 Length and diameter of screen  Feed rate
 Speed  % oversize in feed
 Slope of screen  % of moisture in feed
 Screen opening
 Compound trommels can be constructed using a number of
screens of gradually increasing aperture size along the length of
cylinder, the feed being introduced at the finest screen. Thus, a
number of products of different sizes can be collected from a
single trommel. However, it will be more efficient to use a
number of simple trommels in series, with the undersize from
one trommel passing to the next.
  In concentric trommels,
a number of trommels are
mounted one inside the
other on a common shaft.
the innermost screen will
be the coarsest and the
outermost the finest, the
feed being introduced into
the innermost screen.
Provisions are also made
for separate removal of
oversize from each
screening surface.

 This particular mounting has the advantage of compactness but, since

the feed enters at the center, the smallest screen area will handle the
complete feed load while the smaller fines fractions will be
progressively processed into the larger screen areas.
Banana Screen
 Banana screen is used in
many mining industries
like diamond, coal,
copper and platinum. It is
fairly new screen with
multi slope concept. It is
capable of achieving
highest though put per
screen area. The slope
angle progressively
decreases toward the
discharge end. For a
double-deck screen two
different slopes 250 and
200 are used.
 Stage 1: High Velocity
A feed section (highly
inclined) of a banana screen
causes high velocity material
flow which serves to quickly
remove fine material.
Stage 2: Medium Velocity
Midway along a banana
Stage 3: Low Velocity Discharge screen, the resultant thinner
The lower screen slope slows the bed stratifies quickly. The
material down. More efficient remaining fine particle is
screening of near size material screened out effectively.
occur here.
Operating condition of different screens

Screen Particle size Efficiency Capacity

Grizzlies 20-300 mm Low Very high

Vibrating 480-4 mesh High High

screens
Gyratory 6 mm-40 mesh Very high Low

Trommels 6 mm – 55 mm Average Low

Banana screen ≈ 100 mm High High

 GROUP ASSIGNMENT 1 MESH ANALYSIS
SUBMISSION DEADLINE: APRIL 15, 2022
1
2. Solve for the unknowns numbers A to I
Mesh Screen Mass Ave. Cumulative
Opening fraction particle fraction
(mm) retained, xi dia. (mm)
 smaller than
D Dpi
p

14 1.168 0.2355 1.409 0.2722


20 0.833 0.1595 1.005 A

28 0.585 0.0535 B C

35 D E 0.503 0.0382

48 0.294 F G 0.0283

65 0.205 H I 0.0202
3 powdered coal with following screen analysis is feed to a
vibrating 48 mesh screen. The PSD data of feed, oversize and
undersize is shown in the table.
a) determine effectiveness of the screen, taking oversize as
product and taking undersize as product.
b) determine ratio of quantity oversize and undersize to feed.
Mesh no. %mass feed %mass oversize %mass
undersize
-3+4 1.07 1.8 0
-4+6 2.35 3.3 0
-6+8 6.72 8.8 0
-8+10 8.64 11.2 0
-10+14 10.87 14.2 0
-14+20 17.59 22.9 0
-20+28 13.97 18.2 0
-28+35 10.77 10.5 11.95
-35+48 10.13 6.5 21.98
-48+65 7.46 2.5 23.91
-65+100 5.01 0.2 18.77
-100+150 3.3 0 14.27
-150+200 2.12 0 9.12
End of Chapter One
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