PARTICULATE TECHNOLOGY

SOLID-SOLID SEPARATION:
SCREENING

ENGR. ROBERT E. DELFIN

Department of Chemical Engineering
Adamson University
 SCREENING
• A separation method used to separate solids based
on their particle size.

• Different screening surfaces:

Interwoven Wire Mesh
Cloth
Perforated Plates
Bars
 SEPARATION THEORY

Basic design features in screening:

1. Surface and aperture
2. Types of screens
FEED
3. Screen movement

Screen

OVERSIZE (Tails)

UNDERSIZE (Fines)
Important Characteristics of a Particle

1. Composition
 made up of one kind of solid? or mixture of two or more distinct
kinds of solids?
 defines properties such as density, conductivity, etc.

2. Size
 diameter of the particle, surface area per volume of the particle
 affects properties such as settling properties, and reactivity

3. Shape
 regular in shape – dimensional properties can be defined easily,
thus surface area and volume can be computed easily as well.
 irregular in shape – use of a shape factor such as sphericity
 PARTICLE SIZE

1. Equidimensional Particles
 In general “diameter”, Dp may be specified
 Example: spherical particle

2. Non-Equidimensional Particles
 Dp is the second longest major dimension
 Example: cubic particle

Units of Dp depend on the size of the particles:

a. Coarse particles: inches or millimeters
b. Fine particles: screen size (e.g. Mesh No.)
c. Very fine particles: micrometers or nanometers
d. Ultra fine particles: surface area per unit mass, m2 / g
 MESH SCREENS

Mesh Number – number of openings per linear inch

 MESH SCREENS

 Mesh size, M and the wire diameter, w determine

the aperture size, a.

Example: In a 4-Mesh screen

 MESH SCREENS

Mesh screens are arranged with increasing mesh

number, thus decreasing size of opening, from top
to bottom.
 SIEVE SCALE

 A sieve scale is a series of testing sieves having

openings in a fixed succession.
 The ratio of aperture of a given sieve to the
aperture of the next one in a sieve series is a
constant.

Three types:
1. Tyler Standard Sieve Series (√2 progression)
2. US Sieve Series
3. International Test Sieve Series
Methods of Indicating Particle Size

1. Unsized Particles
 obtained from passing a feed into a single screen
 either upper or lower size limit can be indicated

Example:

Feed
Mesh 4
Oversize: +4, +4.76 mm

Undersize: -4, -4.76 mm

Methods of Indicating Particle Size

2. Sized Particles
 intermediate obtained from passing a feed into a series
of screens
 both upper and lower size limits are known

Feed
Mesh 4
+4
-4
Mesh 6
-4+6 or 4/6

-6
 PARTICLE SIZE DISTRIBUTION

1) Differential Screen Analysis

• Data consist of Mesh Number (n) vs. weight fraction or %
retained on the screen (∆𝜙𝑛 )
100 kg
fraction of feed
Mesh 6
10 kg ; 0.10
Mesh 8 90 kg
40 kg ; 0.40
Mesh 10 50 kg
24 kg ; 0.24
Mesh 14 26 kg
12 kg ; 0.12
Mesh 20 14 kg
8 kg ; 0.08
Pan
6 kg
6 kg ; 0.06
 PARTICLE SIZE DISTRIBUTION

2) Cumulative Screen Analysis (Larger than Dp)

• Data consist of Mesh number (n) vs. Cumulative fraction
larger than n (𝜙𝑛 )
Cumulative Screen Analysis
100 kg
(Larger than Dp)
fraction of feed
Mesh 6
10 kg ; 0.10
Mesh 8 90 kg
40 kg ; 0.40
Mesh 10 50 kg
24 kg ; 0.24
Mesh 14 26 kg
12 kg ; 0.12
Mesh 20 14 kg
8 kg ; 0.08
Pan
6 kg
6 kg ; 0.06
 PARTICLE SIZE DISTRIBUTION

3) Cumulative Screen Analysis (Smaller than Dp)

• Data consist of Mesh number (n) vs. Cumulative fraction
smaller than n (1-𝜙𝑛 )
100 kg Cumulative Screen Analysis
fraction of feed (Smaller than Dp)
Mesh 6
10 kg ; 0.10
Mesh 8 90 kg
40 kg ; 0.40
Mesh 10 50 kg
24 kg ; 0.24
Mesh 14 26 kg
12 kg ; 0.12
Mesh 20 14 kg
8 kg ; 0.08
Pan
6 kg
6 kg ; 0.06
 SCREENING EQUIPMENT

1) Grizzly Screens
Set of parallel metal bars in an inclined stationary frames
Opening is large
Capacity is large
Cheap construction
 SCREENING EQUIPMENT
2) Vibrating Screens
Frequency of the screen is mainly controlled by an
electromagnetic vibrator which is mounted above and
directly connected to the screening surface.
Higher chance of separation due to “popcorn effect”
 SCREENING EQUIPMENT
3) Rotary Screening
Composed of a rotating perforated drum set in an
inclined position.
Movement of feed is through the hollow cylindrical drum
with lateral surface composed of different mesh sizes
arranged from smallest to largest openings
 MATERIAL BALANCE
Example: It is desired to remove particles smaller than mesh 4.

Feed: F, xF
where:
x = fraction of desired material Mesh 4
Product: P, xP
(1 – x) = fraction of undesired material

OMB: F = P + R
CMB: FxF = PxP + RxR Reject: R, xR

FxF = PxP + (F - P)xR

𝑷 𝒙𝑭 −𝒙𝑹
FxF - FxR = P xP - PxR =
𝑭 𝒙𝑷 −𝒙𝑹
F(xF - xR) = P (xP - xR)
 SCREEN EFFECTIVENESS

Recovery of desired material:

P xP
Rec =
F xF

Rejection of undesired material = 1 – recovery of undesired material:

P (1 − xP )
Rejection = 1 –
F ( 1− xF )

Effectiveness, E = Recovery x Rejection

P xP P (1 − xP ) P xF −xR
E= x 1– =
F xF F ( 1− xF ) F xP −xR

xF −xR xP (xF −xR) (1 − xP)

E= x [1 – ]
xP −xR xF (xP −xR) ( 1− xF)