ChE-205 Particle Technology

Screening
Saeed GUL, PhD
Professor

Department of Chemical Engineering,

University of Engineering & Technology Peshawar, PAKISTAN
 Introduction

Screening is a method of
separating particles according to
size alone
screens are used on a large scale
for the separation of particles
according to their sizes, and on a
small scale for the production of
closely graded materials in
carrying out size analyses
The method is applicable for
particles of a size as small as
about 50 μm
 Introduction
Undersize:
fines, pass through the screen openings
Oversize: tails:
Particles which do not pass through
screen openings
 Industrial screens are made from woven
wire, silk or plastic cloth, metal bars,
perforated or slotted metal plates.
 Various metals are used, with steel and
stainless steel the most common.
 Standard screens range in mesh size from
4 in. to 400-mesh
 Introduction
Single Deck Screen

 Unsized fractions
A single screen can make a single
separation into two fractions i.e.
under size and oversize. Such type
of fractions is called unsized
fractions. Multi Deck Screen
 Sized Fractions
Material passed through a series of
screens of different sizes is
separated into sized fractions, i.e.
fractions in which both the
maximum and minimum particle
sizes are known
 Cutting diameter Dpc

Cutting diameter Dpc: marks the point of

separation, usually Dpc is chosen to be the mesh
opening of the screen.

Actual screens do not give a perfect separation

about the cutting diameter. The undersize can
contain certain amount of material coarser than
Dpc, and the oversize can contain certain amount
of material that is smaller than Dpc.
 Screening Equipments

Stationary screens and grizzlies

Mechanically Vibrating screens

Gyrating screens

Centrifugal Screens
 Screening Equipments
(Stationary screens and grizzlies)
 Stationary inclined woven-metal screens operate in the same way
like grizzlies
 Separating particles 0.5 to 4 in. (12 to 100 mm)
 Effective only with very coarse free-flowing solids containing few
fine particles
 Screening Equipment
(Stationary screens and grizzlies)
A grizzly has a plane screening surface
composed of longitudinal bars up to 3 m long,
fixed in a rectangular framework
It is usually inclined at an angle to the
horizontal and the greater the angle then the
greater is the throughput although the
screening efficiency is reduced
Used for very coarse feed, as from a
primary crusher
The spacing between the bars is 2 to 8
in. (50 – 200 mm)
 Screening Equipments
(Mechanically Operated Screens)
Mechanically operated screens are vibrated by means of an
electromagnetic device or mechanically
In the former case the screen itself is vibrated, and in the
latter, the whole assembly

Hummer electromagnetic screen Tyrock mechanical screen

 Screening Equipments
(Vibrating screens)
 Because very rapid accelerations and
retardations are produced, the
power consumption and the wear on
the bearings are high
 These screens are sometimes
mounted in a multi-deck fashion
with the coarsest screen on top,
either horizontally or inclined at
angles up to 45◦
 With the horizontal machine, the
vibratory motion fulfils the
additional function of moving the
particles across the screen
 Screening Equipments
(Trommel)
A very large mechanically operated screen
consists of a slowly rotating perforated cylinder with its axis at a slight angle
to the horizontal.
The material to be screened is fed in at the top and gradually moves down
the screen and passes over apertures of gradually increasing size, with the
result that all the material has to pass over the finest screen.

There is therefore a tendency for blockage of the apertures by the large

material and for oversize particles to be forced through.
 Screening Equipments
(Gyrating screens)
Rate of gyration is between 600 and
1800 r/min
Usually gyrated at the feed end in a
horizontal plane
The discharge end reciprocates but
does not gyrate

This combination stratifies the

feed, so that fine particles travel
downward to the screen surface,
where they are pushed through by
the larger particles on top
 Stratification
This phenomenon occurs as vibration is passed through
a bed of material. This causes coarse (larger) material
to rise and finer (smaller) material to descend within
the bed.
The material in contact with screen cloth either falls
through a slot or blinds the slot or contacts the cloth
material and is thrown from the cloth to fall to the next
lower level.
 Screening Equipments
(Centrifugal Screens)
Material is fed into the feed inlet and redirected
into the cylindrical sifting chamber by means of a
feed screw.
 Rotating, helical paddles within the chamber
continuously propel the material against the
screen, while the resultant, centrifugal force on
the particles accelerates them through the
apertures.
 These rotating paddles, which never make
contact with the screen, also serve to breakup
soft agglomerates.
Over-sized particles and trash are ejected via
the oversize discharge spout.
 Material balances over a screen

Let F, D, and B be the mass flow rates of feed,

overflow, and underflow, respectively,
and xF, xD, and xB be the mass fractions of
material A in the streams.
The mass fractions of material B in the feed,
overflow, and underflow are 1- xF, 1- xD, and 1-
x B.
F = D + B
 FxF = DxD + BxB
 Material balances over a screen
F=D+B
FxF = DxD + BxB
Elimination of B from the equations gives

Elimination of D gives
 Screen effectiveness

A common measure of screen effectiveness is

the ratio of oversize material A that is actually
in the overflow to the amount of A entering
with the feed. These quantities are DxD and
FxF respectively. Thus

where EA is the screen effectiveness based on

the oversize
 Screen effectiveness
Similarly, an effectiveness EB based on the
undersize materials is given by

A combined overall effectiveness can be defined

as the product of the two individual ratios
 Capacity and effectiveness of screens

 The capacity of a screen is measured by the mass of material

that can be fed per unit time to a unit area of the screen.
 Capacity and effectiveness are opposing factors.
 To obtain maximum effectiveness, the capacity must be small,
 Large capacity is obtainable only at the expense of a reduction
in effectiveness.
 Factors Affecting the Effectiveness

 Mesh Size and wire diameter

 Capacity
 Blinding
 Moisture
 Direction of approach of particle to screen surface
 Cohesion
 Adhesion
 Example
A quartz mixture is screened through a 10-
mesh screen. The cumulative screen analysis
of feed, overflow and underfolw are given in
the table.
Calculate the mass ratios of the overflow and
underflow to feed and the overall
effectiveness of the screen.
 Solution of Example
From the table:
xF= 0.47
Mesh Dp (mm) Feed Overflow Underflow
4 4.699 0 0 0
xD= 0.85
6 3.327 0.025 0.071 0 xB= 0.195
8 2.362 0.15 0.43 0
10 1.651 0.47 0.85 0.195
14 1.168 0.73 0.97 0.58
20 0.833 0.885 0.99 0.83
28 0.589 0.94 1.0 0.91
35 0.417 0.96 0.94
65 0.208 0.98 0.975
Pan 1.0 1.0