Size reduction

Many solid materials occur in sizes that are too large to be used
and must be reduced. Often the solids are reduced in size so that
the separation of various ingredients can be carried out. In
general, the terms crushing and grinding are used to signify the
subdividing of large solid particles into smaller particles.
In the materials processing industry, size reduction is usually
carried out in order to increase the surface area because, in most
reactions involving solid particles, the rate of reactions is
directly proportional to the area of contact with a second phase.
Grinding operations are very extensive in the ore-processing and
cement industries. Copper ores, nickel and cobalt ores, and iron
ores, for example, are ground before chemical processing.
Limestone, marble, gypsum and dolomite are ground to use as
fillers in paper, paint, and rubber. Raw materials for the cement
industry, such as lime, alumina and Silica are ground on a very
large scale.
The energy required to effect size reduction is related to the
internal structure of the material and the process consists of two
parts, first opening up any small fissures which are already
present, and secondly forming new surface. Solids may be
reduced in size by a number of methods
1- Compression or crushing in generally used for reduction
of hard solids to coarse sizes.
2- Impact gives coarse, medium or fine sizes.
3- Attrition or rubbing yields fine products.
4- Cutting is used to give definite sizes.

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Classification of size reduction

feed size Product size

Coarse crushers 1500-40 mm 50-5 mm
Intermediate 50-5 mm 5-0.1mm
crushers
Fine crushers 5-2 mm 0.1 mm
Colloid mills 0.2 mm Down to 0.01µm

Types of size reduction equipment

The most important coarse, intermediate and fine crushers may

be classified as below

Coarse crushers Intermediate Fine crushers

crushers
Stag jaw crusher Edge runner mill Buhrston mill
Dodge jaw crusher Hammer mill Roller mill
Gyratory crusher Pin mill Ball mill
Symons disc crusher Griffin mill
Tube mill

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Energy for Size reduction

It is impossible to estimate accurately the amount of energy

required in order to effect a size reduction of a given material a
number of empirical laws have been proposed. The two earliest
laws are due to (Kick) and (Rittinger) and a third law due to
(Bond) has also been proposed. These three laws may all be
derived from the basic differential equation:

dE n
  kL
dL

where
dE : the differential energy required.
dL : the change in a typical
dimension.
L : the typical length dimension.
k, n : are constants.

1) Kick : assumed that the energy required to reduce a

material in size was directly proportional to the size
reduction ratio dL/L.
This leads to n= -1 and k=kkfC , then ;

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 dE  kk fc

dL L

L1
E  k k f c ln
L2
Where
Kk : Kick's constant
fc : the crushing strength.

Or

Kick's law:
Aw2
P  m .K r  log
A w1
P: power (watt)
m: mass flow rate = mass/t (kg/s)
Kr: constant
Aw: specific surface area per unit mass.
6
Aw 
. p .Dvs
* Dvs = Dp if the shape is regular

2) Rittinger : assumed that the energy required for

size reduction is directly proportional, not to the
change in length dimensions, but to the change in
surface area .
This leads to n= -2 and k=kR fc, then:
dE k f
  R 2 c
dL L

 1 1 
E  k R f c   
L
 2 L 1 

Where:

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 kR : Rittinger's constant.

Or
Rittenger's law
 1 1 
P  m .K r
  
 D vs 2 D vs 1 
P:power (watt)
m: mass flow rate = mass/t (kg/s)
Kr: constant
Dvs: volume surface diameter (m)
n
1 Xi
D vs
 
i 1 Dp
* Dvs = Dp if the shape is regular

3) Bond has suggested an intermediate course, in which

he postulates that n = -3/2 and this leads to:

100  1 
E  E 1  
i
L 2  q 

Where:
L: measured in microns
Ei: (the Work Index) is the amount of energy required to
reduce unit mass of the material from an infinitely large particle
size down to a particle size of 100 μm.
q : the reduction ratio where q = L1/L2 .

Or
Bond's law
Wet grinding
 1 1 
P  36  Wi  m    
 D Db1 
 b2

Dry grinding

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  1 1  4
P  36  Wi  m    
 D D  3
 b2 b1 

P:power (watt)
m: mass flow rate = mass/t (kg/s)
Wi: work index (given)
Db: bond diameter = (Dp at φ=0.2)

Mean particle size

The volumes mean diameter dv or as the mass mean diameter

d 
 n i d i
4

 n 
v 3
i d i

ni : number( or percentage) of particles have di diameter