Screening

Department of Chemical Engineering

University of Engineering & Technology
Peshawar, Pakistan
Size distribution
 Many natural and manufactured materials occur in a disperse form, which
means that they consist of differently shaped and sized particles. The
particle size distribution, i.e. the number of particles of different sizes, is
responsible for important physical and chemical properties such as:
 mechanical bulk behavior
 surface reaction
 taste
 miscibility
 filtration properties
 conductivity
 This list could be continued at great length. The examples clearly show
how important it is to have a knowledge of the particle distribution,
particularly within the context of quality assurance in the production of
bulk goods. If the particle distribution changes during the manufacturing
process then the quality of the finished product will also change. Only a
continuous monitoring of the particle size distribution can guarantee a
constant product quality.
 Particle size determination methods
 There are different methods for determining the particle distribution. The choice of a
particular method depends primarily on the dispersion status, i.e. on the degree of
fineness of the sample.
~Continued……
Introduction
 The oldest and best-known method is particle size
determination by sieve analysis. The particle size distribution is
defined via the mass or volume. Sieve analysis is used to divide
the particulate material into size fractions and then to
determine the weight of these fractions. In this way a relatively
broad particle size spectrum can be analyzed quickly and
reliably.
 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
A single screen can separate feed into two
fractions
These are called un-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
Important terms
Sieve passage
 The sieve passage is the fine material that passes through the sieve during a sieve analysis.

Sieve residue
 The sieve residue is the coarse material that remains on the sieve after a sieve analysis.

Sieving loss
 The sieving loss is the difference in weight between the original sample and the sum of the recovered fractions.

According to DIN 66 165 part 1 it should not exceed 1% of the original sample weight.
Relative open sieve area
 The relative open sieve area is the sum of all the open mesh areas of the sieve relative to the total area of the

sieve.
Available open sieve area
 The available open sieve area is the sum of the open mesh areas of the sieve that have not been blocked.

Cut sharpness
 The cut sharpness characterizes the quality of the sieving into individual fractions.

Equivalent diameter
 In sieving the equivalent diameter of a particle is the diameter of a sphere with the same mass or volume.

Undersize
 Mass fraction below a defined cut point.

Oversize
 Mass fraction above a defined cut point

Mesh
the number of openings in one inch of screen (The number of openings is the mesh size. So a 4-mesh
screenmeans there are four little square =s across one linear inch of screen
particle size
Cutting diameter D pc
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.
 Average particle size

 Volume-surface mean diameter, defined by

If the number of particles in each fraction Ni is known, then

where xi = mass fraction in a given increment, Dpi = average

diameter, taken as arithmetic average of the smallest and largest
particle diameters in increment
Arithemetic mean diameter
 If the number of particles in each fraction Ni is
known, then
 If NT = number of particles in the entire sample then

 Arithmetic mean diameter is given by

Mass mean diameter
 Mass mean diameter
Volume mean diameter
 Volume mean diameter
Number of particles in
mixture
 The volume of any particle is proportional to
its "diameter" cubed.

a = volume shape factor

Assuming that a is independent of size and is inverse of spherecity
Sieving
Screening Equipments
 Stationary screens and grizzlies

 Mechanically Vibrating screens

 Gyrating screens

 Centrifugal Screens
 Screening Equipments
(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
(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 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 Tyrock mechanical screen

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
(Mechanically Operated Screens)
(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.

Trommel
 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 x , x , and x be the mass fractions of
F D B
material A in the streams.
 The mass fractions of material B in the feed,

overflow, and underflow are 1- xF, 1- xD, and

1- xB.
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.

 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:
Mesh Dp (mm) Feed Overflow Underflow xF= 0.47
4 4.699 0 0 0 xD= 0.85
6 3.327 0.025 0.071 0
8 2.362 0.15 0.43 0
xB= 0.195
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