TWAMICES Y ‘TAMIZACION lag mallas para tamizar son una cerie de alambres de un diametro particular entrelazados, de modo que formen aberturas uniformes en toda su extensién, En una plantta, vamos a tener mallas para una de las siguientes tareas: 1. Clasificacién del tamafio o chequeando 1a calidad de la produccion. 2. Separando particulas de diferente tamafio o rompiendo aglomeraciones de particulas. - 3. Separando sélidos de fluidos en proceso. Filtracién. Mallas para Teete Son ugadas para obtener informacién acerca de los rangos de tamafio de las particulas para materiales secos. Dichos rangos son proporcionados por especificaciones provenientes de la oficina de mallas standard para tests en U.S.A. Estas mallas, son elementos de precisién que vienen en diversos tamafios y combinados pueden hacerse varios anélisis simulténeamente. Cada malla tiene una abertura 1.189 veces mas grande que el tamafio anterior. El material para fabricarlos es acero inoxidable el ucal resiste bien la corrosién y abracién de los materiales a examinar. Mallas de Produccién Se usan en la separacién de materiales para un tamafio de partioula necesario. Generalmente usan un movimiento giratorio 0 vibracionalpara romper“aglomeraciones. Este tipo de mallas sacrifican precisiérpara dar una vida mis larga de uso. é . . a ae Procemos de Filtracién Se usan mallas para separa sélidos de liquidos al desaguar, también se pueden usar para separar sélidos de gas en “scerubbere”. Su uso es como coladores, los cuales camente tienen mayor abertura que un filtro.Alambre para Filtros v Colederes Se debe seleccionar bien el material para estos ya que los fluidos tienden a corroer mds a las mallas que solo rabajan con sélidos. por ejemplo niquel es usado para filtrar soluciones catisticas, acero inoxidable y monel se usan para otros.medios quimicos. Se debe cuidar mucho 1a corrosién de un colador, ya que toda la superficie del alambre esta expuesta a corrosion a diferencia de superficies planas donde sélo un lado se expone. Al tratar con fluidos a filtrar, se debe tener en cuenta la caida de presion, Temperatura, viscocidad y gravedad espeifica asi como e1 tamafio de la materia a separar. Configuraciones de Coladores Son disefiados para un flujo especifico. El diseflo més comin para coladores es una variacién del cono. esta configuracién ofrece una fuerza 6ptima y mayor area superficial para retener. Para un incremento en fuerza y 4rea los coladores pueden ser acanalado, corrugado o de varias capas. La filtracién también puede ser en varias etapas usando alambre de grueso a fino. Mallas para tratamiento de agua El mayor uso de alambre entrelazado es para tratamiento de agua. Esto involucra limpieza de agua a la entrada y clarificacién del efluente a la salida. Bl.tratamiento de auga, involucra coladores similares a los de procesos de filtracién, pero a mayor escala y materiales més toscos a remover. Los coladores se usan generalmente a la entrada de la linea de proceso para proteger asi el equipo y evitar contaminantes. Caracteristicas de alambre entrelazado Su fabricacién es abase de alambre metélico, desde una pulgada de didmetro hasta milésimas de pulgada. El término mesh se refiere al namero de aberturas por pulgada lineal y espacio es la distancia entre esquinas opuestas de 2 alambres paralelos. Los alambres que corren a lo largo se les llama Warp wires (torcedura) y los otros Fill o Shute wires (de llenado).Las mallas gon fabricadas en dimensiones standard de 100 ft por 36 0 48 in. pero los proveedores pueden cortar en otras dimensiones. érea abierta de slambre entrelazado El drea abierta va a depender del didmetro del alambre y el mesh/in. La forma més facil para conocer el drea es por la férmula: A = (1 -ND)k(1-nd) i de warp wires hb 2 de shute d:diam. Generalmente los proveedores tienen tabulada el area para diferente malla. Entrelazado grado Industrial Las mallas se tienen en miles de variaciones con diferente tamafio, mesh, tamafio de abertura.etc. Una regla gruesa es a mayor didémetro del alambre menor mesh/in. y viceversa. Tivos de Entrelazado El m4s comin es el llamado Double~Crimp (doble rigido) ee econémico y usado en filtracién tosca. Entre otros tipos tenemos: Double-Crimp: Cada alambre de llenado (shute) pasa encima y abajo de cada alambre de torcedura (warp). Entrelazado Intermedio: Se afiaden extracorrugaciones en los alambres, entre los puntos de cruzamiento. esto se logra con alambre fino y mesh ancho, para asegurar el sujetado de los alambres:. Lock-Crimp: Con este tipo se tiene un entrelazado de mayor rigidez ya que no se permite movimiento entre los alambres. Usado para trabajo duro. ‘will-Weave (cruzado): Cada alambre pasa sucesivamente sobre dos y bajo dos alambres. Este patrén alivia de stress y permite un buen soporte y fuerza en una malla fina. Dutch-Weave (alternado): Los alambres de torcedura son més pesados que los dellenado permitiendo que estos Ultimos estén bien compactoss formando un entrelazado firme. Las aberturas son triangulares lo que ayuda en la formacién de un relleno (cake) al filtrar.Smooth-Top: Se usa pas filtracién fina. Se tiene en este entrelazado una superficie lisa en uno de loslados, esto ayuda en la retencién al filtrar. Plain-Dutch (cruzado plano): Tienen buenos flujos para la caida de presién y son fuertes. Son facilmente limpiables. Los entrelaces planos y Twill tienen altos flujos, baja caida de presién, alto porcentaje de érea abierta y aberturas tan pequefias como de 38 um. Se usan como soporte para otros més finos y mallas de test asi como coladores. Los intermendios, cerrados, smooth-top y double-crimp tienen aberturas grandes. Son usados en la industria minera y en tuberias d agua. Materiales de Construceion Los més comunes son: acero, cobre, latén y. monel. Depende del tipo de proceso y costo accesible. Corrosion Electrolitica En alguna aplicaciones de sal o agua de mar se ebe considerar la corrosién galvénica o electrolitica para escoger el material. Tendencias en la reduccion de tamafio de Sélidos Tamizacién es un término aplicado a la separacién mecdnica de particulas en base a su tamafio. Esto se lleva a gabo en una superficie plana con aberturas uniformes. Particulas de mayor tamafio se rechazan y las de menor tamafio que las abertuas pasan atravez logrando asi la separacién. Los tamices encuentran gran aplicacién en compafiias de recursos naturales produciendo arena, pidra molida, minerales, cerdémicos, fertilizantes, quimicos, azucar, granos, harinas. Eundamentos bdésions de los Tamices un tamiz es una superficie plana con aberturas unifores de un tamafio dado. la superficie, es soportada en un cuadro firme al cual se le aplica una fuerza vibracionael aunque esta también se le puede aplicar al tamiz. Por consideraciones précticas, el tamiz s encuentra ligeramente inclinado para asi tener la particula mayor mimero de aberturas y hacer més espacio para material que va llegando al tamiz.En el tamiz las particulas de menor tamafio que las aberturas pasan y las de mayor son rechazados a un punto de descarga. Las particulas de mayor tamafio son tratadas en forma adecuada sobre el tamiz, osea mayor tiempo de residencia, mayor fuerza vibracional o evitar un tapado de la malla puede lograrse rompiendo particulas grandes 0 aglomeraciones de varias pequefias se separen y pasen por la abertura. Esto daria mayor eficienca a la tamizacién. Al tratarse separacién por tamafio de particula la eficiencia se puede determinar por % que quedo sobre la malla y % que paso por la malla conociendo los pesos de la alimentacion y producto separado. Eficiencias de 85 a 95 % son acepatables, a mayor precisién menor capacidad. un fenémeno que afecta la tamizacién es la estratificacién. Aqui la profundidad del material sobre la malla sirve como medio de pretamizacién con los finos moviéndose hacia abajo y los gruesos quedéndose arriba. Una cama muy fina no permite estratificacién y todo el mateiral pasa. Una muy gruesa puede amortiguar el movimiento vibracional, retardar la estratificacion y reducir la tamizacion. Factores que influencian la seleceién final La informacién cae en ciertos grupos: 1, Material a procesar. 2. Flujo del proceso. 3. Operacién de tamizado invlucrada. 4. Limitaciones fisicas de la planta. 5. Equipo preferido por el operador. Material a procesar: Describir el material efectivamente, el nombre, su formula quimica, propiedades y caracteristicas: a. Distribucioén del tamafio de particula: Esencial para conocer la unidad del tamizado. b. Gravedad especifieca del material. ©. Contenido de humedad (%agua en peso): Para seleccionar equipo de tatizado seco, htimedo, etc. Presecado del material, vibracion. d. Densidad en maga: Determinacién del volumen de flujo y medida de la cantidad en el tamizado. e. Abrasividad y Corrosividad del material. f. Angulo de reposo: Afecta e1 disefio de alimentacién. @. Angulo de desliz del material para evitar aglomeraciones. h, Forma de la particule.Flujo de Proceso: Se debe incluir una descripcién de las operaciones unitarias. La operacién de tamizado, debe incluir los métodos usados para controlar la alimentacién, recoleccién de producto , eficiencia requerida, tamafio del producto, ete. Preferencias de equipo: Unidad de tamizado facilmente adaptable a vibraciones, mecanismos de tension, etc. C4lculos para el tamafio de la malla: Los cdéleulos se basan en un método vacional, modificado con constantes empiricas para ajustarse a diversas condiciones. Existen tres métodos para el célculo: 1. flujo sobre la malla, 2. atravez de la malla, 3. alimentacién total. El método aqui presentado es flujo atravez. La formula para conocer el area de la malla es: A = (Ct/Cu) * F Ct:flujo atravez ton/hr capacidad, ton/hrkft~2 F: factor En la grdéfica A de la figura 3 podemos leer la capacidad de la unidad en la interseccién conociendo la separacién deceada y el material a procesar. Supongamos tenemos 1" de separacién y arena entoces Cu es 3.2 se necesita 16 ft"2 pero por regla general el largo y ancho estan en relacién 2:1 0 1.5:1 por lo que variamos 3 * 6 ft y tenemos 18 ft72. Un metodo racional para la sleccién del ancho de la malla es por: c (3/20)dw Cz ton/hr d: ancho w: densidad masa Por la figura 4 podemos hallar una solucion grdfica. Fijarse el material viaja a 1 ft/seg, sise inclina se podria aumentar la velocidad y asi bajar la profundidad de la cama y mejorar la eficiencia. Otro método para hallar el area de la malla es el tomar @n cuenta ciertos factores: a. mesh requerido: la capacidad se incrementa mientras mde grande es la abertura de la malla. b. % de material de alimentacién de mayor tamafio que el standard. c. % finos en el material. d. eficiencia requerida: 92 % es la nominal. ©. % 4rea abierta: es inversamente proporcional al mesh. f. densidad en masa: la capacidad se inorementa al aumentar la densidad. g. forma de la particula: materiales que fluyen facilmente dan mayor capacidad.La formula es: - Capacidad: abedefg ,1b/h¥ft72 Segin la forma del tamiz, la fuerza aplicada y el material pueden haber otros factores. (ejemplo. pg.74) Come evitar Problemas Se debe poner atencién no solo al tamafio del tamiz sino a la instalacién en si, para calcular la fuerza de vibracién a goportar y el tamafio adecuado de todos los miembros de la unidad. Los canales de alimentacién y salida del producto deben considerarse bien para evitar abrasion o disturbios en la cama tamizada. A continuacién menciono unos de los problemas més comunes en instalacién: 1. La malla debe estar bien ajustada y con superficie bien estirada. Calcular por tablas o grdficas el tamafio adecuado de la malla y el alambre a utilizar. 3. La inclinacién que tenga la malla puede minimizar o maximizar laabertura por donde pasa el material. 4. Canales de producto final, deben permitir la toma de muestras en cualquier momento para verificacion. 5. Canales que manejan particulas finas, deben ir en un angulo més inclinado que los gruesos ya que los finos se adhieren fdcilmente. Aleunos tipos de Tamices Grizzly: Barras paralelas fuertes como malla, se utiliza para rocas y materiales grandes. El tamafio maximo de abertura, se determina al conocer el tamafio de roca aceptable. ‘Yromel: Cilindros concéntricos como canales con agujeros. El de mae adentro con agujeros més grandes. El movimiento e a base de giro de los cilindros. ‘Tamices Vibratorios: El tamiz puede o no estar inclinado y se ayuda la separacién con una fuerza vibracional Tamices con movimiento Sifter: Mallas circulares con movimiento oscilatorio pueden tener vibracién, movimiento giratorio o circular. . Existe una serie de variaciones en los movimientos de tamices asi como en velocidades de vibracién o frecuencia sein el material a separar.' Screens and screening Wire cloth is used for sieves, strainers and filters. Here are some tips on how to select it wisely. John Muldoon, [DD Wire cloth is an interweaving of wires ofa particular diameter to form a screen having openings of a definite size, Its most common function is to separate desirable ‘material from undesirable. Wire cloth can also perform a separation or sizing function when there is no undesir able component in the process.” In a typical process plant, screens will be found per- forming some, orall, of the following: 1 Size classification (also laboratory testing), or check- ing production quality Separating dry product by size, or breaking up Jumps and reducing product to a uniform size. = Separating solids from fluids in process filtration, = Removing impurities from untreated water intakes, or pollutants from plant effluents. Test sieves ‘Test sieves are used to obtain information about the size ranges of dry materials in a sample. Test sieving is a quick, reliable method of size analysis. All that is re- quired is a set of standard sieves—the shaking can be done by hand. But where much testing will be done, a shaking machine (1] can save time and energy. ‘Most specifications for solid raw materials and fin- ished products stipulate the range of sizes for the materi al, or the maximum or minimum size, in terms of the US. Standard Testing Sieve series (developed by the US. Bureau of Standards). For example, test sieves are used in laboratory testing and quality control of particle size and uniformity for crystals, powders, pigments and pow- dered metals. Often, laboratory tests are used to check 90 ‘avark Wive Cloth Go, the effectiveness of a production grinder or an industrial screening unit, or check the state of a fluidized catalyst Sieves are precision tools, available in a range of standard sizes, that can be combined to provide mult ple-screen analyses simultaneously. The series of stan. dard testing sieves is based on the ratio of (2)*. The openings of the sieves are sized in an exact progressive ratio, so that each larger sieve has openings 1.189 times (linear dimensions) those of the one before it. Ref. 2 summarizes the U.S. specification for test sieves. Ref. 1 also explains the differences between the U.S. Standard and the recommended International Standard. The sieves are usually made of stainless-steel cloth and mounted in a stainless-steel frame because such steels have the widest range of application in terms of corro- sion and abrasion resistances, and material strength. Depending on their projected use, sieves may also be made of brass or phosphor-bronze wire cloth, and mounted in brass frames. Production screens In chemical-process-industries plants, screens can sep: arate dry materials by size in equipment using vibratory or gyratory moti ceuticals must usually also used for deagglomeration, ic, o break up Jumps in raw materials or finished products, Test sieves are very precise, but typical production screens sacrifice accuracy for long life Wire doth for production screens is available in a variety of sizes to separate particulate matter ranging from several inches to a few micrometers—and in some cases to less than a micrometer. (One micrometer equals 0,001 mm, or 0.00008934 in.) Exactly what do these particle sizes mean? Table I lists some examples of ‘materials in the various size ranges. Process filtration ‘Wire cloth is used to separate solids from liquids, asi dewatering. It may also be used to separate solids from gases, asin scrubbers, For such services, the wire clots normally incorporated into strainers and filters. In general, strainers remove solid materials by use of coarser mesh having larger openings than do filters. Filter cloth is sometimes used alone as a fine strainer, but typically 1 acts as a support structure for fier bas Common examples are pressure or vacuum filters where 4th at perlite, Miersr sia entra Suspender ass through, Wire cloth for filters and straine Selecting # wire Goth for a filter or strainer more dananding task than for sereening dry materia since Huis tend to cause more-intensive corrosion, Wire clot) is available in a variety of matenals of construction For example, nickel cloth is usually chosen for hitering eausuc solutions; stainless steels and Monels provide good performance in many other chemical environ: ments. Sometimes, wire cloths are made from titanium, Hastelloys, and even noble metals. Wire cloth is particularly vulnerable to corrosion, ‘especially when immersed in a corrosive fluid, Instead of attacking only one surface of a metal plate (asin a vessel), the fluid can attack the entire outer surface of the wire (in other words, fora given weight of metal, there isa larger surface area in a wire screen than in a fiat plate). Hence, a corrosion rate that would be negligible for a metal plate ‘ight be excessive for wire cloth. On the other hand, corrosion of wire-cloth components can serve as an early ‘warning, If'a change in the process causes corrosion of the filter, chances are that similar but less-noticeable corrosion is occurring throughout the process system. In dealing with fluid filtration, consideration must be given to pressure-drop requirements, liquid tempera- lure, viscosity, and specific gravity, as well as the size of the particulate matter to be removed or passed through. Flowrates through wire cloth for fluids of varying viseo: ties can be determined from a nomograph, such as that shown in Fig. 1 Suis 6 not required area ci che filter or Stramer needed to pass a Sspecihe flowrate at a given pressure drop, Strainer configurations Strainers are primary designed 10 handle 2 specifi fiowrate or to achieve a desired filtration witht 4 reason- able space, The most common design for strainers 1s a varianon of dhe cone, This simple configuration offers optimum strength and surface area Cone strainers range un size from less than % in. dia. to more than several feet. For increased strength and flow area, the stramers may be fluted or corrugated. multilayered or multitiered; or filtration may take place through several stages by using wire cloth ranging from coarse to fine. Fig. 2 shows some typical conical pipeline strainers. Perforated metal isthe strongest; wire cloth provides the Gnest filtration; perforated metal backing up a wire cloth attempts to use the best qualities of each material. Screens for water treatment ‘A major use of wire cloth in the process plant is for water treatment. This may involve cleaning raw water before intake or clarifying effluent before discharge. In such services, wire-cloth strainers are used to keep solid contaminants out of the system, or to keep solid pollut- ants in the system until they are removed for disposal ‘Water treatment involves strainers similar to those for process filtration, but on a larger scale and with coarser removal requirements. For example, intake trash screens, strainers and traveling screens protect process ‘equipment ky removing solid contaminants from pJantintake water (perhaps preceded by a log rake, made of heavy metal bars, to remove the largest objects) ‘When a plant or process stream is started up,a strainer «cis (usually incorporated into the process pipeline to re- “move scale and construction debris. This will protect the process equipment and keep contaminants from the “plant discharge. Table 11 | meen Wire-cloth features Wire doth is woven from metalic wires on spe looms, The wires may be drawn from any malicat materials 10 virwalls any ranging from a inch, or more, down to thousandihs of an inch. The tem: mesh (see Fig: 8) refers to the number of distance between facing edges of two parallel wires, Wires thai run lengthwise with the cloth are called tie warp wites (the same asin weaving cloth), and the bao tnd-forth (crosswise) wires are the fill or shute wires, | ings per imeal inch; whereas space refers to the Wire cloth ws manufactured in standard lengths of 100 f and widths of 36 or 48 in. Suppliers will cut the standard bolts to any length or size. Most suppliers also fabricate the cloth into strainers, filters and other parts oF components as specified: and they will often replace wire cloth on existing equipment. Open area of wire cloths 3 ‘Where flow or throughput is important, itis necessary to know the open area of the cloth being considered "This area will depend on the number of mesh openings per inch, and the diameter of the wire. The simplest way to calculate the open area for a given cloth is to deter- imine the projected arca for all the wire used in a square | inch, and then subtract this value from 1 square inch. “The remainder will be the open area of the cloth, A in.2/ A= (1— ND) — nd a where isthe numberof warp yires/in; Dis ameter of warp wire in m is umber of shute wires/ing and i ameter of shute wires Yor example, leur coniider a cloth having 7 x7 imeshew/in'” and having @ wire diameter of 0.025 in Substituting into Eq, (1) yields ‘A= [1 — (7)(0.025)][1 — (7)(0.025)) A= 068 in3/in? ‘Usually, ic wil not be necessary to do the caiculation for the open area; most manufzcurers of wie cloth provie is information in ables along with data on the Ghameter of wire, width of opening, and the weight of he doth Industrial-grade cloth Wire cloth is available in thousands of variations— with different wire sizes, mesh counts, opening sizes, etc We face a formidable choice even if only one consider- ation is important. For example, if our goal is to select a loth having Yi-in, openings—perhaps for screening out solids of Ys-in, dia., and above—we must select among many wire sizes and meshes. Heavier (.e., larger diame ter) wire provides fewer meshes/in,, lighter wire more meshes/in,; but all providing the %4-in. opening, ‘To simplify selection, producers supply 2 range of wire cloths having a standard square mesh and wire diameter. These are sized for good performance in most applications, and are consistent with the required open area, Such cloths are termed industrial (or market”) ee grades, and are usually available in most of the common ‘metals, such as carbon steels, stainless steels, nickels. etchy F b | | ‘Some commoin types of wire-éloth weaves, whose uses are described in the text ‘Table II shows typical specifications for industrial-grade wire cloth, ‘Types of weave Industrial-grade wire cloth is available in plain, square weave (also called “double crimp”). This is the most common, high-production-volume weave and, there- fore, tends to be most economical for general use. It is, ‘employed for most separation services and coarse filtra- tion. A variety of other weaves are also available, each with specific uses, ‘Some of the more common are shown in Fig.4, The characteristics of each: Plain weaue or double crimp—Kach shute wire passes over and under each successive warp wire, Intermediate weave—Adds extra corrugations in the wires between points of crossing. This configuration is used with fine wire and wide mesh © assure proper locking of the wires. Lock crimp—Extra depth is given to the crimp before and after each wire crossing, thus locking the wires in place with no chance of side movement of any wire. This is a good choice for heavy-duty applications. Twill weave—Each wire passes successively over two and under two wires, with the movement offset by one ‘wire on each pass. This pattern relieves stress, and allows the cloth to be looser than plain weave for-better inter- support and strength in fine mesh. Dutch weave—The warp wires are heavier than thie shute wires, allowing the latter to be driven very tightly together for a compact, firm weave. The openings tend to be wedge-shaped rather than square, which aids in the buildup of filter cake. ‘This is popular for filter cloths Smooth top oF calendered-—This weave is available as double crimp and as stranded (je., several wires woven together). It is often selected for fine filtration. ‘The finished doth is rolled or calendered to produce a smooth surface on one or both sides. This intreases the 93ara properties Tabie ttt - ah Be density ofthe wire; and improves the retention and fiter- cake-release qualities of the cloth when used to support filter aids. ‘The smooth surface also increases the resis- “tance of the wire cloth to scraping and rough handling. ‘Let its look at some representative applications for the various weaves of wire cloth. es : “The plain or twilled weaves have very high flowrates, low pressure drops across the weave, high percentages ‘of open area, and openings as small as 38 pm. ov crThese weaves are used as support screens forthe fner “© filter cloths, a8 test sieves, and for making basket-type strainers where coarse filtration is required. Intermediate, lock, smooth-top and double-crimp ‘weaves have very large openings, obtained by using small-diameter wires. Openings range from % to more than 6 in, The larger-opening weaves are used in the ‘mining industry for size separations, and on water-intake pipes to keep out small wildlife Plain-dutch weaves have good lowrates for the pres sure drops, and high strength, and are available with ‘openings ranging between 10 and 300 jum, Plain dutch, ‘weaves are easily cleaned when used in filter operations. "Twill-dutch and herringbone-dutch weaves maintain a consistent opening, and ate suitable for fine iltrations of particles ranging froin 1 to 75 jm. Representative examples of these weaves, dimensional characteristics, and hydraulic properties are given in Table WL Materials of construction : Wire cloth may be woven of any malleable metal oF alloy. The most common materials are steel, copper brass and Manel. Cloths of alsmim phor-bronze, nickel, Nichome, Hastello OF tinned stee] and sainiess steel are readily availavie Nobie, rave and refractory metals such as gold and goie plaied metal, plasinam, siiver. tungsten, moivbdenen: columbium (niobium), tantalum and utanium are als: woven, Only metals lacking suitable tensiie strengtt elongation or annealing qualities cannot be woven. ‘Selecting the wire-cloth material depends on process needs and cost factors. In working with water, the sia less steels are commonly used because they have tne greavest range of corrosion resistance at a practical cost. Cenain concentrations of contaminants in liquids may require a more exotic material such asa Hastelloy, Alloy 20 oF titanium. Caustics or dyes might require nickel cloth. Sometimes, the wire cloth is given a:corrosion- resistant coating such as zinc or tin, applied either to the wire before weaving or to the finished cloth. 'A major asset of wire cloth is its excellent physical strength with relatively light weigh Of course, the actual weight of a length of wire cloth depends on the specific metal or alloy, wire diameter, and mesh, Electrolytic corrosion In some applications—particularly® in. filtering or screening salt solutions, seawater or brackish water— galvanic or electrolytic corrosion must be considered in selecting a wire-cloth material. Here, the material for the “eloth must be compatible with the materials of construc- tion of other components in the system. As the sacrificial and filters are usually designed for easy,, inexpensive replacement of either the entire component or just the cloth, (Ic is important to consider galvanic action when ‘changing process parameters.) 0.9. For more information “Manufacturers of wire cloth have a wealth of informa- tion, ranging from geometric and metallurgical proper~ « ties and weaves to applications. Much of this information is readily avalable in their literature. 37S. References 1. Perry, Robert Hand Cilon, Ces “Chemical Engineers" Hand bbook’" bth ey McCraw-Hil, New Verh, 1979, pp, 21-44, 21-45 2. Weas, Robe yaaa Men "CRE Haak ot Camiey Medes” Oth CRC Pre fc, Boca Raton, Fa, 1980, 538 ote Ti te alo pears ihe dons ofthis bandck, Reeds inthe cats of some wecowh manuetre) ‘The author Joe Maen a aon goes for Rewark Wie Cloth Co 951 Verona ‘rey ewarh NJ 07104 telephone {2015 R68-710) Preah wosked se ahet engimeer far Cheig Brodie New Von! mane al porous pro eras ap ela for CE Lamas othe hades BS, i mechanical taipnenng om haba Cole (Blom NE) aealaea member fe Smenan Soto Metharal Eager inateral, wife cloth is a good selection because strainers Roy ¥. Hughson, Editor”Trends in Size Reduction of Solids... The analysis of the selection factors and the probiems of installation and operation provide the means for choosing the right screen and screening system for achieving desired particle size separations of crushed or ground solids most economically. Seieening isa unit operation tha ‘CHRIS W. MATTHEWS, Consulting Engineer fan essential part of ‘many different processes. The term applies-to the me- chanical separation of particles on the basis of size. This “separation is accomplished on a screening surface with apertures are rejected and pass“over ihe, surface, while those smaller (in at least two dimensions) are accepted and pass through. Many terms are applied to this oper- ation including: sizing, sifting, sieving and separation. > Most commonly, sereens are used in coajuniction with size-reduction operations, but they are found in other ap- plications such as: washing, dewatering, desliming, de- dusting, scalping, concentration and conveying. Table I contains details on types of operations and screens. ‘Types of Screening Operations—Table | - Qeeration and Bsr Separation. fine=Moking 9 soe sep raton sir than 40 mesh Dewatering Remo of one war ther etientions-Detiing, con oars: gray nts Vibrxng serine, haze “ioentnig seca, nighspeed, serena State svi, 6 emaly sived apertures. Particles larger. than, these Screens are used for processing a wide variety of mate rials, ranging from the fineness of tale up to boulders as large a 6 by 6 f. Opening in sreening surfaces may be as small 0.005 in, or as lage a8 8 or 10 in, with some aslarge as 18 in. = Sereens find application in many fms, including natu- “Talresource companies producing sand ang_-gravel, | exushed stone, minerals, refractories and ceramics, coal and lumber; procestors making fertilizer, chemicals, pe- “tgoleum, and other product; food companies handing sugar, flour, feed and grains; and auxiliary operators who process sewage and treat water. Alhongh sereens are available to fadusty in many dit ferent forms and serve a multitude of purposes, their ap- plication and successful operation are stl far more an 8 than a science. Tis should not be surprising, consid- ering the many types and varieties of material that are processed, the infinite range of particle sizes and ther .. distribution, and the countless variations of the physical ‘state in which materials are found. ‘When data om a specific material are lacking, itis wise to take an empirical approach. Laboratory screening- {ests will usually provide far more reliable operating pro- jections than the most involved calculations, Basic Screen Fundamentals Before discussing the various types of sereens (see ‘Table II for a listing of the major types), it may be help- ful to review the fundamentals of screening A screen consists of @ plane surface in which there are apertures or holes of a given size, These holes may be square, rectangular, round or slotted—intermittent or ‘continuous. The surface is usually supported at the edges by a rigid frame to which a vibratory force is applied. In some sereens, the force may be applied directly to the soteen surface Materials to be sized are placed on this surface while it is in motion. For practical considerations, the surface is often inclined, or the line of action of the driving Force is inclined slightly from the vertical so that a horizontal ‘component will be available to move the particles across the surface, This permits each particle to be presented to JULY 10, 1972/CHEMICAL ENGINEERINGTypes of Screens—Tabie i! ss nuinber of openings, and also makes room for addi tional feed material to be placed on the screen. ‘Particles that are much smaller in all dimensions than the openings usually pass through rapidly and do not travel far across the surface. Particles larger than the openings in ‘two or more dimensions will not pass through, and travel across the surface and pass over the discharge point. When particles are smaller than the ‘openings in two dimensions, they may pass through if their narrow aspect is presented to the opening, The more times they are presented, the greater the probabil- ity that they will be nocepted and pass through. As the ‘size of the particles more nearly matches the size of the ‘openings, the probability of rejection increases. ‘The degree of certainty with which the passage of un- dessize material through the openings may be predicted ‘vill vary directly with the number of times the individual particles are presented to the apertures. Ifthe screening furface were level and only a vertical motion given to the screen, then itis probable that all such material would eventually pass through. However, such an operation ‘would consume a large amount of time, and material ‘throughput would be very small In certain cases, a percentage of the material ejected by the screen medium may actually be small enough to have been accepted if it had been properly presented, ‘Ths loss of screening efficiency may be due to an exces- sively deep bed of material, dampness casing fines to adhere to coarse particles, # large amount of near-size ‘material, or other factors. Screening efficiency is not measured in terms of work in and out, but by a far different set of criteria. When pasticle size separation is the main objective, eficiency is determined by one of the following: * Elliciency based on undersize recovery is the percent (or amount) of feed through a sereen divided by the per- cent (oF amount) of feed that is undersize and should pas through. * Eficiency based on removal is the percent (or amount) of feed that is oversize divided by the percent (or amount) of feed that actually does pass over. For most average screening operations, screening ef ciencies of 85 10 95% are acceptable, As precision of the required separation becomes greater, capacity becomes smaller ‘One often-overlooked phenomenon that greatly af- feels screening efficiency is the stratification of material cn the screen surface. In stratification, the depth of the bed of material serves a8 a prescreening medium, with the finer material moving downward through the mass while the coarser particles rise upward, CHEMICAL ENGINEERING /JULY 10, 1972 STRATIFICATION affect size separtion—Fio. 1 ‘Too thin @ bed does not permit stratification, and most material passes through on the basis of repetitive trialyin ‘which ease the probability of near-size plugging the ‘openings is greatly increased, Conversely, too thick a bed may dampen sereen movement, delay stratification, de- frease accuracy of separation, and reduce screening effi ciency by rejecting an excessive amount of fines. “The effect of stratification on size separation is ius trated in Fig, 1. The relative rates of flow through 4 soreen deck are shown in Fig. 2. Factors Influencing Final Selection The information given to this point has been of gen- eral interest; it will help somewhat to narrow the search “fos the sereen type best suited for a given operation. “To reduce the number of acceptable alternates and ar- ‘ive ata final selection, there is need for more specific n-ENING... vadeaabasintih Rs ie Screen Sizing Calculations—Table (11 (Throunh-Fiow Meznod) Date eter to Fig. 3 Name, deseiption nd weight of chars A hie. % Haitsiee Chor @ % Over char Wer screening, * open ares, Poa ‘Stotted pening: Shape of opening leoothiondth © Sot toed tess than opening size “Cy, = eaoscity,tonithr. east) "A = aren, sat 6, = ford, tonne. “formation 6n the process, the material“and the results = desired, 5) vite ke : The information to be furnished by the operator falls {nto one of more ofthe following groupings: 1. Material being processed, 2. Process flowsheet 5. Screening operation involved, 4, Physical limitations ofthe plant. 5. Operators equipment preferences Material Being Processed To effectively describe the material, the following should be known: * The name of the material or its chemical formula- ‘on. This will give the designer access to standard data ‘on the material. However, since there are differences in ‘materials as well as similarities, iis always wise to obtain ‘4 representative sample for evaluation * The properties of the material must be known, in cluding: 1. Particle size distribution, This is essential to cor reetly size the screening unit, as well as to speCily the sereen to be installed. By comparison with the specifica. 8 uiwes, use stone curve and modity by. bull demity, Provides comparison of the dlifiéulty f separation, Provides an slowance for stratification, Mey use 0.8 in an9® 70 t0 95% i sereen ¢ wide enough Scatping efficiency usually taken as 85% ‘Separation range 8010 95% Allows for area lost on lower decks, © 5 When waterifed ratio 2 t0.5 somfleu yallthe), we Fg 18 04 certain of water, ori feed slurry (mo soraye it odusted factor, ‘Winen capacity wares directly with the char Wien Tong dimension of opening it paral to flow ofma’» A ‘gral and in tne with motion of seen, capacity is preston, ‘Use when 40% or tess of feed is smaller than openings. or for rescreening operations where tittle or nothing i Screened out. Also, used where little or nothing an be learned about sieve analysis ‘Adopted fom data furnished by Hewitt-Robins, Ine. tion desired, the degree of difficulty in achieving the Specification can often be anticipated, In some cases, Product from the screen may achieve the desired speci. Cation; in others, separation in specific fractions followed by reblending may be necessary. 2. Specific gravity of material. This will provide a ‘means of relating the material to that in comparable in Stallations, as well as calculating performance on ‘weight basis, 3. Bulk density (loose weight, Ib./eu. ft). Permits the determination of the volume of flow, and a méasure of the load to be carried by the screen, 4. Moisture content (% water, by weight). This ie formation, plus data on the process following the sereen, will make selection of dry, damp, or wet sereening pos- sible. In some dry-screening applications, when moisture ‘content is low, the choice of « proper sereen medium will climinate problems. Predrying of material, using heated screen cloth or going wet by adding water sprays are all equally effective in damp screening. 5. Abrasive characteristics of material. This has sreatest influence on materials of construction used in screens. It also bas an effect on the methods of loading, collecting, and transporting products JULY 10, 1972/CHEMICAL ENGINEERING: 83 3 A yer ie Chart Oper-Aea Fatr aa = awe Femme THROUGH-FLOW method for seen sizingcaleulations Tequires the use of several correction factors in order ee enard snk ¥ (Ort B Fins, Ove, one Eiiency Faetos Sinha ae pening dimerion 0] 0a x0 | as a -| 080 ao | 300 eo | 10 mo) 130 fe | 220 90.300 98. | 375 rein, Fr [Fico Fr 88 80 090 sf 3 oss! ia pad | or differences in material. properties, ‘and egurgenent characteristics Fig 3 CHEMICAL ENGINEERING /JULY 10, 1972 ‘Soni in meh. Sones engin | Opening Rover | Factor, Fe Shorted onningt | Eayel oar rat | 12 1%& Comtosive characteristics of materia. Also in. caloulations do not provide exact solutions but come # i vesvce: materials of construct: usec in wreen frame, bi loser to the real size than most other methods, ; a, cules, feed boxes, and other elements of te sys. ‘There are; in current usage, three basic methods force Tho property will have « great influence on the pacity calculation’: overflow, through flow, and total ‘chote” bewween dry and wer screen feed. As the names indicate, these methods differ in the *. Angle of repose. flees the vesign ot feed chutes flow of materia that is used as the basis of ealeulation, and deat-beds in chute syste 5. ton/hr. passing over, through, or into the feed box of 8. Angis of slide on variou: materials of construc re presented here is a through- tion shouis be known so thatthe system may be designed to keep stoppages minimal, ‘The relationship on whick these calculations are based 9. Particle shape, Long or splinterlike, round or may be expressed as: the area of screen surface required oval, or eubic particles will all have slightly different "is equal to the through-flow tonnage, or capacity, divided screening characteristics, This property can have a great by the corrected unit capacity for the material being han “inluence on choice of cloth opening. “dled, This may be expressed as;, zee A=CUCF ges svhere A is sereen area, 9. ft Ci through flow, ton) “his Cy is unit eapacity, ton/(br.) (09. ft); and Fig a product of various corteetion factors. "© ny pina ‘Gow sf un lle dclpios © tne unit operations immediatly preceding and flowing aie ~ he fereening. A description ofthe equipment adjaceni to Table III presents a summary and description of these a ais i prove i 5s may be found, ‘pot in dy steenng’a dusty materia the succeeding chats in which numerical values may be fo oG ieepa ice wil seo aie at umm cate quae syplalrobiem resumes oncrinp. Cha “The séréening operat |i 3 wi si 5 mas thods sed for contlling feedrate,o screen product ial tht is fo be processed. From the point of thé inter- election, ‘equired.seiéening effciene} umber and section on the lateral Cutves oes of produetssere nee eM 3 5 For new plants, the physieal limitauions of the plant | ".:For material below Min. the curve dips sharply, and, usually net a great problem. "The tendency to skimp’ "as a consequence, the valucs in the uensie reages ase ‘8 headroom however ean cause problems. Also, it limits the degree of flexibility with which the operating group: of te actual material.» 2 ©" “"ssFor example, assume that a I-in. separation i desired Jn old installation, the lack of adequate headroom aay eliminate some units that would otherwise prove «feed, Sls (or $0 ton hr.) ofits expected to be -1 in, For Jems with material owing through chutes and out of col ton/(ht sqft), a sereen area of 16 sqft is indicated lecting hoppers. Such problems are often overlooked, Neglecting any correction factors, this would require a 3 “/y chute sysier, Platform levels need to be given, Special at- "+ ratio of length to width should be from 2:1 to 1.5:1.Final y tention, since they alec. the method of supporting the “choice is usually determined by the dimensions of the ‘he screening phase should be provided {Garis fator, and provides an index tothe vera creening operation involved should gexeipe the © Fig 3 with the sie sin of soparaton ad the mate, a SS unit eabacity Cy, tony (hr) (84, ft) (2% a “almost always suspect and should be verified by tet runs "Sc l cto newer larpeeauipnea ; : fora sand and gravel feed, From se analy of the ‘deal, Its wise to establish whether there were any prob- this through-flow and a unit eapaeity for the screen of 3.2 With. the seeenrecivng credit fr the malfunctioning) L by ft igen deck (18 apf ae ooo ke oe eee alas ees Standard srcen See svat, One method of arriving at a rational selection of Equipment Preferences sereen width is to calculate the theoretical depth of bed. ‘ 7 Importance of bed depth and its effect on stratification ‘The operators’ attitudes toward equipment must be have been discussed previously. known in order to avoid duplicating costly mistakes. ‘The formula for depth of bed is: ‘The plant’s policy on standardization of equipment C= Gina: ‘and components such as bearings, drives and motor where C is ton/(hr.)(in. of depth); d is width of screen, ‘another important factor to consider. ‘fl; and 4 is bulk density of materia, Ib./eu.t. Fig. 4 Screening today is greatly aided by a large number of provides a means for graphical solution. Note that the accessory items such as dust enclosures, spray bars, noz- rate of travel of 1 ft/sec. is usvally a desirable one for es, ball decks, electrically heated sereen decks, quick- both horizontal and inclined screening unis. On many {ensioning devices, lump breakers, and vibration damp- sizing operations, an inclined screen is set at 2 steeper ‘mets. It is well to select a sereen today that will readily angle to obtain a rate of travel of 13 ft/sec. (80 ft/min) accept any of these accessories that operating experience “to decrease depth of bed and increase screening eff may indicate is needed, ciency. ‘The materials handled by seroens exist in many differ- Calculations tor Screen Size ent forms and varieties and must be processed under Widely varying conditions. Hence, it was only natural Sereen-sizing calculations are based on a rational that there would be differences in the types of sereens de method, modified by empirical constants to adjust for veloped. | varying conditions of material and application. ‘These For convenience, nine specific types of sereening units i so } JULY 10, 1972/CHEMICAL ENGINEERING8. DEPTH-OF-BED chort for optimum sereening—Fig. 4 have been arbitrarily identified in Table I]. Now an at- “empt will be made to:summarize the characteristics of ~ many. of these unité in somewhat greater detail. Fig. 5 ‘graphically indicates the various types, and defines the range of particle size separation on which they are most commonly used, Table TV provides a detailed description of these various types, their mode of operation, and ap- plications, How To Avoid Problems "As important asthe sereen size and type may be, other details of the installation can be of equal or greater im- portance, ‘Structural supports are called on to do their job under highly varying conditions. Attention must be given to adequately sizing these members not only for the loads to be carried but for the deflection and vibratory loads, ‘that will prevail, ‘Feed and product chutes also deserve careful consider~ ation. The feed to the sereen must be delivered so as 10 cause a minimal amount of abrasion or disturbance of the bed of material on the screen. Proper choice of feed boxes will greatly extend the life of a screen cloth. The ‘trajectory of material discharging from feed conveyors or other units of equipment must be considered, and the CHEMICAL ENGIVEERING/JULY 10, 1872 force ofthe falling material directed against an abrasive “edatant wear plate, or a dead-bed ofthe material te. PS some cass, the method of instalation af she sereen = nay create more problems than it resolves; The follow" Tag ae some that may unintentionally be bull nt the screening system: ie st Tr'gereens may be set on {00 sleep a slope, which causes loss of efficiency. Retarding curtains may be of Some value, but adjusting the sereen toa later slope is the best solution seems 4. In selecting screen cloth for a desired product size, operators often fail to allow for wire diameter and so ob- tion the wong sze of opening. Charts prepared by Der~/ ek Co. are excellent for determining proper seen © eth and wire sie, Another table that will greatly aid” Tecen-oth selection i available from W. 8. Tyler Co. 2 sR similar problem is created by failure to recognize that an inclined-screen surface loses a percentage'of its 756 Tong dimension due to the foreshortening of the slope. 75 VS: For example, o» an incline of 25 deg, a 4-mesh square. pening (0.185 in) actully becomes a4-mesh by S-mesh penins (0.166 in), sine the cosine of 25 deg, is 9% of the slope dimension ft Trcoasse, heavy, tramp material i t0 be repulatly foond in ne light screen feed, a heavy wearing deck with coarse openings should be provided to reduce the Wearing action of the coarse pariles on the light wires Df ihe fine cloths 5 rodet chutes should be provided with removable covers to permit the taking of samples over the entire tros-setion of the ete. Sampling at regular intervals, Stlows verification of seen performance, product spe flation, and detection of broken cloths before an entre lotis contaminated ‘6 Chutes. handling fines shouldbe installed on steeper angle of incline than those carrying coarser mate tials The characterises of some fine dusts actully Causes them to adhere to slice metal sorfaces. In such cases. the addition of a vibrator may be needed to pre- nt buildup und stoppage of fo. ! 3 Cates handling coarse, abrasive materials should ®te SOREENING, - ‘Tynes of Screens and Typical Uses—Table iV Type and Mone of Operation Aeplestion a Griz Consiinof-3s8t of parte brs, rads or mils with 9 uniformly clear Te scalp out larg rock vsing Wve! presi be _pptning: often tapered from feed 10 scharge a to provi slt-cletiny shor tases huss ee aro ok ‘ TRUST. Onening see fet bythe maximum i Of reek tha cn be selely co alow tres te avons ener, redo lowed liveted to ane nancies by ecuipmnen following, fon machine: beding ines on 6 bel Grizzlies may be lvl. for se over bene oF inlined, for vt aia of crusher ene Stati sewm_Condts of 9 tf peal prlie bars ox wes positioned at right Use forse sewention, sain, or dewatering 279 to line of ftom, and usually sopad a incline of 5° or more to ne horien’ traense Stone weet {at Bars may form stat, curved, or multsloped sures. Genraly ised ens ox She svetsereening operate : Bese : Pg Dal Seon eee © Lc 22 tnelned. iain serena rating screen arenged with an incliiad sereening High capacity units tor separation of a wide mt aera 46d a he per and a ore down th incline, ide by range of bate ses Aw for sae © {S50 the ibrating foree;Ciaulei stroke svatiies bad, bringing fines down to sreee Sean ar, ee “srt ler epaion Come merl stan or oso ee Sea {Horio ating Steen A ‘woraig Sree wrandwith hoon sen Clots Sing of edum-ze parece Dewees “)0 wae aul ied nat bck ond and ismowed over tw engin ol soara por cdaceea ane Ce = Basie pig svoke tat trons tho mater pane tonneau me Bs Soe ek on and acre eminence onger ne etcangy nn we ee {ed ectecy of sang ae gn t emeuneon seven SES teas, eee 2:5 Quaid sen sven with nes: motion, gener. n ha inerstoke and Generally td in =) i109 60 sah apge Sip Semeseet 8 0 $00 ae in SS PLR telnet ane wae 7 eae RT SAREE 8S, CARN is CAR an ne lO Re Sip {fiterecatingseren (shaking sren|—A sreon with utetantly lear motion Units ey be wae for both conveying ana dae fame. Soke is normally in ronge of t0.4 in. wth separation, Low Reasreom and power eee ce joeed fom 90 30 200 fom.:Units slightly inclined and may be suspended trom vantages, Low eopseis eee Rede ee nena, {Od 05 cable 0° supported irom bate by teal at Iprings ste hancicaps. Good for accurate xzng ef loge th Fay mation stant n the lane of he scree: Used fr fine seprations at 200/mesh ana les oa surece: Thvee cflerent subgroups will be described: 1. Gucuar motion, Used for dr, ight bulke recess tn eek 2. Gyretery motion, 3. Cveularwbveted motion lepral, © chemical and pigment indurties, Low tonnage "Site sera Icheuly_ motion! Rta seaens with motion substantially in te s.Used for fine separations ivr 4 te 300 mech, plane of screening surface But circular sn pater over wive surfec, Unt even by vertical eecentie shafts at four comers, or by single, cenvalivepoclioned imine sat [ite sree laotory motion) Rotary serens with motion in plane of scron- Used fo tne iepeations frm to 300 magih, = pe marten, wering from circulant he feed end 1 reciprocal st the dacharge ~ Prequaney i 800600 rime 6° ile ven ‘ “5 end vertical shaft with, counterbalanced eccentrics imports mation te tle. “nena ue es ee ee < 5 frWen tthe feed end, The diharge en hos sie Boarings oe Nowe tng Hes Biz sorwon lorie worn) The Swtcotepsrsor ie screening device that vr Used for wet or dry seroning down to. 226 ‘rats about it canter of mass. Vibration is aecomplihed by ecentic vights cn mesh n chemical, rome eee, eee gga Bper and lover end of moto sett, Rotation ott weight eebtesibation merinduses andor gle mieren Se otzontal plone, moving material across screen surface te peupheral Aechrge. narseaipng, sod melee cee ‘Lower wight Uits seen, eausing vibration in the versicl end tangential sone, ‘broducing spl tow pattern Gantrtoga sereen—Screen surface isa vervcal cylinder that router a a constan)_ Used or wet or dry seeming of various mate etd mth 2 gyratina mation tat imposes @bueaton normal to the sven. Feehan rome ol in Was Hea Deen ‘rfl at Lop hough a vanes-dik fees that dperses materia outward Con- Coal er sare and neve’: Gomme eect Muga force and norma vibration pull undersize through the speturer Grawty rpm. qyinee B06 TOSS pene ‘moves oversize down th inath ofthe steoning cylinder tRoranerd sergenA relative term rofving 49 the operating frequency of Generally use or tne ond ultrafine sereening ferven. Generally applied to those operating in tacts of 3.000 rm orem Ve trator or exeiter may be machaniet or cctromagaene Soranng srzty—Gorits of set of saa! bos or ris with a uniform clr Used 0 seal outage rock for eushing fines SPE eG Mt for maximum sie of rock tal canbe tally aelivere fo. pas trough recy coun ot lage oooh, 2a nandled by the equipment thot follows. Mechanca oF electromagnetic wire. and. are Uypaned sreaed the canes ee {Rrerovides nesiie force to move mata, permiting use o ater slopes than combirad sot fesse te hae ee oo {ose required by steionarygizahes (10° vy 460) room, Revolving seen (Alko trommel, scrubber, barr! sreen)~A eyinderon shaft, “Used for sevutbing and washing wt, sly ma mounted on rollers, withthe screen surface forming the ctcumferene, Sereening eral; aed eae ae Sek re {furaet may be wire clos ov perforate alate. Cylinder vs open at Nothenc and Used for met ti cl eae yen inclnad t slight anne, These scceon revolve at lov speedy, unl 1540-90 eter tan oa i ‘am, Both capsciy and eticioney of these units ae low whwn Corspoted eo ~ 1 nH HHH HHH KONO MOHUONA HHH HA WANA HMANLUNEANATANNNH { : 82 JULY 10, 1972/CHEMICAL ENGINEERING. i . .sadebed of meter Tair method 1s suitable » 8. Screen frames should nor be welded te repais yeahs, The welds seldom survive, and neither do the ‘9 When screens discharge fine products directly into suorage bins, the bins should be vented so that updraft of nit does not retard material flow. 10, When problems of vibration Irequency and ampli tude or direction of rotation arise, the” manufacturer's service department should be called on: 1, Dust covers and enclosures should be kept in place land functioning. Dust is not only harmful fo sereen bear- ings and drive but does great damage to workers. New health regulations are beginning to take notice of inplant air pollution ee. 12, Adequate safe access to screen mechanism and Arive should be provided. et 1B. Easy access to sereen should be available for re- "placement of screen eloths. Also, storage racks should be. ‘provided neat screen, on which replacement of alternate efeen cloths may be stored safely. Fine-wire sereens do ‘not hold up well under the heels of workers, welding ares or dropped tools. « Problems of Screen Operation Blinding of screen cloth is a commonly encountered problem. Two different sets of conditions ean cause the ‘ifficalty; coating and plugging. 3 “With coating problems, damp, fine particles adhere to ‘the screen mediuim and accumulate in thickness until the ‘opening is closed completely. When this occurs, there is tno further separation until the unit is shut down and the ‘openings cleaned out, A number of possible techniques are available to cope with this + Stainless-stee} wire has a smoother surface and re- sists corrosive pitting better than mild stee! and thus Tess- tens the tendency of particles to stick tothe sereen, * Electrically heated screen -cloth prevents initial buildup. Care should be taken to avoid the possibility that such heating may cause excessive accumulations to become baked on. * Rubber-ball decks may prove helpful in dislodging. particle buildups. These often work well in conjunction With heated decks + Brushes moving over the screen surface may often be used to dislodge particles from the wires and prevent &x- ‘cessive accumulation. * Higher rates of vibration may be effective in prevent- ing buildups * Predrying the feed material should be considered in CHEMICAL ENGINEERMES “IDLY 10,1972 “Inc, lowa Mig, Co. Kason Corp. Link-Belt Co., Mine & ely igh motsture content of the oie above methods inefecive conditions near-size material may be ir the screen openings, and. mera! among the metsires Bat may be th tis problem are S'goucton ofan alternate seen medium with sigh jor opennge evs wine size that provides a greater percentage of apen ates Sadjusument of screen motion to increase, either tuow or Srequency of vibration. This may help £6 elimi- = nate block : Use of onblind meta with slowed openings. "This, however, provides only onedimension sizing. and lowers the sharpness of separation and screening efciency. For fight specification, this i not a satisfactory solution. With softed cloth, erientation of slot is important With slots placed cros-ow, there i less loss of sereening ef dene) and only wsmeil pn in capacity, With slots par allel with flow, there is a greater gain in capacity, but less, Gttinig efclency is preater than in erosssow 1 Acknowledgements “The autor expresses his appreciation i6 the following ‘companies who. supplied “him with information Zon Screens and screening systems: Allis-Chalmers, Bauer Bros. Co., Blaw-Knox Co,, Deister Concentrator Co., Deister Machine Co,, Denver Equipment Co's Derrick, Mig. Corp., Dorr-Oliver, Tay Mig. Co, Great “Western Mig, Co,, Hammermills, Inc, Hewitt-Robins, ‘Smelter Supply Co., National Engineering Cos Nor- ‘berg Mfg, Co,, Orville Simpson Co., Patterson-Ludlow,._ Prater Industries, Inc, Rex Chainbelt, Inc., Ross Max thine, Screen Equipment Co., Simplicity Engineering Co., Smith Engineering Works, Sweco, Tne., Stedman Foundry & Machine Co., Syntron,Corp.. Sprout, W: fron & Co., C. Tennant Sons & Co,, Triple/S Dynamics ‘Overstrom, W.S. Tyler, Inc.” Universal. Engineering Corp., Universal Vibrating Screen Co., Wemeo Enviro- tech Corp. § Meet the Author See es etngdtoar =m ‘ie Unversity of EPRINTS: This 22:p3qr report on crushing. grinding and ereening wl) also mctude the article on milling heat-senltive Reveals that will appear in our Aug. 7, 1972 issue, The combinec reprint mit be avaiable shortly after Avg. 7th. Check TTumber 159 on tapint order fornvin the bck of this Or any subsequent sue, Price: $2. par copy. a