voller 1/17

Comminution: Linking the blast furnace to the production of loess.

Vaughan R. Voller

From Kelly and Spottiswood

Intro Min Proc, Wiley, 1982

What is Comminution
From Wikipedia:
Comminution is one of the four main groups of mechanical processing
and describes the movement of the particle size distribution
(grains, drops, bubbles) into a range of finer particle sizes
(The other groups are agglomeration, separation and mixing).
Explain Some Basic Comminution Processes and provide landscape examples
Show why it is important to the health and wealth of Minnesota
Develop some basic comminution laws
Describe the so called population balance model
Demonstrate two toy landscape models based on population balance concept

Modes of Comminution

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Comminution in Landscape Dynamics

Glacial abrasion
weathering

Debris Flow
Saltation

From Kelly and Spottiswood

Intro Min Proc, Wiley, 1982

Sklar and Dietrich

Size Sorting

x
Particle size

Why is important to Minnesota

voller 3/17

The US Steel Industry produces about 1/8 th of Worlds Steel

The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition. Copyright 2001-05 Columbia University Press.

On the order of of the iron ore comes from Minnesotas Iron Range

Ore has been shipped from Minnesota since the late 1890s
Up until the 40s this was high grade Hematite Ore Fe 2O3
When supplies became exhausted switched to Taconite
--LOW grade mixture of Silica and Magnetite Fe2O4
This required processing the ore to create suitable feed for
The blast furnace

voller 4/17

The Taconite Process: Developed by E.W. Davis at the University of Minnesota

Run of mine ~25 % Fe-need to reduce to grain size of magnetite

Crushing

http://www.aggdesigns.com/
Cone-Crusher-info.htm#section1

grinding

At grain size
Magnetite can
Be seperated

Product too
small and wrong
chemical composition
so agglomerated
and indurated
Fe2O4 Fe2O3

Product can be shipped

and used Directly in BF

voller 5/17

Two Things we would Like to Know

For a Given Energy

What is the Reduction in
Particle Size
The Comminution Laws

For a Given
From Kelly and Spottiswood
Intro Min Proc, Wiley, 1982

Communition Event
How does size distribution change

Particle size

voller 6/17

The Comminution Laws

From Kelly and Spottiswood

Intro Min Proc, Wiley, 1982

Consider a simplistic communtion operation

that for each event reduces the particle size
by a factor of 1/2

Rittenger (1867): E NewSurface 4 Nx P 4 x F

xF

1
1
E C

xP xF

After q events x
P

xP 1

xF 2

x 2F
N 2
xP
Kick (1885): Energy for each event

E=Constant

After q events
E = qE

ln

xF
1
ln
2

xP

xF

E C ln

A general Law

For general case xan average part. size

1
1
E C

xP xF

Rittenger (1867): E NewSurface

xF

xP

Kick (1885): Energy for each event

E C ln

E=Constant

Rittenger works best at describing

AbrasionKick at describing crushing
Hukki suggested combined law

ge
n
te
t
i
R

Log Energy Input

Instructive to look at energy as

A function of size reduction for quartz

Grind
Limit

dx
,
f (x)
x
f ( x ) 1 ( Kick ), f ( x ) 2(Rittenger )
dE C

Kick

Voller shows if
Log Particle Size
Abrasion
After Hukki

voller 7/17

Crushing

f (x ) 1

ln C ln(ax b)

ln x
ln x

xF
1
1
b

xP
xP xF

E a ln

Linear combo of Kick and Rittenger

voller 8/17

The comminution laws

Say how the average
Particle sizes changes for a given
Energy input

From Kelly and Spottiswood

Intro Min Proc, Wiley, 1982

But how does the

Particle size distribution change
For this we use

A Population Balance Model

Particle size

Think of grinding operation where

a feed is put into a batch ball mill

voller 9/17

and worked on for a

given length of time

Assume that Size distribution after

A give time is characterized by Wj(t)
(j =1, --n) number if size intervals
Wj(t) weight fraction in interval j
From Kelly and Spottiswood
Intro Min Proc, Wiley, 1982

For a given grinding event

We define a
A Selection Function k(j)
----fraction of particles broken
out of interval j
A Breakage Function b(j,i)
---fraction of particles broken from
interval i (<j) that end up in j

Between two consecutive events we can construct a population balance

j1

Wj (1) (1 k ( j)) Wj (0) b( j, i)k (i) Wi (0)

i 1

Amount remaining in j

voller 10/17

W (p 1) [I K BK ]W (p)

Amount entering j

From Kelly and Spottiswood

Intro Min Proc, Wiley, 1982

voller 11/17

Possible forms for Breakage and Selection functions

Pop Bal Model

x
y

1 e
b( x , y)
1 e 1

W (p 1) [I K BK ]W ( p)

k ( x ) ax m

(a .25, m 0.5)

Derive form Comminution Laws

0.7

0.6

0.5

0.4

0.3

0.2

0.1

0
1

10

11

12

voller 12/17

W (p 1) [I K BK ]W (p)

Current version of the model is a BATCH model

In land scale dynamics-could relate ???? to Cohort Debris flow with
NO breakage or erosion (saltation) due to contacts with basement
imapct

No

abrasion

No

saltation

Can We modify to account

for abrasion-saltation ?

voller 13/17

Model Parameters for Debris Flow Mass Balance

selection

K=

Base Rock

Assumption: Breakage products

the same for particle-particle impacts
and particle-basement impacts

Fraction of selected particles

that break by impact
with basement

Volume of liberated from Base

Volume Impacting Base

Related to Bitter erosion

Law ???

A proposed The Debris Flow Mass Balance

voller 14/17

imapct

abrasion
saltation

Wj (1) (1 k ( j)) Wj (0)

Amount remaining in j

b( j, i)k (i)Wi (0)

i 1

amount entering j via particle-particle impacts

j1

(1 )b( j, i)k (i)Wi (0)

i 1

amount entering j via particle-bed impacts

As written

j1

j1

(1 )b( j, i)k (i) Wi (0)

i 1

amount entering j liberated from bed

and are constant but could be functions of slope and particle size

voller 15/17

A size sorting Long-Profile population balance model

Breakage: Particles beak by impacts
and abrasionselection a function of
Slope S

b( x , y )

Location: in size distribution

an given size interval is associated
With a location in the landscape
Fines: the smallest size interval
exits system (sub-marine deposit)

x
y

1 e
1 e 1

k ( x ) Sx .5

Equilibrium: Transport process are

sufficient to maintain location of a
given size interval between breaking events
Uplift: Mass is maintained in system
by adding fine mass created in an event
to mass of largest particel size interval
before next event

Profile: Depth of profile is proportional to weight fraction of size interval

A size sorting Long-Profile population balance model

voller16/17

j1

Wj (p 1) (1 k ( j)) Wj (p) b( j, i)k (i) Wi (0)

i 1

W1 (p 1) (1 k (1)) W1 (p) Wn (p 1)
x
After repeated events an initial flat straight profile approaches
A steady sate profile with an identified erosional and depositional component
0.35

0.3

0.25

0.2

0.15

0.1

0.05

0
1

Comminution: Linking the blast furnace to the production of loess.

Vaughan R. Voller
The breaking of particles is
an important component
the dynamics of the Earths
surface.
The breaking of ores is a critical
process in mineral processing--The economic importance of this
industry has led to extensive study
of how rocks break (comminution)
The aim of this seminar has been
to show how the work in mineral
engineering could be applied
in understanding earth surface
processes

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