Mineral Processing and

Particulate Technology
Zenamarkos B. (PhD)
Process Engineering Program
Faculty of Chemical and Food Engineering
Bahir Dar Institute of Technology (BiT)
Bahir Dar University
Nov, 2019
 Mineral Processing and Particulate Technology
General Information:
Academic year: 2019/2020
Study Points: 3 Cr
Language: English
Duration: 48 hrs
Periodicity: Taught in the 1st semester

Aim: Levelling of students bases in:

 particulate and powder handling and processing
 Raw material beneficiation
 mineral processing and performance evaluation.

Course materials:
• Text books/ References
• Articles and literature
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 Mineral Processing and Particulate Technology
Content I. Particulate Technology
o Characterization of particles
 Size analysis
 Size distribution analysis
o Particle size reduction
o fluid-particle separation/Systems
 Settling
 Flow through packed bed
 Fluidization
 Gas cyclones
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 Mineral Processing and Particulate Technology
Content
II. Mineral processing technologies
 Gold
 Coal
 Phosphorus

o Performance and process evaluation

 Energy saving techniques

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 Mineral Processing and Particulate Technology

Text books

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PARTICLE SIZE ANALYSIS

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 Particle Size Analysis - Introduction

 Particulate materials, powders or bulk solids are used widely in all areas
of the process industries:
• Food processing • Mineral processing
• Pharmaceuticals • Metallurgical
• Biotechnology • Detergent
• Oil • Power generation
• Chemical • Plastics
• Paint • Cosmetics industries

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 Particle Size Analysis - Introduction
 Examples of processing steps involving particles and powders:
o Particle formation processes
• Crystallization • Spray drying
• Precipitation • Tabletting
• Granulation • Extrusion
• Grinding
o Transportation processes
• Pneumatic and hydraulic transport
• Mechanical conveying
• Screw feeding
o Mixing
=> it is essential to know the
o Drying
characteristics of the particulate
o Coating processes materials we are handling/processing!
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 Particle Size Analysis - Introduction
 In many particulate handling and processing operations, particle size and
size distribution play a key role in determining the bulk properties of the
particles.
 Size distribution analysis is determining factor in
characterizing a bulk powder.

 A single number is required to characterize particle size of a powder.

 Easy for mono-sized distribution of particles (e.g., spheres, cubes, ...)

 In practice, we have particles with:

 Shapes of more than one dimension
 Range of sizes

=> Identification of single number to adequately

describe the size of the particles is difficult!
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 Particle Size Analysis - Concepts

 People normally associate particles with images:

…but what are their sizes?

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 Particle Size Analysis - Concepts

 You are given a regular-shaped object and a ruler and asked

to give a one-number indication of its size.

What would your reply be ?

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 Particle Size Analysis - Concepts

You may reply: “360x140x120mm”

Which might be correct but it is not one number.

=> It is not possible to exactly describe the 3-dimensional object with a

single number.
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 Particle Size Analysis - Concepts
 Regularly-shaped particles can be described by giving:
• the shape
• the number of dimensions
e.g.,
- Sphere => radius
- Cube => side length
- Cylinder => radius and height
No single dimension
- Cuboid => three side lengths to describe the
particles
- Cone => radius and height

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 Particle Size Analysis - Concepts
Equivalent Spheres

 The most common method to characterize particles with a single number

is by calculating the equivalent sphere diameter.

The cylinder on the far left

has the same volume as a
sphere of 213μm diameter.

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 Particle Size Analysis - Concepts
Equivalent Spheres
 We can give the size of differently formed particles with one value:
Assume spherical geometry with same volume and quote the
equivalent diameter

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 Particle Size Analysis
How to measure the ‘equivalent diameter’

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 Particle Size Analysis
Size of a Single Particle from an Image
• Methods that use an (microscopic) image can be used to obtain
an equivalent particle diameter.
• BUT they are sensitive to the shape for anisotropic particles.

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 Particle Size Analysis
Other possibilities to get an equivalent sphere

Sphere of same
minimum length Sphere of same
weight
Sphere of same
maximum length

Sphere of
same volume
Sphere of same
sedimentation rate

Sphere of same
Sphere passing same surface area
sieve aperture

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 Particle Size Analysis
What is right equivalent diameter?

 In practice, it is important to use the method of size

measurement that directly gives the particle size (or
equivalent sphere radius) which is relevant to the process of
interest.

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 PARTICLE SIZE
DISTRIBUTION ANALYSIS

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 Particle Size Distribution Analysis - Concept
It is important to know how the particles are distributed, but which
parameter do we use to describe the distribution (diameter, mass,
number, surface, volume…)?

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 Particle Size Distribution Analysis - Concept
 Imagine we have 3 particles with diameters of 1,2,3 units.

 If these were measured by microscopy – a technique that produces a

number distribution - then we would produce the following
distribution…

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 Particle Size Distribution Analysis - Concept

 It is important to know what a certain characterization method is

really measuring:
- What is plotted on the x-axis (particle volume, diameter, surface…
- What is plotted on the y-axis (number, mass, volume …)

 None of the representations is wrong, all of them describe

precisely the same sample, only weighing certain aspects
stronger.

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Particle Size Distribution Analysis

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Particle Size Distribution Analysis-Conversion b/n Distributions
For volume
distribution

For mass
distribution

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Particle Size Distribution Analysis-Conversion b/n Distributions
 When we convert between distributions, it is necessary to make
assumptions about the constancy of shape and density with size. Since
these assumptions may not be valid, the conversions are likely to be in
error.
 Also, calculation errors are introduced into the conversions (For
example, imagine using an electron microscope to produce a number
distribution of size with a measurement error of ±3%. Converting the
number distribution to a mass distribution we cube the error involved (i.e.
the error becomes ±27%))
 For these reasons, conversions between distributions are to be avoided
wherever possible.
 This can be done by choosing the measurement method which gives the
required distribution directly.

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Describing a Distribution with a SINGLE NUMBER
The Mean

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Describing a Distribution with a SINGLE NUMBER
The Mean

 Each mean conserves two properties of the original population of

particles.

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Describing a Distribution with a SINGLE NUMBER
The Mean

o The arithmetic mean of the surface distribution conserves the surface and volume
of the original population. This mean is commonly referred to as the surface-volume
mean or the Sauter mean.

Example: the Carman-Kozeny equation for laminar flow through a randomly packed bed contains
the specific surface area of particles Sv (surface per unit volume of particles). For a given
distribution of particles, which mean should we plug into the equation?
- The mean must conserve the Sv of the original population, therefore the mean must enable us to calculate the
total volume from the total surface

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Describing a Distribution with a SINGLE NUMBER
The Mean
o Means of different distributions can be equivalent.

- With the conversion of volume to surface distribution

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 Describing a Distribution with a SINGLE NUMBER
Size distribution statistics
• D10 - 10% of the particles are smaller than this value
• D50 – 50% of the particles are smaller than this value
• D90 – 90% of the particles are smaller than this value
But these values depend on whether or not we take the
number or volume based distributions

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Particle Size Determination – an Overview of the Techniques

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Particle Size Determination Techniques
Sieving
 Dry sieving
• Simple and cheap
• Use a series of sieves with decreasing mesh diameters
• Gives a mass distribution (the fraction that passes through a sieve is weighed) of a diameter
(so called sieve diameter, since the length of the particle does not hinder it to pass the sieve, it
is the maximum diameter perpendicular to the longest axis that relates to the sieve diameter)
• Suitable for particles > 45 µm
 Air jet sieving
• Powder on the sieve is fluidized by air
• Allows analysis down to 20 µm
 Wet sieving
• Powder suspended in a liquid
• Allows analysis down to 5 µm

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Particle Size Determination Techniques
Sieving

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Particle Size Determination Techniques
Sieving
pro´s and con´s

Advantages:
- Easy to use
- Low cost
- Good for large particles
- Large samples sizes - good statistic
-No assumptions about the sample are required

Disadvantages:
– Measurement under 38μm on dry powders are difficult
– Wet sieving (< 38μm) – poor reproducibility also fine sieves are very
fragile and tend to get blocked.
– Very important to standardize methods and not to grind the particles
– Assumes a spherical particle
– Can be hard to clean

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 Particle Size Determination Techniques
Microscopy and Image Analysis

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Particle Size Determination Techniques
Microscopy

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Particle Size Determination Techniques
Microscopy

Advantages:
- images
- Size and shape information
-Easy to differentiate between agglomerate and single particles
- Optical properties of the particles are not required
-Works for mixtures of different particle types

Disadvantages:
– Small sample size and poor statistic.
– Sample preparation is difficult for smaller particles – monolayer required.
– Suspensions are difficult to measure because of Brownian movement
– Subjective

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Particle Size Determination Techniques
Sedimentation
- In dilute solution (single particle velocity)
-Stokes’ law is assumed to apply (Rep < 0.3, therefore in water only for particles <
50 µm
- Rate of sedimentation is followed by measuring the density at a constant vertical
position h over time using
• Light absorption (surface distribution)
• X-ray absorption
(volume distribution)

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Particle Size Determination Techniques
Sedimentation
• At time t the sample will contain at position h only
particles with velocities ≤ h /t (all others must have past)
• Concentration C (at h) over the initial concentration C0 is
then the mass fraction of all particles that travel slower
then h /t

• From Stokes’ law we get the diameter of particles that

travel with h /t
• Relating C /C0 with x via the time t gives a cumulative
mass distribution

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Particle Size Determination Techniques
Permeametry

- Analysis based on the fluid flow through a packed bed

- We determined the pressure drop over a particle bed
of thickness H at a certain flow velocity U according to
the Carman-Kozeny equation to determine a surface-volume
average particle size

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Particle Size Determination Techniques
Light Scattering

- Angle dependent scattering intensity

is depending on the particle diameter
- Analysis according to the Mie theory
gives particle diameters between 0.1 –
2000 μm
- Gives volume distributions

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Particle Size Determination Techniques
Light Scattering Scattering data analysis…

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Particle Size Determination Techniques
Light Scattering

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Particle Size Determination Techniques

Laser diffraction – Pro´s and con´s

Advantages:
- Versatile: dry powders, suspensions, emulsions and sprays
- Lab or process
- Broad size range: 0.02 - 2000μm
- Very fast: 2500 Hz
- Good reproducibility
- Easy to use

Disadvantages:
– Optical parameters are required for particles
– No shape information – assumes spherical particles
– Low resolution
– Low sensitivity for impurities

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Particle Size Determination Techniques

Dynamic LS, pro´s and con´s

Advantages:
- Highly sensivitivity < 1 nm
- High concentrations
- Fully automated
- Easy cleaning
- Small samples (2 μl) and non destructive – hence ideal for Proteins

Disadvantages:
– Only nano particles (< 6μm)
– Needs the viscosity
– Assumes a spherical particle

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Particle Size Determination Techniques
Electrozone Sensing

- Detects the change in conductivity (resistance) of

an electrolyte solution as a non-conductive particle
is passing through a small orifice
- Counting the pulses at a (known) flow rate through
the orifice and measuring the amplitude of each
conductivity jump allows to calculate the number
distribution of the equivalent volume sphere
diameter
- Particle range 0.3 – 1000 μm
- Also known as the Coulter counter

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Particle Size Determination Techniques
Electrozone Sensing

Advantages:
- Size measurement (number and volume) and counting of particles
- High resolution – for instance when two size distributions are very close together
- Ideal for blood cell measurements

Disadvantages:
– Only polar solvents
– Must be regulary calibrated
– Limited size range – susceptable to blockages
– Assumes a spherical particle

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Particle Size Determination Techniques

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Particle Size Determination Techniques

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Particle Size Determination Techniques

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Particle Size Determination Techniques

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