EQUATION OF COMMINUTION KINETICS WITH DELAY

By Ph.D. Igor Bobin, Ph.D. Natalia Petrovskaya

Rock is a variety of different minerals united together. A

comminution process is used to liberate one mineral from another. The
size of the pieces of rock decreases with the comminution and mineral
particles are released.
The purpose of the comminution is to obtain the finished product
of a certain size. The finished product is directed to the separation of one
mineral from another.

Crushing and grinding operations are expensive, so the kinetics of

grinding (сrushing, comminution) is very important for the management.

The comminution kinetics reflects the change of the content of the

size fraction (size class) of finished product in time: C = f(t).
The main objective of the comminution kinetics is a quantitative
description of the comminution process. Many comminution processes
can be described by an exponential function. Experience shows that
almost all comminution systems have an inertia. Often, however, besides
an inertia, comminution processes occur with a some delay of time. It
should be accounted in modeling.

Ph.D. Igor Bobin has proposed the following his own equation with
delay for analytical calculations of the comminution kinetics C(t) [1]

where С(t) – is the content of the size fraction of ready product, %; c0 – is initial level
of content, which is set from the experimental data of the comminution process, %
(see. Fig. 1); T – is the time constant of comminution (the constant of inertia), secs;
τ – is the time delay of comminution, secs; t – is the time, secs.

The parameters c0, τ and T are determined graphically on the

experimental kinetic curve of the comminution process by known metod.

Example
There are mineral ores of two kinds with their experimental
dependences of the comminution kinetics (see Fig.1 and Fig.2).
In this case, parameter values of approximating equation (1)
for first ore is amounted to: c0 =9.54 %, τ =60 secs, T=180 secs.
 Let's substitute these parameter values in the Bobin’s
equation (1), and we get the mathematical model of the
comminution kinetics C1(t) for the first ore

The analytical dependence and experimental of comminution

kinetics for first ore obtained by simulation at MATLAB are shown
on Figure 1.

Fig. 1. The dependences of the comminution kinetics for first ore

Parameter values of approximating equation (1) for second

ore is amounted to: c0 =3.97 %, τ =0 secs, T=630 secs.

Let's substitute these parameter values in the Bobin’s

equation (1), and we get the mathematical model of the
comminution kinetics C2(t) for the second ore
 Actually the equation (3) can be converted to the equation
(4) in this case

The analytical dependence and experimental of comminution

kinetics for second ore obtained by simulation at MATLAB are
shown on Figure 2.

Fig. 2. The dependences of the comminution kinetics for second ore

 Bobin equation (1) is well-suited for modeling the kinetics of
comminution C(t) of processes with delay or without delay. Thus,
the proposed method of modeling is convinient and it has enough
accuracy for engineering calculations and scientific.

References
1. Bobin, I., Petrovskaya, N. (2016). Kinetics of ore comminution, Web
Resource “CONCENTRATION OF MINERALS”
https://sites.google.com/site/concentrationofminerals/home

© Ph.D. Igor Bobin, Ph.D. Natalia Petrovskaya

18.12.2016
nataliapetrovsky@gmail.com