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AGLOMERACIÓN
MANUAL
PROCESAMIENTO | EQUIPAMIENTO | CONSIDERACIONES DE PROCESO | PRUEBA-ENSAYO
un producto de
Aglomerado de sedimentos de papel reciclado elaborado en el Centro de Innovación FEECO
Consideraciones en
AGLOMERACIÓN
OPCIONES EN EQUIPO| PRE-ACONDICIONAMIENTO | SELECTION DE AGLUTINANTES | SECADO | PRUEBAS |
CARACTERÍSTICAS DE PARTÍCULAS
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Reciclado (Retorno)
Hay muchas diferencias entre un tambor y un
disco, pero si las diferencias son una ventaja o
una desventaja a menudo depende del material.
Esto queda claro cuando se analiza la cantidad de
reciclado en un proceso.
• Un revolteo, movimiento en
cascada sobre el gránulo deseado.
Tambores Especiales
Si bien la mayor parte de la confusión de nombres
Si bien los tambores especializados son
para los tambores de aglomeración es contextual,
técnicamente tambores de aglomeración o
parte de ello proviene de procesos únicos realizados
tambores de granulación, merecen su propia
por equipos de tambores personalizados. Los
categoría, ya que procesan material en
tambores de bolas, por ejemplo, están diseñados
capacidades fuera de los procesos mineros y
para aglomerar el mineral de hierro en bolas
agrícolas típicos. Además de formar material en
laminadas (pellets). Además, los tambores de
gránulos o pellets, tambores especiales también
lixiviación en pilas mejoran la extracción de metal
se utilizan para recubrir material y / o mezclar
utilizable del mineral.
material con varios componentes. Tambores de
especialidad comunes incluyen tambores de
Los nombres comunes para un tambor de
aglomeración incluyen: revestimiento y tambores de acondicionamiento.
Tanto las mezcladoras de pines como los molinos ¿Por qué Usar un Aglutinante?
de pug son ideales para su uso cuando las
Hay tres razones principales para usar un aglutinante en
materias primas húmedas y secas deben
el proceso de aglomeración:
mezclarse a fondo como parte del proceso de
preacondicionamiento. 1.Para lograr la resistencia final deseada a la
trituración de pellets secos
Desaireador al vacío
Es necesario lograr la resistencia al triturado en
Algunos circuitos de granulación de compactación
seco adecuada para asegurar que los gránulos sean
utilizan un sistema de vacío para extraer el aire de
lo suficientemente duraderos como para conservar
un material con el fin de preacondicionar el
todos los puntos de manipulación antes y durante
material para un procesamiento ideal en el rodillo
el uso del producto final. Desde el cribado y el
compactador.
empaquetado, hasta el envío, la distribución y la
Pre-acondicionar un material, por cualquier aplicación, la vida útil del producto y el polvo deben
método, ofrece una variedad de beneficios. Estos reducirse al mínimo. Una resistencia al triturado de
beneficios se pueden ver tanto durante el pellets secos que sea demasiado baja se romperá
procesamiento como en los resultados finales del con demasiada facilidad, mientras una que sea
producto. demasiado alta no se romperá fácilmente o tardará
demasiado tiempo en disolverse. Ajustar la
Elección de Aglutinante concentración del ligante, o probar diferentes
en el Proceso de ligantes, puede ayudar a alcanzar la resistencia al
triturado en seco deseada.
Aglomeración
Elegir el aglutinante adecuado para su material es
2.Para conseguir la Resistencia al Verde deseada
uno de los aspectos más importantes del proceso
Resistencia al verde se refiere a la resistencia de un
de aglomeración. Un aglutinante no solo ayuda en
pellet en su estado "húmedo", antes del secado. A
la formación de pellets, sino que también puede
menudo, los materiales deben poder resistir a
utilizarse para optimizar las características y el
medida
rendimiento del producto.
que se mueven a lo largo del proceso antes de que Sin embargo, la melaza, los almidones y otros
se sequen. Un material con una resistencia al verde aglutinantes orgánicos no sólo funcionan bien como
demasiado baja tiene la posibilidad de romperse a aglutinantes de los productos fertilizantes, sino que
medida que cae de los transportadores o atraviesa también permiten que el producto se descomponga
conductos. Lograr la resistencia al verde adecuada rápidamente, e incluso pueden añadir
ayudará al producto a permanecer intacto hasta el micronutrientes al suelo.
final del proceso.
Algunas industrias, como la siderúrgica, pueden
3.Para ayudar en el proceso de aglomeración requerir que el ligante sea capaz de soportar
actual
grandes cantidades de calor, para poder soportar
Un aglutinante ayuda a lograr la adhesividad en hornos rotativos u otros equipos de
necesaria para que un material se adhiera a sí procesamiento térmico.
mismo. Aunque algunos materiales pueden
aglomerarse sin aglutinante, la mayoría de los Otro factor importante en la selección de ligantes es
materiales requieren algún tipo de agente la elección de un ligante que sea rentable. Los
aglutinante para unir y mantener las partículas aglutinantes varían mucho en precio, siendo el agua
mientras se forman los gránulos. Y mientras que típicamente la menos costosa.
idealmente el agua hará el trabajo, muchas veces Además, no todos los aglutinantes están disponibles
no tiene la adherencia para dar a los pellets la en todas las áreas. Usted puede encontrar que una
suficiente fuerza húmeda para resistir el carpeta funciona perfectamente para lo que está
aplastamiento, volteo y la caída a la que se expone buscando, pero el costo de llevarla a su área puede
los pellets durante el proceso. anular estos beneficios.
Testing Particle
Characteristics in the
FEECO Innovation
Center
The following article examines particle characteristic
testing and gives an in-depth look at testing
agglomer- ates in the FEECO Innovation Center.
sometimes both, of different sizes, shapes, solubility,
and densities, among other things. Similarly, within Listed here are some of the most commonly
each method of agglomeration, manufacturers are performed tests in the FEECO Innovation
often targeting a set of parameters that will ensure Center.
their agglomerates perform as intended. The variety of
processing methods gives manufacturers control over Attrition
how they want their agglomerated materials to look, These tests are used to determine the amount of
feel, and behave during commercial use. attrition that will occur during handling - that is,
the amount of product that will break down into
FEECO process experts often perform tests prior to fines.
processing a material, during processing, and after As one can imagine, the least amount of attrition is
agglomerates are produced. These tests are crucial desirable, as it causes product loss, as well as dust-
to process and product development, and help us re- lated issues. Testing during product development
create agglomerates to meet each customer’s unique can help process experts make adjustments to the
needs. Testing helps predict potential behavior in the process, such as a formulation change, or addition
field by gathering information on characteristics of binder, in order to reduce the occurrence of
ranging from shape, to crushing behavior, and even attrition.
attrition, to help manufacturers determine if the
agglomerates will fit their anticipated application. This test is accomplished with an attrition tester, a
Potash pellets on a conveyor in the FEECO Innovation Center
machine that simulates the conditions under which Reaching a target crush strength is particularly
granules rub against each other, causing edges to essential to the fertilizer industry; fertilizer pellets
break off into fines. On-size pellets are put into the must be strong enough to withstand processing,
machine, agitated, and then measured to see what baggage/ storage, transportation, and even
portion of the sample is still on-size. Tests are spreading without breakage. Yet, the pellets must
typically done on granules, as opposed to pellets, still be capable of breaking down in standard field
since granules are far more likely to have attrition conditions.
issues.
Compression
Target crush strength is an important characteristic
Similar to crush strength, compression tests look at
in creating a pellet that will perform as needed.
how the agglomerated material behaves under
stress, but as a whole, instead of just as a single
pellet. FEECO
process experts use a controlled product amount and a
hydrau- lic press to perform these tests. This type of test is
most commonly utilized on kiln products, and more
specifically, on proppants.
Proppants must be able to endure extreme amounts of
pressure to hold open rock fissures, allowing natural gas or oil
to flow out. If proper strength were not attained, proppants
would crush under pressure, defeating their purpose. They
would also subsequently clog veins to the main wellbore,
inhibiting extraction. Furthermore,
compression is important when it comes to materials like frac
sand, or concrete additives, which are required to stand-up to
heavy loading, not as an individual particle, but as a unit.
Here’s how the test works: the material sits in the bottom of a
cylin- der, and a smaller, solid cylinder enters the larger one. The
smaller cylinder is then pressed onto the material, crushing it at
a specified rate of pounds per square inch.
Bulk Density
As the name suggests, bulk density tests determine the
density of agglomerates. This is measured by taking a
container of known volume, filling it with agglomerates, and
then weighing it. The weight/volume reveals the material’s
bulk density.
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Physical Characteristics Sieve Analysis
Agglomerate shape is crucial in many industries Sieves are used to measure particle size
where the end-product will go directly to market. distribution, specifically what percentage of on-size
Many companies and industries want spherical or pellets are produced from the agglomeration
oblong particles, whereas other customers request process, as well as the amount of over- and under-
different shapes to match their needs. While size particles.
agglomerate shape can be determined simply by
viewing the final, overall product, it can be Sieves are made up of a circular, metal frame with
evaluated in greater detail using a microscope. a screen-like wire mesh in the bottom. Various
FEECO’s state-of-the-art micro- scope and software sieves, each with different standardized mesh
program from Nikon captures detailed particle sizes, are available to measure the particle size
images, allowing us to further eval- uate the distribution of agglomerates.
agglomerate shape, in addition to surface quality
and other features unbeknownst to the naked eye. Flowability
This in-depth view provides tangible confirmation of
Flowability tests reveal how agglomerates move, or
the agglomeration processes, and ensures that
“flow,” as a unit. Flowability is measured by pouring
our customer’s agglomerates have met their
material onto a makeshift chute positioned at
precise expectations.
various angles, and observing how the material
moves from point A to B. In this test, the angle of
Solubility
repose is exam- ined: the steepest angle, from 0-
Also referred to as a dissolving test, solubility tests
90°, of descent in relation to the horizontal surface
indicate how a material will dissolve in water. These
to which the material can be piled without falling.
tests often require nothing more than a simple
beaker of water, and, of course, the product to be
Flowability is particularly imperative in regards to the
tested.
design of material handling equipment. A conveyor
Several items are recorded and analyzed in
transporting pellets may be designed differently than
solubility tests, including:
one carrying compacted granules, for example. A
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Sulfur granules created in
the FEECO Innovation Center
The analyzer uses heated coils to withdraw moisture from the ag-
glomerate sample. The device tracks the initial moisture content, the
temperature and duration of the heat, and the final moisture content.
Temperature
Temperature is often recorded during testing, especially in
thermal applications. Process experts measure the inlet
temperature of the rotary dryer, the gas, air, and material, for
example – all necessary to know while configuring the most
effective drying process.
Each of the tests noted here are done for multiple purposes:
to help determine the material handling components,
agglomer- ate and end product characteristics, equipment
selection, and to gather data necessary for process scale-up.
Furthermore, the overall goal of these tests is to produce an
end product which
meets the customer’s unique needs. Thus, testing a sample
prior to processing, then during processing, and on the
produced ag- glomerate essentially helps us help you. By
analyzing a sample at various stages of processing, sometimes
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during all stages, process experts are able to fine-tune process
variables, and make the
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Potash pellets in a dryer in the FEECO Innovation Center
necessary adjustments. All tests are recorded motor control centers, programmable logic
and provide a “recipe for success,” if you will, controllers, and data collection systems with
on the process used to create agglomerates advanced technolo- gies for reporting.
unique to your application.
*Note: This is not an exhaustive list, and may vary per discretion of the process expert. Misc. / additional tests may be performed, depending on the
unique material, processing requirements, and desired end product.
To learn how agglomeration can benefit your material,
current (amps), feed rate, and flow rate, to or for further information on processing equipment or
horsepower, speed, and torque, and just about material testing, contact a FEECO expert today!
everything in between.
Conclusion
Agglomeration is a valuable process in all forms,
capable of turning difficult to handle materials into
easily handled agglomerates, and adding value
along the way. There are many types of
agglomeration, each suited for unique applications,
with the choice between them often depending on
desired end prod- uct characteristics, the material to
be processed, and the most cost-effective solution.
The choice to work with FEECO means a well-rounded commitment to quality. From initial feasibility
testing, to engineering, manufacturing, and aftermarket services, we bring our passion for quality into
everything we do. FEECO International is in the process of working towards ISO 9001:2008 quality
management system compliance, with the goal of achieving ISO 9001:2008 Certification within the next
calendar year.
Innovation
The FEECO Innovation Center can aid in everything from feasibility testing, to process design and product development.
+
Aftermarket
Our Aftermarket Engineering Team is ready to serve, from routine maintenance, to emergency service. Engineering
We engineer custom solutions to meet your unique needs.
Since 1951
Manufacturing
We manufacture the best heavy-duty processing equipment around.
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For more information on agglomeration, material testing, custom
equipment, or for help with your agglomeration operation or
problem material, contact FEECO International today!
FEECO US Headquarters
3913 Algoma Road | Green Bay, WI 54311
USA Phone: 920-468-1000
sales@feeco.com