PNEUMATIC CLASSIFYING PROCEDURE AND MEANS

Abstract: A pneumatic classifying procedure and means for dividing particulate material into a fines product consisting of lighter particles and a coarse product consisting of heavier particles. The classification takes place in a cylindrical classifying space (1) in which can be established a centrifugal field with the aid of tangential supply of the material to be classified or with the aid of a mechanical rotor, said field separating the fines product into the centre of the classifying space and the coarse product to its outer margin. It is essential in the invention that the coarse product is removed with the aid of a separate gas flow which is tangential to the centrifugal field. The gas flow runs in a passage (11) which is tangential to the classifying space (1) at the site of the coarse product removal aperture (9). When the coarse product has been separated from the gas flow, the gas may be returned to the process to serve as fluid in the centrifugal classification taking place in the classifying space (1) of the process.

Description: PNEUMATIC CLASSIFYING PROCEDURE AND MEANS The present invention concerns a pneumatic classifying procedure wherein particulate material is with the aid of centrifugal force divided into a fines product consisting of lighter particles and a coarse product consisting of heavier particles and wherein the fines product is removed from the central part of the centrifugal field and the coarse product from its outer margin. In pneumatic classifying of particulate material, prior art has employed, towards producing a centrifugal field causing classifica¬ tion, blowers setting the material in rotary motion, and mechanical rotors. The separation limit of such classifica ion, that is the limiting size between fines particles and coarse product particles has usually been controlled by the aid of the rotational speed of the centrifugal field. The coarse product can be separated, and removed from the centri¬ fugal field, utilizing gravity when the separation limit of classi¬ fication is large enough, about 50 km. When the separation limit goes down, what happens is that gravity is no longer sufficient to separate the coarse product from the classifying fluid rotating in the centrifugal field. In such cases the coarse product has been separated by removing, together with the product, the part of the classifying fluid accompanying it, to a separate coarse product cyclone. However, this method is embarrassed by the drawback that at the same time part of the fines contained in the material will be entrained with the coarse product. Therefore the sharpness of separation will be poor in such classification; and it is progres¬ sively impaired, the finer the adjustment of the separation limit is made by increasing the proportion of fluid flow going along with the coarse product. The object of the present invention is to eliminate the drawback mentioned, by devising a classifying procedure by which better sharpness of separation than before is achieved and which is super¬ ior to procedures of prior s.; i also as regards controllability of the process. The classifying process of the invention is character¬ ized in that the coarse product is removed from the centrifugal field with the aid of a separate gas flow tangential to the centri¬ fugal field. The advantageous effect of the principle taught by the invention, i.e., of employing a separate gas flow which does not participate in the classifying process, is substantially based on the fact that said pure gas flow totally or partly replaces, in the coarse pro¬ duct removal, the classifying fluid rotating in the centrifugal field and containing fines constituents of the material which is being classified. Thereby the entraining of fines with the flow removing coarse product is minimized or entirely inhibited. The gas employed towards removing the coarse product, from which the coarse product is separated in a cyclone, may advantageously be returned, after said process, to the classifying process to serve as fluid in the classifica ion taking place in the centrifugal ield. The invention also concerns a means for classifying particulate material pneumatically, by the procedure just described. The means comprises, in a manner known in itself in the art, a classifying space in which a centrifugal field can be established; at least one feed passage for conducting material to be classified, and gas serving as fluid medium, into the classifying space; and exit aper¬ tures for removal of the fines product, consisting of lighter particles, from the central part of the classifying space and for removal of the coarse product, consisting of heavier particles, on the outer margin of the classifying space, and the means is char.c- terized in that it has been provided with a passage which is tan¬ gential to the classifying space adjacent to the coarse product removal aperture so that the coarse product can be removed with the aid of a gas lov conducted through said passage. In an advantageous embodiment of the invention, the size of the coarse product aperture opening into the passage which is tangen¬ tial to the classifying space has been arranged to be adjustable. It is possible with the aid of the removal aperture's size to regulate the separation limit of cl ssi ication, and in combination with control of the strength of the centrifugal field this endows the entire process with a wide, and easily controlled, range of reg lat ion. The invention is described, in the following, more in detail with the aid of examples, reference being made to the attached drawings, wherein: - Fig. 1 presents a classifying apparatus according to the invention wherein the centrifugal field is produced with the aid of a blower supplying gaseous classifying fluid into the classifying space, Fig. 2 presents another classifying apparatus according to the invention wherein the centrifugal field is produced with the aid of a blower supplying gaseous classifying fluid into the classifying space, Fig. 3 shows a vertical section through a classifying apparatus according to the invention wherein the centrifugal field is prod¬ uced with the aid of a rotor disposed within the classifying space, and Fig. 4 shows the apparatus of Fig. 3, in top view. In Fig. 1 is depicted a pneumatic classifying apparatus which divides particulate material composseedd ooff vvaarriioouusss*i!z: ed solid parti- c cles into a fines product consisting of lighter particles and a coarse product consisting of heavier particles. Classification takes place with the aid of centrifugal force in the centrifugal field established in a substantially cylindrical classifying space 1 with horizontal axis. The centrifugal field is created, and main¬ tained, by tangential supply into the classifying space 1 of the particulate material to be classified and of a gaseous classifying fluid. The particulate material and the fluid are set in rotary motion in the classifying space 1, where the fines become separated to reside in the centre of the classifying space and the coarse product, on its outer margin. The supply of particulate material and of gaseous fluid into the classifying space is through feed passages 2,3 joining the classi¬ fying space tangentially and of which the passage 3 supplying fluid has been provided with a blower 4. The fines removal aperture 5 is lαacted roughly on the horizontal central axis of the classifying space 1 and it leads to a cyclone 6, which separates the fines product from the fluid escaping together with it. From the cyclone 6, the fluid is returned by a connecting passage 7 to the blower 4, to be reused as fluid for the classifying process. The intake aper¬ ture 8 of the blower 4 has been provided with a guide vane control, with a speed of rotation control or equivalent for controlling the separation limit in classifica ion. The coarse product removal aperture 9 is located on the outer margin of the classifying space 1, having been formed in the substantially cylindrical shell con¬ fining the classifying space. The wall sections 10 of the classi¬ fying space on either side of the removal aperture 9 have been arranged to be movable so that it is possible with their aid to regulate the size of the removal aperture. The extreme position of the sections 10, in which the size of the removal aperture 9 is at its minimum, has been indicated with dotted lines in Fig. 1. For removal of the coarse product, a passage 11 has been conducted past the classifying space 1, its direction conforming to the direction of the flow in progress in the marginal part of the classifying space and the coarse product removal aperture 9 opening into this passage. Through the passage 11, gaseous fluid can be introduced, this fluid transporting the coarse product emerging from the class¬ ifying space 1 through the removal aperture 9 to a cyclone 12, which separates the coarse product from the fluid flow. From the cyclone 12, the fluid departs to a connecting passage 13, which joins the connecting passage 7 coming from the fines cyclone 6 and thereby returns the fluid through the blower 4 to the classifying prrαcess, to serve as fluid in the classifying taking place in the centrifugal field. In order to maintain a balance between the material flows introduced into the classifying process and those removed therefrom, part of the fluid coming from the blower 4 is separated and directed into the passage 14 which conducts it through dust elimination apparatus (not depicted) and out from the process. The purpose with the pure fluid flow conducted through the passage 11 and which does not participate in the classifying taking place in the centrifugal field in the classifying space 1 is to make the classification limit sharper by reducing the entrain ent of fines with the coarse product. The separation limit of the cl ssification process, and its sharpness, can be regulated by means of the size of the removal aperture 9, the quantity of gaseous fluid conducted through the passage 11, the quantity of fluid escaping through the passage 14 and the power input of the blower 4. Regulation of the flow in the passage 11 is effected with the aid of a valve 15 disposed in this passage. The classifying apparatus depicted in Fig. 2 differs from that of Fig. 1, in the first place, regarding the processing of the fines removed from the classifying space I. The fines product removal apertue 5 has been connected through a filter 16, and further through a passage 17, to a blower 18. The filter 16 retains the fines departing from the classifying space 1, while at the same time the blower 18 draws the fluid accompanying the fines, through the filter, and removing it from the process. The separation of the coarse product with the aid of the fluid introduced by the passage 11 is equivalent to that which has been presented in connection with Fig. 1. The apparatus of Fig. 2 is intended to be used in particular in connection with those grinding and drying processes (e.g. spray grinding) where the material to be classified which the process produces contains part of the classifying fluid, which requires filtering. In Figs 3 and 4 is depicted a classifying apparatus wherein the cylindrical, vertical classifying space 1 has been provided with a rotating rotor 19 producing a centrifugal field. The rotor 19 com¬ prises a vertical shaft 20 and a plurality of vanes 21 projecting radially therefrom. Supply of the particulate material to be class¬ ified and of classifying fluid is through the passage 22 to the axis of the classifying space 1. The coarse product becomes sepa- rated, in the centrifugal field produced by the rotary motion of the rotor 19, tα the outer margin of the classifying space 1 and the fines product, to its centre, similarly as in the embodiments of the invention already described, and for removal of the coarse product there has been carried past the lower margin of the classi¬ fying space, a straight passage 23, substantially tangential in relation to the classifying space, through which gaseous fluid can be conducted. The fluid flow takes the coarse product along with itself, and the fines product separating in the centre of the classifying space 1 escapes into the axial removal passage 24. The separation limit of the apparatus of Figs 3 and 4 can be regulated by means of the fluid flow conducted through the passage 23 and the speed αf rotation of the rotor 19. It is obvious to a person skilled in the art that different embodi¬ ments of the invention are not confined to the examples presented and that they may vary within the scope of the claims following below.

Claims: CLA I MS 1. A pneumatic classifying procedure wherein particulate material is divided with the aid αf centrifugal force into a fines product consisting of lighter particles and a coarse product consisting of heavier particles and wherein the fines product is removed from the central part of the centrifugal field and the coarse product from its outer margin, characterized in that the coarse product is removed with the aid of a separate gas flow which is tangential to the centrifugal field. 2. Procedure according to claim 1, characterized in that the coarse product is separated from said gas flow in a cyclone (12), whereafter the gas flow is returned to the classifying process to serve as fluid in the classification taking place in the centri¬ fugal field. 3. Procedure according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the particulate material to be classified and the gas serving as fluid are blown into the centrifugal field tangentially so that the blow¬ ing maintains the centrifugal field effecting classification. 4. Means for classifying particulate material according to any one of the preceding claims, said means comprising a classifying space (1) in which a centrifugal field can be established; at least one supply passage (2,3,22) for conducting the material to be classi¬ fied and the gas serving as fluid into the classifying space? and removal apertures (5,9,24) for removing the fines product consist¬ ing of lighter particles from the central part of the classifying space and for removal of the coarse product consisting of heavier particles from the outer margin of the classifying space, charac¬ terized in that the means is provided with a passage (11,23) which is tangential to the classifying space (1) at the coarse product removal aperture (9) so that the coarse product can be removed by the aid of a gas flow conducted through the passage. 5. Means according tα claim 4, characte ized in that the size of the coarse product removal aperture (9) opening into the passage (11) which is tangential to the classifying space (1) has been arranged to be adjustable. 6. Means according to claim 5, characterized in that the walls (10) confining the classifying space (1) have on both sides of the coarse product removal aperture (9) been arranged to be movable so that the size αf the removal aperture can be regulated by moving said walls. 7. Means according to any one of claims 4-6, characterized in that the passage (11) tangential to the classifying space (I) and which removes the coarse product has been connected to a cyclone (12) which separates the coarse product from the gas low, and that the cyclone has been connected over a connecting passage (13,7) and a blower (4) to the set of supply passages (3) of the classifying space so that the gas can be returned to the classifying process to serve as fluid in the classification taking place in the centri¬ fugal field. S. Means according to claim 7, characterized in that the supply passage (3) for gas serving as fluid, leading from the blower (4) to the classifying space (1), has been connected to the classifying space tangentially so that the centrifugal field effecting classif¬ ication can be maintained by the aid of the blower.

Inventors: OVASKAINEN PERTTI, OVASKAINEN, PERTTI
Applicants: LAROX AG, LAROX OY
Application year: 1986
Main classification: B07B7
IPC codes: B07B7, B07B9