Estimation of steady-state characteristics of closed-circuit grinding system from locked-cycle test data.

Abstract

Though the locked-cycle test is often used for estimating the steady-state characteristics of a closed-circuit grinding system, few of these test results, especially when classification is not perfect, has been analyzed from the viewpoint of comminution kinetics. Moreover, with regard to the case that the cut-size of the classifier is so adjusted that a prerequisite condition on the size distribution of fine products may be satisfied, no one has investigated experimentally. In this paper, the results of locked-cycle grinding tests including the above mentioned cases are analyzed, and compared with the computer simulation data of steady-state characteristics of the corresponding closed-circuit continuous grinding system. The factors examined are grinding time and ratio of partition towards the coarser products of classifier. The analysis shows that the steady-state characteristics of a closed-circuit continuous grinding system can be estimated with reasonably high accuracy from the test data of corresponding locked-cycle grinding tests.