Energy-Dependent Particle Size Distribution Models for Multi-Disc Mill

Abstract

Comminution is important in the processing of biological materials, such as cereal grains, wood biomass, and food waste. The most popular biomaterial grinders are hammer and roller mills. However, the grinders with great potential in the processing of biomass are mills that use cutting, e.g., disc mills. When it comes to single-disc and multi-disc grinders, there are not many studies describing the relationships between energy, motion, material, and processing or describing the effect of grinding, meaning the size distribution of a product. The relationship between the energy and size reduction ratio of disc-type grinder designs has also not been sufficiently explored. The purpose of this paper was to develop models for the particle size distribution of the ground product in multi-disc mills depending on the variable process parameters, i.e., disc rotational velocity and, consequently, power consumption, and the relationship between the grinding energy and the shape of graining curves, which would help predict the product size reduction ratio for these machines. The experiment was performed using a five-disc mill, assuming the angular velocity of the grinder discs was variable. Power consumption, product particle size, and specific comminution energy were recorded during the tests. The Rosin–Rammler–Sperling–Bennet (RRSB) distribution curves were established for the ground samples, and the relationships between distribution coefficients and the average angular velocity of grinder discs, power consumption, and specific comminution energy were determined. The tests showed that the specific comminution energy increases as the size reduction ratio increases. It was also demonstrated that the RRSB distribution coefficients could be represented by the functions of angular velocities, power consumption, and specific comminution energy. The developed models will be a source of information for numerical modelling of comminution processes.