Chemical Engineering June 2014 - 19

Munson Machinery
Figure 4. Model SCC-15 screen classifying
cutter cuts hard, soft and fibrous
material into controlled particle sizes with
minimal fines at high throughput rates
size, Rich Robatzek, Micronizer
product manager with Sturtevant
(Hanover, Mass.; www.sturtevantinc.
com) says low particle size is another
critical element in chemical processing
size reduction operations, which
has driven equipment manufacturers
to develop machines that can
provide this capability. " Processing
chemicals to low particle size increases
the surface area, thus providing
better control of properties
and more predictable performance of
their products, " he says. " The ability
to achieve lower particle sizes during
size-reduction processes allows
processors to attain desired results
while using less material. "
For this reason, Sturtevant's Micronizer
jet mill (Figure 2) can process
chemicals to nanoscale size
while providing a tight particle-size
distribution, according to Robatzek.
The jet mill is operated by particleon-particle
attrition to grind without
the introduction of heat or wear
into the grinding process and is capable
of particle reduction to 250
nm. There are no dead zones to trap
material, no moving parts to wear,
and no grinding media or lubrication
to contaminate milled products.
The one-step grinding and classifying
is suitable for continuous or
batch processes.
In several areas of the chemical
process industries (CPI), flexibility
in size reduction is also key to
increasing efficiency of the process
and quality of the final product,
says David Ekstrom, president
of Bematek (Salem, Mass.; www.
bematek.com).
For instance, in the food industry,
a processor might want large chunks
for one product and smoother consistency
for another, both of which
may be run on the same line on alternating
days or batches. In pharmaceuticals
and personal care, processors
may be looking to make some
products very smooth and some less
smooth, he explains. " So, what they
want is a machine that gives them
the ability to control the amount of
shear action by selecting and easily
changing different components,
as well as the ability to change the
speed of the motor, using a variablefrequency
drive, " says Ekstrom.
While Bematek's in-line colloid
mills have been used for wet milling
tasks, including primary particle-size
reduction and particle
deagglomeration for solid-in-liquid
dispersions for some time, the now
modular-engineered design allows
optimal configuration and flexibility.
Quick and easy in-field modifications
are simplified so the colloid
mill can be configured for any application
a processor may need. To
RG SafetySuite Ad_4.5625 x 4.875.pdf 1 5/8/14 4:40 PM
process multiple products, a variety
of alternative rotor/stator designs
are available and can be easily installed
on-site to adapt the mill for
a variety of products.
Fritsch GmbH (Idar-Oberstein,
Germany; www.fritsch.de) also
sees smaller particle size and flexibility
as essential to successful
size-reduction operations. The company's
premium line of planetary
mills (Figure 3) provides rotational
speeds that allow ultra-fine grinding
results down into the nanoscale
range. To achieve the best grinding
results, all grinding bowls and balls
are available in different sizes and
materials. For grinding with inert
gas and for mechanical alloying, the
Fritsch premium-line gassing liquid
can be used. The Fritsch Easy GTM
ensures simple and easy monitoring
of thermal effects, physical and
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ChemiCal engineering www.Che.Com June 2014 19

http://www.fritsch.de http://www.sturtevantinc http://www.bematek.com http://adlinks.che.com/50977-02 http://www.Che.Com

Chemical Engineering June 2014

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Chemical Engineering June 2014