FLUID ENERGY MILLS
Fluid Energy Mills
The Apex Fluid Energy Mill comprises essentially of a flat horizontal cylindrical chamber, equipped with tangentially arranged jet nozzles in the inner wall. The energy for milling is provided with a compressed fluid such as compressed air, or in the case where materials being milled provide a risk of a dust explosion, gaseous Nitrogen. The compressed fluid issues through the nozzles forming a very high velocity tangential circle within the grinding chamber. The feed material is injected into that same tangential circle via a venturi feeder, where it is rapidly accelerated, causing it to impact against itself, thus fracturing the particles to the low micron range. Larger particles are held by centrifugal force towards the outer periphery of the chamber, while the smaller particles travel, in a spiral movement toward the centre, from where they exit either into a cyclone below for bottom discharge, or through the top of the mill into a reverse pulse product/filter system.
FEATURES
The special features of the Apex Fluid Energy Mills No. 260 which merit attention in countless industries today are: -
1. Production of fine particles in the lower micron range - normally particles with an average size of less than 5 microns are possible.
2. Flexibility - the operation of the mill may be simply and rapidly altered to suit different products and also obtain varying grades of material from coarse to fine particle sizes.
3. Ease of cleaning and sterilizing - the mill is designed for efficient and easy cleaning and so is especially suitable for operating on various substances in quick succession.
4. Narrow Particle Size Spectrum - the range of particle size in the product is very much smaller than with any other type of mill today.
5. Dustless operation.
6. Temperature Control - absence of moving parts and the cooling effect due to the expansion of compressed fluids leaving the jets, enables heat sensitive products to be easily processed.
7. Uniformity of Products - controlled operating conditions with intense classifying action produces a high degree of uniformity in the product.
8. Single Cycle Operation - the production of lower micron particle sizes is achieved with only one pass through the mill.
9. Variation of Particle Size - product particle size can be controlled and varied. Products and processes are improved and standards of purity increased.
APPLICATIONS
Many materials have been successfully processed in the Apex Fluid Energy Mills including food products, pharmaceuticals, chemicals, antibiotics, plastics, pigments, dyes, fungicides, insecticides, powdered metals, cosmetics, organic and inorganic materials, non-metallic minerals and ores.
The design of the Apex Fluid Energy Mill enables other processes and functions to be carried out such as: -
1. Intimate mixing or coating one material with another while simultaneously grinding and classifying.
2. Simultaneous drying and grinding of moist materials by using heated compressed air or superheated steam.
3. Reduction of materials suspended in liquids.
4. Certain chemical reactions, which have a direct relationship with micron, sized particles, such as oxidation.
SPECIFICATIONS
Note 1: - Capacity is material dependant and desired size reduction ratio.
Note 2: - Air consumption is free air (at standard temperature and pressure), compressed to 7Bar g