A review of breakage behavior in fine grinding by stirred-media milling

Abstract

The use of stirred-media mills for grinding into the micron and submicron size range is reviewed. Mill performance and energy efficiency are discussed in the context of mill mechanics as related to mill power, material transport and flow, and particle breakage mechanisms. The development and adaptation of general size-mass balance models to fine grinding in stirred-media mills is evaluated. Specific problems in the application of the process models and, especially, in parameter estimation are described. Comparison of breakage rates and breakage distributions with those observed in coarser grinding systems reveals several similarities but some differences, particularly with respect to size-dependence. It is shown that the approach to a grinding limit can have significant effects on grinding rates and product size distributions.