Guide to the proper selection and sizing of industrial crushers and lump breakers

Delumper® brand lump breakers are crushers specifically built by Franklin Miller Inc. that are versatile, high end industrial crushers designed for processing such materials as chemicals, minerals, food, food ingredients, pharmaceuticals, grain, fertilizer, coal, soap and more.

Delumper lump breakers are used to reduce materials for further processing, eliminate blockages, break agglomerates down to their original particle size, and help in discharging bins and silos. They are also used to improve material flow properties and feeding of bulk and powders. The Pipeline model Delumper is used to enhance liquid flow, protect pumps, and enhance and expedite dissolving and mixing processes.

Delumper Crushers can reduce hard or soft, dry or wet, friable or sticky materials. The units are built for applications requiring precise outputs, superior fit and finish, resistance to corrosion or contamination, severe operating conditions, and applications requiring a high level of reliability.

The feed material (material being fed into the crusher) can be a solid, lump, chunk or agglomerate. Franklin Miller crushers are available in different models designed for dry, gravity or wet systems. The crushers can be either inline or open, stand-alone and conveyor-fed as part of a full system. These units can be supplied for low or high temperature environments as well as for pressurized or vacuum systems.

Material plugging in bins and silos

Discharging powders and bulk solids from a bin or silo can often present a major problem resulting in lost production and high maintenance costs. Caking and even vessel failures can also result from these flow problems. The problem results when powders are conveyed into the vessel in a two-phase form. The material tends to agglomerate or build up on the vessel walls pack together.

The solution

A common solution is the installation of a Delumper Crusher at the discharge. This unit attacks and breaks up the oversized solids that tend to plug the discharge. This works much like a sink disposal keeping the discharge clear of oversized lumps and chunks.

Lump breaker selection

While crushing is governed by basic laws of physics, no single law or rule take the place of experience and testing in the selection and sizing of a suitable crusher for a given application. A number of factors go into the proper selection of a crusher for a given application including the following.

Below are some important criteria to consider when selecting a lump breaker:

• Whether the crusher handles the maximum required capacity to be processed without undue strain or overload.
• Whether the machine handles the maximum lump size of the infeed material.
• The operating mechanism’s ability to handle the properties of the material: i.e. friable, tough, sticky, abrasive.
• The design and construction suitability for the special application requirements, such as resistance to corrosion, maintenance of purity or sanitary requirements.
• Whether the crusher can produce the output particle size required.
• The risk of producing excessive fines.
• The noise and/or vibration caused by the equipment during operation.
• The feeding method of the material, for example by conveyor, pump or gravity.
• Whether the crusher matches the connection configuration in terms of dimensions (round or square).
• The equipment’s suitability to meet the operating conditions and temperatures of the project.
• The extent to which the unit meets the requirement for ease of maintenance and interior access.
• The type of seals installed on the crusher and their performance during application.
• The availability of qualified field service and customer support from the supplier.
• The quality of the machine’s build, materials and workmanship.
• The crusher’s configuration regarding the available space.

Read the article online at: https://www.worldfertilizer.com/special-reports/03042017/guide-to-the-proper-selection-and-sizing-of-industrial-crushers-and-lump-breakers/