CLASSIFICATION

Classification
• Classification:- It is a process in which particles
of various sizes and shapes are separated by their
different rates of travel through a fluid medium
which may be either in motion or stationary state
• The feed is sorted into oversized and undersized
fractions. The overflowing liquid carries the slow
settling grains and sediment contains fast settling
grains i.e. larger grains.
• Classification is used to classify particles whose
size ranging from 1mm to 50microns. Normally
used to size finer than 35 mesh screens
 Principle of Classification
• When a particle is travelling in a viscous medium such
as air or water, there is resistance to the movement
of the particle and this resistance increases with
velocity.
• When equilibrium is attained between the
gravitational and fluid resistances forces, the body
reaches its maximum velocity and thereafter falls at
an uniform rate.
• The maximum velocity attained is known as Terminal
velocity
• The equipment used for classification are known as
classifier.
 Classifier
• Classifiers consist essentially of a sorting column in which
a fluid is rising at a uniform rate. When feed is introduced
into the sorting column, feed gets separated into two
products.
• The overflow contains particles with terminal velocities
lesser than the velocity of the fluid.
• The sediment contains particles with terminal velocities
greater than the velocity of the fluid.
 Types of Classifiers
• Classifiers are grouped into various types based on their
function, direction of flow of the carrying current and the
media employed.
• Based on their function
- Sizing classifiers
- Sorting classifiers
• Based on the direction of flow of the carrying current.
- Horizontal current classifiers
- Vertical current or Hydraulic classifiers
• Based on media employed
- Dry classifiers
- Wet classifiers
 Sizing Classifiers
• Sizing Classifiers
- Non mechanical classifiers
- Settling cones
- Mechanical classifiers
- Rake Classifier
- Bowl classifier
- Spiral classifier
- Cyclones
- Air cyclone
- Hydro cyclone
 Settling Cones
• The pulp is fed into the tank as a distributed stream,
with the spigot discharge initially closed.
• When the tank is full, overflow of water and slimes
commences and a bed of settled sand builds up until
it reaches the level shown.
• If the spigot valve is now opened and sand discharge
maintained at a rate equal to that of the input.
• Classification by horizontal current action takes place
radially across the circular zone from the feed cylinder
to the overflow lip.
• The main difficulty in operation of such a device is the
balancing of the sand discharge and deposition.
 Settling Cones
• it is virtually impossible to maintain a regular
discharge of sand through an open pipe under the
influence of gravity.
• Many different designs of cone have been
introduced to overcome this problem.
• These are the simplest form of classifier, in which
there is little attempt to do more than separate
the solids from the liquid, i.e. they are sometimes
used as dewatering units in small-scale
operations.
• They are often used in the aggregate industry to
de-slime coarse sands products
Settling Cone
 Mechanical Classifiers
• Mechanical classifiers are chiefly classified into
three categories and they are as follows
- Rake classifier
- Spiral classifier
- Bowl classifier
 Rake Classifier
• The apparatus comprises a tank, one or more
rakes and a mechanism for actuating the rakes.
• The tank has parallel vertical side walls, a
substantially vertical wall at one end and a
sloping bottom of such length that its upper end
rises above the level of the top of end wall.
• The tank is thus capable of holding liquid up to
the level of top of end wall.
• The rakes consist of a plurality of parallel blades
set perpendicular to tank bottom and to the
longitudinal axial plane of the tank.
 Rake Classifier
• They are carried on a frame consisting of two
parallel longitudinal members suitably cross-
braced and hung by plates, two each side from
the actuating mechanism
• Feed is introduced and flows thence over a
distributing apron toward the high end of the
tank.
• The heavier sands settle into the zone of the
rakes and are raked up the slope and out of the
tank slime and the finer sands are carried over
the rear wall in suspension
Rake Classifier
 Spiral Classifier
• Spiral Classifier comprises an inclined tank and one or
two spirals mounted on through-shaft substantially
parallel to the tank bottom.
• The spiral structure effects the necessary agitation in
the pool and conveys settled sand up the bottom to
the sand-discharge lip.
• Tank bottom Is rounded.
• Tank is usually made of steel but it may be of wood
concrete or special corrosion resistant material.
• The bottom is protected from wear by a sand layer
below the reach of the spiral
 Spiral Classifier
• Spiral consists of sections of heavy steel ribbon of
proper form and width fastened to the outer ends of
arms clamped to the large hollow shaft.
• The ribbon forms a double-pitch screw White iron
replaceable shoes protect the ribbon
• Feed is introduced substantially at pool level, through
one or both side wall, at a distance from the overflow
weir equal to about one half pool length.
• Pool level is maintained as desired by adjusting the
height gate. Overflow drops into box and piped away
through another pipeline.
Spiral Classifier
Spiral Classifier
 Bowl Classifier
• The bowl classifier contains a large shallow tank. The
lower part of the tank is in the shape of shallow cone
• The feed from the mill is introduced centrally and
allowed to spread radially to provide larger surface for
moment of particles from the outward streaming
pulp.
• The rake revolve slowly in the settling tank to move
settled material gently towards the center where it
falls into the trough of the classifier
• The settled sand is scraped up to the discharge end
with the help of rake or spiral mechanism
• The slime overflows from the periphery of bowl and
collected in a separate bowl.
Bowl Classifier
 Cyclones
• In the case of fine particles, the surface drag
against the surrounding fluid nearly neutralizes
the gravitational pull and as a result particles may
require a very long time to fall even few
centimeters in still water.
• This slowing down of settling rate reduces the
capacity of the plant.
• If the centrifugal force is superimposed, the
effective mass of the particles increases and there
by gravitational pull increases tremendously.
• The net result is the increase in settling velocity
many times by the application of centrifugal force.
 Cyclones

• Cyclones are classified based on fluid used in

them
- Hydro cyclones – uses water as fluid
medium
- Air cyclones – uses air as fluid medium
 Hydro Cyclone
• Hydro cyclone contains a conically shaped vessel
open at its apex or underflow joined to a cylindrical
section, which has a tangential feed inlet
• The top of the cylindrical section is closed with a
plate through which passes an axially mounted
overflow pipe.
• The pipe is extended into the body of cyclone by a
short removable section is known as vortex finder
which prevents short circuiting of the feed directly
into the overflow
• The feed is introduced tangentially near the top.
 Hydro Cyclone
• A spinning action is imparted to the suspension in
the cylindrical portion and vortex is generated about
the longitudinal axis
• The centrifugal acceleration increases the settling
rate of particles and tends to throw them radially.
• The coarser particles spiral down to the cones wall
and flow downward to the apex through which they
are discharged.
• At the center of the cyclone, a zone of low pressure
and low centrifugal force exists which surrounds an
air filled vortex. Finer particles tends to move inward
towards the vortex
Hydro Cyclone