High-Pressure Grinding Rolls (HPGRs) have become a critical part of material processing for comminution, crushing or size reduction, and material liberation and separation. With proven benefits such as improved efficiency, preferred product output, and reduced operating costs, HPGRs have quickly become a preferred technology over traditional equipment such as ball mills, SAG and AG mills, crushers, and rod mills.
Though a preferred technology, not all materials are good candidates to be processed through an HPGR. HPGRs rely on bed compression and inter-particle crushing, making them ideal for hard materials with low plastic deformation. Materials that do not form a stable, confined particle bed or that behave poorly under high pressure tend to perform poorly in an HPGR. To date, there are many materials that are known to perform well in HPGRs, and many that do not. However, there remains an even larger number of materials for which HPGR performance is unknown.
To understand how a material will perform in an HPGR—and whether the benefits of HPGR technology can be applied to a specific application—test work is required. Historically, this test work was completed on large-scale HPGRs and required substantial material samples, typically ranging from 2,000 to 6,000 lbs. These large-scale tests often have an associated cost and, in some cases, are impossible to complete due to limited material availability.
Low-capacity HPGR test work opens the door to low-cost testing requiring small sample sizes, making it possible to evaluate nearly any material. At KOMAREK, we have recently installed our KR-330 low-capacity HPGR at our laboratory in Bensenville, Illinois to perform low-capacity HPGR testing. With sample sizes as small as 10-20 gallons, we can quickly determine HPGR feasibility by confirming autogenous wear layer formation, product generation, power consumption, and throughput. This allows for a rapid determination of whether an HPGR is a viable solution for a given process.
For projects with larger sample quantities (50–100 gallons), extended HPGR testing programs can be conducted. These tests allow operational parameters to be adjusted to optimize HPGR performance, improve product size distribution, and better understand material behavior under high-pressure grinding conditions. This new capability for low-capacity HPGR test work is helping to revolutionize material processing by taking an established technology and enabling its benefits to be applied to new materials and applications. Contact KOMAREK to schedule your HPGR test work and find out if high-pressure grinding roll technology will benefit your process.