Effect of particle size on the energy efficiency of the Milling-Pelleting Pair

In bibliographical terms, Seeling and Wulff (1946), and Kumar (1973) describe 3 fundamental mechanisms of compression control:

• Slippage directly related to settling
• Elastic or plastic deformation
• Fragmentation

This third point suggests that a product that is “too coarse” would be likely to increase the press power demand during its agglomeration. While several authors (Smith, 1962, Lefumeux, 1979, Wellin, 1976, Payne, 1978) report that milled products with a finer particle size show better particle agglomeration, they do not necessarily mention overall energy consumption.