Although both drum granulators and disc granulators are important equipment used to process powdered or small block materials into granules, their working principles have significant differences. The following provides a detailed explanation of the differences between the two:
Working principle of rotary drum granulator
Drum rotation: The core component of the drum granulator is a large diameter drum installed obliquely, which contains materials inside.
Mechanical force effect: As the drum rotates slowly, the material begins to roll under the combined action of gravity and centrifugal force inside the drum.
Agglomeration into clusters: In the moist environment inside the drum, material particles collide with each other and gradually coalesce. By adding an appropriate amount of water and stirring, the adhesion between small particles is accelerated.
Forming and solidification: As the drum continues to rotate, the gradually increasing clumps continue to roll over the entire length of the drum, forming nearly spherical particles that are discharged at the outlet.
Working principle of disc granulator
Central material supply: The bottom of the disc of the disc granulator is fixed and the material is thrown downwards from the center of the disc.
Centrifugal motion: The high-speed rotation of the disk edge generates strong centrifugal force, causing the material to slide outward along the inclined surface, while being subjected to the frictional force of the disk surface and the gravity of its own volume.
Material aggregation: Newly introduced materials come into contact with small particles already present on the disc, and with the help of liquid bridging and slight pressure, begin to aggregate into larger particles.
Screening and discharging: When the particles reach a certain size, they roll down along the edge of the disc and are discharged through the baffle set at that position, completing the granulation process.
Comparison of working principles
Power mechanism: The rotary drum granulator relies on the rotation of the drum to generate gravity and centrifugal force; The disc granulator combines disc rotation with centrifugal force.
Granulation path: The material in the rotary drum granulator undergoes a long rolling path, while the disc granulator moves short distances from the center to the outer edge.
Particle shape: Drum granulators often produce round particles, while disc granulators produce flat or irregular particle shapes.
Understanding the differences in these working principles can help select the most suitable granulation equipment in specific application scenarios. For example, if you want to obtain very round particles, rotary drum granulation is a better option; For those who pursue cost efficiency and have low requirements for particle shape, a disc granulator may be a more cost-effective choice.