Dusty Jacobson • Peter Janssen

Victor urbinatti
Metso Corporation, USA

Cavity level’s effect on cone crusher

performance and production

The effect of varying cavity level inside a high-speed cone crusher chamber
abstract

was studied in relation to capacity, power utilization, and reduction

properties. In addition to mechanical and wear consumption advantages,
the production and energy utilization differences between operating at a
low crushing cavity and a high crushing cavity, were investigated. An
extensive pilot test was conducted to obtain sampling and operational
data with the crushing chamber level at half-cavity, full-cavity, and super-
choked. The testing utilized two materials, one ‘soft rock’ and one ‘hard
rock’. Furthermore, the test included multiple feed size distributions and
closed side settings, along with the varying cavity level. The data are
machine specific, however the trends of the results are relatable to high-
speed cone crushers of relative size.
The results showed a relatively small difference between crusher
production when running with a super-choked cavity (material above the
crushing chamber 300 mm) as compared to a full cavity (material up to
the top of crushing chamber). However, a significant difference was
observed when operating with a half-cavity (material filling only the lower
half of the crushing chamber). In relation to the half-cavity condition, the
full and super choked condition gave an increase in capacity at a higher
power draw, while both cases gave a significantly finer discharge. A full
cavity condition proved to be 3% more efficient in producing the coarser
product, while it was 10% more efficient producing the finer p r o d u c t .
A s u p e r - choked c o n d i t i o n w a s p r o v e n to be even more favorable.
The trends found in this study can be applied to both existing
operations and greenfield designs. Understanding the effect cavity level
has on specific energy and crusher performance will allow existing
operations to maximize their crushing potential and will further the design
and development of more efficient plant flow and equipment selection.
 Cavity level’s effect on cone crusher performance and production

introduction
One of many operating conditions that influence cone crusher performance is the
material level, or material height, in the crushing cavity. This affects the material
density and particle flow through the cavity. It should be noted that the shape of the
two crushing surfaces, or cavity profile, can have a large effect on the crusher
performance by inhibiting particle flow through the cavity. For this study, a smooth
cavity profile was utilized, and the top size of the feed was checked to ensure the
particles easily fell into the feed opening. Additionally, multiple closed side settings
(CSS) were investigated to minimize any nip1 issues that may be present in certain
cavity profile, CSS, or feed size combinations.
Increasing the material cavity level in the crushing chamber influences the crushing
action in several ways. First, filling the crushing cavity allows for interparticle crushing
to begin at a higher level in the crushing chamber. Secondly, the additional weight of
the material above the particles receiving compression strokes enhances the downward
flow through the cavity and increases particle density in the crushing zones. Moreover,
this increases the probability to nip, and improves the mass flow rate and throughput.
To study these effects, the crusher performance was measured with varying
cavity levels. The lowest cavity level was recorded when the material level was kept
approximately 5/8 full of the bottom of the crushing chamber to the top of the
crushing chamber and is termed ‘Half Cavity’. In this state, there is no material head
above the chamber to push the particles through and improve crushing action. The
second cavity level was taken when the material in the cavity measured even to the top
of the crushing chamber. At this point, the crushing chamber was full, but with little
head above the chamber and is referred to herein as ‘Full Cavity.’ The third condition
occurred with a feed level approximately 300 mm above the top of the crushing
chamber, which allows the material head to help push the particles through the
crushing chamber. This is termed herein as the ‘Super Choked’ condition. Figure ,
shown below, presents an illustration of Cavity levels analyzed during test.

Figure 1 Illustration of material cavity levels.

In theory, as the material level builds through the cavity and above it, the particle
density and flow through the chamber will improve and the crushing action will be
augmented. Before testing, it was predicted that as cavity level increased, the capacity,
reduction, and power draw would also increase. To evaluate the effect of cavity level on
1
 CHAPTERI

these parameters,

1 Nip is the act of the particles being pinched between crushing surfaces without significant slipping.

PROCEMIN 2 0 1 0 • s a n t i a g o, C h i l e
1
the capacity, reduction properties, power draw, and specific energy were compared.
Additionally, the crushing efficiency should improve, which can be quantified by
results that incorporate capacity, reduction, and power drawn into one figure. To
compare the results over these three parameters, the specific energy required to
reduce the initial crusher feed size down to multiple size fractions was determined.
Please note that directly comparing values such as percent-passing-closed-side-
setting are not valid when different CSS are used. Traditionally, with all other
variables equal, a tighter CSS will produce a crusher discharge curve that is relatively
finer, which was shown in the results of this test. However, the trends of the relative
differences between cavity levels were observed at each closed side setting.
In the authors’ experience, the effect of filling the cavity level and building a head
of material over the crushing chamber becomes magnified as the machine size is also
increased, if all other variables remain constant. The pilot testing for this study was
conducted on a 150-kW machine, and any specific values should be treated as specific
to this size machine. However, the trends seen in this study are parallel to
observations experienced in operations with much larger machines.

methodology
The following procedure was developed and conducted to perform the study at hand.
Two types of samples were utilized in this study; The first one consisted of
approximately 40 tons of 63 mm × 19 mm limestone delivered from a quarry located in
Franklin, Wisconsin, USA. This material was deemed the ‘soft rock’ for the study as its
material properties consists of a relatively low Impact Work Index 2 of 11 kWh/T
and a high Crushability value3 of 41%. The second sample consisted of approximately
40 tons of 101 mm × 25 mm trap rock delivered from a quarry in Dresser, Wisconsin,
USA. This material was deemed the ‘hard rock’ for the study as its material properties
consist of a relatively high Impact Work Index of 20 kWh/T and a low Crushability
value of 25%. Both materials were inspected for segregation upon arrival, with mixing
as needed to achieve a homogeneous sample. Multiple feed samples were taken to
obtain an accurate feed gradation.
Throughout this study, a Nordberg hp200 Cone Crusher with 150 kW drive power
was utilized. In total, forty-two tests were completed with the goal of determining a
definite trend on main operating measurables (power draw, reduction, and capacity).
The different levels of cavity observed in the crushing chamber during our study were
Super-Choked, Full Cavity and Half Cavity.
Each set of base tests were conducted in a similar fashion; the base tests were
operated in open circuit with 63 mm x 19 mm feed and the Shorthead crusher speed4,
with each cavity level investigated over four closed side settings ranging from 13 mm to
22 mm. Each cavity level was operated as a separate test for a minimum of 30 seconds
at constant cavity and power draw levels (+/- 3%) to obtain accurate capacity and
power draw information. The cavity level was controlled via a manual variable speed
drive feed conveyor and visual verification of the cavity height at one of three levels.
The sampling locations were tagged by dropping a marking flag on the crusher
discharge conveyor belt at a specified time to correspond with the cavity level,
considering the delay from
2 Taken from industry standard pendulum test, also known as Bond Crushability Work Index.

3 Taken from French Crushability & Abrasivity laboratory test, of the old French norm NF P-18-579.
4 Shorthead refers to a crusher setup generally used in tertiary and quaternary applications.
instantaneous crusher discharge and the location where the marker was placed. This
was done to obtain multiple samples of the crusher discharge, as the crushing cavity
began to empty after the feed to the crusher was ceased. After the completion of
testing, the samples obtained through the belt cuts were analyzed and particle size
distributions (psd), operating capacities, and material properties were obtained.
Additional tests were operated outside of the base testing conditions. First, the hard
rock delivered had a 101 mm x 25 mm particle size, so to size this material like the
feed size of the soft rock, it was run through the cone crusher in a Standard setup5
and then screened over a 19 mm screen cloth to prepare the 63 mm x 19 mm feed for
the base testing. During this prep work Standard-application tests were run, and
samples were obtained to fine tune the base testing procedure. These results were not
studied due to the stepped liner profile 6 yielding some inconsistent results at times due
to erratic material flow through the cavity.
Additionally, the shorthead setup was tested in closed circuit operation and with
finer feed fractions. Although trends were noticeable in these results, there were too
few data points to state any findings here.

results and discussion

The basic operating data was evaluated first using the base testing data only. As
expected, the capacity, reduction, and power draw were consistently much lower with
the crusher operating at Half Cavity than with a Full Cavity or Super Choked cavity.
While the results varied slightly between the tests with different closed side settings,
the Half Cavity data showed, on average, 25% lower capacity with 50% less power
utilized, resulting in 21% lower specific energy when compared to the Super Choked
condition. Those values were 23% lower capacity, 43% less power draw, and 16% lower
specific energy when the Half Cavity results were compared to the Full Cavity results.
The explanation for the reduced specific energy of the Half Cavity condition was
revealed when comparing the psd of the crusher discharges. The discharge with a Half
Cavity was significantly coarser than with a Super Choked cavity or Full Cavity, as the
P80 of the discharge was on average 17% and 14% coarser, respectively. The difference
in the psd is more evident when looking at a size fraction significantly finer than the
CSS. The Half Cavity had a percent passing 1/2 of the CSS that was 36% and 29% less
than the Super Choked cavity and Full Cavity, respectively. As an example, when
comparing one set of tests utilizing a 12.7 mm closed side setting, the percent passing
1/2 of the CSS would then be approximately the percent passing the 6.68mm7 sieve
size. In this example, the Super Choked test had 58.8% of the product passing the
6.68mm sieve size, while the Full Cavity and the Half Cavity had 54.9% and 43.9%
passing the 6.68mm sieve size, respectively.
In other words, the cavity level influenced the slope of the particle size
distribution curves beyond simply shifting the P80 point. A higher cavity level showed
a greater effect on the percent passing a sieve size as a size fraction that was
significantly finer than the CSS that was investigated. Figure shows the filtered,
normalized PSD

5 Standard refers to a crusher setup generally used in secondary applications.

6 Stepped-liner profiles are common in standard applications to accept larger feed sizes with
reasonable nip angles.
7 6.68mm is a standard sieve size and was considered near identical to a point at 6.35mm.
curves for the three cavity levels. The size range (horizontal axis) is relative to the closed
side setting investigated, where the 1.0 value is equal to the CSS.

Figure 2 Normalized PSD based on cavity level.

To compare the capacity, reduction, and energy utilization based on the cavity level,
the specific energy required to make two arbitrary products (13.3 mm x 0- and 6.7-mm
x 0)8 were investigated. At the same CSS and feed size (base tests only), the Half Cavity
had a 25% reduction in capacity and 50% reduction in power draw when compared to
the Super Choked condition, as previously stated. More illustrative though is the
decrease in minus
13.3 mm and minus 6.7 mm particles produced. Mainly due to the steeper discharge
psd, the production of minus 13.3 mm and minus 6.7 mm particles diminished by
59% and 75%, respectively, when a Half Cavity condition was evaluated against a
Super Choked condition. The results were not as drastic when compared to the Full
Cavity test, but clear differences can be seen in Table 1 below. This shows the relative
operating condition when compared to the Half Cavity tests. The values in Table 1 show
the normalized specific energy in kwh/t used to produce arbitrary product sizes of
13 mm x 0 and
6.7 mm x 0. These values were determined by simply dividing the power utilized
during a test by the rate (MTPH) of each arbitrary product produced during said test.
Table 1 Relative production and specific energy based on half cavity results

kWh/T MTPH kWh/T MTPH kWh/T

Condition M kW
Throughp 13mm x 13mm x 6.7mm x 6.7mm x
TP
ut 0 0 0 0
H
Super 1.25 1.50 1.21 1.59 0.95 1.75 0.87
Choked
Full Cavity 1.23 1.43 1.16 1.49 0.97 1.62 0.90
Half Cavity 1.00 1.00 1.00 1.00 1.00 1.00 1.00

Important results to stress are when operating with a higher cavity level, the capacity
and reduction will improve at the expense of a higher power draw. When combining
all these factors into one figure, the higher cavity levels used 5–13% less specific
energy to produce the two theoretical products shown.
When trying to evaluate the specific energy used to create the same discharge psd
8 13.3mm x 0 and 6.7mm x 0 signify a product with a particle size distribution that can completely pass a 13.3mm
sieve or a 6.7mm sieve. The 13.3mm and 6.7mm size fractions are standard sieve sizes and were chosen to avoid
interpolation.
(As when comparing open circuit operation), the varying closed side settings and
discharge curve shapes mentioned earlier made it difficult. However, looking at four
tests in particular, the crusher discharge with a Super Choked cavity had very similar
P80 and P50 datum points (+/- 5%) in comparison to the accompanying crusher
discharge produced with a Half Cavity at a CSS that was 3 mm tighter ( Table 2, below).
Although this sampling size is very small, all tests utilized the hard rock and showed
consistent results. With similar discharge curves, the tests containing a Super Choked
cavity had 39% higher capacity at 13% higher power draw, yielding a 19% reduction in
specific energy to produce a similar discharge psd as was seen with the Half Cavity at
the tighter closed side setting.
Table 2 Operating data - Similar discharge PSD of super choked at wider CSS than half cavity

CSS MTPH kW kWh/T P80 P50

(mm)
Super Choked 22 1.36 1.10 0.81 1.02 1.04
Full Cavity 22 1.33 1.02 0.76 1.10 1.10
Half Cavity 19 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0
Super Choked 19 1.42 1.16 0.82 1.05 0.99
Half Cavity 16 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0

The data from the hard rock and the soft rock were compared to determine any trends
based-off of material hardness. Overall, the positive effects of a higher cavity level were
slightly more pronounced with the harder material (see Table 3 below). This can partly
be explained by the soft rock’s propensity to fracture into a relatively finer psd upon
the first compression blow than with the hard rock, which was visually observed as
well as captured on video. This was not originally an objective of the pilot test;
however, trending shows that cavity level exhibits greater influence on crusher
performance with hard rock than with a soft rock.
Table 3 Average results - Comparison of soft and hard rock relative to half cavity data

kWh/T m kWh/T
MTP kW kW P80
13m x 0 6.7mm x 0
H h/
T
Soft Rock-SC 1.16 1.44 1.23 0.82 0.98 0.91
Hard Rock-SC 1.33 1.57 1.18 0.85 0.91 0.83
Soft Rock-FC 1.16 1.40 1.21 0.84 0.99 0.92
Hard Rock-FC 1.30 1.46 1.12 0.89 0.94 0.87
Half Cavity 1.0 1.0 1 1.0 1.0 1.0
.
0

Several other operating conditions were tested, such as varying feed size, alternate
crushing cavity profiles, and particle shape analysis, but will be omitted from this
paper due to lack of sample size yielding definite trends.
A common method to quantify comminution efficiency is the Bond Operating Work
Index (WIop). This parameter was briefly investigated but quickly showed abnormalities.
The WIop considers only the P80 of the product curve and assumes a generic product
curve shape. As mentioned earlier, the discharge curves from the crusher had a high
variance at different size fractions, meaning the shape of the discharge curves were not
identical. Therefore, the WIop was not deemed a satisfactory comparison.
conclusions
This study was performed as validation to experiences seen in large scale operations and to
quantify the effect the cavity level has on overall crusher production and efficiency. A total of
42 tests were run with 76 crusher discharge samples recorded, not all of which were used for
the base findings in this paper. The main results determined from the study were an
increase in crusher efficiency as the crushing cavity level was increased, which can be
applied in multiple forms. For one, the overall crushing energy efficiency is enhanced with a
full cavity crushing chamber. Also, in many applications it will prove beneficial to operate
with a wider CSS and proportionally fuller cavity, as this will provide an increase in capacity
and decrease in specific energy while keeping the psd discharge similar. Conversely, a finer
overall product may be attained by running the crushers with a higher cavity level while
holding CSS constant. To finish, in applications running with multiple crushers operated at
low cavity level, it may be possible to decrease the number of crushers in use by putting a
heavier load and higher cavity level on the remaining crushers.

acknowledgements
This study was performed as an extensive full-scale pilot crushing test at the Metso Mineral
Research & Test Center in Milwaukee, WI. Our thanks go to Lucas Steiner, Manager mrtc
and the Co-op Engineers, Steve Knautz and Tim Brader.