Rheological behaviour and related granulometric properties of dense aggregated suspensions during an ultrafine comminution process

The rheological behaviour of calcite suspensions made of particles with different size distributions, obtained by means of a wet comminution process, have been studied versus the operating conditions (volume concentration, use of dispersing agent). The suspension properties (size distribution, specific surface area [SSA]) were investigated in order to characterize the microstructure of the aggregated suspensions. The suspension acts as a thinning fluid with a yield value, and the viscosity increases when the particle size decreases (colloidal dispersions) due to attractive interparticle forces. The use of a polyelectrolyte (sodium polyacrylate [SPA]) during the size-reduction process allows strong reduction of the viscosity of the ground suspensions. The polymer is adsorbed onto the surface of the particles and, consequently, prevents aggregation and allows improvement of the process efficiency. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.