Aerograder Air Classifier

No. The Aerograder separates particles with air rather than water, using size, density and shape to make the cut. That makes it the practical option for water-scarce sites: Afcons produced graded manufactured sand on the Samruddhi Mahamarg Expressway without drawing on scarce local water, while integrated dust suppression keeps the dry process clean.

The Aerograder produces graded sand and aggregates from crushed rock fines for roads and concrete, classifies silica and other minerals for the mining industry, and handles dedusting duties wherever dust and ultra-fines must be stripped from a feed. It suits any operation where consistent grading and quality control are essential.

Precise enough for frac sand, where the bottom-size limit is the hardest part of the specification. Operators tune the cut with four controls: selector blades, the feed rate to air ratio, fan blades and rejector speed. Measured field performance is set out in the Abu Dhabi case study.

Less than comparable systems, for two reasons. It needs no auxiliary equipment: no cyclones, baghouses or external fans, which cuts both capital and operating cost and reduces complexity. And it draws low power, making it one of the most energy-efficient classification systems in its class, with zero water procurement or treatment cost.

All three take fines out of a dry feed, and each has its own limits.

A screen separates through an aperture, so a finer cut is harder work. Capacity falls and blinding has to be managed. Flip-flow screens are designed for that condition and suit damp or sticky material. Both types carry screen media, which is a consumable and a downtime item.

Two further differences are more significant. A screen cutting mechanically at 100 to 150 micron carries material up to 300 micron into its reject stream, and that fraction is the fine end of the grading bands a construction sand is sold against. Over-rejection therefore has two effects. Saleable sand leaves with the waste, and removing that fraction raises the fineness modulus, so a screened sand is harder to hold inside a standard grading. The Aerograder has no aperture, so blinding does not occur, the cut is made on settling velocity, and the fraction the grading needs can be returned to the product. Field results on a frac sand duty are reported in the Abu Dhabi case study.

A screen is the better machine on feed above 5 mm, on surface moisture above 2%, and on an open circuit that has to run through a monsoon. A screen also draws considerably less power, so on energy cost alone it is cheaper to run. Once the value of the rejected sand is included, the comparison usually reverses, because that sand is worth several times the energy saved.

Choose air classification when the feed arrives dry and below 5 mm and the job is taking out ultrafines rather than scrubbing off clay. Only water removes bonded clay, so where the feed carries it a wet plant such as the CFlo Combo remains the right tool. Many operations run both, and in a monsoon climate they are seasonally complementary rather than alternatives.

A single unit produced 60–70 TPH of graded manufactured sand for Afcons on the Samruddhi Mahamarg project, and units combine for larger duties, with a four-unit installation running at 280 TPH combined. The Super modular design means capacity scales by adding units, not redesigning the plant.

Two models, both dry: no water, no cyclone, no baghouse. Each is configured around your feed, and higher capacities are reached by running units in parallel.

Standard capacity may vary with feed gradation and site conditions.