China dry drum separator

China dry drum separator is not just a screening equipment. This is a solution that changes the balance between productivity and cost in Russian processing plants. We have installed more than 80 such installations at clients from the Kola Peninsula to Altai. In each case, there are different starting materials, different requirements for the purity of fractions, and different operating conditions. But one finding was repeated: dry drum separation works where wet methods fail—high dust, low feed moisture, or inability to supply water.

Why the dry drum principle?

Wet separation requires water treatment, settling tanks, filters and sludge disposal systems. The cost of infrastructure often exceeds the price of the equipment itself. A dry drum separator eliminates these steps completely. It works according to physics: particles of different sizes and densities behave differently in a centrifugal field and when colliding with the walls of a rotating drum. Large fractions fly out first, small fractions linger longer and exit through a separate pipe.

We tested this in practice: when sorting secondary agglomerate (Fe₂O₃+ slag) dry drum gave 92% metal recovery with an impurity content below 3.5%. A similar hydrocyclone under the same conditions showed 76% and 14% contamination. The difference is not in the “technology”, but in the fundamental approach to the material - without water it does not lose its structure, does not form a paste, and does not clog cracks.

What to look for when choosing - real restrictions

The dry drum separator is not universal. It will not replace magnetic separation for iron ores, will not cope with sticky clay mixtures and is useless at moisture contents above 8%. We saw customers try to run it on wet construction scrap - the drum clogged in 4 hours. The solution was simple: add pre-drying or switch to a vibrating screen.

Key parameters that cannot be ignored:

• Drum diameter and length— determine the residence time of the material inside and the degree of separation; for heavy ores a diameter of ≥1200 mm is required
• Rotational speed— regulated by frequency converter; the optimal range for most applications is 12–25 rpm
• Drum angle— affects the speed of material advancement; 2–5° is standard, but fine sand may require 1°
• Inner surface material- chromium-nickel steel 12Х18Н10Т for abrasive rocks, rubber lining - for crushed concrete

One of our clients in the Chelyabinsk region saved 2.3 million rubles per year by abandoning two stages of wet classification and switching to the LONGI dry drum model LJ-DR1500. The main thing is not to chase maximum productivity, but to select it for a specific granulometric composition.

China dry drum separator: time-tested quality

LONGI Corporation has been producing such installations since 1993. Their Fushun plant produces 4,000 pieces of mining equipment annually. Of the 1,200 employees, more than 700 are engineers and technologists with higher education. We personally checked the assembly of three batches of LJ-DR1200: each drum undergoes dynamic balancing on a SCHENCK machine, and the body undergoes a hydraulic pressure test of 1.5 MPa.

We have been working with their equipment for 9 years. The most common question from clients is: “What about the service?” We answer honestly: we deliver spare parts from Shenyang to Moscow within 14 days. The main components - SKF bearings, SEW gearboxes - are compatible with European analogues. There is no need to wait for the “original” - you can replace it in the warehouse.

How to get started - without first launch errors

The first launch is not a test, but a calibration. We always start with a test load of 1/3 of the calculated capacity. We record vibration on the supports, the temperature of the bearings, and the uniformity of unloading across the three outlets. Only after this we increase the load in stages - every 2 hours by 15%.

Required conditions:

• Foundation - monolithic slab ≥600 mm thick, without cracks or deformations
• Power supply - stable voltage ±5%, surge protection (surge protection device + stabilizer)
• Dust removal system is required; in the absence - reduction in bearing life by 40%

Mounting drawings, fraction correspondence tables and recommendations for setting the rotation speed are available on the ljmagnet.ru website. There is also a video of real commissioning work at factories in the Urals and Siberia.

China dry drum separator is not a compromise between price and reliability. This is a conscious choice of technology strategy: less water, less waste, less shutdown. If your material is dry, abrasive and requires precise fractionation, the drum remains the most predictable solution. Tested on 87 projects. Confirmed service life of 12 years.