DESIGN MODELS OF TROMMELS FOR RESOURCE

RECOVERY PROCESSING
HARVEY ALTER
Chambr of Commerce of the United States
Washington, D.C.
JEROME GAVIS
Department of Geography and Environmental Engineering
Baltimore, Maryland
MARC L. RENARD
National Center for Resource Recovery, Inc.
Washington, D.C.
ABSTRACT terial riding on the barrel
surface
The design of a trommel requires knowledge of
the number of impingements necessary to achieve a
desired effciency of separation of undersized ma
terial from a feed stream and of the radius, length,
inclination angle, and rotational speed necessary to
d = size of a spherical particle
E(xo,xm) = effciency of separation of
particles in the size range
Xo E;x <xm
provide the required number of impingements for a
f
= fraction of a barrel revolution
specifed mass feedrate. Expressions for predicting per particle impingement
the number of impingements required are derived,
f()
= size distribution of particles
based on expressions for the probability of passge
according to number
of a particle through a hole, and for the particle
" , ,
sze distribution according to number
, The dynamics
F(
o
,
xm
) = fract
on of articles in the
of particle motion in the trommel are described and
feed in the SIze Xo E; x E; xm
used to derive equations for predicting the dimen-
_ = gravitational constant
sions of the trommel and the rotational speed, Ex-
h = vertical height 'to which a
amples are given to show how the equations may be
particle rides on the barrel
applied.
Symbol
a

0
NOTATION
Meaning
~size of a trommel hole -side
of a square hole, diameter of
a round hole, short side of a
rectangular hole
= size of the long side of a rec
tangular trommel hole
= thickness of the layer of ma-
Dmcnsons
(mass
}cngth,
tmc)
L
L
361
L
M
n
p

= distance a particle moves

longitudinally in the
trommel per impingement
~length of the trommel
= mass feed rate
~number of impingements
needed to achieve a desired
effciency
= Probability that a particle
passes through a hole per
impingement
= probability that a particle
passes through a hole in n
impingements
L
L
L/t"
L
L
L
M/t
P(X) ~ probability that a particle
of size x passes through a
hole in n impingements
P(x
o
, xm) probability that particles in
the size range Xo <x <xm
pass through a large number
of holes
Q ~ ratio of hole area to screen
area, percent open area
R ~ inside radius of the trommel
t time of flight during a par-
ticle trajec tory
x ~size of a particle in a feed
with a nonuniform size
distribu tion
X
_
geometric mean size of par-
ticles with a log-normal size
distribution
= angle above the horizontal
diameter to which a particle
rides
{
~ angle of inclination of the
trommel
= angle of impingement rela
tive to the vertical diameter
of the barrel
angle of impingement rela
tive to the normal to the
barrel surface at the point
of impingement
'0
~ density of material in the
T
w
layer riding on the barrel
surface
logarithmic standard devia
tion of sizes of particles
with a log-normal size dis
tribution
~ residence time of particles
in the trommel
~a derived factor, listed in
Table 1
~a derived factor, listed in
Table 1
= angular rotational velocity
of the trommel
L
t
L
MIL 3
t
Lft
INTRODUCTION
Rotary screening is growing in acceptance as a
separation method in the' processing of municipal
solid waste (MSW) for resource recovery. The use
of rotary screens, commonly called "trommels," in
solid waste processing can be traced at least as far
back as 1928 [1] . In fact, a proposal to use a trom
mel for such purposes was reported as early as
1924 [2]. More recently, trommels have been in
corporated in various places in the processing
streams of resource recovery plants in Monroe
County, New York [3], Ames, Iowa [4], New
Orleans, Lsiana [5], Baltimore, County, Mary
land [6] , and Bridgeport, Connecticut [7], in
North America, and in several plants in Europe [8] .
Trommels have been used in minerals processing
for more than four centuries. Because their use in
resource recovery processing is recent, there is an
almost complete lack of reported methods of de
sign and scaling factors for applications in resource
recovery processing. Recognizing this lack, several

investigators initiated experimental programs in

order to obtain empirical design and scaling criteria
for particular resource recovery applica tions [9-11] .
None of the published reports, however, leads to an
understanding of the screening mechanism, nor
provides methods by which trommels can be de
signed and scaled for resource recovery and other
applications.
Te purpose of this paper is to present a quanti
tative description of trommel screening and to pro
vide at least an approximate method for the design
and scaling of trommels that will be generally ap
plicable in resource recovery (and other) processing.
THE SIZE SEPARATION PROCESS
Once the maximum dimension of the under
sized material has been decided and the screen hole
size fIxed, it is necessary to determine the number
of times the material to be screened must impinge
on the screen surface in order to achieve the desired
separation. The design is established when the dimen
sions and rotational speed of the trommel that will
provide the required number of impingements are
specifIed.
The determination of the number of impinge
ments needed is a problem in probability; the num
ber is a function of the cumulative probability that
the desired number fraction of undersized material
passes the screen. When a spherical particle of diam-
362
eter d impinges on a square hole of side a(a > d),
the probability that it will pass through the hole is
p =
d
I-
a
2
Q (1
)
an equation originally given by Gaudin [12]. This
equation also describes the probability that the par
ticle will pass through a circular hole of diameter a.
The factor Q is the ratio of the hole area to the
total screen surface area. As Gaudin pointed out,
this is a lower limit on the probability, since reflec
tion from the edges of the hole is ignored. Equa
tion (1) is strictly correct for particles impinging
normal to the screen surface, although there is only
a small change for small deviations from normal
impingement [12] . When the hole is rectangular,
the probabili ty becomes [12]
p
=

a
1 - Q

(2)
where a and are the rectangular dimensions of
the hole.
The cumulative probability that a particle will
pass through a hole after n impingements is
n
i-I n
p
=
p (
1
- p) I -(1 -
p) (3)
j= 1
In the absence of particle-to-particle interaction,
this is also the cumulative probability that a large
number of uniformly sized particles will pass
through a large number of holes after n impinge
ments.
If the particles are not uniform in size, the
probabil ity that particles of size x 1 will pass after
h impingements is
n
1-(1-p) f(xd (4)
where f( 1 ) is the number fraction of particles of
size XI, i.e., the size distribution function of the
particles evaluated at X I. The probability for all
particles equal to or greater than a minimum size
Xo and equal to or less than a maximum size xm is
the integral
x
m n
P(xo,x
m
) = J f(x)
1-(1-
p) dx (5)
Xo
an equation first given by Sucher [13] .
Sucher has also given a alternative form for
E. (5), suggesting that the probabil ity of particles
passing at the nth impingement is a function of the
composition of the material after the nth impinge
ment rather than of the material approaching the
nth impingement from the (n - I) st impingement.
Then
363
It is not evident, a
prori, whiCh of these equations
better describes reality.
Real particles, of course, are not spherical. One
means of broadening the derivation to include non
spherical particles is to alter the distribution func
tion, f(x), to reflect an equivalent spherical size dis
tribution by inclusion of suitable shape factors for
particles in each size range. A alternative is to ob
tain an overall shape factor empirically for given
types of feed materials by comparison of the equa
tions with experimentally determined probabilities.
The action of a trommel is to cause the feed
material to impinge n times on the screen surface
as it passes through; Eq. (6) expresses the cumula
tive probability that particles ranging in size be
tween Xo and Xm wil l be screened out during their
sojourn in the trommel. The total fraction of par
ticles in this size range in the feed is
which is the cumulative size distribution between
Xo and Xm. The efciency of the trommel is then
E(xo,xm) = P(xo, xm)/F(xo, xm)
(8)
In words, the efficiency is expressed as the ratio of
the number fraction of undersized material removed
to the number fraction of undersized material in
the feed. It is important to note that the efficiency
is expressed in terms of number fractions rather
than weight fractions, which are usually measured.
Bcause Eq. (5-8) allow the effciency to be cal
culated as a function of h, when the size distribu
tion,! (x), is known, the number of impingements
necessary to achieve a desired fractional separation
of undersized material from the feed can be deter
mined. Because the increase in probability resulting
from refection of particles from the edges of the
holes has been neglected, the number of impinge
ments needed to attain a specifed effc.iency may
be somewhat lower than the calculated number in
practice. This is offset, however, by the decrease in
probability resulting from particle-to-particle in
teraction, e.g., adhesion or defection by collision,
or from blinding of holes. Because such interactions
increase as feedrate increases, the number of im
pingements needed to achieve a specifed efficiency
must increase as feed rate increases.
Te diffculty, if not impossibil i ty, of modeling
the effects of refection from the hole edges and
particle-to-particle interactions for the complex
mixture of sizes and shapes of the materials that
are processed in resource recovery facilities pre
vents a
p
ror modification of the equations to
account for them. The cal culation of the necessary
number of impingements by means of Eq. (5-8)
should, therefore, be viewed as a starting point to
which correction factors, obtained empirically for
different types of feed streams, may be applied in
order to obtain more accurate estimates.
At this point, the equations describe any screen
ing action, whether in a trommel or other kind of
sreen.
THE DYNAMICS OF TROMMEL ACTION
Te rotational motion of the barrel and its in
clination relative to the horizontal provide the
means by which material fed to the trommel is
made to impinge on the screen surface. The num
ber of impingements a mass of particles experiences
during its residence in the trommel is a function of
the trommel dimensions, its rotational speed, and
angle of inclination.
In classical applications in minerals processing,
trommels are rotated at angular velocities at which
the material within them rides less than 1/9
(20 deg. ) above the horizontal diameter before fall
ing back and impingng on the material riding be
low [14] . Observation of trommels used in resource
recovery processing, however, indicates that they
are rotated at higher angUlar velocities so that ma
terial rides higher above the horizontal diameter.
Ten, when the component of the gravitational
force normal to the surface becomes equal to the
centrifugal force, the particle leaves the surface,
rising at first because it still has vertical momentum,
but then arcing and dropping to the bottom of the
barrel. * Whil e there does not appear to be any
documentation of the reasons for such a mode of
operation, it is evident that this causes break-up of
aggregated masses of particles, increases mixing,
and helps prevent blinding of screen holes. In fact,
"lifters" are incorporated in many resource recov
ery processing trommels in order to enhance "fight"
of particles from the surface. The quantitative de
sription of the mechanism of trommel. action lead
ing to design and scale-up criteria described below
is based on this mode of operation. Ufters, how
ever. are not considered_
* The operation in minerals processing may be described as
a "slumping mode" and in resource recovery as a "cascad
ing mode."
THE RIDING ANGLE
The angle above the horizontal diameter at
which a particle of mass
m
will fy from the sur
face is a func tion of the angUlar velocity, w, and
the radius of the trommel, R. Figure 1 a shows that
a long as the particle remains on the surface, the
centrifugal force, w2 R
m
, is equal to the sum of the
normal force, J, exerted by the surface and the
normal component of the gravitational force,
m
g sin a. When J0, the particle will leave the sur
face. The condition for this is
w2R
sma (9)
g
Te angul' ar velocity needed to reach the vertical,
a = 1 /2 (90 de g. ), is the critical angular velocity
above which the particle will ride on the surface
without falling. Thus, sin a is the square of the
fraction of the critical angular velocity for which
the particle will ride to angle a before leaving the
surface.
Actually, because the .barrel is inclined with re
spect to the horizontal, it is necessary to multiply
the denominator of the left side of Eq. (9) by the
cosine of the inclination angle, . Because is seldom
sldom more than 1/36 (5 deg. ), however, cos 1
and may be neglected.
THE FLIGHT TRAJECTORY
The point-by-point description of the actual
trajectory is of littl e interest. What are needed are
the relationship between the point of landing at the
bottom of the barrel and the angl e a, and the time
interval, t, during which the particle is in fight.
For the case where the particle lands at the low
est point of the barrel, at the vertical diameter, the
vertical distance from where the particl e leaves the
surface to where it strikes the bottom of the barrel,
a il lustrated in Fig. 1 b, is given by
(R +h) = R (1 + sin a) =i gt2 - wRt cosa (10)
B, as before, the small inclination of the barrel from
the horizontal is neglected. From this
wt = sin a cos a + [sin
2
a cos
2
a + 2 sin a (1 + sina)]
11
2
(11)
The first term on the right is the time to reach the
apogee of the trajectory and the second is the time
to fall from the apogee to the bottom of the barrel.
Hving a horizontal velocity, wR sin a, the particle
travels the horizontal distance R cos a during this
time. When R cos a is set equal to wRt sin a, the
result, after simplification, is
364
o.
R
mg
c.
Trajectory -
I
I
I
t
I
I
I
I
b.
; "
lEGENDS FO. R FIGURES
FIG. 1 PARTICLE FLIGHT TRAJECTORIES IN A
TROMMEl
a. Forces Acting on a Paricle Causing It to Ride on the
Barrel to Angle C
b. The Trajector for Impingement at the Vertical Diam
eter, 6 =0
c. The Trajector for Impingement at Angle 6 from the
Vertical
h
'
I
I
R
Trcject0ry
l
l
cos3 a = [sin' a cos' a + 2 sin a {1 + sina)pl2
sin a wt=sinacosa+ [sin'acos'a +2sina(coso +sina)f
2
(12)
Because of E. (9) and the fact that sin' a + cos2
a = 1, E. (12) may be solved for sin a, to yield
sin a = 0.5, or a = n/6 (30 deg.).
Tere is no a p
ror reason that the particle must
land at the vertical diameter. It is simple to show
that, if the particle is to land at an angle 0 from the
vertical, as illustrated in Fig. lc, E. (11) becomes
365
(13)
Euation (12) is transformed to
cos3 e + sin 0 = [sin' a cos2 a
1
'
+ 2 sn a (cos + sin a)] sin a (14)
Tis has the solution
sin 0 = -cos 3a; cos 0 = sin 3a; 0 = 3a - n/2 (15)
TABLE 1 TROMMEL DESIGN PARAMETERS
Sln a a
-

t
-
|
U.642B U.UB6B"
(J.6
?
)
.J4J U.B 2.42
U.S2 .2S U.J2 2.B
U.6U .4U U.6 2.J
U.4S U.U6BJ
(J2.4
?
)
. U.66 2.2
U U.UUU U.U6UJ
(JU.S
?
)
.66 U.6US 2.J2
U.44BB U.J4BJ
(26.
?
)
U.U2BT
(S.
?
)
.J U.2 J.S2
U.S6J
U.42J
U.J2ST
(2.
?
)
The first three columns of Table 1 list values of 0
and sin 0 for several values of {.
Bcause the particle (in the event it does not
pass through a hole) has a horizontal velocity,
wR sin 0, as well as a vertical velocity, gven by
the product of and the radical term on the right
side oJ Eq. (1 4), it impinges on the surface at an
angle, Q, whose cotangent is the ratio of the vertical
to horizontal velocities. Thus, after simplifcation
11
2
cot J ~ .
1
(3
-
sin
2
0
) +
2

os {
(16)
sm 0 sm 0
Te angles Q are gven in column 4 of Table 1 for
the listed values of 0 and {. The angles Q and { are
equal at 0.0711 7 (12.8 deg.) when 0 ~ 0.1 901
(34. 3 deg. ). That is, the particle impinges normal
to the surface, and
w
2R
0. 563 (17)

n
THE NUMBER OF IMPINGEMENTS REALIZED
Because the vertical velocity of a particle as it
leaves the barrel surface is actually a velocity per
pendicular to the barrel axis which is inclined at
366
.lS U.4SJ J.6B
.UJ4 U.42 J.4J
an angle (, as shown in fg. 2, the particle has a
horizontal component of velocity wR cos 0 sin (.
During the time the particle is in flight it moves a
horizontal distance wRt cos 0 sin ( and a distance
parallel to the inclined axis wRt cos 0 tan (, where
t is given by Eq. (1 4) and tan ( and sin ( have been
approximated by (, since ( is a small angle in prac-

tice. In addition, the particle advances along the

barrel a distance eqUivalent to the product of total
distance the particle falls vertically and sin (. Neg
lecting cos (, as before, the particle advances a dis
tance R( (cos 0 + cos {).
The total horizontal displacement per impinge
ment is then
Q = R( (wt cos 0 + cos 0 + cos {) (18)
which may be written
Q
(R
= (wt cos 0 + cos 0 + cos {) (1 9)
Values of corresponding to the values of { and 0
gven in columns 2 and 3 of Table 1, are listed in
column 5 of Table 1 . * The length, J, of the trom
mel needed to produce n impingements is
wRt coso sinf
W
COSOI
onl
FIG. 2 PARTICLE MOVEMENT ALONG THE INCLINED
BARREL SHOWING VELOCITIES AND DISTANCES
L = nQ = cn(R (20)
During each revolution of the barrel, the particle
rests against the surface during the angular displace
ment (8 + r/2 + a). During the time the particle is
in fight, the angular displacement of the barrel is
wt. Thus, the barrel makes the fraction of a revo
lution
(21)
where t is given by Eq. (13), per impingement of
the particle on its surface. The reciprocal of [ is the
number of impingements per revolution. Values of
[, corresponding to the values of 8 and a given in
columns 1 and 3, are listed in column 6 of Table 1.
The residence time, T, of a particle in the trom
mel is the ratio of the number of revolutions, nt,
to the rotational frequency w/2r. n
n[ [ R
J
1I2
T
=
(w/2r)
=
2rn[
g
sin a
(22)
It has been assumed in the derivation of these
equations that the center of mass of a particle
rides on the surface of the barrel at the radial dis
tance, R, from the axis. The center of mass of a real
particle of finite size must actually ride at a distan'ce
smaller than R from the axis. Moreover, if material
rides several particles thick on th surface, the dis
tances will be different for different particles. There
i, of course, no way to account for the dynamics
of each particle. A an approximation R, in the
equations, may be taken to be the trommel radius
less one-half the average thickness of the material
riding on the barrel surface. The quantities calcu
lated from the equations, will, then, be approxi
mately averages about which the real values may
be expected to scatter.
* A special case is f = O. Horizontal trommels are used but
with lifters or internal scrolls forming an Archimedes
screw to "pump" the material trough. Obviously, Eq.
(18) does not hold in such cases. Presumably other rela
tions can be developed to describe the movement.
THE FEEDRATE
Equations (9) and (20) do not completely de
termine the design of a trommel. They provide only
two relationships, given the hole size, among the
four design parameters w, R, L, and (. In particular,
they contain no dependence on feedrate.
At a cross-section of the barrel near its entrance,
material riding on the barrel in a layer of thickness
b along the angular section (8 + r/2 + a) occupies a
cross-sectional area bR (8 + r/2 + a). Material in
flight occupies a cross-sectional area equivalent to
the material that rode on the barrel during the time
of fight, t , or bRwt . The material is moving longi
tudinaly along the barrel at a velocity (w/2r)Q/f
The product of the cross-sectional area occupied by
the material and its velocity along the barrel near the
entrance is the volumetric feedrate. When multiplied
by the density of the material in the layer, P
b
*, this
gves the mass feedrate,M After substitution from
Eqs. (9) and (20) and Simplification, M is expressed
by
(23)
where
'
=
(sina)
1I2
(wt cosa + sina + cos 8) (24)
with t given by Eq. (13), and with sin ( replaced by
( because ( is small. Values of ' are listed in' column
7 of Table 1 for corresponding values of 8 and a.
Equation (23) provides another relationship
among the variables if P
b
is known and b is speci
fied. Although allowing b to increase permits larger
feedrates at a fxed R, doing so may decrease effci
ency by allowing increased particle-to-particle inter
action, hole blinding, etc.
It is necessary to resort to experimental observa
tion on different types of feed materials to deter
mine the depth of material, b, that produces the
greatest observed efficiency at the smallest R. It is
not evident, a pror, that magnitudes of b greater
than the average dimension of the feed material
lead to more optimal designs.
Because ' decreases as 8 decreases, M decreases
a 8 decreases for a given R and (. Alteratively,
larger radius is needed at rlXed ( at a given feedrate
as 8 decreases. The gain from larger 8, however,
may be offset by the lower efficiency caused by the
resulting departure from normal impingement when
0> 0.0711 r (12.8 deg.). Experimental investiga-
* Possibly P
b
euals the bulk density of the feed, measured
in the usual way. Howaver, this is not certain and P
b
will
have to be measured experimentally by observation of
the feed ena of the rotating trommel.
367
tion is needed to ascertain the best values of to be
used with different types of feed materials. It is
reasonable, in the meantime, to specify normal im
pingement, with ~ 0.071 r (12.8 deg.) and
u~ 0.190 r (34.3 deg.).
TO DESIGN A TROMMEL
Te purpose of a trommel is to separate under
szed material in the size range X
o
.; x .; xm with
a efciency E(
o
, xm) from material fed to the
trommel at a mass rate, In order to design a .
trommel to do so, it is necessary to specify the hole
sape and size, the fractional area of holes, the
rotational speed, radius, length, and angle of in
clination.
Common practice in resource recovery processing
specifies circular holes (in order to minimize re.ten
tion of textile and plastic material) and an angle of
inclination of r/36 (5 deg.). The hole size is deter
mined by the dimension xm. The fractional area of
holes should be as close to unity as possible con
sistent with the structural strength of the barrel. Its
speCifcation is a function of structural desig and
is not considered further here. Otherwise, the de
sign is determined by Eq. (8) with Eqs. (7) and (5)
or (6), Eqs. (9), (20), and (23).
Equation (8), with Eqs. (7) and (5) or (6), allows
calculation of the number of impingements neces
sary to attain the required effciency. Equations
(9), (20), and (23), with sin u~ 0.5630, ~ 3.34,
ad Y ~ 2.31 then determine w, R, and L for the
design feedrate and necessary number of impinge
ments. This requires knowledge of the density
Pb
and specifcation of the depth of material, b,riding
the trommel barrel surface. Until the results of ex
periment and practice indicate otherwise, b may be
taken equivalent to the mean size of the feed ma
terial.
APPLICATION
P examples of how the ideas developed may be
applied in resource recovery processing, Eqs. (5-8)
W be used to ascertain the number of impinge
ments needed to separate undersized material from
raw MSW through 4.75 in. (120 mm) round holes,
and the number of impingements needed to separate
metal cans from a solid waste stream through holes
of the same size. Then Eqs. (9), (20), and (23) will
be used to illustrate the calculation of rotational
speed, radius, and length, for a typical feedrate.
NUMBER OF IMPINGEMENTS REQUIRED
RAWMSW
Raw MSW is most often characterized according
to mass of material in different size ranges. Winkler
and Wilson. [15] , however, have given number histo
grams for raw MSW from Cambridge, Massachusetts,
and Middlebury, Vermont, in different maximum
particle dimension ranges. While distribution accord
ing to maximum dimension does not account for
particle shape, the distribution functions derived
from the histograms can be used at least for illus
trative purposes.
Te histograms for MSW from both cities may
b ft by the log-normal distribution
1
f
(x) =
..
exp -
r X 0
ln
X
Qn-
X
g
, 2
.oln
(25)
Te geometric mean size X
g
= 6.0 in. (152 mm) and
the standard deviation 0
ln
= 0.56 for Cambridge,
Massachusetts, MSW. The number fraction of minus
4.75 in. (120 mm) material in MSW from that city
Hgiven when Eq. (25) is inserted into Eq. (7).
4.75
2
F(O, 4.75) = 0.713
o
exp - 1.26 Qn
6.0
dx
(26)
Te probabilities, given by either Eq. (5) or (6),
add Eq. (1), with the insertion of Eq. (25), are
P(O, 4.75) 0.713
4.75
1
o
-
exp
-
x
x
1.26 Qn
6.00
2 n
x
1 - 1 - Q I +
4.75
d
P(0, 4.75 ~ 0.713
o
4.7S
1
-exp -
x
x
1.26 Qn
6.00
2
(27)
2
x
2 -n
(28)
1 - 1 - Q 1 +
4.75
dx
Integration of Eqs. (27) or (28) with different
values of n gives P(O, 4.75) as a function of n
Division by F(O, 4.75) gives the effciency of
sparation, E (0, 4.75), as a function of n.
Te integrals have been solved numerically by
means of Simpson's approximation method. Fig
ure 3, where n has been plotted as a function of
E on a log-normal grid, illustrates the results. Curves
368
A, B, and C show h as a function of E (0, 4.75),
determined for the probability calculated from
Eq. (27) with Q
= 1 ,0.5, and 0.3 respectively.
Curve D shows h as a function of E(O, 4.75) for
the probability calculated from Eq. (28) with
Q = 0.5.
The most striking feature of the curves is that
they each consist of two straight lines of different
sope that are connected by a transition curve. In
this regard, they are similar to experimentally de
termined curves of efficiency as a function of siev
ing time on fat screens described by Whitby [16] .
Te number of impingements necessary to achieve
a given effciency is approximately inversely pro
portional to Q, as a comparison of curves A, B, and
C show. The number of impingements at a given
efficiency for probabilities calculated from Eq. (28)
are slightly lower than those for probabilities calcu
lated from Eq. (27) along the lower parts of the
curves, but differ negligibly along the upper parts
of the curves, as curves B and D illustrate.
If the upper integration limits of Eqs. (26) and
(27) or (28) are decreased, the integrations give the
probabilities of separating < 4.75 in. (1 20 mm)
material in a trommel with 4.75 in. (120 mm) holes.
Curve E of Fig. (3) is a plot of h against E (0, 4.5)
with Q = 0.75, while Curve F is a plot of h against
E (0, 4.25) with Q = 1.' Remarkably, the effciency
is log-normally distributed with respect to number
of impingements up to very high separation effici
encies. Moreover, the number of impingements
needed to achieve a given effciency is very much
smalle, especially at high effciencies, than when
undersized material up to the hole size is to be'
sparated.
NUMBER OF IMPINGEMENTS REQUIRED
CANS
If recovery of food and beverage cans is an ob
jective, a trommel may be an effective means of
sparating them from raw MSW. If interference by
other materials is ignored emphasis may be placed
on effciency of separation of cans if the equations
are written for distributions relative to cas alone.
For simplicity, only undamaged cans of one size
W be considered, 2.5 x 4 in. (64 x 102 r).
The probability of passage of a can through a
hole is dependent upon the orientation at which it
impinges. P orientations occur with equal proba
bility, however. Therefore, the cans present them
slves as particles uniformly distributed with re
spect to a longest dimension that ranges between
that of its diameter and that of its diagonal, 4.75
U
..
z
'
::
'
t
Z
C
::
100
10
0.1 1.0 10 20 40 60 80 9095 99
' EFFICIENCY
FIG. 3 NUMBER OF IMPINGEMENTS NECESSARY TO
ACHIEVE SPECIFIED EFFICIENCIES FOR REMOVAL
OF UNDERSIZE MATERIAL RAW MSW IN A TROM
MEL WITH 4.75 IN. (120 MM) HOLES
A, B, C. Removal of Minus 4.75 in. (Minus 120 mm)
Material, with Probabilities Calculated According to Eq.
(27). for O= 1,0.5, and 0.3 Respectively
D. Removal of Minus 4.75 in. (Minus 120 mm) Material,
with Probabilities Calculated According to Eq. (28) for
O= 0. 5
E. Removal of Minus 4.5 in. (Minus 114 mm) Material,
with Probabilities Calculated According to Eq. (27) for
O = 0.75
F. Removal of Minus 4.25 in. (Minus 10 mm) Material,
with Probabilities Calculated According to Eq. (27) for
O = 1
in. (1 20 mm). The distribution has the form
[(
x
)
=
-x-m
-
-x-o
=
4.75
1
_ 2.5
= 0.444 (29)
Te number fraction F (2.5,4.75) is easily shown
to be unity. The probabilities are either
4.75
P(2.5, 4.75)= 0.444 1 -1-Q
2.5
or
4.75
P(2.5,4.75) = 0.444
1 - 1 -Q
2.5
2 n
X
1 -
4.75
d
2 -n
1+
4

5
d
(31 )
Here, the efficiencies, E (2.5, 4.75), are equal num
erically to the probabilities.
Figure 4 illustrates the results of numerical in
tegration of Eqs. (30) and (31 ). The curves are
369
smilar to those of Fig. (3). Curves A, B. C are for
probabilities calculated according to Eq. (30 for
Q ~ 1,0.5,0.3 respectively. The curve for proba
bility calculated according to Eq. (31) for Q ~ 0.5
is undistinguishable from curve B.
100
(
f
Z
'
:
'
(
z
1
:
-
10
0.1 1.0 10 20 40 60 80 9095 99
% EFFICIENCY
FIG. 4 NUMBER OF IMPINGEMENTS NECESSARY TO
ACHIEVE SPECIFIED EFFICIENCIES FOR REMOVAL
OF 2.5 X 4 IN. |X 1 00 MM) CANS FROM RAW MSW
IN A TROMMEL
A, B. C. Removal with Probabilities Calculated According
to Eq. (30), Through 4.75 in. (1 20 mm) Holes, for O= 1 ,
0.5, and 0.3 Respectively
D. Removal with Probabilities Clculated According to
Eq. (30) through 5 in. (1 27 mm) Holes for O= 1
Curve illustrates how the number of impinge
ments needed for a prescribed efficiency is marked
ly decreased when holes larger than the can diagonal
are used. It was calculated for 5 in. (127 mm) holes
from the probabilities of Eq. (30) for Q ~ 1 with
the term (1 - 1/4.75) replaced by (1 - 1/5.00) in
the integral. Thus, a small increase in hole size re
duces the number of impingements necessary to
attain ay efficiency, especially at high efficiencies.
Te effciency is log-normally distributed with re
spect to number of impingements up to 0.99.
TROMMEl DESIGN
If, for example, the trommel is to process 60
tons/hr (55 t/h) of raw MSW and if an average den
sty for material riding the barrel surface at a depth
equal to the geometric mean size, 6 in. (152 mm),
is taken to be 5 Ib/ft3 (80 kg/m3), Eq. (23) with
W~ 2.31 and { ~ 1/36 (5 de g.), gives R ~ 5.1 H
(1.5 m). The reqUired rotation speed is 18 rev/min,
according to Eq. (9) with sin 0 0.563.
If 70 percent efficiency of removal of minus
4.75 in. (minus 120 mm) material by a trommel
with Q ~ 0.5 is specified, curve B of Fig. (3) shows
that h ~ 63. Then, Eq. (20) with ~ 3.34, gives
J~ 94 H (28.5 m). If Q were 0.75, interpolation
between curves A and B of Fig. 3 would give
h~45 for which the length would be 67 ft (20.4m).
Even smaller lengths would be specified if removal
of minus 4.5 in. (minus 114 mm) material through
4.75 in. (120 mm) holes were required. Thus, for
70 percent of efficiency of removal of such material
by a trommel with Q 0.75 curve E of Fig. 3 shows
that h ~ 30, for which J 45 H (13.7 m).
Curve A of Fig. 4 shows that for Q ~ 0.5 and
h~ 63 the efficiency of removal of cans is 67 per
cent, while interpolation between curves A and B
of that fgure shows that for Q ~ 0.75 and h ~30
the effciency of removal of cans is about 60 per
cent.
WHAT HAS BEEN ACCOMPLISHED
WHAT NEEDS TO BE DONE
The development presented provides means for
calculating:
a. The number of impingements necessary to
sparate undersized material from the feed to the
trommel, in any size range up to the hole diameter,
as a function of separation efficiency. The latter is
defined as the ratio of the fraction of undersized
particles separated to that in the feed. In order to
calculate the fraction it is necessary to know the
distribution of particle size according to number in
the feed. There is little to distinguish between the
two methods of calculating probabilities of passage
through the holes.
b. The radius of the trommel necessary to pro
cess material at a specified feedrate, if the thickness
and density of the material riding the barrel surface
are known and the angle of inclination is specified.
c. The length of the trommel needed to achieve
the number of impingements calculated.
Tis provides the complete design for specific
applications ecept for structural factors. There
are, however, lacks in information about materials
* At this value of a, I = 1 or the particles impinge normal
to the screen surface which is the maximum size hal . ,
hence most probable and average value for d.
370
in resource recovery processing that introduce un
certaity:
a. Size distributions of raw MSW and of other
process streams have usually been reported accord
ing to weight fraction, but not according to num
ber fraction.
b. Shape factors for the irregularly shaped ma
terials fed to trommels in resource recovery pro
cessing are not known.
c. Densities of the materials that ride on the
barrel surface have not been reported.
In addition, several important parameters in e
derived design equations are imperfectly specified:
a. Because particle shape factors are unknown,
refection from the hole edges has been omitted
from the derivation of effciencies.
b. While normal impingement has been suggested
for use in design, optimal eficiency may occur at
other impingement angles.
c. Te thickness of the material layer riding the
barrel surface that leads to the optimal design for a
gven effcincy of separation and feedrate may not
be equivalent to a mean dimension of the feed ma
terial.
There is need for better characterization of feed
materials with respect to size distribution according
to number and to shape factor, and for experimen
tal programs in which optimal impingement angles
and thicknesses of materials riding the surface are
investigated for different feed materials. It is hoped
that the results presented here are suffCiently pro
vocative to inspire needed investigation. They are
but a first step toward a rational method for the
design of trommels for size separation in resource

recovery processmg.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Te beginnings of this work were encouraged by
support from Contract 68-03-2632 from the U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency, Offce of Re
sarch and Development, Mr. Carlton Wiles, Project
Offcer.
Te work was supported, in part, through Indus-
trial Research Participation Grant SPI-7907391
from the National Science Foundation.
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[1] Anon., "A Westminster Wonder," My Magazine
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[3] Carlson, D., Spencer, D., and Christensen, H.,
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[4] Funk, H. D. and Russell, S. H., "Energy and Ma
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[6] Willey, C. R., "The Maryland Environmental Sr
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[9] Woodruff, K. L., "Preprocessing of Municipal
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Trommel - Update 1977 ," Proc. l978National Waste

Processing Conf. ASME, New York, pp. 249-257.
[1 1 ] Warren, J. L., "The Us of a Rotating Sreen as
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Vol. 3, 1978, pp. 97-112.
[12] Gaudin, A. M., Principles of Mineral Dressing,
MGraw Hill, New York, 1939, Chapter VII.
[13] Sucher, R. W., Sieving - Theoretical and Ex
primental lnvestigations, Ph.D. Dissertation, Kansas
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[14] Taggart, A. F., Handbook of Mineral Drssing,
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[15] Winkler, D. F., and Wilson, D. G., "Size Charac
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[16] Whitby, K. T., "The Mechanics of Fine Sieving,"
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pp. 3-25.
Key Words
Classification
Concentration
Design
Engineering
Mathematical Model
Sparator
371