ENERGY-EFFICIENT CONCEPT FOR GRINDING ROCKS AND ORES

IN THE UNITED STATES, THE TECHNOLOGY FOR COMMINUTION OF ORESAND OTHER MATERIALS HAS BEEN ESSENTIALLY STAGNANT FOR THE LAST CENTURY. THE GRINDING MILLS USED ARE LESS THAN 5 PER CENT EFFICIENT IN TERMS OF ENERGY USAGE AND THEY CONSUME AN ESTIMATED 15 BILLION KWH OF ELECTRICAL ENERGY PER ANNUM. PROPOSED HEREIN IS A LABORATORY INVESTIGA- TION AIMED AT EVALUATING A SIMPLE AND NOVEL ALTERNATIVE AP- PROACH TO GRIND ORES AND OTHER MATERIALS AT POTENTIALLY VERYLOW COST IN TERMS OF ENERGY AND MATERIAL CONSUMPTION. THE CONCEPT INVOLVES DIRECTING FLUID ALONG GRAIN BOUNDARIES, INTO PORES AND MICROCAVITIES, AND CONTROLLING ITS PRESSURE TO FRACTURE THE CRUSHED ROCK INTO SMALL PARTICLES. THE PRO-POSED PROCESS IS EXTREMELY ATTRACTIVE IN THAT IT HAS THE PO-TENTIAL OF BRINGING ABOUT MAJOR SAVINGS OF OUR NATIONAL ENE GY AND MINERAL RESOURCES. TERRA TEK IS A LEADER IN ITS CA- PABILITIES IN RESEARCH AND TESTING OF ROCKS UNDER CLOSELY CONTROLLED CONFINING PRESSURE, PORE PRESSURE, CONDITIONS. TERRA TEK'S WELL-EQUIPPED LABORATORIES OFFER A UNIQUE TEST BED TO EVALUATE THE FEASIBILITY OF THIS CONCEPT.