Pilot Plants

Helping you find the best solution

It is always advisable to conduct test work with representative materials in order to assess their relevant properties prior to processing. Optimized plant layout and settings right from the start will boost efficiency and keep operating costs to a minimum.

Our pilot plant facilities not only support our customers in choosing the right process parameters and roller surfaces, but also by defining the right technical process chain. Years of process-related know-how are concentrated in our pilot plants, so that all the relevant process data concerning the utilization of a roller press can be established in semi-industrial conditions.

In order to simulate the processes required before and after roller press operation, the technical center is also equipped with mixers, crushers, screens, ovens and laboratory tools. The process data collected can be used to plan either further individual units or complete briquetting, compaction and comminution plants. If required, the results can be entered in a basic engineering document in the form of a process flow chart to facilitate the definition and choice of components and plant. The additional plant design consists of all relevant lengthwise- and cross-sections of the required building. All the relevant information for running the plant (instrument lists, logical diagrams etc.) is also included in the basic engineering document. We are also able to include additional mechanical and electrical equipment in our scope of delivery, or to deliver complete plants.

With its pilot plant facilities and specialist staff, Köppern is in a unique position to help you find the best solution for your specific requirements.

Briquetting and Compaction

Köppern has developed laboratory test methods in cooperation with the university of Freiberg in Germany. Little material is required to perform such tests. Results collected over a number of years provide excellent data for evaluating the suitability of materials for processing.

To establish the final design and layout of an operating system, further trials with larger amounts of materials need to be carried out. For this purpose, two industrial-scale briquetting / compaction machines (1,000 and 650 mm diameters) and two roller presses for grinding tests are available at Köppern's main pilot plant in Freiberg. One of the briquetting machines is also suitable for hot briquetting tests up to a temperature of 900ºC.

Depending on the test material, these pilot presses can be equipped with different feeding systems. The presses have variable drives and are connected to the central operating data collection system to facilitate the preparation of test reports. Mixers, crushers, screens and further peripheral devices are also available.

The larger-scale trials aim to:

  • optimize feed characteristics
  • determine process parameters
  • select suitable equipment
  • determine product parameters
  • examine recycling potentials.

For the benefit of our customers, data from the laboratory and pilot plant are continually updated in line with our field experience.
Read more about our pilot plants for cold briquetting
Read more about our pilot plants for hot briquetting

High-Pressure Comminution
The use of high-pressure grinding machines in minerals processing plants requires special attention to:

  • evaluating ore performance, and assessing process and energy efficiency
  • defining best/worst-case scenarios
  • determining feed preparation
  • evaluating the treatment of HPGR products and the handling of process recycling materials.

Our technical center in Freiberg is equipped with two HPGR presses for comminution tests. One of the presses is a smaller machine particularly suited to determining the degree of wear inflicted on the rollers by the feed material.

The other press is an industrial-scale machine especially suited to testing the comminution behavior of different feed materials for grinding. The machines can be equipped with HEXADUR®, HYBRIDUR®or welded roller surfaces. They are connected to the central operating data collection system to facilitate the preparation of test reports. Additionally, different static and dynamic separators are available for feed preparation and product screening.

Pilot Plant Locations
Köppern has several semi-industrial pilot plant facilities currently installed at Freiberg in Germany (for all applications), Charlotte in the USA (for briquetting and compaction), the University of British Columbia in Canada and also at research institutions such as Ammtec in Australia and Institute TOMS in Russia, Irkutsk (for comminution).
Read more about our HPRG pilot plants for comminution
Read more about Köppern's HEXADUR® wear protection system