Bed-Blending Techniques

Bed-blending is a compositing and homogenizing process which allows the preparation of a process feed material with average composition within pre-established specifications. As high standards of quality are becoming severe, process control is also becoming more important in finding ways to improve both quality and productivity. These objectives become much easier to fulfill if homogeneous raw material input can be prepared. Bed-blending is intended to do that; therefore, the engineer can mix, in a very effective way, rich and poor raw materials, or different materials into a constant feed with given characteristics. Bed-blending simplifies and entire process and serves as a buffer between raw materials stock and the processing plant. Many operations could use bed-blending systems which would considerably improve the quality of output products (e.g., blast furnaces, sinter plants, cement plants, coal cleaning plants, fossil-fuel-fired steam generating stations, primary aluminum smelters, chemical plants, ceramic and glass plants, and so on).