US 11,806,723 B2
Inter-particle impingement fracture of heterogeneous material
James S. Swensen, Santa Barbara, CA (US); and Simon K. Hodson, Santa Barbara, CA (US)
Assigned to OMNIS ADVANCED TECHNOLOGIES, LLC, Santa Barbara, CA (US)
Filed by Omnis Mineral Technologies, LLC, Santa Barbara, CA (US)
Filed on Jun. 26, 2021, as Appl. No. 17/359,531.
Claims priority of provisional application 63/044,819, filed on Jun. 26, 2020.
Prior Publication US 2021/0402411 A1, Dec. 30, 2021
Int. Cl. B02C 19/00 (2006.01); C10L 5/04 (2006.01)
CPC B02C 19/005 (2013.01) [C10L 5/04 (2013.01); C10L 2290/28 (2013.01)] 17 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A process for comminuting particles of heterogeneous material comprising:
obtaining a quantity of feed particles comprising coal particles, wherein the coal particles comprise heterogeneous material having at least two distinct solid phases comprising a coal-derived carbonaceous matter matrix and a coal-derived mineral matter phase; and
pumping a slurry of the feed particles through an agitated mixture of impingement media, wherein the impingement media has a size from 5 to 10 times larger than a size of the feed particles, wherein adjacent agitated impingement media interact to create impingement zones through which the feed particles pass and impinge each other to cause the feed particles to fracture at an interface between the coal-derived carbonaceous matter matrix and the coal-derived mineral matter phase, to liberate particles of coal-derived mineral matter, and to break the coal-derived carbonaceous matter matrix into smaller particles.