The separation process is an integral part of many industrial operations. Most of the present-day plants incorporate dry separation units compared to wet separators, due to scarcity of water and process needs. The VSK separator is a dynamic air classifier widely used in closed circuit with High-Pressure Grinding Rolls (HPGR). The HPGR-VSK separator circuit reduces the grinding energy consumption considerably compared to the conventional ball mill-classifier circuits. However, the fundamental principles of VSK separation and its applications in mineral classification/separation are not well reported in the literature. In the present investigation, pilot-scale experiments were carried out on VSK separator by varying feed rate, cage wheel speed, and blower speed to assess the classification and separation efficiency. The experimental results indicated that classification imparts 8.5–38.5% yield to the fines product with a d₅₀ cut-size varying between 18 and 106 µm. Statistical analysis carried out to evaluate the separation efficiency indicated that the cage wheel speed and blower speed are having a prominent effect on the product yield, silica content, and d50 cut-size. The interaction effect between cage wheel speed and blower speed plays a vital role in product quality. The classification and separation efficiency of the unit was evaluated and discussed with respect to different operating parameters. Further, the size separation index (SSI) has been developed to quantify the separation efficiency, which is simpler than the conventional ways of assessments.

分离过程是许多工业操作的组成部分。由于缺水和工艺需求，与湿式分离器相比，当今大多数工厂都配备了干式分离单元。VSK分离器是一种动态空气分级机，广泛用于高压研磨辊（HPGR）的闭路循环中。与传统的球磨机-分级机电路相比，HPGR-VSK分离器电路显着降低了磨削能耗。然而，文献中没有很好地报道VSK分离的基本原理及其在矿物分类/分离中的应用。在本研究中，通过改变进料速度，笼轮速度和鼓风机速度在VSK分离器上进行了中试规模的实验，以评估分类和分离效率。_50个切割尺寸在18到106 µm之间变化。进行统计分析以评估分离效率表明，笼轮速度和鼓风机速度对产品收率，二氧化硅含量和d50切割尺寸有显着影响。笼轮速度和鼓风机速度之间的相互作用对产品质量起着至关重要的作用。针对不同的操作参数，对单元的分类和分离效率进行了评估和讨论。此外，已经开发出尺寸分离指数（SSI）来量化分离效率，这比常规评估方法更简单。