Method for producing solid ceramic particles using a spray drying process

1. A method for producing solid sintered ceramic particles that are substantially round and spherical comprising:

preparing a slurry having a solids content of about 50 to about 75% by weight, and comprising water, a ceramic starting material and a dispersant, which ceramic starting material has an alumina content of greater than about 40 weight percent, and which dispersant is added to the slurry in an amount of 0.075 weight percent to 1.0 weight percent by weight of the dry ceramic starting material and is selected from the group consisting of colloids, polyclectrolytes, tetra sodium pyrophosphate, tetra potassium pyrophosphate, polyphosphate, ammonium citrate, ferric ammonium citrate and sodium hexametaphosphate and;

feeding the slurry to an atomizer operably connected to a dryer;

operating the atomizer to atomize the slurry into droplets;

operating the dryer to provide an air inlet temperature in a range of from about 100° C. to about 500° C.;

forming solid substantially round and spherical particles by allowing the droplets to pass through the dryer and exit through a discharge of the dryer;

sintering at least a portion of the particles discharged from the dryer at a temperature of from about 1000° C. to about 1600° C. for a time at peak temperature of from about 20 to about 45 minutes, wherein sintered, solid, substantially round and spherical particles are formed having an average particle size of greater than about 200 microns, an average bulk density of greater than about 1.40 g/cc, and an average apparent specific gravity of greater than about 2.60.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the air inlet temperature is in a range selected from the group consisting of from about 100° C. to about 200° C., from about 200° C. to about 300° C., from about 300° C. to about 400° C., and from about 400° C. to about 500° C.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the air inlet temperature is in a range selected from the group consisting of from about 150° C. to about 200° C. and from about 200° C. to about 250° C.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

adding a binder to the slurry before feeding the slurry to the atomizer, wherein the binder is added to the slurry in an amount of less than about 0.5 weight percent, by weight of the ceramic starting material.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

adding a binder to the slurry before feeding the slurry to the atomizer, wherein the binder is added to the slurry in an amount of less than about 1.0 weight percent, by weight of the ceramic starting material.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the dispersant is added to the slurry in an amount of 0.075 weight percent to about 0.3 weight percent by weight of the dry ceramic starting material.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the dispersant is added to the slurry in an amount of 0.075 weight percent to about 0.5 weight percent by weight of the dry ceramic starting material.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the ceramic starting material is selected from the group consisting of calcined material, uncalcined material, partially calcined material, and mixtures thereof.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein the ceramic starting material is selected from the group consisting of kaolin clay, bauxitic kaolin and bauxite.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein the atomizer is selected from the group consisting of rotary wheel atomizers, pressure nozzle atomizers and dual fluid nozzle atomizers.

11. A method for producing solid sintered ceramic particles that are substantially round and spherical comprising:

preparing a slurry having a solids content of about 50 to about 75% by weight, and comprising water, a ceramic starting material and a dispersant, which ceramic starting material has an alumina content of greater than about 40 weight percent, and which dispersant is added to the slurry in an amount of 0.075 weight percent to 1.0 weight percent by weight of the dry ceramic starting material and is selected from the group consisting of colloids, polyclectrolytes, tetra sodium pyrophosphate, tetra potassium pyrophosphate, polyphosphate, ammonium citrate, ferric ammonium citrate and sodium hexametaphosphate;

feeding the slurry to an atomizer operably connected to a dryer;

feeding drying air into the dryer;

operating the atomizer to atomize the slurry into droplets;

forming solid substantially round and spherical particles by allowing the droplets to pass through the dryer; and

controlling at least one of the solids content of the slurry, the temperature of the drying air entering the dryer, and the feed rate of the drying air entering the dryer so as to produce solid substantially round and spherical particles, that when sintered at a temperature of from about 1000° C. to about 1600° C. for a time at peak temperature of from about 20 to about 45 minutes, have an average particle size of greater than about 200 microns, an average bulk density of greater than about 1.40 g/cc, and an average apparent specific gravity of greater than about 2.60.

12. The method of claim 11 further comprising:

adding a binder to the slurry; and

controlling the amount of the binder and the dispersant so as to produce the sintered, solid substantially round and spherical particles having an average particle size of greater than about 200 microns, an average bulk density of greater than about 1.40 g/cc, and an average apparent specific gravity of greater than about 2.60.

13. The method of claim 12 wherein the binder is selected from the group consisting of polyvinyl alcohol, polyvinyl acetate, methylcellulose, dextrin and molasses.

14. The method of claim 11 further comprising:

adjusting a dimension of the dryer so as to adjust at least one of the average particle size, bulk density and apparent specific gravity of the solid substantially round and spherical particles.

15. The method of claim 14 wherein the height of the dryer is increased so as to increase the average particle size of the solid substantially round and spherical particles.