Crushing Plant Simulation Software for Engineers
Predict throughput, identify bottlenecks, and compare equipment scenarios using real machine data, all in your browser, before a single machine is procured.
Plant performance estimates based on spreadsheets rarely match reality
Feed variability, screen efficiency losses, and recirculating loads interact in ways that are hard to account for in a spreadsheet. A back-of-envelope throughput calculation does not capture what happens when the secondary crusher is the bottleneck, or when a screen deck is close to capacity.
Vendor estimates are useful, but they are usually given for a single machine under ideal conditions, not for the full circuit under your actual feed gradation.
Crushing plant simulation software solves this by running a mass balance through the full circuit, using real equipment performance data at each stage, so you can see the behaviour of the whole plant rather than each machine in isolation.
Steady-state simulation and what it covers
Quorr runs a steady-state mass balance through your plant flowsheet. Steady-state simulation estimates what happens once material flow is stable: it calculates throughput, product gradation, recirculating load, and machine utilisation at each node, assuming the plant is running at consistent feed conditions.
This is appropriate for the majority of plant design decisions, including equipment sizing, circuit configuration, CSS sensitivity, and product yield analysis.
Dynamic effects — start-up sequences, stoppages, bin level changes, liner wear over time, operator behaviour, and maintenance downtime — may need separate analysis. Steady-state simulation does not replace operational experience or detailed engineering design for those cases.
How Quorr approaches crushing plant simulation
Quorr runs a steady-state mass balance through your plant flowsheet, using the equipment specifications you select and the feed conditions you define. Each machine contributes its own performance calculation, and the results propagate through the circuit to give you throughput, product gradation, and constraint information at every node.
Throughput simulation
See the actual tonnage flowing through each machine and conveyor in the circuit, based on feed rate, CSS, and screen aperture settings.
Product gradation
Track particle size distribution through each reduction stage and screen deck. See what proportion of material falls into each product size range.
Bottleneck identification
Quorr can help identify capacity, utilisation, and specification constraints, including crusher overload, screen overload, excessive recirculating load, conveyor limits, product gradation issues, and stages where the required product split cannot be achieved.
Scenario comparison
Change a CSS setting, swap a crusher model, or add a screen stage and run the simulation again to see the impact on the full circuit.
What simulation output looks like
A Quorr simulation gives you a node-by-node view of the circuit. The table below shows the kind of data available at each stage:
| Stage | Fresh feed (t/h) | Recirculating load (t/h) | Total feed (t/h) | Product (t/h) | Utilisation | Constraint? |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Primary jaw | 500 | — | 500 | 500 | 72% | No |
| Secondary screen | 500 | — | 500 | 180 (u/s) / 320 (o/s) | 85% | No |
| Secondary cone | 320 | 140 | 460 | 460 | 94% | Near limit |
| Product screen | 460 | — | 460 | 320 (u/s) / 140 (o/s) | 78% | No |
Illustrative values only. Actual throughput depends on feed gradation, equipment specifications, CSS, screen aperture, screen efficiency, and material properties.
How crushing plant simulation works in Quorr
The simulation in Quorr uses manufacturer performance data and standard mass balance methods. Each piece of equipment contributes its own calculation:
Jaw crushers
Throughput and product gradation are calculated as a function of feed gradation, closed side setting (CSS), and feed opening size. Reducing the CSS produces a finer discharge gradation but reduces throughput. Quorr models this trade-off in the context of the full circuit, using performance data from the selected equipment.
Example only. Actual capacity depends on manufacturer data, chamber geometry, CSS, feed gradation, rock strength, moisture, bulk density, liner condition, feed method, and operating practice.
Cone crushers
Cone crusher performance is modelled using CSS, eccentric throw, and chamber profile. A tighter CSS produces a finer product but with a lower throughput rate. The simulation shows how this affects every downstream stage, including the recirculating load in a closed circuit.
Vibrating screens
Screen efficiency is applied to calculate carry-over to the next stage. Screen area, deck aperture, feed rate, and material moisture all affect screen performance. Differences in screen efficiency propagate as changes in recirculating load in a closed circuit, affecting conveyor and crusher loads throughout.
Running a plant simulation in Quorr
Build the flowsheet
Connect crushers, screens, and conveyors in the sequence that matches your plant design. Quorr supports open and closed circuit arrangements at any stage.
Set equipment parameters
Enter CSS, screen apertures, deck area, and capacity for each machine. Quorr uses these parameters alongside manufacturer performance data.
Define feed conditions
Set the feed particle size distribution (PSD), bulk density, and target fresh feed rate. This drives all downstream calculations in the simulation.
Run the simulation
Quorr calculates throughput, product gradation, recirculating load, and machine utilisation at each node in the circuit.
Identify constraints
Any stage approaching or exceeding its rated capacity is flagged. See immediately where capacity, product gradation, or recirculating load is the limiting factor.
Compare scenarios
Adjust CSS, change a machine, or restructure a circuit stage and re-run the simulation. Share results with colleagues or clients via a browser link.
What you can simulate with Quorr
- Throughput at each stage: crusher feed, crusher discharge, screen feed, screen undersize and oversize
- Product gradation at each stockpile in the circuit
- Screen efficiency and its effect on carry-over and recirculating load
- Recirculating load in closed circuits, expressed relative to fresh feed and total crusher feed
- CSS sensitivity: how changing crusher setting affects throughput and product size
- Capacity, utilisation, and specification constraints across the circuit
- Impact of adding or removing a screening or crushing stage
- Comparison between two or more plant configurations for the same feed
Simulation limits and engineering judgement
Quorr is a design and scenario comparison tool. It helps users estimate mass balance, product yield, utilisation, and likely bottlenecks, but it does not replace manufacturer guarantees, detailed engineering design, site trials, pilot testing, commissioning data, or professional judgement.
The simulation is only as good as the input data. Feed gradations that are poorly characterised, equipment specifications that are approximate, or screen efficiency assumptions that do not reflect actual conditions will all affect the reliability of the output.
Use simulation results as a structured starting point for design decisions and equipment comparisons, not as a substitute for manufacturer performance guarantees or site-specific engineering assessment.
Who uses crushing plant simulation software
Process engineers
Size plant equipment correctly for the target throughput and product specification. Validate design assumptions before procurement.
Consultants
Run scenario analysis for clients, comparing plant configurations and equipment options with a rigorous mass balance behind each result.
Technical buyers
Evaluate equipment options in the context of your actual plant, using real performance data rather than vendor capacity tables.
Simulate your crushing plant before you build it
Register your interest and we will be in touch when Quorr is ready for your plant simulation.
Frequently asked questions
How accurate is the simulation?
Quorr uses manufacturer performance data and standard mass balance methods. Accuracy depends on the quality of equipment specifications and feed data you provide. The simulation is a design tool for comparing scenarios and sizing equipment, not a substitute for vendor guarantees or on-site testing.
Can I compare two different plant configurations?
Yes. You can create separate plant designs and compare their simulation results, or adjust a machine or setting within the same design and see the impact across the full circuit.
What happens when a crusher is overloaded in the simulation?
Quorr flags the stage as a constraint. You can then upsize the machine, reduce the feed rate, or restructure the circuit to resolve the issue.
Does the simulation model screen efficiency?
Yes. Screen efficiency is applied to calculate carry-over to the next stage, which affects recirculating loads in closed circuits and product yield at each stockpile.
Can I model a mobile crushing plant?
Yes. Mobile crushing and screening equipment follows the same mass balance principles as fixed plant. You can model mobile jaw, cone, and impact crushers alongside mobile screens in the same flowsheet.