Technical Paper

Production technology

Mill performance
matched to the task
Throughput enhanced by optimising cooling and disc configuration

Contact: Stefan Mende times small primary particles are already present in ag-
Michael Rappl Michael Rappl glomerates or aggregates and are held together through
Netzsch-Feinmahltechnik
binding forces of varying strength. Here, dispersion of
GmbH
michael.rappl@ Various designs have been introduced to replace these aggregates may be sufficient.
netzsch.com standard smooth discs in horizontal mills. The newly Therefore, depending on the products to be ground, ma-
developed discs are available in both plain form chines are required with which a varying energy den-
and with additional bumps that increase agitation sity can be obtained. This has been successfully accom-
of the beads. Appropriate selection of these discs plished with the development of the new disc geometry
and a new cooling package increases output while for horizontal mills.
reducing the necessary specific energy input.
Theoretical principles of bead milling

A
gitator bead mills are used for the grinding of a
wide variety of products in industries including
foods, pharmaceuticals, agrochemicals, microelec-
tronics, ceramics and fillers. Some of the key products
manufactured with these machines are pigments, dyes,
paints and printing inks.
Essentially, the comminution processes in these mills can
be categorised as either true comminution or dispersion
processes. With true comminution, fractures must be
triggered in crystalline or amorphous particles in order to
achieve a reduction in the particle size. However, some-
Figure 1: Division of
the space between
two grinding discs
into volumes of
differing energy
density [6]
Grinding in agitator bead mills is influenced by various
operating parameters. Extensive investigations have
shown that the essential factors are the specific energy
input, the stress energy of the grinding media, the num-
ber of effective particle stresses and the dwell time of
the particles in the mill.
For batch processes, the grinding energy for the product
is calculated from the duration of grinding and the power
input to the mill. The specific energy input is derived
from the grinding energy relative to the ground product
volume. For fully continuous processes, the specific en-
ergy input is determined by correlating the power input
to the product mass flow or volume flow. Stehr [1] and
Weit [2] have shown that the progress of comminution
for each product is primarily determined by the specific
energy input.
Further studies [3-6] have shown that a direct correlation
exists between the stress energy of the grinding media,
the number of effective impacts and the specific energy
input required to achieve a specific result. Here the stress
energy is understood as being the kinetic energy of the
grinding media, which is subject to a more or less broad
distribution depending on the design of the machine.
This kinetic energy is determined primarily by the mass
and speed of the grinding media. An effective impact
event results if sufficient energy can be transferred to
the product upon impact to trigger a particle fracture or
to overcome the binding forces between the primary
particles. Grinding media stress energies that are either
too low or too high for the specific task can increase the
amount of energy dissipation, producing unwanted heat.

How increased power density

affects mill performance
Molinex “TriNex” “TetraNex” Some mill manufacturers advertise ever higher power
Figure 2: Evolution densities that can be achieved in agitator bead mills. This
of grinding disc means that the power input obtainable is increased as
geometry grinding chamber volumes become ever smaller. The

88 European Coatings J OURNAL 12 l 2014 www.european-coatings.com


advantage is obvious – with such mills, greater production
output can be achieved with smaller grinding volumes.
However, one should keep in mind that there can be no
reduction in installed motor power and hence the drive
unit, the mechanical seal, the bearing and the entire ma-
chine stand. This means that the only initial savings re-
sult from the fact that the machine can be operated with
a smaller amount of grinding media.
This trend only makes sense if large amounts of stress
energy are required for comminution of the product or
if care is taken that with the increase in power input
more effective grinding media contact also takes place.
Effective grinding media contact means that the kinetic
energy of the grinding media at impact and the energy
transferred to the stressed particles exceed the frac-
ture energy or the binding energy so that comminution
progresses.
However, if this energy, identified as grinding media
stress energy, is greater, the excess amount is primarily
converted to heat or, in addition to the heating of the
product, leads to increased wear on the grinding media
and/or the machine.
Therefore, power input increases are always accompa-
nied by a need for sufficient cooling to prevent over-
heating of the product during the comminution process.
The Netzsch “Cool Plus” package has been developed to
provide optimum cooling for machines of up to 60 litres
capacity.
Factors affecting power
density in horizontal mills
Higher power input can be achieved through the rota-
tional speed of the agitator shaft and primarily through
the mill geometry and the geometry of the accelerating
elements. Particularly high power densities can be real-
ised in agitator bead mills with annular gap geometry
Results at a glance
The design of horizontal bead mills should be
optimised for the task to be carried out. A certain
level of impact energy is required to provide effec-
tive grinding but very high impact energy levels will
generate excessive heat.
Over the years, several different designs have
been introduced to replace standard smooth discs in
horizontal mills. Today, the newly developed discs
are supplied in both plain form and with additional
‘bumps’ on the face that increase bead agitation.
By changing between these two types of discs, mill
performance can be optimised for the grinding of
different pigments.
An optimised cooling system has also been intro-
duced for the company’s horizontal mills. Changing
the disc geometry and optimising cooling can greatly
increase production rates while reducing the neces-
sary specific energy input.
www.european-coatings.com
Technical Paper
Production technology
Figure 3: Increase in power input with constant agitator speed
with pegs or even a peg/counter-peg arrangement rath-
Dispersing
Book tip
er than discs.
Pigments and
Here, the grinding media are more intensively activated
Fillers
and accelerated by the pegs. At the same time, a consid-
erably narrower grinding media speed distribution results
from the annular gap geometry as compared to what are Jochen Winkler
known as full-volume or disc agitator bead mills. www.european-
The result is that, in a direct comparison of agitator bead coatings.com/
mills with annular gap geometry and pegs to the con- books
ventional full-volume or disc agitator bead mill, the disc
agitator bead mill with roughly twice the grinding cham-
ber volume and the same grinding media fill level has
the same power input at a comparable peripheral speed.
A stress or accelerating element is understood as being
a disc if it has a closed external contour with no sharp
transitions, through which no activation element (such
as a peg or other non-circular part) of any kind is formed.
Energy distribution in
disc agitator mills analysed
Stender [6] provides a very comprehensive description of
the movement and energy density in disc agitator bead
mills. For analysis, the space between two grinding discs
is divided into four volumes which are characterised by
different energy densities (see Figure 1).
In volume V1, the tangential speed of the grinding media
increases from the centre (i.e. from the agitator shaft) to
the outside. At the same time, the tangential speed of
the fluid, and therefore of the grinding media as well,
drops sharply from the agitator disc outwards in the axial
direction.
Due to this sharp drop in speed, grinding media impacts
with large speed differentials are obtained in volume
V1, especially in the axial direction, which results in
the transfer of large amounts of stress energy. In vol-
ume V2, the tangential speed of the grinding media falls
12 l 2014 European Coatings J OURNAL 89
 Technical Paper
Production technology

from values that almost correspond to the agitator disc eccentric discs were effectively combined in one disc.
peripheral speed at the outer edge of the agitator disc The resulting agitator disc became known as the “Trinex”
to almost zero at the grinding chamber wall. Therefore, and was the standard disc geometry for these horizontal
large amounts of stress energy are also transferred to the disc mills for many years.
product in volume V2. This idea was picked up by other mill manufacturers.
Due to the greater distance from the agitator disc, the For example, Premier developed a grinding disc shape
grinding media speeds are significantly lower in volume with four corners. With this shape, the drawback of the
V3 than in V2, while in volume V4 there is no longer a "Trinex" geometry, a smaller average disc diameter com-
clear shear rate in the axial or radial direction. The grind- pared to a concentric round disc, could be counteracted
ing media circulate at a certain tangential speed, but only without giving up the additional activation of the grind-
minimal speed differences appear. ing media in the axial direction.
Therefore, in volume V4 only grinding media contact with Following the acquisition of Premier by Netzsch in 2010,
negligible stress energy occurs. Also, due to the centrifu- this disc geometry was transferred to the company’s
gal forces present, the concentration of grinding media in horizontal mills. In addition, a new concept was devel-
volume V4 is significantly reduced. oped based on the disc shape. A further disc geometry
was formed by special activation elements which are ar-
Modified disc geometry ranged on the front of the grinding disc.
The name of this new geometry is “Tetranex” for smooth
increases efficiency discs without activation elements and “Tetranex Plus”
The conventional geometry of the grinding disc is the for discs with activation elements. Due to the activation
centre-mounted solid disc. In recent decades, a wide va- element on the front of the grinding discs, the grind-
riety of disc geometries with different outer contours and ing media in the space between two grinding discs are
hole shapes or slots have been marketed (see Figure 2). activated by additional axial impulses. A significantly
With these discs eccentrically mounted on the agitator higher energy density is achieved with greater energy
shaft, the movement of the grinding media was radi- utilisation.
cally altered. In addition to the radial activation of the There are two practical configuration options for these
grinding media, impulses were now transferred to the grinding discs. Combining smooth discs with those hav-
grinding media in the axial direction as well. This led to ing activation elements facilitates energy-intensive
an increase in the effectiveness and to an improvement grinding with high power input.
in flow behaviour in the mill. Figure 3 shows the increase in the power input to a
The company’s “LME” agitator bead mills were equipped mill run with water. The machine was first run with the
with these eccentric discs and it quickly became ap- Trinex agitator shaft and then, with the same amount
parent that, due to strong vibration, this arrangement of grinding media, with the newly developed agitator
could only be controlled up to a certain machine size. shaft at different speeds. All other operating parameters
Therefore, disc geometry was developed in which three were identical. For example, at a speed of 1200 rpm the
power input was increased from 6.9 kW to 10.1 kW, i.e.
by 46.6 %.
In numerous tests in the Applications Laboratory, it has
been shown repeatedly that certain pigments or solids
Table 1: Variation of different operating parameters to optimise the production that only need to be de-agglomerated can be processed
of a red packaging ink much more effectively if the energy density in the mill
is deliberately reduced. This is easily achieved if only
Test Number 1 2 3 4 smooth discs without activation elements are mounted
Agitator shaft design “Trinex” “Tetranex” “Tetranex” “Tetranex” on the agitator shaft.
Grinding media type “Zs” beads “Cerabeads” “Cerabeads” “Cerabeads” With these two disc geometries it is therefore possible to
Grinding media size 1.0 - 1.2 mm
0.8 - 1.0 0.8 - 1.0 0.8 - 1.0 adapt a standard machine to the requirements of a par-
mm mm mm ticular application by changing the arrangement of the
Grinding media quantity 34 litre 34 litre 36.3 litre 36.3 litre grinding discs on the agitator shaft, with no additional
Grinding media bulk density 2.4 kg/l 3.6 kg/l 3.6 kg/l 3.6 kg/l structural modifications.
Peripheral speed 10.8 m/s 10.8 m/s 12.0 m/s 12.0 m/s
Power consumption 36.0 A 38.0 A 38.5 A 38.0 A Faster production with
Grinding chamber pressures 0.6 – 0.7 bar 0.5 bar 0.5 bar 0.5 bar
improved quality
Product outlet temperature 55 – 60 °C 45 °C 50 – 55 °C 50 – 55 °C
Number of passes 2 2 2 2 Packaging inks are frequently produced with an agita-
tor bead mill. A field test was run with a customer (see
Product throughput (first
120 kg/h 240 kg/h 360 kg/h 240 kg/h Table  1) in which different operating parameters were
pass)
Product throughput (second varied in order to optimise the production of a red pack-
120 kg/h 180 kg/h 120 kg/h 180 kg/h aging ink.
pass)
Production output 60 kg/h 103 kg/h 90 kg/h 103 kg/h After the first test, the grinding system of the machine
Specific energy requirement 351 kWh/t 193 kWh/t 237 kWh/t 204 kWh/t was converted to discs with the optimised cooling pack-
Near Better than
age. The existing grinding media were replaced with
Product quality Standard Standard more wear-resistant beads with a higher grinding me-
standard standard
dia density. Due to the improved thermal conductivity

90 European Coatings J OURNAL 12 l 2014 www.european-coatings.com

 Technical Paper
Production technology

of the grinding chamber lining, it was possible to lower

the product outlet temperature despite the increased
power input.
As a result, by increasing the amount of grinding media
and the peripheral speed from 10.8 m/s to 12 m/s the
power input was increased even more in further tests
without exceeding the required maximum temperature
of 60 °C. With additional optimisation of the dwell time
distribution by combining a pre-grinding pass at a higher
product throughput rate and a second pass at a lower
product throughput rate, a product was created that
showed significantly better quality characteristics (sheen,
covering power and transparency) than the standard.
The production output increased from 60 kg/h to 103 kg/h
(approximately 72 %), with a simultaneous reduction in
the required specific energy of more than 40 % from
351 kWh/t to 204 kWh/t of packaging ink. (An overview
of these results is presented in Figure 4.)

Optimisation package
with benefits guaranteed
Similar results from tests with different products confirm
this experience. Therefore, the company offers existing
customers with an agitator bead mill a special optimisa-
tion package for paint and printing ink. This optimisation
package includes: Figure 4: Increase in production output with simultaneous reduction of specific
»»The newly developed disc grinding system optimised energy input required for the manufacture of a red packaging ink
to the application for higher power input and greater
production output.
»»Optimised cooling package, available for models up
to the “LME 60” to guarantee lower product tempera-
tures even for the highest grinding capacity (highest
energy input).
Reference grinding can be carried out with the existing This has been shown in extensive field tests with
grinding system, upgrading of the machine, followed real products. With the full optimisation package, the
by a performance test run. Process analysis with the production output of existing customer plants was in-
company’s specialists is provided to discover additional creased in some cases by more than 70 %. In the pro-
optimisation potential (such as predispersion or modi- cess, the required specific energy input was reduced in
fied machine parameters) and consultation on optimum some cases by more than 50 %. í
choice of grinding media.
The conversion of existing machines leads to a marked
increase in the production output, of more than 50 % REFERENCES
in most cases. Therefore, for every customer who pur-
chases the full optimisation package, the company offers Stehr N., Zerkleinerung und Materialtransport in einer Rührwerk-
[1] 
to return the machine to its original state at no net cost if skugelmühle, Dissertation, TU Braunschweig, 1982.
the increase in output is less than 30 %. Weit H., Betriebsverhalten und Maßstabsvergrößerung von Rüh-
[2] 
rwerkskugelmühlen, Dissertation, TU Braunschweig, 1987.

Optimisation increases Kwade A., Autogenzerkleinerung von Kalkstein in Rührwerkmüh-

[3] 
len, Dissertation, TU Braunschweig, 1996.
output, reduces energy Joost B., Kwade A., Feinstzerkleinerung in Rührwerksmühlen, Das
[4] 
Grinding of products such as paints and coatings in what Keramiker-Jahrbuch, 1996.
are known as full-volume or agitator bead mills is an es- Becker M., Zerkleinerung keramischer Rohstoffe und Simulation
[5] 
tablished technology. The development of a new disc ge- der Zerkleinerung in Rührwerkskugelmühlen, Dissertation, TU
ometry successfully combines the advantage of full-volume Braunschweig, 1999.
mills (large quantity of grinding media) with the benefit of Stender H.-H., Einfluss von Größe und Bauart auf die Zerkleinerung
[6] 
peg mills (narrow grinding media speed distribution). in Rührwerkskugelmühlen, Dissertation, TU Braunschweig, 2002.
This sets a new trend in increasing the power input with
a simultaneous increase in the number of effective im-
pacts in the mill. The benefit for all users, increasing the
production output while lowering the specific energy re-
quirement, reduces production costs considerably.

www.european-coatings.com 12 l 2014 European Coatings J OURNAL 91