Grinding systems operation principles

and advances in grinding system

V Naga Kumar

NATIONAL COUNCIL FOR CEMENT & BUILDING MATERIALS

BALLABGARH (HARYANA)
Size Reduction in Cement Manufacturing Process

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Electricity Consumption for Cement Production
 Grinding Technology in Cement Process
• Main function of Raw Mill
 Drying of the raw material
(Special case up to 25% of the moisture content of raw mix)
 Comminution to define fineness
 Separation of fines from coarse material (rejects)
• Main function of Cement Mill
 Drying of wet components (Slag)
 De-hydration of sulphate carriers
 Comminution to define fineness
and particle size distribution
 Separation of fines from coarse material (rejects)

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Ball Mill

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Vertical Roller Mill (VRM)

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High Pressure Grinding Rollers(HPGR)

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Horizontal Roller-Mill (Horomill)

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Comminution Mechanism of different Grinding Systems

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Grinding Forces in Ball Mill

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Specific Energy Consumption of Various Grinding
Systems
Ball Mill

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 Ball Mill Operation
• Reliable – Long service life of wearing parts
• High product fineness can be achieved
• Wide particle size distribution of cement – Good workability for concrete
• High grinding energy demand – less than 10% of total grinding energy is used
for comminution
• Limited in size
• Limited in feed moisture – raw material grinding maximum feed moisture up
to 3% respectively up to 7% with drying chamber

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 Ball Mill Optimisation

• Mill Investigation
Control of condition of wearing parts
( lining, slot plates, etc.)
Recommended once in a year
Control of ball filling level
Sampling at each meter of grinding path
Material and balls

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 Variable parameters for operation of Ball Mill

Operation Parameters of Ball mills are easy to modify;

• Filling degree of feed
• Separator adjustment
• Circulating load
• Air Speed
• Water injection (if installed)
• Filling degree of grinding media
• Grinding media composition

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 BALL MILL OPERATING PARAMETERS

• Weigh feeder [%], [t/h]

• Very accurate
• Control quality and system load
• Electronic ear [%]/[dB]
• Valid for trend indication
• Varies with many material characteristics
• Mostly used for alarm purpose
• Mill motor power absorbed [kW]
• Indication of material load in mill (average 1st and 2nd
compartment)
• Bucket elevator power
• Good indication of total material through the mill
 BALL MILL OPERATING PARAMETERS
• Separator rejects flow meter [t/h]/[%]
 Best and fastest indication to adjust circulating factor and mill load
 Trends indication possible with corresponding instrumentation
• Temperatures [°C]
 Mill inlet – drying/cooling needs
 Intermediate diaphragm
– drying efficiency, necessary hot gases or water injection 1st comp.
for good material flowability
- maintain temperature around 100 [°C]
 Mill discharge (product or air)
− Indication of cooling/heating needs, ideal 100 – 120 [°C]
− Air normally 5 [°C] lower than material
 Separating air – cooling effect in separator
 BALL MILL OPERATING PARAMETERS

• Water injection [l/h]

 1st compartment − Only with clinker temp > 100 [°C]

− up to 1/3 of total water injection

 2nd compartment − control of mill discharge temp.

− up to 2/3 of total water injection

• Static pressure mill discharge mbar – magnitude of draught

• Fineness of product – adjust separator speed

High Pressure Grinding Rolls (HPGR)

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 What is a Roller Press
 Originally a compaction tool rather than a grinder
 Mainly as a pre-grinder for Capacity increase
 Integral Grinding with a high recirculation rate
 Applies the concept of high pressure transfer
through a bed of material
 Pressure across the bed has a compacting effect
on material which is crushed and gradually reduces in size
 Stability ensured by uniform feed control
 Can be utilized in various configurations
 Energy saving: substitution rate w.r.t. Ball Mill: 1.5~2.5 kWh/t
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Configuration for Roller Press Circuit

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 Pre-Grinding with HPGR

Characteristics of pre-grinding
• ~15% increase in throughput compared to a single ball mill
• Intermediate product with 800-1000 cm²/g with a very wide particle size
distribution
• Option to with and without cake recirculation
• Can be used to supply several ball mills
• Smaller balls can be used in ball mill chamber with reduction in Power
consumption
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• Very simple plant layout with minimal operating cost
 Hybrid Grinding

Characteristics of hybrid grinding

• ~65% increase in throughput compared to a single ball mill
• Increase in throughput is limited by the fineness of the feed
• Intermediate product typically with 1500 cm²/g
• Wide particle size distribution of the intermediate product
• Simple plant layout with low investment costs
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Semi-finish grinding
with closed circuit
ball mill

Characteristics of semi-finish grinding

• More than 150% increase in throughput compared to a single ball mill possible
• Energy saving of more than 50% compared to an equivalent ball mill for the
intermediate product
• Intermediate product typically with 1800 cm²/g to 3500 cm²/g
• Narrow particle size distribution of the intermediate product 24
Semi-finish grinding with closed circuit ball mill

• Can also be used for finish grinding

• Can be used to supply several ball mills
• Speed of rolls depending upon fineness of feed
• Flexibility to grind different products with a variable speed
drive
• Additional energy savings possibility by suitable ball charge

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Specific Energy Demand

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Performance Increase

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 HPGR Operation
• Direct connection between feed size and product
• Change in feed size and constant separator setting
 Coarser feed size – increase circulation load
 Only tolerable with in certain limits
 Beyond these overfilling of grinding system and possible shutdown
• Possible solution
 Decrease of separator speed – decrease in fineness
 Reduction of fresh feed
 Roller gap defines the feed limit – opening increases circulation load further
 Prevention strategy : prevent segregation in the silo/hopper

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 Operation Parameters

• Accumulator, nitrogen charge setting

• Hydraulic system, set point pressure
• Initial gap, zero setting of gap.
• Vibration of press and press drive.
• Bearing and oil temperatures
• Lubricating system.

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Operation Behaviour - HPGR

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Crack developed on Hard Face

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Grinding roller surface

Flat surface Polysius

Hexagon surface

KHD

Chervon surface

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 Wear Protection of Roller Press

• Optimization of working pressure

• Extraction of metal particles before comminution
• Limitation of fresh material in grinding zone
 Recirculation of deaerated cracks
• Homogeneous application of material along the gap
• Properties of roller surface/roller type

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 Maximizing Absorbed Power
Roller speed [m/s]

unstable operation

Stable operation

Circulating load factor [-]

 Maximize absorbed power by increasing circulating load close to point of unstable

operation
 For example circulating load of 2 the roller speed should not exeed 1.5 – 1.55 m/s 34
Vertical Roller Mill (VRM)

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 VRM - External Circulation
fresh feed

bucket elevator

louvre ring
Used for reducing
scraper gas flow pressure
lost over the mill
(less pneumatic
internal circulation)
collecting conveyor
 Vertical Roller Mill (VRM)
Transport
Exhaust gases
Raw meal

1. Separation  Drying Separation

Feed
Material

Grinding

2. Grinding  Hot
gases

Drive
Energy
3. Drive 
 What is vertical roller mill
• A vertical roller mill is a type of industrial equipment used to crush/grind materials
into small particles. These machines consist of a large, heavy-duty steel drum that
relies on both hydraulic and pneumatic forces to pulverize rock or stone.
 Used in cement industry
 Vertical Mills used for
 Pre-grinding of clinker (lumps to coarse powder)
 Finish grinding (lumps to powder) of
 Coal/Petcoke for kiln
 Raw materials for kiln
 Cement, OPC or mixed
 Slag, pure or mixed
 Advantages of vertical
roller mills
 Ability to handle a wide range of feed size
 Mill is designed to grind and dry raw material using hot gases during grinding
operation. The operation stability of mill remain very good even at high
moisture level.
 Greater flexibility in control at product chemistry and particle size.
 The retention time in the mill is very low and hence any desired corrections
or changes in product size or chemistry can be quickly achieved resulting in a
better quality.
 Advantages of vertical roller
mills
 Great flexibility to various feed characteristic.
 The grinding pressure of rollers can be very easily adjusted to take care of
varying hardness and size of feed.
 Stable operation control can be achieved by controlling mill differential
pressure.
 Important advantage with roller mill is substantial saving in power
consumption and Increase in production.
 Compact design requiring limited space and lower level of noise pollution.
VRM- Material Flow Inside

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 Working principle
• Vertical mills comprise 2-4 conical rollers which are hydraulically pressed onto a
horizontal rotating grinding table.

• The roller axis is inclined at 15o to the table and, as axes of rollers and table do
not intersect in the plane of the table. the relative motion involves both rolling
and sliding which enhances comminution.
 Working principle
 Feed material is directed onto the centre of the table and is thrown outward by rotation
under the rollers besides a rising air current at the periphery which is directed by means of
a louvre ring.

 Rotary classifier; fines & coarse pass out with the air current while coarse material falls
back onto the feed table.

 Material drying occurs in air suspension between table and classifier. Circulating load is
typically 800%. Roller mills are prone to vibration due to an unstable grinding bed.
 Feed Size Product Fineness

Ball Mill 5% - 25% + 90 µm

Maximum 5% + 25 mm

1.0% - 2.0% + 212 µm

Vertical Roller Mills

Up to 150 mm
 Moisture Content in Raw Materials

Normal moisture content: 3% - 10% H2O

Possible to dry >20% H2O in vertical mills

Up to 6 to 7%-H2O – Drying with kiln gases

Above 7% H2O – Supplementary heat from auxiliary furnace or cooler

 VRM - Accessories
Rotary valve
Reduces false
air entering
with feed
material. Good
for dry, small
size material.

Weigh belt Metal extraction

Metal objects
damage the
roller & table.
The magnet
Weighs the passing material removes them
ensuring a continuous
grinding bed in the mill
Influences on the Grinding Energy

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Material Movement of Grinding Table

Low movement of
the material Low material amount

Pyramid Optimum material amount

Increase of material Best grinding performance
flowability Stable operation behaviour

Cone stump (Loesche) Too much material

Enhancement of Vibrations
material movement Unstable operation
Guidance of the rollers Failure, Damage 49
 Parameters to be Monitored during
Operation
 Feed rate, tonnes/hour
 Grinding press. (bar) or (kN/m2)
 Mill Motor (Kw)
 Grinding bed thickness (mm)
 Vibration level (mm/s)
 Pressure drop across the mill
 Mill outlet temperature
 Fan flow
 Rejects (If external recirculation present)
 Water flow
 Additional Parameters to be
Monitored
 Operating hours
 Involuntary downtime hours
 kWh/tonne (mill motor + fan + separator+Aux)
 Product fineness on 90/212 microns for raw mill ,coal
mill and blaines for cement mill
 Feed moisture, %
 Product moisture, %
 Feed size
 Reasons for Vibrations

• Inhomogeneous feed material

• To high to low material bed on the table
• Working pressure of the roller to high
• Excessive grinding table velocity
• Inhomogeneous volumetric flow rate
• Wear of grinding tools
• Formation of material compositions
• Disturbance of hydraulic system

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 Problems Cause by Vibrations

Vibration can cause instable mill behaviour leading to failure of different parts of
installation:

• Gearbox
• Motor(overload)
• Leakages in the hydraulic system
• Damages to roller bearings and seals
• Breakage/damage of roller supports
• Increased false air
• Increased wear of separator and other equipment

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Pros and Cons

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Pros and Cons

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Pros and Cons

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Pros and Cons

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THANK YOU

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