Performance of Vertical Roller Mills

at
Bharathi Cement Corporation Pvt. Ltd.,
Nallalingayapalli

Olivier Thomas
Performance Director
 Technical Configuration
Line #1 – Commissioning in September 2009:

- LM 54.6 for raw mix grinding.

- LM 26.3 for coal grinding.
- LM 63 3+3 for clinker grinding.

Line #2 - Commissioning in February 2011:

- LM 54.6 for raw mix grinding.

- LM 26.3 for coal grinding.
- LM 53 3+3 for clinker grinding – 2 units.

Cement Plant:

- Budget of 2.46 M Tons Cement of dispatch in 2012.

- A-Grade Cement positioned on the south Indian market and MH.
- Cement Ratio OPC : PPC : PSC = 45 : 55 : 5.
- PPC with an addition of 27 – 28% of fly ash.
- Consumption of Indian, Indonesian, SA coal and petcoke (6% sulphur content)

© by LOESCHE GmbH
- Usage of secondary fuels – Up to 10% substitution rate (wood chips and
pharmaceutical wastes).

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 Commissioning Phase
Focus Point – LM 53 3+3 – Successful Learning Curve
Think, Study, Feel, Measure and Observe – Start-up to nominal capacity in 45
days

Phase #1 – Start-Up:
• Ensure a thorough cold commissioning and testing – Control management pressure to
delay the start-up if necessary.

• Work up properly all pre-conditions between parties, especially regarding clinker C3S,
temperature and content of additives.

• Make sure commissioning engineers have a dedicated operating station.

• Start the mill in complete ‘manual’ mode. Set a lower fineness target  Objective to
observe and feel the mill.

• Proceed with frequent in-the-field inspections with Loesche’s commissioning

engineers.

© by LOESCHE GmbH
• Adjust hydraulic settings accordingly after this first phase to ensure a “sustainable”
capability of successful start-up when pressing the ‘start’ button for the next times.

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 Commissioning Phase
Phase #2 – Observe & Feel:
We are entering a testing phase to determine if the mill can respond to our demand 
Increase material output and achieve fineness.

• Increase grinding pressure  If main motor kW do not increase, material is being

flushed out of the table by the rollers. It is a way to determine if the dam ring height is
adapted.

• Increase grinding pressure  dP (mill) is decreasing since we are grinding faster and
more finer particles are leaving the system faster than coarser particles.

• Optimize total air volume so that rejects stay at a minimum.

• Determine if sudden dP variations are linked to a change in the clinker quality

(granulometry and/or temperature)  Do not fight it!

• Measure fineness after a few hours  Adjust grinding pressure and draft. Keep in mind:
 Rollers and grinding pressure give Blaine.
 Separator gives rejects.

© by LOESCHE GmbH
• A lower draft (or total flow) increases the efficiency of the separator  Never overlook
this aspect.

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 Commissioning Phase
Performance – Conversion Factor
Compare to supplier’s specification

Clinker Grinding:

Expected Output (t/h) = Nominal Output / (Targeted Blaine / Original Blaine) ^ 1.4
Formula can be applied to power consumption (or at motor shaft only)

e.g. LM 53 3+3 in OPC at 3,200 Blaine.

Specification = 230 t/h at 3,000 Blaine and 25.4 kWh/Ton Cement.
Expected Output = 230 / (3,200 / 3,000)^1.4 = 210 t/h.
Expected Power Consumption = 25.4 * (3,200 / 3,000)^1.4 = 27.8 kWh/Ton
Cement.

Raw Mix Grinding:

See next slide for Polysius conversion factor.

e.g. LM 56.4.
Specification = 21.85 kWh/T at R90µ = 14% or R212µ = 2%.

© by LOESCHE GmbH
Expected Power Consumption at R90µ = 19%  Nominal Value * (1.04 / 1.14).
(See next slide)

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 Commissioning Phase

© by LOESCHE GmbH
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 Commissioning Phase
Performance – Control Loop

Clinker Grinding:

1.Recirculation Damper Position = f (Mill Inlet Pressure).

2.Feed Rate = f (Mill Differential Pressure).
3.Booster Fan Speed = f (Mill Outlet Temperature).
4.Draft Fan Speed = f (Total Air Flow).

Water injection does not control mill outlet temperature for a cement mill (not
simply manageable).

Raw Mix Grinding:

1.Recirculation Damper Position = f (Mill Inlet Pressure).

2.Feed Rate = f (Mill Differential Pressure).
3.Water Injection = f (Mill Outlet Temperature)  See control philosophy between ‘table’
and ‘top section injection’.
4.Draft Fan Speed = f (Total Air Flow).

© by LOESCHE GmbH
5.Baghouse Inlet Damper = f (Draft Fan Outlet Pressure).

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 Performance Improvement

Loesche Optimization Plan - Cement Mill LM 53 3+3

and LM 63 3+3

Targets:
 Increase mill output.

 Reduction in ‘Specific Power Consumption’.

 Consistency of produced cement quality.

 Stability of operation.

 Optimize water consumption for bed formation (Important in India).

© by LOESCHE GmbH
Loesche India Round Table 2012 8
 Performance Improvement

© by LOESCHE GmbH
Loesche India Round Table 2012 9
 Performance Improvement

Not done

© by LOESCHE GmbH
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 Performance Improvement

Dam Ring Water Injection

© by LOESCHE GmbH
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 Performance Improvement

Cone Stump Classifier Static Blades

© by LOESCHE GmbH
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 Performance Improvement

Bed formation with ‘S-Roller’ for

effective grinding on a specific
surface or width of the ‘M-Roller’

© by LOESCHE GmbH
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 Performance Improvement

Verification of louver ring Impact of too much water

blinding pattern injection

© by LOESCHE GmbH
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 Performance Improvement
Technical Calculation – Plant Level:
Motor Motor Rotor Circ. Standard
CM2/CM3 LSKS 87 power % Speed Speed Reducer Speed Velocity Value
Rotor Circonferential
Velocity kW VFD rpm n1 (rpm) n2 (rpm) m/s m/s
Motor 250 100 1500 1500 95.6 26.8 25 - 30
600 38.3 10.7
Ratio 15.6904
Peripheric
Diameter Perimeter Height Rotor Area
m m m m2
Rotor Diameter 5.35 16.8 3.273 55.0

Mill Output PPC 230t/h Standard Value

Specific rotor load 4.2t/hm2 10t/hm2
Air Amount 550000m3/h
Specific air load 0.42kg/m3 < 0,75kg/m3

© by LOESCHE GmbH
Air ratio 2.4m3/kg

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 Performance Improvement
Bharathi - CM2/CM3 - Specific Grinding Pressure (1 Roller):
Grinding force kN F = Fr + Fh
Roller grinding force kN Fr = (Mr*9,81)/1000
Roller weight kg Mr
Hydraulic grinding force kN Fh
Specific grinding pressure kN/m2 Kt = F/A
Roller projected area m2 A

Mr 27000 kg
Operational pressure 86 bar
Counter pressure 20 bar
Dcyl 0.4 m
Drod 0.16 m
Cylinder number per roller 2
Roller diameter 2.24 m
Roller width 0.71 m
A (projected) 1.5904 m2

Fr 265 kN
Fh 931 kN
F 1196 kN

© by LOESCHE GmbH
Kt 752 kN/m2
Loesche maximum value 1200 kN/m2

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 Performance Improvement
Bharathi - CM2/CM3 - Calculation - Absorbed Power - KWh/t:
N (kW) = kT*A*z*v*µ
Master Rollers - M (z) 3
Slave Rollers - S (z) 3
Friction Coefficient (µ) 0.1
Roller Diameter - Max = 2,5m -
Min = 2,15m 2.5m 1.47m
Roller Width] 0.71m 0.48m
Projected Area (A) 1.775m2 0.7056m2
Table Diameter 5.3
Grinding Path Diameter 5.3m 4.6
Table Speed 22.6tr/mn 1.18m/s 22.6tr/mn 1.18m/s
Roller Speed (v) 47.9tr/mn 6.27m/s 70.7tr/mn 5.44m/s
Mechanical Coupling - Yield 0.95
Electrical Motor - Yield 0.960
Mill Specified Output 208t/h PPC 3600cm2/g
Theory
Limestone & M-Rollers' S-Rollers' Power at
Actual Gypsum Clinker path path Sum motor's mtr Forecast
kN/m2 kN/m2 kN/m2 kW kW kW kW kWh/t
Specific Grinding Pressure 752 650 800

© by LOESCHE GmbH
Absorbed Power - Table 2798 352 3149 3453 16.6
Installed Power - Table 4700

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 Performance Improvement
Performance Figures

Raw Mill #2 – LM 56.4:

• Specification – 21,85 kWh/Ton Material at R90µ = 14%.

• Expected power consumption = 20.47 kWh/Ton Material.
• Expected mill production output = 375 t/h.
• Actual grinding fineness at R90µ = 17 to 18%.
• Actual Performance.
17.5 kWh/Ton Cement.
 415 t/h.

Cement Mill #2 – LM 53 3+3:

• Specification.
 PPC = 29.2 kWh/Ton Cement and 203 t/h at 3,600 Blaine.
• PG Test.
 PPC = 21.38 kWh/Ton Cement and 217 t/h at 3,625 Blaine.
• Daily Plant Operation.

© by LOESCHE GmbH
 PPC = 26.9 kWh/Ton Cement and 201 t/h at 3,570 Blaine.

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 Performance Improvement
Operation of vertical mills for clinker grinding:

1. Performances are achieved in a reliable manner.

2.Increase of mill output is noticeable during longer operational runs.
3.‘Specific Power Consumption’ has decreased (expect 1 to 2 kWh/Ton Cement).
4.Rejects below 45 µm and [3 – 30]µm range are consistent and there is room for
adjustment with the separator  Check water demand on a regular basis.
5.‘LM 53 3+3’ operates with stability and is to be considered as a good system when
analyzed thoroughly and operated properly.
6.Water injection remains too high (3.5% of total mill output) and needs to decrease to
2.5%.
7.Hardfacing on the rollers and table remains an expensive maintenance operation.
8.Commissioning needs always to be combined with an analysis of clinker grindability.
9.Optimization of clinker granulometry and temperature is also part of getting the best

© by LOESCHE GmbH
out of a ‘LM 53 3+3’.

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Thank You