Comminution Concept Review: Cairo Technical Center

Cairo Technical Center
Comminution
Concept Review
Grinding I
May, 5
What Does It Mean???
Wikipedia
 Comminution is one of the four main groups of mechanical

processing and describes the movement of the particle size
distribution (grains, drops, bubbles) into a range of finer particle
sizes (The other groups are agglomeration, separation and
mixing).
Oxford Dictionary Definition

 comminuted
 /komminyootid/
• adjective 1 technical: reduced to minute particles or fragments.
 — DERIVATIVES comminution noun.

December
 — ORIGIN from Latin comminuere ‘break into pieces’ 2009 2
Content
Material granulometry
Material moisture
Material temperature
Material grindability
December
2009 3
Content
December
2009 4
Material Granulometry
 Fineness requires energy!

 Fineness can be expressed for example on the basis of particle d80,
 Lets reduce, three times in a row, by a factor of 10, the size of a clinker
particle
Required energy Only 2 kWh/t are required to
30 mm 3 mm reduce from 30 to 3 mm
This time 6 kWh/t are required to

3 mm 300 µm
reduce from 3mm to 300 m
Even if the clinker is easy to grind, an

additional 24 kWh/t are required to
300 µm 30 µm
reduce to 30 m (equivalent to a 350
m²/kg fineness)
December
2009 5
Comminution Efficiency
Jaw and Roller Crusher 70 - 90%
Impact Crusher 30 - 40%
Hammer Crusher 15 - 25%
Roller Press 10 - 20%
Vertical Roller Mill 7 - 15%
Tube Mill 6 - 9%
December
2009 6
Grinding is necessary because:

 it creates surface area so that a good chemical reaction occurs
(Blaine)
 it reduces particle size to ensure that all of it will be consumed
And grinding uses ~ 60% of plant electricity !!
December
2009 7
Energy consumption
MATERIAL FINAL PRODUCT

grindability SSB
granulometry granulometry
kWh/t
WORKSHOP
WORKSHOP CHARACTERISTICS
OPTIMIZATION Open/closed circuit
Separator generation
December
2009 8
Evaluatethe impact of final product fineness
change on the mill output
n
 Blaine1 
W 2  W 1  
With :  Blaine 2 
 W2: flow of the future product
 W1: flow of the current product
 Blaine2: fineness of the future product
 Blaine1: fineness of the current product
 n: constant depending of the separator type

 1.4 with a third generation
 1.6 with open circuit
December
2009 9
 It has an effect on grinding efficiency :
Chunks larger than 50 mm
+ +
Very different ingredient sizes
clinker slag limestone
…and …and High variations over a period of time

clinker
Which cause mill disturbances
December
2009 1
Example of loss in efficiency
when producing cement with 25% limestone:
Large chunks of limestone, to the mill

 cause :
• old crusher or crusher in poor condition leaving 10% chunks of 50 - 150 mm (2 - 6”)
 consequences for the mill :

• high charge disturbance,
• plugging, highly irregular operation,
• drop in production (15%).
 solutions :
• regular crusher maintenance to maintain its performance,
• provide a grizzly or grates before mill inlet.
December
2009 1
Another example:
 Degradation of clinker d80 from 15 to 20 mm
and despite a negligible theoretical energy increase...
 consequences:
• loss in grinding efficiency => drop in production.
 solutions:
• balls larger than 90 mm should NOT be added to C1
• maintain burning conditions constant,
• maintain clinker cooling and crushing constant
December
2009 1
 Reasons of performance decrease :
Inadequacies between material size and grinding media
 The Bond Formula gives the ball 1000

size mm adequate to the feed size
Max ball diameter (mm)
100 mm
Prohibited zone for

mechanical reasons
10 mm
1, mm 10, mm 100, mm
Clinker size D80 (mm)
December
2009 1
Content
December
2009 1
Material Moisture Content
To maintain good ball mill operating conditions
 limit the moisture at the mill feed:
• in general: 2% on fresh feed
 in closed-circuit with typical circulating loads:

• 4 to 7% moisture max in the fresh feed with adjusted conditions
Consequences of too much moisture

 sticking, coating,
 operating instability,
 plugging of the diaphragm slots,
 elevator problems,
 and…
December
2009 1
Mill Type Fresh Feed Moisture
open circuit 1 - 2%
closed circuit 2%
closed circuit + hot gas 3 - 4%
closed circuit + drying
7 - 8%
chamber + hot gas
vertical mill (+ hot gas) 25%
December
2009 1
 Corrective measures when moisture content is too

high
Work in the section upstream of the mill
• Control material, inventories and reclaiming,
• Rotary dryer, drying crusher or flash dryer,
• Drying compartment at the front end of the mill,
• Preheating of the mill shop.
With closed circuit

• Dry partially in the separator,
• Hot gas in separator => increase rejects T°C.
December
2009 1
Content
December
2009 1
Material Temperature
 Clinker optimization, in particular, should be strived for

 For blended cement, a hot clinker helps drying in first compartment,
 butit is preferable not to exceed 70°C in pure cement, otherwise excessive

dehydration of the gypsum may occur
 conversely, a cold clinker should be avoided because with adequate

ventilation the temperature may not be sufficient to form enough semi-
hydrate in the cement.
 For good operation:

 control clinker cooling and control inventory
 minimize the stoppages of cement mills
December
2009 1
Content
December
2009 2
Material Grindability
 Interests of a grindability test:
 To follow the evolution of the material grindability
 To compare several plants with different grinding process type
 To size a new workshop with laboratory test
 The grindability test of LAFARGE:
BB10 test December

2009 2
The BB10 Mill
Specifications
 internal 400 mm
width 120 mm
volume 13,2 dm3
total ball charge 10 kg
52 rpm
speed
(77,7% Vc)
feed
< 3,15 mm
granulometry
material quantity 1 kg
0,0141
absorbed power
kWh/revolution
December
2009 2
The BB10 Mill
Ball Charge
9 * 50 mm Balls 4.6 kg
26 * 30 mm Balls 2.9 kg
39 * 25 mm Balls 2,5 kg
December
2009 2
BB10 Test Procedure
Test Procedure (clinker)

 1 kg of crushed material (<3,15 mm)
 After 750 revolutions :

• Sampling of material (grams)
• Blaine determination
• Return of material to the mill
 Same procedure at 1000, 1500 … 4000 revolutions
 At 4500 revolutions :
• Purge of the mill and fineness determination of an average sample
 Result: curve Es = f (SSB)
December
2009 2
BB10 Test Results
 On raw material
Gives a grindability in kW/t = f (Reject at 100µm)
18,0
ENERGIE INDUSTRIELLE (kWh/t)
16,0
14,0
12,0
10,0
8,0
6,0
4,0
2,0
0,0
0,0 5,0 10,0 15,0 20,0 25,0 30,0 35,0 40,0 45,0
(*) Energie Industrielle = Energies bornes moteurs broyeur, séparateur, et élévateur. REJETS à 100 µm
Energie bornes moteur broyeur = 0,85 x Energie industrielle (%)
December
2009 2
BB10 Test Results
On clinker or mix
Gives a grindability in kW/t = f (SSB)
ÉNERGIE INDUSTRIELLE
70
60 BROYABILITÉ EXPÉRIMENTALE
50
40
30
20
FINES S E S S B (cm2/g)
10
1000 1500 2000 2500 3000 3500 4000 4500
December
2009 2
BB10 Test
 Advantages
 simple test
1 kg of material required for cement, 5 kg for raw mix
 Good correlation with other tests (POLYSIUS, FCB…)
4 hours – only 2 samples can be analysed per day in lab.
 Disadvantages
 Batch mill, not ventilated => overgrinding
 Less representative for cements with additions
 Calibrationdone on old generation circuits (open circuit, closed circuit with

first generation separator) December
2009 2
Factors of clinker grindability variations
Energy consumption
Belite / Alite
SO3 clinker % (beyond
But fuel cost and CK reactivity
SO3/Na2O = 1)
Burning level
Crystal size %
Clinker porosity
December
2009 2
Factors of raw meal grindability variations
 Raw meal grindability depends essentially on the

quarry source
 Usual values: 13 + 3 kWh/t for 10% reject at 100µm
December
2009 2
Hardgrove Index – H
Test often used for coal / petcoke grindabilities.

 50g sample, ground in a bowl with 8, 1 inch balls. Pressure applied of
29Kg and material ground for 60 revolutions. Motor power 0.2KW
(19RPM)
 H = 13 + 6.93 D
 Where D is the mass of ground product passing 74µm
 Higher Hardgrove >> the easier material is to grind.

• Very hard 25-30
• Very soft 120-130
December
2009 3
Importance of uniformity
 Mills require uniform feed in terms of quality

and quantity:
• Constant fineness of the feed materials
• Long production campaign
• good reliability, precision and accuracy of feeders
 Minimize the number of products

• it is impossible to optimize an operation for several products that
are quite different
December
2009 3
Summary
 Fineness costs energy

 The finer the product, the more expensive the production
 The grinding energy increases faster than the fineness
 Ways of improvement
 Granulometry of the feed
• No chunks coarser than 50 mm
• Similar particles size of the components when ground together
• Consistent particles size
• For clinker, the goal should be d80 = 15 mm and not more than 5% coarser 25 mm
• For raw materials, the goal should be d80 = 25 mm and not more than 5% coarser 40 mm
 Moisture
• It has to be considered in all cases but depends on the workshop and fineness to achieve
December
2009 3
Summary
 Ways of improvement
 Temperature in cement grinding :
• a hot clinker helps drying the additives
• a clinker which is too hot will lead to excessive dehydration of the gypsum
• when too cold, the temperature may not be sufficient to form enough semi-hydrate in the cement
• the right level of temperature for the cement at the mill outlet is around 95°C but it depends on the installation
 Grindability
• Energy required at the mill ;
 Raw Materials: 10 to 16 kWh/t
 Clinker: 46 kWh/t +/- 15 kWh/t at 350 m²/g, depending on :
C3S; Burning; Cooling; SO3 level
 Uniformity
• Mill feed has to be stable in terms of quality and quantity
• it is impossible to optimise one mill for a wide range of products
December
2009 3
The grinding shop constantly needs to be
optimized because many factors can impact the
operation
 change of clinker or raw material type
 variation of grindability
 variation of feed size
 variation of moisture
 variation of temperature
 wear (ball charge, equipment...) on a longer term
 Sensors drift
December
2009 3

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Cairo Technical Center

 Comminution is one of the four main groups of mechanical

Oxford Dictionary Definition

• adjective 1 technical: reduced to minute particles or fragments.

 — DERIVATIVES comminution noun.

 Fineness requires energy!

This time 6 kWh/t are required to

Even if the clinker is easy to grind, an

Jaw and Roller Crusher 70 - 90%

Impact Crusher 30 - 40%

Hammer Crusher 15 - 25%

Roller Press 10 - 20%

Vertical Roller Mill 7 - 15%

Grinding is necessary because:

 it reduces particle size to ensure that all of it will be consumed

And grinding uses ~ 60% of plant electricity !!

MATERIAL FINAL PRODUCT

 W1: flow of the current product

 Blaine2: fineness of the future product

 Blaine1: fineness of the current product

 n: constant depending of the separator type

 It has an effect on grinding efficiency :

Chunks larger than 50 mm

clinker slag limestone

…and …and High variations over a period of time

Which cause mill disturbances

when producing cement with 25% limestone:

Large chunks of limestone, to the mill

 consequences for the mill :

 Degradation of clinker d80 from 15 to 20 mm

and despite a negligible theoretical energy increase...

Inadequacies between material size and grinding media

 The Bond Formula gives the ball 1000

Max ball diameter (mm)

Prohibited zone for

 in closed-circuit with typical circulating loads:

Consequences of too much moisture

 plugging of the diaphragm slots,

Mill Type Fresh Feed Moisture

 Corrective measures when moisture content is too

With closed circuit

 Clinker optimization, in particular, should be strived for

 butit is preferable not to exceed 70°C in pure cement, otherwise excessive

 conversely, a cold clinker should be avoided because with adequate

 For good operation:

 minimize the stoppages of cement mills

 Interests of a grindability test:

 To follow the evolution of the material grindability

 To compare several plants with different grinding process type

 To size a new workshop with laboratory test

 The grindability test of LAFARGE:

BB10 test December

Test Procedure (clinker)

 After 750 revolutions :

 Same procedure at 1000, 1500 … 4000 revolutions

 Result: curve Es = f (SSB)

1 kg of material required for cement, 5 kg for raw mix