Ball Mill Guia

CEMENT PROCESS ENGINEERING VADE-MECUM
CHAPTER 1-1 – BALL MILLING INCLUDING SEPARATORS
1-1. Ball Milling including

Separators
© Copyright 1990-2010, Lafarge SA. All rights reserved. BALL MILLING incl. SEPARATORS – Page 1/25
INTERNAL USE ONLY Version September 2010
Table of Contents
1. Ball Mill General ............................................................................... 3
1.1. Comparison of Grinding Equipment ................................................................3
1.2. Mill Design .......................................................................................................3
1.3. Percent loading of mill .....................................................................................3
1.4. Mill Critical Speed ............................................................................................4
1.5. Retention Time ................................................................................................5
1.6. Mill Throughput ................................................................................................5
1.7. Required air velocities for mill ventilation ........................................................5
1.8. Optimum filling ratio: ........................................................................................5
2. Ball Charge and Internals ................................................................ 6

2.1. Largest Ball ......................................................................................................6
2.2. Grinding Balls Data..........................................................................................6
2.3. Other internals .................................................................................................7
2.4. Mill Internal Inspection Sheet...........................................................................7
3. Ball Charge Design (Finish Mill) ..................................................... 8

3.1. Recommended volume loading .......................................................................8
3.2. Ball charge design for new mill without pre-existing experience.....................8
3.3. Polysius Design ...............................................................................................9
3.4. Slegten Model ................................................................................................10
3.5. Fineness in Finish Mills:.................................................................................11
4. Grinding Laws ................................................................................ 11

4.1. Absorbed Power of a Mill...............................................................................11
4.2. Charles, Bond, Kick & Rittinger Laws............................................................12
5. Grindability Measurement ............................................................. 13

5.1. BB10 Test ......................................................................................................13
5.2. Bond Test.......................................................................................................13
5.3. Hardgrove Test ..............................................................................................14
5.4. Parameters Affecting the Clinker Grindability................................................14
6. Mill Performance Benchmarking .................................................. 15

6.1. Performance Indicator Finish Mills Absorbed (PIFMA) .................................15
6.2. Benchmarking Ball Mills with Bond Wi ..........................................................16
7. Separator ........................................................................................ 17
7.1. Circulating Load (CL).....................................................................................17
7.2. Tromp Curve ..................................................................................................17
7.3. Indicators for Cement Milling and Typical Values .........................................19
7.4. Recommended Sizing for a HES...................................................................20
8. Grinding Aid ................................................................................... 21

9. Other Data....................................................................................... 22
9.1. Sieve Sizes ....................................................................................................22
9.2. Bulk Densities ................................................................................................22
9.3. Residue Conversion Chart ............................................................................23
10. References...................................................................................... 24
1. Ball Mill General
1.1. Comparison of Grinding Equipment

The priority study cement grinding shop compares the full shop power consumption using the 3 main
types of technology, see the table below:
Closed Circuit Vertical Mill Roller Press

Ball Mill *(Integral Grinding)
Power Consumption kWh/t 40.2 27.4 26.9
Relative Consumption 1.0 0.68 0.67
* Integral grinding is not used for cement grinding due mainly to quality issues with the narrow particle
size distribution of the product. Hence semi-integral grinding using a closed circuit roller press and
closed circuit ball is more common with a circuit power consumption of around 30 kWh/t.
1.2. Mill Design

General L/D ratio
• Raw mills: 1.5 < L/D < 3.2
• Finish / cement mills: 2.5 < L/D < 3.0
L/D vs specific power consumption for different

volume loads
The optimum specific energy and the highest

output for cement grinding is reached with an L/D
ratio of 2,5 to 3.
Length of first Compartments relative to total mill length

• Raw mills: First compartment length equals 35 – 45% of total mill effective length.
• Cement mill: First compartment length equals 30 – 35% of total mill effective length.
• When L/D>1.5, classifying liners might be used.
• The lower the L/D, the higher the circulating load needs to be (see below).
1.3. Percent loading of mill

2π 0.9
αr 2 − r sin α (h − r ) h/d
• % volume load = 360

0.8
πr 2
0.7
where:
r is the radius 0.6
h is the free height
h−r 0.5 0
α (degrees) = arccos
10 20 30 40 50%

r % volume load
Rules of thumb
• % vol. Load = 111.87 – 123.98 (h/d), 25 – 50%: error max 0.6%.
• It is estimated that material increases the actual ball filling ratio by about 2%.
• Another method (quick but not as accurate) consists in counting the number of visible shell liner
plates (n) and to divide by the total number of shell liner plates per circumference (N): Angle α =n
x 360 / N.
Values of angle h/d ratio in relation to the ball load (% filling degree)
Ball load (%) h/d n/N Ball load (%) h/d n/N
20 .7459 .667 31 .6516
21 .737 32 .6434 .590
22 .7281 .653 33 .6352
23 .7193 34 .627 .580
24 .7106 .639 35 .6189
25 .702 36 .6109 .569
26 .6926 .625 37 .6028
27 .685 38 .5948 .558
28 .6765 .611 39 .5868
29 .6682 40 .5789 .549
30 .6598 .601 41 .5709
42 .563 .539
1.4. Mill Critical Speed

Gω 2 r
C • C = mω 2 r =
g
m
P where:
r
G = Weight of grinding ball in kg
G
Ž
ω = angular velocity of mill tube (rad/sec)
n = rev per minute
C = centrifugal force kg
• P = G * sin ∂
(P is the resulting force of gravity)
• To maintain the ball in this position on the mill wall, it is
necessary that C ≥ P.
60 2 g 42.3
• Mill critical speed: nc = = with D in meters
4 π2 r D
% Critical speed:
• Practically, mill speed between 68 and 82% of critical speed.
• % critical speed is the mill actual speed in RPM divided by nc.
Example:
3.98 meter mill with rotational speed of 15.6 rpm then nc = 21.2, % critical speed = 73.6 %.
1.5. Retention Time

Rules of thumb:
• Retention time in mill: Open circuits: ~ 12 min
Closed circuits: ~ 5 min
• Feed is pushing the material through the mill, If mill throughput increases: retention time decreases:
C
8< < 12 where: C is the ball charge weight, M is the material weight
M
Fluoroscein Tracer test:
• 2g/t of mill production. Prepare the fluoroscein with 800-ml alcohol and impregnate 2 kg of mill feed
material (in a plastic bag).
• Put the material at mill inlet, start the time and sample every 30 s during 30 min. (others use salt).
1.6. Mill Throughput
• Using elevator power and after calibrating we have:
(kW − kW0 ). 3600 .η
Where:
A= A = Material flow (mtph)
9,81. H kW = Actual elevator power
kW0 = Elevator power empty
η = Elevator efficiency
H = Inter axis elevator height
1.7. Required air velocities for mill ventilation

Rules of thumb
• Recommended 1.5 m/s above the ball charge:
- inside the trunnion: 22-25 m/s.
- partitions: 8-14 m/s (<20 m/s).
- hood: <5 m/s to prevent dust from being sucked up (dust pick-up is proportional to speed^2).
- dropout box: <2 m/s.
• 0.3-0.5 Nm3/kg cement
0.6-0.8 Nm3/kg raw mix (depending upon drying needs)
• Wet bulb temperature should be at least 25°C higher then dew point temperature.
• False air at mill outlet is usually >25%. Consider high false air volume in heat balance and in mill
ventilation design.
1.8. Optimum filling ratio:

• U= (volume of powder in the mill)/ (volume of voids in the charge): between 60% and 110%, optimum
around 90%.
• In practical terms, material level should equal ball level in the first compartment
• In practical terms, material level should be higher than ball level in the second compartment
• The expansion of the ball charge due to the material in between would not exceed 3% in an
optimised mill (measurement of the ball charge level of the empty and the filled mill)
• The material filling in the first compartment can be adjusted with flow control devices in modern
diaphragms. (scoops, flaps)
2. Ball Charge and Internals

2.1. Largest Ball
Bond Formula
- K is a constant (350 for a dry mill open or close circuit,
d Wi ρ 300 for wet)
• d KMAX = 20.17 20 .3 - ρ is the specific mass of material (g/cm3)
K Ψ. Du
- Wi is the Bond work index (kWh/t)
where:
- d KMAX is the largest ball diameter (mm) - Du is the mill inside diameter (m)
- d 20 is the sieve dimension (µ)
- Ψ is the ratio between the actual / critical speed (%)
with 20% retained
Quick evaluation Grinding Ball vs Clinker Size

• For clinker: 100
Optimum Ball Diameter (mm)

B = 24 d 80
(Other formula exist that result in value differences
of ± 5%)
- B = ball dimension (mm)
- d 80 is the sieve with 80% passing
10
.1 1 10 100
Clinker Size d80
2.2. Grinding Balls Data

Grinding Ball dimensions
Diameter Weight Surface Number of balls per Weight of 1 m3 Specific surface

2
mm inch (g) (cm2) metric tons of balls (kg) (m / mt)
100.00 ± 4" 4,001.153 314.159 250 4560 7.854
90.00 ±3½" 2,916.841 254.469 343 4590 8.728
80.00 2,048.590 201.062 488 4620 9.812
77.00 ±3½" 1,826.658 186.265 548 10.207
70.00 1,372.396 153.938 729 4640 11.222
64.00 ±2½" 1,048.878 128.680 954 12.276
60.00 864.249 113.097 1,157 4660 13.085
50.00 ±2" 500.144 78.540 2,000 4708 15,708
40.00 256.074 50.265 3,905 4760 19.628
38.00 ±1½" 219.551 45.365 4,555 20.664
35.00 171.549 38.485 5,830 22.437
31.75 ±1¼" 128.061 31.669 7,809 24.730
30.00 108.031 28.274 9,257 4850 26.173
25.00 ±1" 62.518 19.635 15,996 4894 31.408
23.00 48.682 16.619 20,542 34.139
22.22 =7/8" 43.895 15.511 22,782 35.337
20.00 ±3/4" 32.009 12.566 31,242 4948 39.259
17.00 ±5.8" 19.658 9.079 50,870 4989 46.185
(Unit weight and specific surface of MAGOTTEAUX grinding media)
Quick calculation:
• Ball diameter (mm) = 3 250 P (P = weight in g)
785 2
• Specific surface of balls of diameter = m / mt (d = diameter in mm)
d
Wear rates:
In the 1st compartment the wear rate is correlated with the average ball weight (positive correlation),
whereas in the 2nd compartment it is correlated with the ball charge surface area (positive correlation as
well). Below are general guidelines for raw as well as cement grinding wear rates:
Raw grinding
• Raw mix with free silica (quartz) content <5%: 30-60 g/t
• Raw mix with free silica (quartz) content >5%: 50-100 g/t
Cement
• CEM I, clinker >90%, 300 m2/kg : 30-60 g/t
• CEM I, clinker >90%, 450 m2/kg: 60-100 g/t
• CEM III, slag 70%, 300 m2/kg: 60-120 g/t
• CEM III, slag 70%, 450 m2/kg: 120-200 g/t
• Suppliers would typically guarantee <40 g/t for CEM I
Bulk density for ball load

(Coarse to medium ball size distribution):
• Chamber 1: 4.3 – 4.5 t/m3
• Chamber 2: 4.5 – 4.65 t/m3
• Single Chamber mill: 4.5 – 4.55 t/m3
2.3. Other internals

Partitions
• Total slot area: 10 to 20 cm²/tph production:
Slot Size Central Part Discharge Part
FM 7 mm ± 1 mm 9 mm ± 1 mm Max opening: ½ min ball size
RM 10 mm ± 1 mm 12 mm ± 1 mm
Liners
• Liners replaced when 60% of their effective lifting height has worn away:
- Reduction 8 to 10 % production
- reference points to measure lifting height are the lowest point on the liner to the highest release
point (contact points between grinding ball and liner plate)
• American Lorrain pattern: diameter (ft)*2=# bolt holes/row, 18.8” centre to centre.
• DIN pattern: diameter (m)*10= # bolt holes/row, 31.4 cm centre to centre.
• Classifying liners if L/D>1.5 and volume load<35%.
• Without classifying liners, keep a maximum of 3-4 ball sizes.
2.4. Mill Internal Inspection Sheet
Shell Liner Thickness Ball Charge Remarks – sizes, shape,

contamination, breakages
Shell Liner Lifter Thickness Ball Coating Remarks
Shell Liner Remarks – crack, gaps…. Ball Classification Remarks
Inlet Head Liner Thickness Discharge Grate Slot Size-Average
Inlet Head Liner Remarks Discharge Grate Slot Size-Maximum
Inlet Opening Remarks Discharge Grate Metal Thickness – gaps etc.
Height Liner, to Balls – Average Discharge Grate Percent Blinded
Width Across Balls – Average Discharge/Centre Screen Percent Blinded
Calculated Percent Fill – mill ran out Height of Material relative to media
Build up on water injection lance Calculated Percent Fill – mill crash stopped
Presence of material nibs
3. Ball Charge Design (Finish Mill)

3.1. Recommended volume loading
(see “How to Optimise Ball Charge”)
Recommended Volume Loading
1st Compartment 2nd Compartment 3rd Compartment
1
Minimum kWh/t 26 – 28% 28 – 30% 28 – 30%
Maximum Production 32 – 34 % 34 – 36% 34 – 36%
(Ball level in the trunnion should not be higher than 50 to 75 mm.)
3.2. Ball charge design for new mill without pre-existing experience
Closed circuit finish mill
Chamber 1 Chamber 2
Coarse charge Fine charge Coarse charge Fine charge
Ball size (mm) Ball size (mm)
% % % %
40 (transition
90 40 21 10
zone)
80 29 38 30 25 15
70 19 25 25 25 15
60 12 16 20 20 30
17 20 40
Average ball Average ball
1.83 1.63 47 34
weight (kg/ball) weight (g/ball)
Specific surface
32 37
(m2/t)
Note: With high circulating loads, as with oversized separators the coarser grading in the 2nd chamber is
more suitable to help maintain charge permeability
1
The recommended volume loading for minimum kWh/t is based on an acceptable compromise with production. For
minimum kWh/t the volume loading can be as low as 22% in the second compartment. Due to risk of breakage the
minimum volume loading in first compartment shall not underpass 25%.
Open circuit finish mills
Chamber 1 Chamber 2
Coarse charge Fine charge
Ball size (mm) Ball size (mm) %
% %
90 40 21 30 10
80 29 38 25 10
70 19 25 20 20
60 12 16 17 60
1.83 1.63 30
Specific surface
39
(m2/t)
Raw mills
Chamber 1 Chamber 2
Coarse charge
Ball size (mm) % Ball size (mm) Fine charge %
%
90 40 60 20
80 29 50 30 30
70 19 40 30 30
60 12 30 20 40
1.83 260 186
Specific surface
18 21
(m2/t)
Note: Up to 50% 90 mm are used in some mills
3.3. Polysius Design

• As a rule of thumb, it suits raw mills and especially mono-chambers very well, especially if no
classifying liners are used.
⎡ D ⎤
ln ⎢
9.6 ⎥⎦
• D = 9.6 e −013.x ⇔ x = ⎣
− 0.13
where:
- D = Ø ball (cm)
- x = effective mill length (m)
• Process step-by-step, calculating each effective length starting from the input and with the largest
ball:
1. Calculate effective lengths and the ball sizes you plan to use.
2. Double the first effective length which is both the first interval width and the first cumulative
length.
3. Calculate each succeeding interval width by taking the effective length and subtract the
preceding cumulative length and doubling it. Add this value to the previous cumulative length to
get the new one.
4. If an interval overlaps with the partition divide the interval at the point of overlap. The excess is
carried over to the next compartment. At the end of the mill, the interval is truncated at the point
of overlap.
5. Once the intervals have been adjusted for compartment lengths as described in step (4), divide
the adjusted interval by compartment length and multiply by 100. This is the percent weight for
each size to be used in the compartment.
Slegten Model
• Compatible mostly with classifying linings in the second compartment.
First Compartment – Crushing

• Same number (n) of balls in each size range.80, 70 and 60 mm Ø and then add some 90 mm Ø to
deal with oversize clinker. This equilibrium charge will not change as you add 90 mm Ø make-up
balls to maintain volume load.
Ø Ball (mm) % of Weight (x) % of Weight Number/ 10 t of Charge
90 100-5x 20.0 670
80 2*4x 38.4 1820
70 1.6x 25.6 1820
60 X 16.0 1820
- x = is taken to be the number of balls in the last size.
• In recent years, Slegten has favoured a 3-ball size distribution in first compartments over a 4- ball
size as shown in table above.
Transition Zone
• This is the start of the second compartment and its job is to crush any oversize that penetrated the
diaphragm
• The design for this area is to use "n" balls of 50 and 40 mm.
Ø Ball (mm) Number/ 10 t of Charge
50 1820
40 1820
• The largest ball size used in this transition zone can be identical to the smallest ball size used in the
first compartment.
Second Compartment – Fine Grinding
• The envelope curve for the balls smaller than 40 mm follows the following formula:
• D = 3.3e −010.x
where:
- D = Ø ball (cm)
- x = distance from transition zone finish (m)
• The 30 mm balls start at the completion of the transition zone and the exponential curve follows.
Rule of thumb:
• The smallest ball size should, as a minimum, be at least twice the width of the slots in the grates (ex.
≥16 mm balls if slots are ≤8 mm wide). For this reason, it is generally recommended to use ¾” (19
mm) balls as the smallest size in Finish mills. 5/8” balls are fine when the grates are new but often
become problematic as the grate slots enlarge.
Example: Comparison Slegten & Polysius
1st compartment useful length = 3.81 m, 2nd compartment useful length = 7.66 m
Using an average ball weight of 1.65 kg per ball and 3 ball sizes in the first compartment for
the Slegten model.
Ball size and % Polysius Slegten
compartment load design design
1st compartment 3 ½” 31.0% 32.1%
3” 31.2% 43.1%
2 ½” 37.8% 24.8 %
2nd compartment 2” 2.31% 7.67% Transition zone
1 ½” 23.73% 2.94%
1 ¼” 34.05% 10.08%
1” 2.57% 48.18%
¾” 37.34% 31.13%
5/8” - (Some)1
A limited amount of 5/8” balls should theoretically be added but the designer decided to
use ¾” as the smallest ball size.
3.4. Fineness in Finish Mills:

In the first compartment before intermediate diaphragm
• 95% passing of 2.365 mm (2360 μm or 8 mesh) for the material leaving the first compartment
• Particle size distribution recommended on other sieves:
- 86 – 92 % passing 1.0 mm (1000 μm or 18 mesh)
In the second compartment before discharge diaphragm
• 95% passing 0.5 mm (500 μm or 35 mesh)
• 70 - 80 % passing 0.2 mm (212 μm or 70 mesh)
4. Grinding Laws
4.1. Absorbed Power of a Mill
• Only 5-10 % of the energy is used for grinding, 90% is wasted into heat, wear, noise…
• With similar ball charge gradation and similar liners' lifting effect, the absorbed power is related to:
- Tonnage of balls
- Mill rpm
- % volume load
- Mill diameter
Slegten formula
1.27
⎛ rpm ⎞ π
• P = W * ⎜⎜ ⎟
⎟ * K j * K Fr and W= * Fr 2 * L * J * d
⎝ Vcr ⎠ 4
where:
- P : the motor absorbed power (kW) - J : the ratio between the apparent ball
- W : the weight of the load (T) volume and the internal volume
- Fr : internal diameter (inside liners) (m) - rpm: is mill speed (rpm)
- d is the apparent density of load (t/m3)
#1 comp : d = 4.5
#2 comp : d = 4.65, if fine ball size distribution (average ball weight < 40 g)
d = 4.6, if coarser ball size distribution (average ball weight > 40 g)
Average : d = 4.6
⎛ 42.3 ⎞
- Vcr is the critical speed inside liners= ⎜ ⎟ , L : the useful length of mill (m)
⎜ F ⎟
⎝ r ⎠
K j = 1.36 − 1.2 J , K Fr = C.Fr
0.379
-
- K Fr is the influence of the location of the center of gravity for the moving ball charge vs. the mill
center (C is a constant depending on the material and the liners).
- C= 11.262 for Clinker mill closed circuit with Slegten equipment
10.7 for clinker + slag, 12.16 for raw mix, 10.1 for slurry
1.27
⎛ rpm ⎞ π
• P = L * ⎜⎜ ⎟
⎟ * J* K j * * Fr2.379 * d * C
⎝ cr ⎠
V 4
Simplified formula
⎡ RPM ⎤ 100 Fr
• P =T *⎢ ⎥* *Kj * * 9.5
⎣ Vcr ⎦ 75 1.366
Kj Function of Volume Load
Volume load Kj
40% 0.9
30% 1
20% 1.1
Rules of Thumb
• One metric tonne of balls increases the mill power draw by 10 kW.
• Usually, 8 to 12 kWh/t is absorbed in the first compartment for clinker grinding (approximately 1/3 of
the mill power)
4.2. Charles, Bond, Kick & Rittinger Laws

General Law: Charles
• dW = cx −n dx
- If W = Comminution work, x = Size of
particles (initial, final)
Value of n
Energy Law Value of n: Applies well over range of:
Rittinger 2 10 – 1000 μm
Kick 1
Bond 1.5
Normalized Blaine fineness equation

• Fineness equation, generally accepted within Lafarge:
n
⎡ SA ⎤
W2 = W1 ⎢ 2 ⎥
⎣ SA 1 ⎦
- n = 1.3 for high efficiency separator (HES) circuit, n = 1.4 for second generation separators, n =
1.5 for Sturtevant separators, bearing in mind that 16’ and 18’ Sturtevant separators are more
efficient than the larger 20’ and 22’ Sturtevant. n = 1.6 for open circuit mills
- W1 and W2,are the initial and resulting specific power consumption kWh/t, W is inversely
proportional to production rates.
- SA1 and SA2 are the initial and final product surface areas m2/kg
0.43( SA1 − SA2 ) / 1000

• Proposed by Polysius: C 2 = C1 * e
where C2 and C1 are production capacities
• Rene’s Study: +1% passing at 10µm: +10.8 SSB [m²/kg]
Rules of thumb
• Raw material: 10-16 kWh/t (mill motor) target fineness: passing 200µm>99%, passing 90µm>88%
depending upon burnability of raw mix)
• Clinker: 45 ± 15 kWh/t at 350 m2/kg (mill motor). For a pure cement (95% clinker) at <400 m2/kg, the
mill motor consumption should be <40 kWh/t.
5. Grindability Measurement
5.1. BB10 Test

Idea:
Correlate the number of revolutions of a lab mill for a given fineness with the industrial energy
to obtain the same fineness. The material is crushed to everything passing 3.15 mm. The
number of mill revolutions is measured to obtain a given fineness. Revolutions are converted
to industrial power consumption.
Lab Mill Characteristics:

Diameter: 40 cm Material load: 1kg
Length: 12 cm Balls: 20-25 mm : 2.5 kg
Speed: 55 rpm 20-35 mm : 3 kg
Ball volume load: 14 % 50 mm : 4.5 kg
Ball weight: 10 kg
Lafarge Data
• 60 clinkers. Typical results are 48-60 kWh/t 3500 m2/kg.
BB10 for 250 m2/kg for 300 m2/kg for 350 m2/kg for 400 m2/kg
kWh/t kWh/t kWh/t kWh/t kWh/t
Minimum 21 30 39 49
Average 29.2 39.8 51.8 65.3
Maximum 43 56 68 83
Remark: An average CEM I 32,5 at 300 m²/t can be ground with 28kWh/t related to the mill main drive.
The additional energy for finer grinding should not exceed the Normalized Blaine fineness equation
described in chapter 4.2.
5.2. Bond Test

Lab Mill Characteristics
Diameter: 30.5 cm
Length: 30.5 cm
Ball weight: 20 kg
Material quantity: 700 cm3
Speed: 70 rpm
Formula
44.5 dp100 is the sieve with 100% passing feed material
Wi = dp80 80% feed material
⎛ 10 ⎞
d p 100 0.23 • P 0.82 * ⎜⎜ ⎟
10
− ⎟⎟
df80 80% finish material
⎜ d p 80 d f 80 P is the production (g/rev of mill) of product at the level the
⎝ ⎠
circulating load is requested.
Wi is the Bond work index kWh/short ton.
• Developed to predict energy requirements of 2.44m diameter, wet, closed circuit, ball mill at a
fineness of either 65 mesh (220 µm) or 100 mesh(150 µm).
• Pre-crush feed to #6 (3.35 mm). Maintain 700g sample in test mill. Turn mill 100-150 rev.
• Remove undersize (dp100 – 65 or 100 mesh) and replace with fresh feed (300 – 400 g). 1st cycle is
now completed. Repeat procedure until steady state is reached. Typically 6-8 cycles so that 200 g
are removed at each cycle, which equals 250% circulating load or 30% of “P”.
• The Work index expresses the specific net energy needed to grind a material from indefinite feed size
to dp80 =100 µm
• Wi for Raw materials for cement plants are usually in the range of 8 – 16 kWh/st
Typical Values for Wi for common materials:

Wi kWh/st* ρ (g/cm3)
Clinker: 13.49 3.09
Limestone 10.18 2.68
Shale 16.40 2.58
Slag 15.76 2.93
Sand stone 11.53 2.68
Silica sand 16.46 2.65
Coal 11.37 1.63
Clay 7.10 2.23
Gypsum 8.16 2.69
Kiln feed 10.57 2.67
*Clearlythe Wi can vary significantly from these figures depending upon the nature of the materials and material testing is
necessary for each particular case when assessing a mill.
5.3. Hardgrove Test

The Hardgrove test was originally developed for determination of coal grindability, using a laboratory
scale ring ball mill. Feed size is prepared in the range 600 – 1180 µm. The mill is charged with 50g of
feed and operated for 50 revolutions. The result is calculated from the proportion of material passing
75µm. The figure is meant to compare the grindability with a standard American coal with an index of
100.
Bond gave the following equation to convert HGI into a Bond Wi:
435
Wi =
HGI 0.91
Other similar relationships can be found in the literature. Ranges of HGI found in cement plant raw
materials are given below:
Material HGI*
Clay 130 – 160
Coal 35 – 90
Limestone 60 – 120
Shale 60 - 170
Silica Sand 30 - 100
*Clearlythe HGI can vary significantly from these figures depending upon the nature of the materials and material testing is
necessary for each particular case when assessing a mill.
5.4. Parameters Affecting the Clinker Grindability

1 point increase of Î produces a CaOl D75 alite Alite C3S
variation of C3S Exc SO3 /tot.alk. (%) (%) (µm) x100
W250 (kWh/t @ 250 m2/kg ) -0.3 4 -0.9 0.1
W300 -0.5 4 0.1 -0.1
W350 -0.6 5 0.2 -0.2
W400 -0.7 5 0.2 -0.3
6. Mill Performance Benchmarking
6.1. Performance Indicator Finish Mills Absorbed (PIFMA)

The PIFMA is used to benchmark finish mill performance:
PA Where:
PIFMA = PA – actual specific power consumption mill drive
PT PT – quasi theoretical specific power consumption,
calculated from standard grindability figures
An efficient mill will have a PIFMA close to unity
The theoretical power consumption at a standard surface of 300 m2/kg calculated by:
P
T 300
=
1
MF
(
• X C • SPC C + X G • SPC G + X S • SPC S + X A • SPC A + X P • SPC P + X L • SPC L + X O • SPC O )
Where:
XC, XG, XS, XA, XP, XL and XO are the weight fractions of clinker, gypsum, slag, flay ash, pozzolan,
limestone and other components in the product.
MF is the mill type factor = 1 for a ball mill, =1.6 for a Horomill, = 1.7 for Vertical mill and 1.8 for a roller
press
SPC refers to the standard grindability kWh/t of the components at 300 m2/kg. The standard figures
used are:
SPCC Clinker 28 SPCA Fly Ash 2

SPCG Gypsum 10 SPCP Pozzolan 10
SPCS Slag 43 SPCL Limestone 10
Note the low figure used for fly ash is to adjust for it’s initial surface
The theorectical specific power consumption at 300 m2/kg is then corrected to the actual product
surface area SA, by the following equation:
fs
⎛ SA • (1 − 0.1 * ( X G + X A + X P + X L )) ⎞
P = P •⎜ ⎟
T T 300
⎝ 300 ⎠
Where:
fs = Factor Separator (1.6 for open circuit, 1.5 for first, 1.4 for second, 1.3 for third generation separator, 1.0
for roller press, 1.10 for vertical mill & 1.05 for Horomill)
Subtraction of the term 0.1*(XG+XA+XP+XL) from the surface area is meant to correct for over-grinding of
the softer components.
The resulting PIFMA will be influenced by the mill efficiency and by the grindability of the cement.
Therefore especially in cases of high PIFMA (>1.15) the grindability of the components and the condition
of the milling system will need to be investigated to find improvement potential.
Example Calculation of PIMFA

Determine the PIFMA of a closed circuit ball mill with 3rd generation separator produces 86.2 tph
@ 369 m2/kg with a power consumption at the main motor of 35.6 kWh/t. The product
components are 88.29% clinker, 3.47% gypsum, 6.56% limestone and 1.68% blast furnace slag.
Calculate the theoretical power consumption at a standard surface of 300 m2/kg by:
P
T 300
=
1
MF
(
• X C • SPC C + X G • SPC G + X S • SPC S + X A • SPC A + X P • SPC P + X L • SPC L + X O • SPC O )
P
T 300
1
( )
= • 0.8829 • 28 + 0.0347 • 10 + 0.0168 • 43 + 0.0656 • 10 = 26.4 kWh / t
1
Next calculate the theoretical power consumption at the actual product surface area using:
fs
⎛ SA • (1 − 0.1 * ( X G + X A + X P + X L )) ⎞
P = P •⎜ ⎟
T T 300
⎝ 300 ⎠
1.3
⎛ 369 • (1 − 0.1 * ( 0.0347 + 0.0656)) ⎞
P = 26.4 • ⎜ ⎟ = 34.2 kWh / t
T ⎝ 300 ⎠
Finally calculate the PIFMA
P
PIFMA = A = 35.6 = 1.04
P 34.2
T
6.2. Benchmarking Ball Mills with Bond Wi

Bond is most useful for assessing the power consumption of ball raw mills and coal mills since both target
product particle size rather than surface area:
The power consumption for a new mill can be estimated from the Bond Equation:
⎛ 10 10 ⎞⎟
Where:
Ws = FB • 1.102 • Wi • ⎜ − Ws – calculated industrial mill shaft power kWh/t
⎜ P 80 F80 ⎟⎠ P80 – Product 80% passing size µm
⎝ F80 – Feed 80% passing size µm
FB - Bond Factor for dry grinding normally 1.3
The 1.102 is the conversion from kWh/short ton to kWh/t (metric)

.
For grinding finer than 70µm Bond proposed a fine grinding correction factor, calculated from:
⎛ 10.3 + P80 ⎞
FP = ⎜⎜ ⎟⎟
⎝ 1.145 • P80 ⎠
The Bond equation can also be used for benchmarking existing mills in conjunction with actual mill shaft
power consumption (WSA kWh/t) to compute the Bond factor:
WSA
FB =
⎛ 10 10 ⎞⎟
1.102 • Wi • ⎜ − •F
⎜ P 80 F ⎟ P
⎝ 80 ⎠
Values of less than 1.3 would normally indicate an efficient mill.

Typical values determined for specific mill types grinding cement raw materials are:
1. Bucket elevator ball mill 1.2 – 1.3

2. Tandem Hammer / Airswept mill 1.4 – 1.5
3. Airswept Mill 1.4 – 1.55
4. Double Rotator Mill (Central discharge) 1.2 – 1.3
The Bond equation is also useful to assess the potential impact of changes to mill feed or product size.
7. Separator
7.1. Circulating Load (CL)
Junction with Three Streams
A • A, R, F are the feed, rejects and fines of the separator
- ai , ri , f i are the cumulated % passing at a defined sieve(i).
- da, dr, df are the % retained corresponding to the sieve interval dx.
- A=R+F
- A da = Rdr + Fdf
R F
R df − da F dr − da
With: da = a i + 1 − ai , = , =
A df − dr A dr − df
Drawing CL calculation
• Plot ( f i − a ) vs ( f i − ri ) • Using the least square line calculations,
If the mill circuit is steady, the graph has to with α = 0
be a straight line:
( f − a) = α + β( f − r ) Quick CL calculation
- α should be close to 0 • With one set of results of sieving:
R R f −a
- β is the most probable value of =
A F a−r
- The circulating load is defined as:
R β
=
F 1− β
7.2. Tromp Curve

a) Creating the Tromp Curve
• On the Gauss-logarithmic paper, let's plot the probability for a given particle of a certain size entering
dr( x )* R
the separator to go to the rejects = with:
da( x )* A
n
∑
( f i − ai )( f i − ri )
R i =0
=
A n
∑
( f i − ri ) 2
i =0
• The Tromp curve can be divided into Tromp Curve Representation OSEPA N1500
two straight lines
• The higher sieve fractions have a 99.8
99.5
slope which is representative of the 99
98
separator efficiency (a perfect one
95
would be vertical).
% Probability of Rejection
90
80
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
5
1.0 10.0 100.0 1000.0

Particle Size
b) Imperfection
• d 75 − d 25 where:
I= - d25 is the size of the particle which has 25 % chance of going to
2 * d 50 rejects
- d50 is the size of the particle which has 50 % chance of going to
rejects
- d75 is the size of the particle which has 75 % chance of going to
rejects
Imperfection vs Circulation Load

0.44
Imperfection
0.42
0.40
0.38
0.36
0 100 200 300 400
Circ. load (%)
c) Acuity Limit
• AL is the abscissa of the intersection of the two Tromp curve lines.
• It’s the size at which selection is initiated
d) Bypass
Definition:
• By-pass is the ordinate of the intersection of the two Tromp curve lines.
• The bypass is the lowest percentage of feed that will go to the separator rejects.
Bypass vs. feed rate – Sturtevant Bypass vs. feed rate O’Sepa/Sturtevant
• The following graph shows the Bypass of an
18’Sturtevant versus its feed rate. 80
100
70
Sturtevant
60
80
Bypass (%)
50
Bypass (%)
60 40
30
40
20
O-Sepa
10
20
0
1.0 1.5 2.0 2.5 3.0 3.5
0 Qf/Qa (kg feed/m3 separator sweep)
50 100 150 200 250 300
Feedrate to Separator (t/h)
40
QF/Qa vs. bypass
• If Qf is the separator feed rate (kg/h) and Qa 30
the separator ventilation (m3/h),
Bypass (%)
• Qf/Qa is an important ratio for the separator 20
efficiency.
⎛ Qf ⎞ 10
⎜⎜ − f1 ⎟
Qa ⎟⎠
• Bypass = 1 + e ⎝
0
- f1: coefficient for the separator 0 1 2 3 4
Qf/Qa (kg/m3)
7.3. Rosin Rammler Number (RR#) RRnumber vs. Feed to Air Ratio
•
1.20
The steeper the particle size distribution (RR#
high) the more efficient the grinding and
Rosin-Ramler Number (n)
1.15
separating process.
1.10
• Raw mix RR# are usually lower than those for cement 1.05
grinding
1.00
1.0 1.5 2.0 2.5 3.0 3.5 4.0
Qf/Qa (kg/m3)
Separator Performance
• Rate of recuperation in the fines of particles smaller than a given dimension.
F f
r= *
A a
7.4. Indicators for Cement Milling and Typical Values
Slope Rosin Rammler 1.1 – 1.4 for HES
fines: 0.85 – 1.0 for 1st generation separators (Sturtevant, Raymond)
1.2 for second generation separators
% recovery, 45 μm: 45 to 55% for Sturtevant and >65% for HES
Acuity: 20 – 30μm for Sturtevant and <0.30μm for HES
Imperfection: <0.35 for HES
0.45 – 0.6 for Raymond separators
0.6 –0.7 for Sturtevant separators
Bypass: 5 – 10% range for HES
Circulating load: 150 –200 % with HES
HES Qf/Qa: 1.5 – 2.0 range
% Passing 45 μm: 93% minimum (45 μm = 325 mesh)
7.5. Recommended Sizing for a HES
Parameter Recommended Possible (Min/Max) Industrial Range
Cage loading 20-23 t/h/m2 less than 30 11-36 t/h/m2
Qf/Qa 2 kg/m3 less than 2,2 0,7-3,0 kg/m3
Radial velocity at the inlet of

3,6-4,3 m/s x 2,9-4,5 m/s
the cage
Ratio Am3/h/m2 13000-15000 10500-16300
14 000 Am3/h/m2
Gas volume / Cage Area Am3/h/m2 Am3/h/m2
Circulating load 100%-250% x 45%-270%
1,0 m/min
less than 1,2 m/min
Filtration Velocity Pulse jet H.P.
0,8-1,3 m/min
or Air to cloth ratio 1,1 m/min
less than 1,2 m/min
Pulse jet L.P.
a) Fan and Bag House Sizing

• Use the production rate (T/h), Qf/Qa (kg/ Am3) and circulating load (%) to specify the air flow.
• Most separators can operate at +/- 20% of nominal.
• Only a margin of 5 - 8% above the separator airflow is recommended for the BH.
• Margin of 5-10% is recommended on top of the BH for the fan.
• Correctly specifying the static pressure:
- Pressure drop can be estimated by the dP of the separator (2.5 – 3 kPa), Dust Collector (2 – 2.5
kPa), ducting. (1-1.5 kPa) and if present, silencer (250 – 500 Pa).
- The recommendation is 6.5 kPa with a minimum of 600 kPa.
• Include in the circuit design, the possibility for recirculation of up to 80% of the separator airflow.
8. Grinding Aid
Type of Products
• Surface active agents tend to saturate the free valence and inhibit the pack-set. Typical surface-
active agents are:
- ligno-sulphonates
- polyoils
- amines
- organic acids
• Polar compounds (water, ammonia) are known to have some action on such bonds through their
polar moment. However, their practical use as surface agents is limited by their other impacts on the
cement properties.
• Other agents, particularly coal dust, have been used in the past.
• Commercial products available as grinding aids are essentially (60-800 g/t ck):
- Triethanolamine
- Polypropylene glycols and polyethylene
• HEA2, DDA& and other products cause a definite reduction of pack-set but do not prevent
agglomeration or lump-formation problems that are caused by:
- Alkalis ( K 2 SO4 )
- Moisture
The effect of grinding aid on milling process:

- Enhances the flowability and prevents agglomeration
- Prevents coating on liners and grinding media
- Lower effect on coarser product (below 320 m2/kg)
- Reduces contraction
- Increased production (5-7%)
9. Other Data
9.1. Sieve Sizes
Sieve Screen Micron Iso alter Screen Micron Iso alter
#400 37 38 #14 1400
#325 44 45 #12 1700
#270 53 53 #10 2000 2000
#230 63 63 #8 2360
#200 74 75 #7 2800
#170 88 90 #6 3350
#140 105 106 #5 4000
#120 125 125 #4 4750
#100 149 150 #3.5 5600
#80 177 180 1/4" 6350 6300
#70 210 212 5/16" 8000 8000
#60 250 250 3/8" 9510 9500
#50 297 300 7/16" 11200 11200
#45 354 355 1/2" 12700 12500
#40 420 425 5/8" 16000 16000
#35 500 500 3/4" 19000 19000
#30 595 600 7/8" 22600 22400
#25 707 710 1" 25400 25000
#20 850 1"1/4 32000 31500
#18 1000 1000 1"1/2 38100 38100
#16 1180 2" 50800 50000
9.2. Bulk Densities

Bulk density kg/m3
Sand 1387
Sand 1679
Iron 2629
Bauxite 1980
Brick 1502
Gypsum 1677
Fluid coke 926
Limestone (crushed) 1803
Silica fume 1024
Bottom Ash 1241
Cement T I-II 1234
T 10 1207
T III 1054
Clinker 1575
Clinker (underburnt) 1400
Raw mix 1041
9.3. Residue Conversion Chart
CONVERSION OF
% residue at 90μm
SIEVE RESIDUES
70
50
40
30
355 μm
20
250 μm
12.0%
10
200 μm
180 μm
7
5
150 μm
4
3
125 μm
106 μm
0.7
0.5 90 μm
0.4
80 μm
0.3
14.22%
63 μm
0.2
75 μm
56 μm
% residue
12.0%
50 μm
45 μm 25 μm
0.1 0.7 1 2 3 4 5 7 10 20 30 40 50
10. References
¾ Cement Portal Grinding Domain

How to manage the ball charge level
How to check the airflow through the mill
How to do a routine stop inspection
How to do a mill crash stop inspection
How to optimise a ball charge
How to manage liner wear in a ball mill
How to conduct a ball mill audit
How to remove scrap from a ball mill circuit
How to check the separator efficiency
Procedure for audit of Ball Mill Circuits
Global mixing grinding media recommendations
Technical agenda study – formalisation of knowledge on grinding aids
Guide – ball mill optimisation Post Sevilla module 5
Priority study cement grinding workshop
Priority study – separators
My notes:

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CEMENT PROCESS ENGINEERING VADE-MECUM

CHAPTER 1-1 – BALL MILLING INCLUDING SEPARATORS

1-1. Ball Milling including

2. Ball Charge and Internals ................................................................ 6

3. Ball Charge Design (Finish Mill) ..................................................... 8

4. Grinding Laws ................................................................................ 11

5. Grindability Measurement ............................................................. 13

6. Mill Performance Benchmarking .................................................. 15

8. Grinding Aid ................................................................................... 21

1. Ball Mill General

1.1. Comparison of Grinding Equipment

Closed Circuit Vertical Mill Roller Press

1.2. Mill Design

L/D vs specific power consumption for different

The optimum specific energy and the highest

Length of first Compartments relative to total mill length

1.3. Percent loading of mill

• % volume load = 360

1.4. Mill Critical Speed

1.5. Retention Time

1.7. Required air velocities for mill ventilation

1.8. Optimum filling ratio:

2. Ball Charge and Internals

Quick evaluation Grinding Ball vs Clinker Size

Optimum Ball Diameter (mm)

2.2. Grinding Balls Data

Diameter Weight Surface Number of balls per Weight of 1 m3 Specific surface

Bulk density for ball load

2.3. Other internals

Shell Liner Thickness Ball Charge Remarks – sizes, shape,

3. Ball Charge Design (Finish Mill)

Open circuit finish mills

3.3. Polysius Design

First Compartment – Crushing

Example: Comparison Slegten & Polysius

3.4. Fineness in Finish Mills:

4.2. Charles, Bond, Kick & Rittinger Laws

Normalized Blaine fineness equation

0.43( SA1 − SA2 ) / 1000

5.1. BB10 Test

Lab Mill Characteristics:

5.2. Bond Test

Typical Values for Wi for common materials:

5.3. Hardgrove Test

5.4. Parameters Affecting the Clinker Grindability

6. Mill Performance Benchmarking

6.1. Performance Indicator Finish Mills Absorbed (PIFMA)

An efficient mill will have a PIFMA close to unity

SPCC Clinker 28 SPCA Fly Ash 2

Example Calculation of PIMFA

6.2. Benchmarking Ball Mills with Bond Wi

The 1.102 is the conversion from kWh/short ton to kWh/t (metric)

Values of less than 1.3 would normally indicate an efficient mill.

1. Bucket elevator ball mill 1.2 – 1.3

7.2. Tromp Curve

1.0 10.0 100.0 1000.0

Imperfection vs Circulation Load

7.5. Recommended Sizing for a HES

Parameter Recommended Possible (Min/Max) Industrial Range

Cage loading 20-23 t/h/m2 less than 30 11-36 t/h/m2

Qf/Qa 2 kg/m3 less than 2,2 0,7-3,0 kg/m3

Radial velocity at the inlet of

Circulating load 100%-250% x 45%-270%