Cement Milling

Separators and closed circuit milling

Chris Holt

1
 Open Circuit cement mill
Dust filter

Fan

Dust return

Motor
Water Spray
Feed

Gearbox
Feeder Mill Tube
Discharge system To storage
2
 Closed Circuit cement mill
Separator
Mill product
elevator
Fan Dust filter

Rejects airslide Fines

Dust return

Feed
To storage

Feeder Mill Tube

Water
Spray Discharge Airslide 3
 Energy requirements
kWh/ton (Mill Only)

6000
SSA m2/kg

5000

4000

3000

2000

1000

0
0 20 40 60 80 100

kWh/ton
4
 Relationship between Surface area and
kWh/ton
Surface Area
M2/kg Blaine cm2/gm
550 5500
Closed circuit
500 5000 Open Circuit

450 4500

400 4000

350 3500

300 3000

250 2500

200 2000
20 25 30 35 40 45 50 55 60 65
kwh/ton 5
Particle size distribution

20 Histogram
WT % in size range
15

10

0
0 50 100 150 200 250
Partícle size (microns) 6
Cement particle size distribution
100

90

80
Percentage finer 70

60

50

40

30

20

10

0
1 2 5 10 20 50 100 200

Particle size (microns)

7
 Rosin Rammler distribution
n
-(x/a)
R ∋ 100 [e ] 1
Where :
R = Oversize
x = Particle Size
a, n = Rosin - Rammler Constants
From
1 ln ln 100/R = n ln x - n ln a 2
Therefore a Graph of ln ln 100/R versus ln x

Gives a straight line with a slope “n” and intercept “n ln a”

and a = x when R = 100/e = 36.79%

8
 Rosin Rammler graph
Cumulative % oversize

Data points
10
20

40
60 Best fit line
80

90

100

1 10 100 1000

Microns

9
 Fd Fc
Fg Fc Centrífugal force
Fd Drag force
Fg Gravitational force

Principle of an air Separator

Cyclone wall effect

Fines entrapment

10
Conventional Main fan
air separator
Auxiliary blades

Feed

Distribution plate

Rejects
Finished Product
11
 Conventional Separators
disadvantages
• Poor feed dispersion
• By-Pass of feed material
• Separation Forces
– poorly defined
– weak
• Poor separation of product from the
airflow.

12
 Cyclone type Separator
Dedusting vent

Feed

Rejects Finished Product

13
High Efficiency Separators
Characteristics
• Good dispersion
– All the material passes through the
separation zone
• Separation Forces
– strong
– well defined
• Efficient Separation of product from the
airflow
• Compact design
14
Fine Grade Efficiency Gx

Weight of size x in fines

Weight of size x in feed

15
 “A perfect separator”
100
Efficiency %

0
45 100
Micron size 16
 Fine grade efficiency
100
High efficiency
80
% Efficiency

60 Conventional

40

20

0
1 10 100 1000
Partícle size (microns)
17
 Separator Fines
Feed
Separation
By-pass
zone
(s)
Separator By - Pass
Rejects
S = 7%
high efficiency
Fine grade
% EFFICIENCY

efficiency S = 37%
Conventional

1 10 100 1000
Particle size microns) 18
 Tromp curve Tr

Weight of size x in rejects

Weight of size x in feed

19
 Fine grade efficiency and Tromp curve
100

80
% Gx or Tr

60
Fine grade efficiency
40
Tromp curve on
20
the same data
0
1 10 100 1000

Particle size (Microns)

20
 Comparison of separator
performance - at 350 m2/kg
% residue at Rosin Rammler Rejects
45 micron slope M2/kg

1st Generation 8-12 1.05 – 1.12 170 - 190

2nd Generation 7-10 1.1 – 1.15 150 - 170
3rd Generation Less than 6 Better than 1.2 90 - 110

21
 Scanning electron microscope
slides of separator rejects
CONVENTIONAL HIGH EFFICIENCY

22
 Cement Milling
Separators and closed circuit milling

Chris Holt

23
 Mill modelling

Some practical implications

24
 BCI standard grindability curve
Specific surface area m2/kg

% OPC Grindability = 100

450
400
350
300
250
200
150
100
50
0
0 20 40 60 80 100 120 140 160 180 200 220 240 260 280 300

Revolutions of mill per Kg of Cement

25
 Relationship betweeen mill exit SSA and
Efficiency (Surface production)
Mill efficiency - (surface production m2/kw min

180
170
160
150
140
130
120
110
100
90
80
100 150 200 250 300 350 400 450 500 550

Mill exit surface area m2/kg

26
Mill efficiency - (surface production m2/kw min Relationship betweeen mill exit SSA and
Efficiency (Surface production)
180

170

160

150

140

130

120
100 150 200 250 300 350 400 450

Mill exit surface area m2/kg

27
 Effect of circulating load on mill efficiency
40
Mill efficiency kwh/tonne

39
38
37
36
35
34
33
32
31
30
29
28
0 100 200 300 400 500 600 700 800 900 1000

Circulating load (%)

28
 Effect of solids loading of separator efficiency
(By-Pass)
Separator performance (1-S)

0.9

0.8
High efficiency
0.7

0.6 Conventional

0.5
0 0.5 1 1.5 2 2.5 3 3.5 4

Solids loading
29
 Effect of circulating load on mill efficiency
40
Mill efficiency kwh/tonne

39
38
37
36
35 2.- The same as 1. but including
34 the effect of By-Pass
33
32
31
30
29
28
1 - Circulating load

0 100 200 300 400 500 600 700 800 900 1000

Circulating load (%)

30
 Relationship between Hold-up and mill
throughput

1.2
Fractional voids filling

1,1

0.9

0.8

0.7

0.6

0.5
0 50 100 150 200 250 300

Mill throughput %
31
 Effect of hold-up on mill efficiency
Relative - Mill Efficiency

105
100’%
100
95% 95%
95

90

85

80

75

70
0.3 0.4 0.5 0.6 0.7 0.8 0.9 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5

Fractional voids filling level

32
Mill efficiency kwh/tonne
Effect of circulating load on mill efficiency

40
39 3.- The same as 2. but including
38 the effect of Hold-up
37
36
34 2.- The same as 1. but including
33 the effect of By-Pass
32
31
30 1 - Circulating load
29
28
0 100 200 300 400 500 600 700 800 900 1000

Circulating load (%)

33
Separators
old new

New/extended
elevator

New Bag
Filter
543.FV1

543.AS1

543.FM1

SCHENC K

553.PP1

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 Cement Milling
Separators and closed circuit milling

Chris Holt

35