Cement Milling I

Chris Holt
A typical two chamber cement mill
1 Feed
2 Division wall
4 Outlet grid
5 Lifters
6 Mill shell
7 Lining plates
8 Internal water injection
9 Rotating seal for water system
10 Torsion shaft for central drive
A typical three chamber cement mill
1 2
4
8 8 10 5
9
6 7
Examples - chamber 1 linings
Mill rotation
- duolift type liner
- reverse step type liner
300
Boltless lining
plate
Mill rotation
Mill shell
Card
Section through
a boltless plate
Ripple type lining
2
1
/
8
rad
1
1
/
2

3
7
/
8

1
5
/
8
rad
3
/
16

1
/
8

1
1
/
2

3
1
/
8
dia
Classifying type lining plate
A
A
B
B
A - A
139mm
60mm
B -B
308 mm
FLS type spiral wave lining
CARMAN LINING
SLEGTEN - MAGOTTEAUX TYPE
FLS TYPE
Examples of classifying type liners
Lorain Bar lift lining
2
1
/
2

chamber 1
1
1
/
2

chamber 2
Dragpeb type - Chamber 2 liner
Division walls - diaphragms
1.- To control the level of material in each chamber to prevent:
Under filling of material - wastes power.
Overfilling of material - wastes power.
2.- Separate the grinding media in each chamber, to optimize
the media grading to suit the material fineness.
3.- To prevent coarse material passing unprepared to the
following chamber.
4.- To permit sufficient cooling airflow/ventilation through the
mill while preventing short-circuiting of material
Pfieffer type double diaphragm
Pfeiffer
Material flow
control
Circumferential slots
have a self cleaning
characteristic
large central vent can
limit material charge
below potential motor
capacity, can reduce
maximum output
Pfeiffer
3rd generation
diaphragm
(Tulsa)
Breakage rate vs Particle size
Breakage rate for cement clinker
using ball sizes 50 mm, 25 mm, 16 mm
B
r
e
a
k
a
g
e


r
a
t
e
Particle size (microns)
20 100
1000
16mm
25mm
50mm
16mm
25mm
50mm
Typical axial sample data - open circuit milll
A
v
e
r
a
g
e

s
i
z
e

o
f

t
o
p

5
%

o
f

p
a
r
t
i
c
l
e
s
B
z
l
l
s
i
z
e
s

m
m
Size of normal ball grading
Average ball size present
Optimum ball size to break top 5%
10000
1000
100
mill length ===========>
2
5
10
20
50
100
200
500
1000
1
0 100
1 2 3 Mill chamber
Comparison of ball gradings
Chamber 1 Chamber 2
B
a
l
l

s
i
z
e


m
m
% of effective mill length - % of charge
Blue Circle
(Current)
120
100
80
60
40
20
0
Base curve
(FLS)
Blue Circle
(Historical)
FLS
Blue circle
historical
current
Use of fine media
Preconditions and Considerations
1.- Satisfactory first chamber lining
condition.
2.- Design and condition of the mill outlet
diaphragm.
3.- Material flow characteristics.
4.- Milling temperature / Coating of the
grinding balls.
Temperature
Effect on gypsum dehydration
Effect on milling efficiency
Excessive use of water sprays
Customer complaints
Temperature conditions in a mill
A High clinker temp
- no cooling
A With cooling
Temperature
(degC degF)
320
300
280
260
240
220
200
180
160
140
120
100
0 20 40 60 80 100
B Low clinker temp
- no cooling
B With cooling
160
150
140
130
120
110
100
90
80
70
60
50
40
Schematic - water injection
Central drive mill
Open circuit cement mill -
Heat balance
Gypsum
4.5 t/h 25 C
Air 125C
Water Vapour 125 C
Cement 125 C
Convection
600 Kcal/h/m2
Mill power
= 2208 Kw
Clinker 75 t/h 50 C
Air 25 C
Water
10 C
Mill ventilation
Recommended airflows for mill ventilation
Circuit Open Closed
Air changes/min 3 5
Kg air/cement Kg 0.25 0.4
False Air inleak
1.- Estimate the air inleak by comparing temperatures at the mill
outlet and the filter outlet. Also measure airflows at the mill inlet
to compare with the filter outlet flow.
2.- A typical inleak level over a filter system on a new mill is about =
30% of the flow passing through the mill.