GEARED VS GEARLESS

DRIVE SOLUTIONS FOR GRINDING MILLS

Evaluating the merits of large geared mills versus gearless driven mills considering:

Currently available systems in terms of power and mill diameter

Overall efficiency of electrical power consumed vs mechanical output power

Capital cost
Running costs
Cooling: air vs water cooling
Installation and delivery time

Drive type

Present Max Power

Single motor gear

drive

8000kW - 10000kW

Dual motor gear

drive

16000kW 20000kW

Gearless motor
drive range

18000kW 35000kW

Gearless
Synchronous
Asynchronous

SLIP ENERGY RECOVERY DRIVE

Geared and Gearless SAG Mills must consider variable speed ability for process reasons
Issues regarding load sharing & torque pulsation Slip Energy Recovery (SER) and Variable
frequency drives have been resolved through technological advances

REDUCED TORQUE PULSATIONS USING 24 PULSE SER DRIVES

USING PWM TECHNIQUES - SINUSOIDAL ROTOR CURRENTS
SMALL HARMONIC CONTENT - NO HARMONIC FILTERS REQUIRED
LOW TORQUE PULSATIONS - INCREASED GEAR LIFE

SER mature and ready for use

40 SER installations world wide
Speed variation required is in the range of +/- 15% of synchronous motor speeds.
Successful operation of 2 x 6.5MW (Phu Kham, Laos)
Three 2 x 7MW units under manufacture (Pascu Lama, South America)
2 X 10MW dual drive mills are achievable and quoted to various sites world wide
Dual hydraulic inching drives provide safer and convenient operation with the added
advantage of locked charge detection.

CLIENT CONCERNS

What type of drive system best suits

the particular application??

Real data: efficiency, durability,

availability and value for money??

Lets clear up this confusion using

accurate information obtained from
recent projects.

GIRTH GEARS

Girth gear drives are the primary method of driving SAG mills, Ball mills
and other rotating elements.

Enormous improvements over time following the use of:

FEA
MAGMA
Casting techniques (eg full ring risers)
Ultrasonic testing
Special materials
Hardness improvement (up to 325BHN)

GEAR DESIGN

1968

AGMA321.05

1988

AGMA6004-F88

2006

Tooth
Hardness

ANSI/AGMA6114-A06

Machine
precision

Gear

Pinion

HB300~350

HRC57~61

AGMA 10

AGMA 12

ISO 7

ISO 5

Mr Deneckis (FALK) paper presented at the 96 SAG conference, details the

then largest gear drive in operation on a SAG mill (34ft x 18ft) at Escondida
13.4MW (18,000hp) - 1995

Shop test run

SINO Iron project
7.9m X 13.6m Ball Mill
Twin 7,800kW drives

HISTORY

Historically OEMs did not have access to

larger single piece special alloy castings
and larger gear cutters

To the benefit of consumers CITIC HIC has

now overcome this limitation and mine
operators can now consider more cost
effective large gear driven mills
CITIC HIC 16m CNC gear hobber in
production (Schiess Brighton)

Australia SINO
Iron Ball Mill
Gear Pour
OD:11.7m Net
Wt:118t
Molten steel
Wt:375t

MANUFACTURE
Manufacture

Ten gear cutters at a single works: 2 x 5m, 3 x 8m, 1 x 10m, 1 x 12m, 1 x
13m and 2 x 16m (one in climate control).
Inspection & testingInternational standards

CITIC HIC manufacturers over a hundred gear sets every year

All activities are done in house from casting, forging, heat treatment,
carburizing, machining, gear cutting, shop assembly and transport

Inspection and test plans follow international ASTM & ISO standards with a large
team of NDT and inspection supervisors for all equipment
Gear Castings

MAGMA software utilizing full ring risers for solidification and cooling.

Actual metal pour is approximately 2.5 times the net weight of the ring gear. (eg a
molten pour of 375t result in a 118t gear)

The full ring gears at CITIC HIC are normally a single pour even though they may
be in halves or quarters.

Ensuring uniform chemical analysis and even hardness after heat treatment

Pouring capacity is up to 600t and hence net gear weights of up to 250t.

GMD CONCERNS

Presently gearless drives are more costly than the complete mechanical portion
Customer/consultant needs to deal with two parties through project
Interface between the mill vendor and the gearless motor supplier may require mediation
for any issues
After award to both parties (at the same time ) a 6 weeks delay exists in getting certified
data from Gearless drive supplier before the mill vendor can start the FEA & basic design,
taking a further 6-8 weeks.
Geared Mills can commence engineering immediately

Gearless drive rotating elements are

heavier. The foundation and load
data on gearless drives are higher. Air
gap variation is a source of magnetic
pull imbalance.
All these add significant cost to the
overall cost for the client
when compared to gear driven mills.

MECHANICAL INTERFACE

Total weight of the poles are approximately 20% heavier than the gear and need to
be individually installed after the rotating element is in place on the foundations

GEAR DESIGN
SAG 12.2m (40ft) x 6.1m (20ft) 20 MW
Ball 8.5m (27.9ft) x 12.8m (42ft) 20 MW
Mill Diameter (m)
Motor Power (MW)
Motors

SAG Mill
12.2
20
2 x 10 MW

Ball Mill
8.5
20
2 x 10 MW

Pinion Speeds (rpm)

Mill Speed (rpm)

160
9.24

150
11.09

Number of teeth
Width of teeth (mm)
Normal Modulus (mm)
Tool normal tooth profile angle (degrees)
Helical Angle (degrees)
Accuracy Level Number
Hardness of tooth face (BHN)

ISO
AGMA
Brinell Hardness
Rockwell hardness

Pinion
21
1080

Gear
344
1070

Pinion
21
1080

Gear
288
1070

42
25

42
25

7.5

7.5

5
12

8
9
310

57

5
12

8
9
300

57

AGMA 6114
(min S.F)

Durability
Strength

1.75
2.5

1.75
2.75

Actual Safety Factor to

AGMA 6114

Durability

2.75

1.81

3.20

1.94

Strength

2.52

2.52

3.20

2.62

RESULTS
MECHANICAL
Gearless Drive
LS Synchronous
HS Asynchronous
ELECTRICAL

Motor

Girth Gear

Reducer

Total Mechanical Efficiency

97%

N/A

N/A

97.0%

97%
96.5%

99%
99%

N/A
98.5%

96.0%
94.1%

Starter/VSD

VSD Transformer

Harmonic
Filter

Supply
Transformer

Total Electrical Efficiency

99%

98.5%

99.5%

N/A

97.0%

99%

99%

99.5%

N/A

97.5%

98.5%

99%

99.5%

N/A

97.0%

99.9%

N/A

N/A

99%

98.9%

99.7%

99.8% (rotor
circuit only)

N/A

99%

98.5%

Gearless Drive
Fixed Speed Low Speed
Sync (LCI)
Variable Speed Low
Speed Sync (VSI)
Fixed Speed High Speed
Asyn (LRS)
Variable Speed High
Speed Asyn (SER)
OVERALL

Mechanical Efficiency

Electrical Efficiency

Total Overall Efficiency

Gearless Drive

97%

97%

94.1%

Fixed Speed Low Speed Sync

96%

97.5%

93.6%

Variable Speed Low Speed Sync (VSI)

96%

97%

93.1%

Fixed Speed High Speed Asyn (LRS)

94.1%

98.9%

93.0%

Variable Speed High Speed Asyn (SER)

94.1%

98.5%

92.7%

All the above figures are based on the averages of documented figures
provided by vendors in datasheets or are derived
from published papers (referenced in this paper)

RESULTS
Capital cost comparison (excl Installation & Commissioning) 2x 10MW or 20 MW.
Approx. relative cost
Highest - 140%
125%
130%
Lowest - 100%
110%
115%

Gearless Drive
Fixed Speed Low Speed Sync
Variable Speed Low Speed Sync
Fixed Speed High Speed Asyn (LRS)
Variable Speed High Speed Asyn (SER)
Variable Speed High Speed Asyn (VSI)

Running cost comparison.

System efficiency
Power extra cost pa(due to inefficiencies)
Gear Lubricant
Lost interest due to extra capital cost
Total pa
Total EXTRA pa over cheapest
Over 20 years

System efficiency
Power extra cost pa(due to inefficiencies)
Gear Lubricant
Lost interest due to extra capital cost
Total pa
Total EXTRA pa over cheapest
Over 20 years

20 MW Fixed Speed Ball Mill

WRIM/LRS
93.0%
$963,802
$130,000
0
$1,093,802
$0
$0
20 MW Variable Speed SAG Mill
WRIM/SER
92.7%
$1,008,361
$130,000
$0
$1,138,361
$0
$0

SYN/LCI
93.6%
$875,542
$130,000
$368,000
$1,373,542

GEARLESS
94.1%
$802,851
$0
$592,000
$1,394,851

$279,740
$5,594,800

$301,049
$6,020,980

SYN/VSI
93.1%
$949,013
$130,000
$296,000
$1,375,013

GEARLESS
94.1%
$802,851
$0
$440,000
$1,242,851

$236,652
$4,733,040

$104,490
$2,089,800

OTHER ISSUES
Cooling requirements

Air cooling is the most common form of cooling for motors and drives.
Gearless motors and large cyclo convertors use water cooling
The heat dissipation represents the motor and drive losses (approx 4%)
A 20MW drive requires approx 800 kW of heat dissipation
In a GMD this equates to approx 2lpm for each kW representing approx 1600lpm of cooled
water
Typically a cooling tower or chiller is required in a closed loop system due to the lack of fresh
water
This adds approx $1million for 20MW and requires power to run, adding to running costs
(Approx 480kW for 20MW), or conservatively 1600lpm of water on a continuous basis.

Installation and delivery time for mills 15MW and above

The girth gear is the longest lead time item on a geared mill at approximately 9 to 14
months
On a gearless mill the Gearless drive is the longest lead time item at 12 to 18 months.
The installation time for a geared drive is approx. 12 to 16 weeks (approx. 8000 man hrs)
For a gearless drive it is approx. 10 to 12 weeks for the mill and 10 to 15 weeks for the
Gearless drive making a total of 18 to 24 weeks (minimum 20,000 man hours).
This increases the capital cost of the installation by a minimum US$2 million and causes and
additional 2 to 3 months to the project schedule.
The additional time and costs associated with commissioning of a gearless drive vs geared
drive has not even been considered

CONCLUSIONS

For mills above 12.2m in diameter or over 20MW of power there is currently no viable
alternative to a gearless drive.
For mills 12.2m or less in diameter and 20MW or under in power, gear driven systems offer a
more viable alternative to gearless drives, delivering nearly equivalent efficiency, much
lower capital cost, easier installation, simpler cooling, shorter installation time and quicker
(2-3 months) project overall startup schedule.

SAVINGS ON 20MW BALL MILL

Capital cost approx. $8 million

Running cost approx. $6 million
Cooling approx. $1 million
Installation approx. $2 million
Approx. saving over 20 years $17 million

SAVINGS ON 20MW SAG MILL

Capital cost approx. $6 million

Running cost approx. $2 million
Cooling approx. $1 million
Installation approx. $2 million
Approx. saving over 20 years $11 million