Innovation and optimisation

in cement grinding

Martin Schneider, Düsseldorf, Germany

CSI / TERI / ECRA Forum
New Delhi, 19/20 September 2008
Electrical energy demand for cement production

• Extraction and blending 5%

• Raw material grinding 24 %
• Raw material homogenisation 6% more than
60 % for
• Clinker production 22 %
grinding
• Cement grinding 38 % processes!
• Conveying, packing, loading 5%
100 %

total demand ~ 110 kWh/tcement

Grinding and its impact on quality

Cement grinding as an example:

quality parameters:
• workability
• water demand
• strength
• durability of concrete
Particle size distribution in RRSB-diagram

Description of cement fineness with RRSB position parameter

and slope:
example: cement from ball mill, n = 0,88
grinding
slope
system
ball mill 0.85 to 1.1
vertical roller
0.85 to 1.1
mill
high pressure
1.0 to 1.1
grinding rolls
Horomill 1.05 to 1.1
Specific energy consumption of different grinding
systems
specific energy consumption

Ball mill (100 %)

Horomill® (70 %)

VRM (60 %)

HPGR (50 %)

specific surface
Evolution of comminution technologies

Chronology:
Manual comminution
Hammer mechanism (ca. 1512)
Edge runner (ca. 1800)
Ball mill (ca. 1890)
Vertical roller mill (ca. 1930)
High pressure grinding rolls (ca. 1985)
Horomill®
Manual comminution (16th century)

from: Georg Agricola, „De Re Metallica“

Hammer mechanism (16/17th century)

from: Georg Agricola, „De Re Metallica“

Edge runner (18/19th century)

from: Johann Georg Krünitz, „Ökonomisch-technologische Encyclopädie“

Evolution of comminution technologies

F
Comminution mechanisms in different
grinding systems

v
impact

ball mill
F
F’
VRM
friction
F’
F

HPGR
F
F F

compression

F
Comminution mechanisms in the ball mill

v
impact
ball mill

F
F’

friction F

F’
F compression

F
Ball mill for dry grinding

Intermediate diaphragm

Fine grinding chamber

Classifying plate lining
50 mm - 15 mm balls

Coarse grinding chamber

Lifter plate lining
100 mm – 60 mm balls
Discharge diaphragm
Ball mill

Advantages Disadvantages
• combined drying and grinding • for high moisture
external drying
• reliable - long service life
necessary
• wide PSD
• high energy demand
• high fineness
• no explicit stress area
• good for abrasive materials

still widely used in cement plants

Potentials for ball mills

Exact adjustment of grinding media and linings to requirement

separator adjustment
Ÿ optimisation of mill and separator
Grinding systems for efficient comminution

Objectives
• Lower grinding energy demand than ball mills
• Comminution to a large extent by using the
compression
• Comminution in an explicit “compression zone”
Principle design of vertical roller mills

air and fines

grits separator

grinding roller mill feed

F F air or hot gas

grinding table

rejects
gear box
Vertical roller mills for raw material grinding

• Combined drying, grinding and separation

• Energy consumption 60 - 70 % compared
to a ball mill
• Moisture contents up to 25 %
• Compared to a ball mill 10 to 20 % higher
capital costs
• Used in 90 % of all new plants as raw mill
• Throughput up to 840 t/h, feed size up
to 200 mm
• Installed power up to 7 000 kW, grinding
table diameter up to 6 700 mm
Vertical roller mill for cement and slag grinding

• Energy consumption:
70 % of a ball mill for cement
50 % of a ball mill for slag
• Fineness:
max. 4 500 cm²/g for cement
max. 6 000 cm²/g for slag
• Moisture required for stabilising the
grinding bed – less influence on
cement quality
• Low wear costs
• Throughput up to 300 t/h
High pressure grinding rolls

Feed material

• Defined grinding area

Floating roller • Feed up to 60 mm
• Grinding pressure from
Grinding 50 to 400 MPa
pressure
• Compacted cakes up
Fixed roller to 40% fines and
coarse particles

Compacted cakes
High pressure grinding rolls – main features

• First application 1984

• Today worldwide more than
600 mills in operation
• Throughput rates up to 1 300 t/h
• Grinding force from
2 to 20 Mega-Newton
• Efficiency
1.8 to 3.5 times higher than ball mill
1.1 to 1.4 times higher than vertical roller mill
• cement finish grinding limited by PSD
Example:
High pressure grinding rolls for raw material grinding
• Advantages:
- Energy consumption 50 % lower than ball mill
- Extremely low roller wear (min 0.25 g/t)

• Disadvantages:
- Drying capacity is limited to 4 % feed moisture
- Application only for non-abrasive raw materials, due to
wear of deglomerator
Application of high pressure grinding rolls for cement
grinding

Pregrinding Semi-finish grinding Finish grinding

Comminution by compression: operating principles

VRM
Speed: Horomill®
Limited by centrifugation
of material
Bed thickness:
Medium

12°

HPGR
Speed:
Limited to 1 - 1,5 m/s 6° 18°
because of vibrations
Bed thickness: Speed:

Low Upper value not yet known

Bed thickness:
2 to 3 times HPGR
Operating principle of Horomill®
Horizontal roller mill (Horomill®)

For wet materials external dryer necessary

Wear costs comparable to build-up welded high pressure
grinding rolls
Raw material grinding
• Energy consumption 50 % compared to a ball mill
Cement grinding
• Max. cement fineness 4 000 cm²/g
• Energy consumption 70 % compared to a ball mill
Slag grinding
• Max. cement fineness 4 800 cm²/g
• Energy consumption 60 % compared to a ball mill
Comparison of different systems for cement grinding

Technological parameters for different grinding systems

Vertical High pressure

Parameter Unit Ball mill Horomill®
roller mill grinding rolls
product fineness
cm²/g > 6 000 4 500 4 000 4 000
(Blaine)

RRSB slope -- 0.85 to 1.1 *) 0.85 to 1.1 1.0 to 1.1 1.05 to 1.1

specific energy
demand % 100 60 to 70 50 to 60 70
(closed circuit)
*)
open - closed circuit
Comparison of different systems for slag grinding

Comparison of service lives of the grinding elements from different

grinding systems when grinding granulated blastfurnace slag
Vertical High pressure
Parameter Unit Ball mill Horomill
roller mill grinding rolls
product fineness
cm²/g > 6 000 > 6 000 > 5 500 < 4 800
(Blaine)
hardfaced
lining, hardfaced rollers,
wearing parts -- hardfaced rolls roller
grinding balls grinding table
surfaces
service life of partial or complete hardfacing of the
a 3 to 6
grinding media working surfaces at intervals of 2 to 3 months

specific wear g/t 120 to 150 3 to 6

Influence of grinding system on cement properties

Grinding the same clinker in a ball mill, a VRM and a HPGR

Compressive strengths Phase contents of the < 20 µm fraction

of the B 3 000 clinkers of the B 3 000 clinkers
Slag grinding and properties of slag cement
Slag particle

Compressive strengths of the

blastfurnace cements
Size reduction energy
10000
spec. size reduction energy [kWh/t]

single particle comminution

1000 bulk comminution

Single particle
clinker comminution
100
with highest
raw meal efficiency!
10 (target oriented
stress)
quartz
1 limestone
clinker

0,1 Höffl, „Zerkleinerungs-

0,1 1 10 100 1000 10000 100000 und Klassiermaschinen“

particle size [µm]

Energy utilisation of compression and impact
energy utilisation ǻSM/WM [cm²/J]

Higher efficiency
of comminution by
compression!
Compression

Impact

Pahl:
mass specific work WM [J/g] „Zerkleinerungstechnik“
Throughput-speed-behaviour of different mill types

Throughput [t/h]
Specific power demand [kWh/t]
• VRM: depends on grinding- •
P/M
M
table-diameter and number of Vertical roller mill

~2,00
rollers

operating
•
M

point
• HPGR: linear correlation only
• High pressure grinding rolls
for low circumferential speed of P/M
M
rolls
•
M

• Modified horizontal roller mill:

linear correlation also for high •
circumferential speed (limit not P/M
M
yet known) •
1,00

M Modified horizontal roller mill

0,0 1,0 2,0 3,0

Circumferential speed of the grinding track [m/s]
Direction of new developments

12
limit of free dosed
Power demand [kW]
Related grinding force [kN/mm]

Bond index [kWh/t]

material feeding
10

HPGR:
8 • Operation point
not adjustable
6
related grinding force • Independent
power demand adjustment of
4 Bond index
grinding force and
thickness of
2 grinding bed not
Example: possible
0 limestone
0,0 0,2 0,4 0,6 0,8 1,0
0...6 mm
Dimensionless feed throughput
Objectives for future developments

• Comminution only by compression

• Compression of a grinding bed with defined thickness
• Independent adjustment of grinding force and thickness of
grinding bed
• Low specific energy demand
Modified horizontal roller mill
Compression of a
grinding bed with
defined thickness

Independent
adjustment of
grinding force and
Comminution by thickness of grinding
compression bed
Other comminution technologies for cement grinding?

• HEM High Energy Milling: very small particles Ÿ high reactivity

mechanical activation of particles (< 2µm); tested for cement
grinding
• Ultrasonic-comminution (Patent DE 102 59 456 B4)
energy-transfer by acoustic pulse; tested for slag grinding
• Plasma comminution (European Patent EP0976457)
comminution in a liquid by shock waves; tested for semiconductor
material
• Low temperature comminution (Internat. Application No.
PCT/EP2007/010159)
reducing particle size by rapidly reduction of energy level
Summary (1)

Ball mill
• High energy consumption
• Reliable - long service life of the wearing parts
• Limitation in feed moisture – at high feed moisture external
drying necessary
High pressure grinding rolls
• High energy savings
• Limitation in feed moisture – with external drying no
limitation in material moisture
• Maximum achievable fineness 4 000 cm²/g (clinker)
Summary (2)

Vertical roller mill

• High energy savings
• Very high material moisture contents (up to 25 %) can be
processed
• Low wear costs
• Maximum achievable fineness 4 500 Blaine for OPC
Summary (3)

Horizontal roller mill (Horomill)

• Energy savings of 30 to 40 %
• Maximum achievable fineness 4 000 Blaine for OPC and
4 800 Blaine for slag
No comminution without energy input
Highest efficiency of comminution by compression
Objectives
• Optimisation of known grinding processes necessary
• Development of new comminution processes:
comminution by compression in an explicit stress area
• Comminution in one process without postrefining
Thank you for your attention!