ATOX™ raw mill
Grinds virtually anything while
saving space and energy
Key benefits
- Handles all types of raw
material
- Reliable, long-lasting
operation
- Big rollers reduce need for
crushing
- Low installation costs
- Easy maintenance
- Easy, simple and flexible
operation
- Steep particle size
distribution of raw meal
- Low mill vibration
- Low specific energy
consumption
An efficient, reliable performer
Vertical roller mills are widely accepted
as the most efficient means of prepar-
ing most moist raw materials for the
production of cement clinker. The
flexible ATOX™ raw mill can prepare
virtually any kiln feed material to your
required fineness in an energy-efficient
process – regardless of variations in
grindability, drying requirements and
abrasion. In fact, the ATOX can be
adapted to a wide variety of specific
requirements.
Our continuous development of the
mill over the years has resulted in
today’s ATOX raw mill – a compact mill
featuring a unique design that delivers
superior reliability and performance.
Working principle
The ATOX raw mill uses pressure and
shear generated between the rollers
and the rotating table to crush and
grind raw materials.
Feed material is directed onto the
grinding table by the feed chute. The
rotation of the grinding table acceler-
ates the material towards the grinding
track and passes it under the rollers.
Partially ground material passes over
the dam ring encircling the grinding
table and into the hot gas stream
coming from the nozzle ring.
Internal and
external material
circulation 10 - 25%
The moisture in the materials evapo-
rates almost immediately, while the
finer portion of material is carried by
the gas stream to the separator and
the coarser portion deflected directly
back to the table. The separator allows
material that has reached the required
fineness to leave the mill, while it
rejects oversized material and sends it
back to the table for further grinding.
The coarsest fraction of the material
that spills over the dam ring may fall
through the nozzle ring and be
conveyed back to the feed material
inlet by a mechanical recirculation
system.
100%
Recirculation
10 - 25%
New feed
100%
200 - Feed chute
100 - 300%
200%
1500 - 3000%
Nozzle ring
45 - 60 m/s

Many applications,
many adaptations
The ATOX raw mill has demonstrated
its suitability for grinding virtually all
types of raw materials:
- From very easy-to-grind to very
hard-to-grind material – roughly
from less than 3 kWh/t to more
than 11 kWh/t
- From less than 1% moisture to more
than 20% moisture in feed material
- From non-abrasive to very abrasive
materials
- From non-sticky to very sticky feed
material
Raw materials that are easy to grind
– for example, high capacity for the
specific mill size, or with high moisture
content – may require an increased gas
flow through the mill. The ATOX mill is
easily adapted to this situation, as it
comes with an oversize nozzle ring and
an oversize separator.
The three cylindrical
rollers are rigidly
connected to a
common centerpiece
Basic design concept
The grinding table of the ATOX raw
mill has a flat, horizontal grinding track
encircled by an adjustable dam ring
and an adjustable nozzle ring equipped
with an air guide cone.
The dam ring is made up of stacked,
bolted-on, segmented rings and is easily
adjusted by adding or removing one or
more segmented rings. The height of
the dam ring determines the thickness
of the grinding bed on the table.
The roller assembly is kept centred on
the grinding table and prevented from
rotating by three torque rods attached
3
to the mill housing. The grinding
pressure is exerted hydraulically
through three pull rods attached to the
outer ends of each roller shaft. This
unique ATOX roller suspension ensures
the grinding forces are transmitted
vertically by the pull rods directly into
the hydraulic cylinder and foundation,
and horizontally by the torque rods
into the mill housing.
The latest generation separator is
located above the grinding rollers. The
high efficiency of the separator is due
to the rotor equipped with an outer
ring of louvre plates. The fineness is
controlled by adjusting the rotor speed.
4
Hard-working features
and components
Easy to accommodate
force variations
Since the grinding track is horizontal
and the centre of gravity of the roller
system only moves vertically, all impact
forces and dynamic reactions are mainly
vertical and thus easy to accommodate.
The extremely low mass of the roller
suspension system means low total
inertia and thereby low dynamic forces.
In the event of excessive vibrations of
the roller system, the lower inertia also
limits the dynamic loads on the grinding
table and thrust bearing in the gear
box as well as on the surroundings.
The variation in hydraulic force is
greatly limited by means of the
nitrogen-filled accumulators connected
to the cylinders, which act as springs.
Even though the variation in the
grinding bed takes place during
operation, the hydraulic force varies
within only a few bars.
The horizontal force into the mill
housing normally accounts for 10-15%
of the hydraulic force. The required
raw meal quality and capacity are
obtained by easily adjusting the
grinding pressure, separator speed,
gas flow and dam ring height.
Great wear resistance
Segmentation of wear parts means low
risk of cracking. Therefore, wear-resist­ant
but relatively brittle segments in HiCr
for both the rollers and table can be
used. Furthermore, the HiCr segments
are suitable for repetitive hardfacing,
resulting in double life of the hardfaced
layer. In case of very abrasive materials,
HiCr segments with embedded
HiCr segment
ceramic inserts ensure considerably
increased life. The segments must be
replaced when worn out.
Roller segments can be reversed,
enabling high material utilisation, also
in case of uneven wear.
The ATOX mill’s rollers are larger in
diameter than most other vertical roller
mills, compared to the diameter of the
table. This larger roller diameter means
that operation with a proportionally
thicker grinding bed is less critical as
regards uneven wear and foreign
bodies in the mill feed.
The large diameter rollers further allow
a proportionally coarser mill feed,
which reduces the requirements of
pre-crushing.
No auxiliary mill drive required
The rollers are lifted hydraulically before
start, so no auxiliary mill drive is required.
Starting torque requirements to the mill
are modest, since it starts unloaded.
Low gas speed saves fan power
The roller suspension system permits
the hot gas inlet section to be designed
HiCr with ceramic inserts
virtually, without restrictions to the gas
flow below the grinding table.
The nozzle ring area is adjusted by
inserting or removing shims on top of
the vanes. Thereby the gas speed can be
reduced to a minimum allowed by the
amount of external circulation. The bene-
fit of the low gas speed in the nozzle ring
is a significant reduction in pressure loss
across the nozzle ring and thus a signif-
icant saving in power for the mill fan.
Maintain mill size for
easy materials
The beneficial design of the hot gas
inlet with low pressure loss enables the
mill to be fitted with an oversize nozzle
ring. That makes the standard ATOX
mill operate with the extra amount of
gas required by specially wet or easy-
to-grind materials. It is not necessary
to involve a larger mill size just to
accommodate the gas flow – only the
nozzle ring and the separator must be
adapted to the higher gas flow.
Due to the relative large diameter
grinding rollers the ATOX can handle
up to 200 mm feed lumps. This feature
reduces energy and wear in the crusher.

Optimised separation process
Rotor seal
Optimum mill performance depends
on optimum separator performance.
Therefore the ATOX raw mill is
equipped with the most updated
version of the dynamic separator,
which features:
- Cutsize and fineness adjusted by
change in rotor speed
- Low bypass to reject ensures high
separation efficiency
Efficient feed sluice
The rotary feed sluice is an essential
part of the ATOX raw mill installation.
Its main functions are to ensure:
- Uniform flow of feed to the mill for
stable mill operation
- Low ingress of false air to decrease
fan kW usage and cost
The sluice handles all new feed and
material coming from the external
circulation system. For normal raw mills
this material flow accounts for 115-150%
of the new feed rate; for bigger mills it
can represent more than 1,000 t/h.
- Sharp separation curve ensures
steep particle size distribution
- Effective top seal ensures raw meal
without oversized particles
This highly efficient separator results in
the following benefits:
- Lowest specific power consumption
for the mill motor
- Highest mill capacity
Compared to other types of feed sluices,
the rotary sluice ensures a uniform feed
of material to the feed table. This is
crucial for stable mill operation, since
lack of feed will lead to reduced grinding
bed thickness and to a corresponding
increase in vibration level. Therefore, the
uniform feed rate keeps the grinding
bed stable and the vibrations low,
ensuring steady operation and high
availability withoutrisk of mill stop.
The rotary sluice also minimises the
amount of false air entering the mill.
Due to the high underpressure in the
5
Seperator top view
- Low sieve residue for 200 micron
and good burnability of raw meal
- High grinding bed thickness and
low vibrations
- Lowest pressure loss across the
nozzle ring due to low reject bypass
The required fineness of the raw meal
is obtained by adjusting the rotor speed.
range 40-70 mbar inside the raw mill,
even small gaps at the inlet will cause
a considerable flow of cold air into the
mill. As the gas flow to the mill inlet
must be constant independent of the
amount of false air, every percentage
in false air savings through the sluice
results in a considerable cost savings,
due to less gas flow sucked out of the
mill and through the mill fan.
6
Split sluice
Split sluice with removable walls
for easy maintenance
Heated rotary sluice
for sticky materials
The FLSmidth rotary sluice delivers:
- Sturdy design and low speed
- Alignment with feed belt
- Split sluice for normal materials
- Heated sluice for very sticky
materials
- Friction coupling, preventing
overload of sluice
- Easy adjustment of sealing plates
- Easy access and easy replacement
of wear parts
For trouble-free operation and long
life, the feed sluice’s design is based on
a low-speed rotor. The low speed,
ability to feed big lumps and high rate
of feed material have resulted in
relatively big rotary sluices. Sluices for
ATOX raw mills are in the range Ø800
to Ø2200 mm.
To ensure proper filling and distribution
inside the rotary feed sluice, the sluice
and the incoming feed belt are aligned.
The circular bottom flange of the sluice
and feed chute to the mill enables
proper connection, independent of
the direction of the feeding belt
relative to the ATOX mill.
In case extraordinary foreign bodies
such as big wood blocks, timber or
similar materials enter and block the
rotor in the feed sluice, friction
coupling ensures that the sluice parts
are not damaged. A speed monitor
stops the material belt and prevents
overfilling of the sluice.
Large inspection doors enable the
sluice to be easily cleaned and
restarted. For normal raw materials,
the standard split sluice with steel-lined
rotor and lined housing is the optimum
solution for steady operation and long
life. The split design of the housing
enables easy access and inspection of
the interior of the sluice. When one
side is opened, rotor lining replace-
ment is a quick and easy job. The
condition of the housing lining should
be checked and replaced whenever
required.
To limit false air ingress, replaceable
sealing plates at the tips of the rotor
vanes can be adjusted to obtain a small
gap between the rotor and housing.
The heated rotary sluice is also the
right solution for sticky mill feed. Hot
gas from the mill inlet is guided through
the rotor, thus preventing the sticky
material from caking onto the rotor.
Due to the change in rotor design,
hardfacing is used for this version.

Makes life simple
today and tomorrow
High-performance gear unit
The standard main gear unit for an
ATOX raw mill is the compact bevel-
planetary type supplied by FLSmidth
MAAG Gear.
The axial thrust bearing supporting the
grinding table and the grinding force is
a reliable hydrodynamic/semi-hydro-
static bearing of segmented design. All
the thrust pads are immersed in an oil
bath. The lubricant for the thrust pads
and for the internal gearings/bearings
is conditioned and filtered in a
separate pump station.
Hydraulic stations protected
For all ATOX mill installations the
hydraulic and lubrication stations are
located in indoor fascility. The benefit
is that operation and maintenance
takes place in clean and tempered
conditions and that trouble free and
long life can be obtained. Apart from
the lubrication station for mill gear and
grinding rollers also the hydraulic station
for the tensioning system as well as
pump station for the water injection is
located in the hydraulic room.
Low civil costs
The very compact and efficient design
of the ATOX mill offers a correspond-
ingly low cost of foundation and mill
building in case of clients’ demand for
the latter. The possibility of customer
supplied parts adds to the good
economy of the ATOX raw mill.
7
Easy maintenance
The ATOX mill housing and separator
are equipped with doors for easy
access in connection with inspection
and maintenance of all mill and
separator parts. For more comprehen-
sive overhaul the large maintenance
door outside the grinding rollers can
be removed for crane access.
When the grinding wear parts
eventually get partly or completely
worn out, the roller segments can
easily be reversed or replaced inside
the mill, without taking the rollers out
of the mill. The separator reject cone is
provided with a rail and trolley for that
purpose.
Bevel-planetary gear type
When hardfacing of HiCr roller and
table segments is selected the main-
tenance work is preferably carried out
inside the mill. While maintenance
drive for the table can be part of mill
supply or installed when required, the
maintenance drives for the individual
grinding rollers are installed inside the
mill. Normally both table and roller
segments can be hardfaced simultane-
ously shortening the maintenance time
to a minimum.
For the grinding rollers in the ATOX
27.5 and bigger mills, the rotary oil seals
can in case of an oil leak be replaced
inside the mill due to the use of a
split-seal design for the inner oil seal.
Most vital mill parts are equipped with
replaceable wear protection enabling
long life even when abrasive raw
materials are ground.
Replacing or reversing
roller segments
8

Roller removal

Normally the grinding rollers will stay

inside the ATOX mill several years until
removal is required – typically because
of preventive replacement of bearings
or because there are initial signs of
bearing deterioration, which requires
roller replacement.

The rail and hoist system on all large

ATOX mills provides a relatively simple
way to remove the roller. With the
maintenance door removed, the rail is
bolted to the mill housing; for Atox
47.5-50, it is bolted to the support
outside the mill. In case the grinding
roller opposite the door needs removal,
the entire roller assembly is rotated on
the grinding table while turning the
main gear manually or by means of a
maintenance drive.
Beam and hoist installed for roller removal

Easy operation
The ATOX mill provides optimum
operation for all kinds of raw material
mixes and ensures a uniform product
dried to the correct level.
Adapting to different conditions is easy.
Simply utilise the included facilities for
dam ring adjustment (grinding bed
control) by installing ring segments of
varying thickness.
be adjusted by means of shims. Opti-
mising these conditions results in the
lowest fan power consumption.
The hydraulic system for grinding pres-
sure has been designed for operational
flexibility. Grinding pressure can be
varied over a wide range, making it
possible to minimise the mill vibration
level during operation.
water flow rate can be adjusted from
the control system in a step-less mode.
To ensure easy and reliable operation,
the FLSmidth automation control
system offers several possibilities for
control and surveillance. Several facilities
can be useful in setting up the grinding
system for the best and most energy-
efficient operation.

To give the lowest pressure drop across The mill is equipped with a water
the mill – making it possible to operate injection system to improve the grinding
with a controlled amount of re-circulated conditions, should this be required due
material – the mill nozzle ring area can to dry or unstable raw materials. The
 9

1 Mill motor
20
2 Gear box
3 Grinding table
25 4 Split scrapers for external circulation
5 Bottom plate for mill
6 Reject sluice
7 Rotary split sluice in heated or non
heated version
8 Feed chute with heated bottom
9 Mill house with lining
22 21 10 Nozzle ring
7 11 Air guide cone
12 Segmented grinding roller
13 Roller hub and wear cover
24
14 Joint head

23 15 Torque rod
16 Connection to mill house

9 17 Air and material seal for tension rod

18 Tension rod
8
19 Hydraulic cylinder with accumulators
20 Variable speed drive for separator
21 Cage rotor
22 Guide vanes
12
23 Reject cone
13
24 Area in cone below separation zone
14 15 16 protected with chromium carbide
composite plate
17 11
10 25 Mill and separator outlet

18
3
4

6 2

19

1
10

Three-fan systems
most common

There are a number of arrangements

Three-fan system for raw material grinding systems
involving vertical roller mills. The
various systems are different as regards
placing of the gas conditioning tower
and dedusting of the mill vent gas.
However the most common solution
today is the so-called three-fan system.
The three-fan system uses cyclones to
dedust the mill vent gas. This arrange-
ment reduces the operating suction
and usually also the gas volume for the
filter, which may be either an electro-
static precipitator or a filter of the
baghouse type.

The three-fan system provides the best

operational control with less interac-
Two-fan system tion between operation of mill and kiln
respectively. For the two-fan system,
the required size of filter must be
foreseen for the total mill gas flow,
which is normally significantly higher
than the kiln gas flow. As the mill
requires significantly more gas than
supplied by the kiln, a certain part of
the gas flow is guided from the mill
fan through the recirculation duct back
to the mill.

The raw material feeding system is

equipped with a magnet separator and
metal detector for protection of the
mill parts. In case the raw material is
significantly contaminated with metal,
Material flow Mill air flow Material + air flow an optional secondary refinery system
can be selected. The secondary system
reduces the material to be rejected to
a minimum, and at the same time the
intermediate bin can be used as
storage for external material during
maintenance of the mill.
 11

Mill layout

As a one-source supplier of complete
plants, FLSmidth supplies the ATOX
raw mill as well as all other equipment
needed for the raw mill department.
Mill layout is based on a standardised
concept and modules that ensure the
most cost-effective raw mill installa-
tion. Because gas enters the ATOX mill
from one side, the ducting arrange-
ment is as small as possible, resulting
in a very compact layout.
The dimensioning and selection of
cyclones, mill fan and connecting
ducting are optimised for low energy
consumption.
When required by environmental
regulations, for instance noise
emissions, the entire mill installation
can be closed, even when not required
from an operating and maintenance
point of view.
When the installation is enclosed, a
hoist and monorail is provided for
lifting separator parts, feed sluice,
mill motor and the top part of the
mill gear box. The mill foundation is
kept at floor level, ensuring easy
access around the mill.
All equipment is located at floor level
or above to avoid pits and thereby
ensure easy cleaning and maintenance.
The material reject system includes a
reject bin and subsequent metal
separation and back-feeding arrange-
ment for dust-free reject material
handling.
A short belt conveyor feeding the mill
and receiving the reject material
ensures that the mill can start up
without involving the long preceding
mill feed conveyor.

The number of cyclones will be 2, 4 or

6, increasing with the mill size. The
raw material feeding and recirculation
system is preferably placed at the left
side of the ATOX mill, seen from the
mill motor.

Lubrication stations for main gear,

hydraulics and roller lubrication are
placed with the pump station inside
the structure, below the cyclones.
The layout is furthermore prepared
for easy access to machinery and
components needing overhaul or
replacement.

The mill is per default designed to be

operated without enclosure, and all
maintenance can be conducted by
mobile crane. As grinding rollers are
taken out through the main mill door,
only one small area is required next to
the mill for positioning of the roller
after dismantling.
Dimensions and characteristics
Atox Raw Mill Separator
Power Power
minimum minimum
A B C D E installed, F G H installed,

Size mm mm mm mm mm kW mm mm mm kW
25 7115 Ø3550 6000 9200 3000 665 4030 4100 3220 45
27.5 7415 Ø3900 6000 10000 3500 844 4490 4600 3620 56
30 7380 Ø4360 6600 10500 3500 1048 4950 5100 4040 69
32.5 8420 Ø4694 7600 11300 3800 1280 5440 5500 4460 83
35 8920 Ø5050 8600 12400 4300 1541 5960 6100 4930 99
37.5 9855 Ø5380 9600 13400 4800 1832 6460 6600 5380 116
40 9885 Ø5700 9700 14050 4850 2152 6970 7100 5850 136
42.5 11450 Ø5960 10300 15000 5150 2505 7490 7600 6330 156
45 11915 Ø6324 10900 15900 5450 2889 8020 8200 6790 179
47.5 12500 Ø6694 11500 16200 5750 3307 8570 8700 7250 204
50 13000 Ø7070 12000 17150 6000 3760 9130 9200 7780 232
52.5 13800 Ø7440 12700 17860 6350 4248 9690 9800 8290 260
55 14505 Ø7810 13300 18600 6650 4772 10260 10400 8270 292
57.5 15190 Ø8190 13900 19330 6950 5333 10830 11000 9310 326
C 05-11 300-10-ENG

Copyright © 2011 FLSmidth A/S. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. FLSmidth is a (registered) trademark of FLSmidth A/S. This brochure makes no offers, representations
or warranties (express or implied), and information and data contained in this brochure are for general reference only and may change at any time. www.flsmidth.com

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