European

CEMENT
Conference 1999
Paper 22
Intensification of dry grinding processes by using the ‘ECOFOR’ device
N. Glukharev
Ecofor Co.
Russia
How does electromagnetism get involved with the grinding of limestone, clinker or any other construction material? As a result
of mechanical effects (such as blows, crushing and abrasion) on a comminuted material, a huge quantity of free electric charges
are generated inside a cement mill. Blows produce cracks in the comminuted material. Electric charges emerge on the walls of
the cracks. Some cracks will split the comminuted material pieces as intended, but other cracks will be tightly closed by the
dissimilar electric charges attracting one another, and thus will not split the pieces. The most complicated situation is usually
created in the last chamber of the mill. Here, the grinding takes place on the crystal level. There is also an aggregation of
powder material in the outlet of the mill due to electrostatic attraction. When grinding aids are not applied, the metal surfaces
contacting with comminuted material become covered with hard, dirty coats. These adhesion forces have an electrostatic nature
too. Aggregation of particles is also observed during separation. Some parts of the fine powder fraction are carried away by
bigger particles and is returned to the grinding circuit. This happens because, in this case, electrostatic attraction is stronger
than centrifugal forces. Thus, free electric charges decrease the efficiency of grinding.

Grinding aids
Special grinding aids are usually used for intensification of these processes. They help to decrease the adhesion of powdered
material to the grinding surfaces, as well as to decrease the aggregation of comminuted particles to each other. Grinding aids
have conductive properties. They partly neutralise electric charges on the material surface inside the mill.
But it is not enough for maximum realisation of the potential of a cement mill and separator. Grinding aids are fed to the
input of the mill. Evidently, some part of them evaporates under high temperature and is taken away by the airflow without any
positive results for grinding. Therefore, especially in the last chamber of the mill, where negative electrostatic forces are the
strongest, the effect of grinding aids is not enough.
The Ecofor Device and the method for intensification of grinding have been invented and developed by The Ecofor Company.
It is protected by the international application No PCT/RU98/00226. The device removes electric charges accumulated during
the comminution more effectively. It is therefore possible to increase the capacity of a cement mill.

Many benefits claimed

Several properties are claimed for the Ecofor Device. It
decreases the resistance of the material to grinding, which
is the same as increasing the grindability of the material. It
also prevents the aggregation of powder material in the last
chamber of the mill and helps to segregate the fine particles
from larger ones in the separator, thus decreasing the
return flow of material to the mill. The Ecofor Device helps
to avoid the charging-up of insulating material inside mills
and separators.
Cement is not overground and the shape of particles
becomes less spherical. Dispersion of granule sizes
becomes narrower. In other words, there are less coarse
and super-fine fractions, and there is an absence of
spherical fine-particle conglomerates. The work of the

■ 22.
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Installation and operation

The device uses single-phase electric power, 220-240V (110 V), 50-60Hz, 100W. After turning on the devices, the
grinding and separation process becomes more active. At first the elevator load begins to increase because the
powder material aggregation in the last chamber decreases. The return flow from the separator decreases too. The
mill becomes emptier and the Blaine increases. It becomes possible to increase the feed to the mill. Here, a
temptation to reach the highest capacity inevitably leads to mill overload if the operator does not stop the
additional feeding in time. If the mill becomes overloaded, the operator has to stop the feeding for some minutes
and thereafter keep the feeding at an acceptable level. The main principle is to keep the right quantity of material
inside the mill. Application of the Ecofor Device allows more material than usual inside the mill.
The quality of grinding depends on several factors, including the quantity of material inside the mill (Q). The
quality of grinding (Blain) has an optimal relation to Q. There is a maximum Blaine value for a definite optimal Q.
When Q is more than the optimal level, the mill becomes fuller and the Blaine decreases. When the Blaine is below
normal, the operator or the control system decreases feed to the mill and when the Blaine is above normal they
increase the feed. Usually everybody is working in such an ‘optimum material-quantity corridor’.
After turning on the Ecofor Device for several hours, Q may decrease to a less-than-optimal level, and thus the
mill becomes emptier and ‘hungry’. Abrasion of the material weakens and the Blaine drops accordingly. Q depends
on the total feeding and grindability of the material. The grindability of the material depends on its strength and is
increased by the Ecofor Device. After several hours of mill operation, without changing the feed rate, it is possible
to obtain small Blaine values. This means that the mill is ‘hungry’, as described earlier. In order to get the right
Blaine level, it is necessary to increase the feeding step by step, and to find a new material-quantity corridor - a
new working regime, which will increase the capacity of the mill.
Closed grinding systems are very sensitive. A mill and a separator is a system with positive feedback, as some
part of the material returns from the separator into the mill. But it is well known that negative feedback is used for
improvement and stabilisation of complex control systems. The positive feedback system tends to be unstable.
Both the mill and separator change their operation when connected to the Ecofor Device. If the feed of the mill is
increased, a regime of undesired oscillation may be set up, during which increased oscillation of the system will be
observed, or the material returning to the mill will constantly increase.
The grinding improvement effect of the device appears to be in 12 to 24 hours, depending on the mass of
equipment, and reaches its greatest effect after several days. After the device is switched off, the mill continues to
work with a high capacity for some time - it may be 2 days for closed system and more for an open one. It is not
necessary to switch off or disconnect the device for the period of a technological or a maintenance stoppage of the
mill. The device cannot do any harm to the operator or to the equipment. On the contrary, it influences positively
the bearings and gears of the equipment. Friction losses decrease by about 12%, because friction is of an
electrostatic nature too. The flowability of the powdered material is improved as a result of its electrostatic
discharging. It is important not only to cement but to lime meal too.
Using the ECOFOR method and device gives the possibility to save energy or, in other words, to have a more
profitable cement plant.
 22.3

mill, separator and auxiliary equipment (such as a Fuller - pump) is

improved. As a result of the process, grinding bodies and working
surfaces become cleaned of hard dirty coats (Fig. 1). In mills working
without grinding aids,
application of the Ecofor
Device may result in
increasing the mill capacity by
12-25%. The percentage
depends on the piezoactivity of
the comminuted material and
the grade of the manufacturing
gifl * T cement. The higher is the
grade, the higher the capacity
Figure la: before increase (see Table 1). The
device can also be combined with grinding aids. It is possible to reduce
the quantity of grinding aids to 25 to 30% and at the same time to
increase the capacity of the mill by up to 15%.

The Ecofor Device can be applied to both opened and closed grinding systems. If the output of the mill is less
than 40t/h, only one Ecofor Device, connected in parallel to the mill and separator, need be used. When output is
more than 40t/h, it is necessary to use two devices: one for the mill and the other for the separator.

Data from official reports of the "ECOFOR"

Countrymethod
Period
and device
Mill Cap.
demonstration.
System Prod. Cap. increase Remarks
Company Tourah
Portland Cement Egypt 96 56 t/h 100 Open OPC 14% Without grinding
t/h Open OPC 9% aids

80 t/h 80 Open 400 15% Without grinding

Navoi Cement Plant Uzbekistan .96
t/h Closed raw meal 20% aids
Alexandria Portland Egypt 96 50 t/h Closed SRC 12,4%
Without grinding
aids
Cement Co.
Cement Plant "China"
China 1997 18 t/h Open "525" 26%
Without grinding
aids, Slag 30%
Cement Plant "Jun Nun"
China 1997 30 t/h Closed "525" 25%
Without grinding
aids, Slag 28%
Cement Plant "Huai Ha"
China 97 100 t/h Closed "525" 15%
Without grinding
aids
Raysut Cement Co. Oman 97 45 t/h Closed raw meal OPC, 0% 12%
Closed ROC Cement dust
ejection was
decreased by 15%.
Grinding aids were
excluded
completely.
Kunda Nordic Cement
Corp.
PPT 52,5 PT 25%
Estonia 98 35 t/h Opened
42,5R 17,5%
Grinding aids less
30%
Oman Cement Co. Oman 98 66 t/h Closed OPC, SRC 12%
Grinding aids less
12%
Podolsky Cement Co. Ukraine 98 53 t/h Opened "500" 7%
With grinding aids
19%
Without grinding
aids
Vassiliko Cement Works
Ltd.
84 t/h 24 Closed 11% With grinding aids
Cyprus 98-99 Closed OPC
t/h 14% With grinding aids