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A more holistic view of mill liner management

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A More Holistic View of Mill Liner

Management
M S Powell1, M M Hilden2, N Weerasekara3, M Yahyaei4, P Toor5,
J Franke6 and M Bird7

ABSTRACT
The combination of new tools with a more rigorous approach to understanding the interaction of
mill liners with overall mill performance and economics, forms the basis of an integrated approach
to liner management. Based on accurate liner wear measurements, some (limited) physical mill
inspections and surveys, accurate calibration of the mill load and analysis of process data, a whole
new approach to liner selection, relining intervals and mill control is proposed. Collection and
analysis of this information in operating mills illustrates the mill performance improvement
which can be attained through this careful measurement and modelling approach.
A more holistic approach to liner management is proposed, including a broadening of the
current work to cover the potential benefits of improved relining technologies and predictive liner
wear modelling.

INTRODUCTION Liner wear and grinding performance

There are two main functions for liners in a mill. The first is to
protect the mill shell from the aggressive milling environment.
The second is to deliver the input power to the charge through
keying-in the charge to the rotary motion of the mill and lifting
the charge up so that it can cascade or cataract down to provide
the energy for grinding. For mills with identical operating
conditions, a different liner design, generally dominated by
the profile of the lifter, will change the charge profile and
consequently the mechanism of grinding (Powell and Nurick,
1996a, 1996b, 1996c). There have been numerous studies
aimed at quantifying the effect of liner configurations on the
dynamics of the mill charge (McIvor, 1983; Vermeulen, 1985;
Powell, 1991; Mishra and Rajamani, 1993; Moys, 1993; Cilliers
et al, 1994; Radziszewski, 1997; Van Nierop et al, 2001; Cleary,
2001; Rajamani, Joshi and Mishra, 2002; Djordjevic, Shi and
Morrison, 2004; Kalala, Bwalya and Moys, 2005a, 2005b; Kiangi
and Moys, 2006; Makokha and Moys, 2006; Makokha et al, 2007;
Kalala, Breetzke and Moys, 2008; Yahyaei and Banisi, 2010).
These studies indicate that there should be an optimum liner
configuration for a given milling duty. Due to the wear of liners
they cannot constantly maintain this optimal profile, so the
challenge becomes one of designing liners to provide the best
mill performance over the life of the liner. In the broadest sense
this optimisation must include mill throughput and grind, liner
costs and relining time.
The aggressive milling environment limits liner life. Mills
require regular liner replacement at a considerable material
and labour cost in addition to the cost of lost production time
during shut-downs. An in-depth summary of this issue is
presented in Powell et al (2006). The challenging aspect is that,
as liners wear, the shape of the lifters changes dramatically,
which in turn changes the energy transfer characteristics and
thus has a significant influence on grinding efficiency (Powell
et al, 2011). The dual functions of the liners tend to conflict,
as designing the liner profile to maximise liner life inevitably
reduces the power delivered by the mill and thus the overall
grinding rate in the mill. It is therefore necessary to develop a
liner design which balances liner life and milling performance.
Mill liner management tools
Utilising an integrated approach in mill liner management
identifies opportunities to improve mill control, specifically
as it relates to changes in performance occurring over the liner
life. This approach requires accurate liner wear measurements,
some limited physical mill inspections and surveys, and an
accurate calibration of the mill’s operating parameters with
liner life, in order to develop an optimised operating strategy.
Utilising plant data to quantify the throughput, power
consumption and product size generated by the mill as the
liner wears, can help in the generation of a new liner design

1. FAusIMM, Professorial Research Fellow, Chair in Sustainable Comminution, Julius Kruttschnitt Mineral Research Centre, Sustainable Minerals Institute, The University of Queensland,
40 Isles Road, Indooroopilly Qld 4068. Email: malcolm.powell@uq.edu.au
2. Senior Research Fellow, Julius Kruttschnitt Mineral Research Centre, Sustainable Minerals Institute, The University of Queensland, 40 Isles Road, Indooroopilly Qld 4068. Email: m.hilden@uq.edu.au
3. Research Fellow, Julius Kruttschnitt Mineral Research Centre, Sustainable Minerals Institute, The University of Queensland, 40 Isles Road, Indooroopilly Qld 4068. Email: n.weerasekara@uq.edu.au
4. Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Julius Kruttschnitt Mineral Research Centre, Sustainable Minerals Institute, The University of Queensland, 40 Isles Road, Indooroopilly Qld 4068.
Email: m.yahyaei@uq.edu.au
5. MAusIMM, Analytic Metallurgist, Scanalyse Pty Ltd, Suite 1, Enterprise Unit 5, 7a De Laeter Way, Technology Park, Bentley WA 6102. Email: Paul.toor@scanalyse.com.au
6. Chief Science Officer, Scanalyse Pty Ltd, Suite 1, Enterprise Unit 5, 7a De Laeter Way, Technology Park, Bentley WA 6102. Email: Jochen.franke@scanalyse.com.au
7. Senior Metallurgist, Cadia Valley Operations, Newcrest Mining LTD, PMB, South Orange NSW 2800. Email: Matthew.bird@newcrest.com.au

11TH MILL OPERATORS’ CONFERENCE 2012 / HOBART, TAS, 29 - 31 OCTOBER 2012 95

M S POWELL et al

with optimum mass and life characteristics and enhanced

cost-life benefits. DEM simulation outputs provide detailed
data of the force, duration and frequency of collisions on
finely discretised elements of the liner. Laboratory wear tests
can be used to investigate the impact on mill operations of
liner life and profile changes due to wear. The correlation of
DEM simulation results with the outputs of laboratory wear
experiments, could assist in developing a predictive wear
model which would provide a powerful tool for advanced
internal mill design based on an enhanced cost-life benefit.

CADIA CASE STUDY

The SAG mill in the Cadia low-grade circuit of the Newcrest
Cadia Valley Operations (CVO) provides a prime test case for
this methodology, given the commitment of the site personnel
to optimise the performance of this huge 40 ft diameter,
20 MW mill. During the study, the mill operated in closed
circuit with two MP 1000 recycle crushers. The work was
aimed at improving mill control over the life of the liner, and
is reported in some detail by Bird, Powell and Hilden (2011).
The current review expands upon that work.
Liner wear measurement
Through scanning the liner profiles in 3D with MillMapper®
software, the progression of the liner wear profile has been
mapped over the liner life, along the full length of the mill and
on the feed and discharge ends. This data provides the basis
for a wear rate prediction model. That model can be used to
forecast the mass of the liners at any given time. The wear
accelerates near the end of the liner life, so rather than four
scans spaced evenly over the life of the liner, an extra scan is
required near the end of the liner life. In this work an extra
scan was taken three weeks prior to the liner change-out. The
Cadia site made the commitment to adding extra liner scans in
order to maximise the benefit from the liner wear monitoring
program. Accordingly, five sets of profiles were measured,
which together with the profile of a new liner, provided six sets
of profiles spanning the liner life, offering an outstanding set
of liner profile data for review (Bird, Powell and Hilden, 2011).
The Cadia low-grade (LG) mill contains alternating high
and low lifters and mini-lifters (positioned between the main
lifters). Between 18 November 2009 and 9 June 2011, Scanalyse
MillMapper® reports (covering the four most recent sets of
liner scans) were used to analyse the liner wear with respect
to lifter height, angle and liner mass and as a function of the
cumulative tonnes of ore milled. The Scanalyse mill scans
generated a three-dimensional model of the mill internals. An
example of the 3D rendered profiles is shown in Figure 1.
FIG 1 - Scanned view of mill rendered by MillMapper®.
From this full 3D data, MillMapper® analysis software was
used to provide average data for each segment of the mill
liner. This could be transferred to 2D profiles for wear-loss
modelling. Wear profiles for a single wear cycle are shown
in Figure 2.
Utilising the liner profiles, the Scanalyse software calculates
the total liner mass of all components in the mill. Individual
models of the wear of each major component are then derived
so that the total liner mass at any time can be calculated based
on the reline dates and treated tonnage. Examples of wear of
the most substantial liner sections are shown in Figure 3. The
progression of the lifter height, lifter angle and plate thickness
are also derived and described by regression equations. These
are presented in detail by Bird, Powell and Hilden (2011).
Effect of wear on mill operation
Plant control data from the Cadia 40 ft mill, corresponding with
the liner wear scan data, was analysed at 2.5 minute intervals
over a period of 19 months, in order to quantify performance
trends as the mill liners wear. Plant data was preprocessed
to filter out data from stoppages, unstable operations and
instrumentation faults, and to smooth out noise. Averages
were calculated for the key operating parameters over weekly
intervals following the major relines.
Mill speed is varied throughout the liner life to protect the
liners from excessive wear. The drive power draw varies in
response to the changes in mill speed, filling, ball filling and
slurry filling (Figure 4).
While the mill is being operated at a reduced speed at the
start and end of the liner life, the mill feed rate set point must
also be lower as shown in Figure 5a.
There is a reduction in mill feed just after ten weeks,
corresponding to the change in grates and the resultant

FIG 2 - Examples of liner profiles reconstructed from the scan data (Bird, Powell and Hilden, 2011).

96 11TH MILL OPERATORS’ CONFERENCE 2012 / HOBART, TAS, 29 - 31 OCTOBER 2012

 A MORE HOLISTIC VIEW OF MILL LINER MANAGEMENT

250 160
ShellLifters 140
OuterFeedEnd
200
120

150 100

Tonnes
Tonnes

80
100 60
y=Ͳ2.7927x2 Ͳ 0.8394x+237.15
R²=0.9747 40
50 HighShellLifters y=Ͳ11.657x+140.92
y=Ͳ1.4965x2 Ͳ 0.9201x+188.71 20 R²=0.9696
R²=0.948 LowShellLifters
0 0
0 2 4 6 8 0 2 4 6 8
MtMilled MtMilled

FIG 3 - Liner mass loss and fitted wear functions.

FIG 4 - Weekly average mill speed and power draw.

FIG 5 - (A) Weekly average run-of-mine and total semi-autogenous feed rate; (B) ratio of crusher feed to semi-autogenous feed.

decrease in production of pebbles. As the grates wear, the
production of pebbles increases, as shown in Figure 5b,
dropping off dramatically as the grates are changed. The plot
of the ratio of crusher feed to total SAG mill feed clearly
illustrates the pebble production rate over the liner life. The
period immediately following the reline of the grates (with
the shell at mid liner-life) corresponds with the lowest pebble
discharge rate, and the last week of the grate life corresponds
to peak pebble production.
Grind size, expressed as a P80, is measured online using an
Outotec PSI-200® particle size analyser. The average of the
grind size from the two cyclone clusters is shown in Figure 6.
The grind size is slightly finer when the mill is operated at a
low throughput and low speed, and the average grind size

11TH MILL OPERATORS’ CONFERENCE 2012 / HOBART, TAS, 29 - 31 OCTOBER 2012 97

M S POWELL et al
FIG 6 - Weekly average cyclone P80 and calculated operating work index.
increases to approximately 200 μm for most of the liner life.
There is a marked decrease in grind size at the end of the
liner life. This should correspond with a shift from impact to
abrasion breakage as the liner loses its profile and the charge
experiences increasing slip on the liner.
The operating work index (OWi) is calculated from the
online measured P80 and F80 from the Split-Online® feed size
monitoring system, as well as the sum of the crusher, ball mill
and SAG mill specific energies. Based on an assumption of
a consistent average feed, a decrease in the OWi indicates
improved operating efficiency; as a lower energy is required
to provide a given degree of reduction. The plot of Figure 6
shows an improvement in comminution efficiency as the
liner wears in from new to the replacement of the grates,
with the OWi dropping from 27 to 25.2. The efficiency drops
as the grate is changed, gradually improves, then steadily
deteriorates over the last five weeks to a high of 28 kWh/t
when the liner is changed. This rapid increase at the end of
the liner life corresponds to the dramatic decrease in mill
throughput, from 2300 to 1700 t/h over the last five weeks.
This considerable drop in throughput is not typical for the
mill, but appears to be related to the liners being operated
for a bit longer than usual in order to make the liner change-
out coincide with other plant down-time requirements. The
loss of liner profile is evident in the flat profile at change out,
illustrated by the 6.7 Mt line in Figure 2. The data indicates
FIG 7 - Load and estimated total and ball filling values based on the power model calculation.
98
that it is most unfavourable to mill performance to leave the
liner for an extended period after it has been worn to a smooth
profile.
At any time in the life of the liner, the total charge mass can be
calculated from the load cell mass, corrected for the wear mass
lost since the mill reline. Using this data, it is possible to infer
the total filling and proportion of balls in the charge, through
the application of a power model. A similar technique was
employed by Kojovic, Pyecha and Corbin (2001) on the Red
Dog circuit, where the total load was calculated and the ball
load was known with reasonable accuracy. The total and ball
filling values are inputs to the JKMRC power model developed
by Morrell (1993) which outputs the power-draw and charge
mass. There is a unique ball and total filling which corresponds
to a given charge mass and mill power draw. Thus, for an input
of the online load-cell reading (converted to charge mass) and
power draw values from the operating mill, the total and ball
filling values can be derived from the power model.
To test the above hypothesis, the historical control data for
the Cadia 40 ft mill was analysed hourly over a 19-month
data period. For each time interval, the mill mass and
diameter were corrected for liner wear, giving the estimated
charge mass. The JKMRC power model was then calculated
iteratively to find the solution for total and ball filling at each
time interval. Figure 7 shows how the total load underwent a
cyclic increase and decrease over the life of the liner.
11TH MILL OPERATORS’ CONFERENCE 2012 / HOBART, TAS, 29 - 31 OCTOBER 2012

Mill control based on liner wear
With the ongoing liner profiles, the maximum trajectory
paths of the outermost balls and rocks can be calculated. The
MillTraj® program is used here, as it can run online with the
available control data; an approach not possible for discrete
element modelling (DEM) simulations. The design of the liner
and the operation of the mill need to ensure that there are no
impacts above the toe region; otherwise the liners and balls
will suffer severely accelerated wear and risk major breakage.
The filling information presented in Figure 7 and the liner
profile data are used as inputs to the simulation presented in
Figure 8. The shifting toe position at the percentage of liner
life is labelled for each filling. The trajectories are given for
the corresponding percentage of liner life. The mill speed is
selected to ensure impact in the middle of the toe region for
each corresponding filling, using the lifter dimensions at that
point in the liner life.
FIG 8 - Charge trajectories limited by actual mill filings.
For the historic progression in mill filling after installation of
a liner, the operating speed has to be limited to 72 per cent for
the new liner; shifted up to 74 per cent after ten per cent of the
liner life; then increased to 77 per cent after 20 per cent of the
liner life. With an ability to confidently predict the mill filling
it can be controlled at a minimum of 30 per cent, allowing
the initial speed to be markedly increased to over 76 per
cent. The trajectory plots provide input on the safe operating
ranges for the mill. The MillTraj® program can be linked into the
operating data and wear model, to provide a live image of the
safe operating regime for any combination of mill speeds and
fillings.
Key outcomes
The total load and mill filling starts low after a liner change,
then steadily increase as the liner wears. Lacking any hard
data, the impact of the change in liner mass has not been
adequately accounted for, leading to a far lower mill filling
than was thought to be the case. This in turn necessitated a
decrease in mill speed, as the charge was impacting directly
on the liners, as indicated by excessive mill noise (measured
by a single fixed microphone). Together these elements result
in a marked loss in power and throughput over the first six
weeks of operation with new liners, as shown in Figure 4. The
load again decreases when the grate is changed, as the change
in liner mass was not compensated for in the load set point.
Over the life of the liner, the data indicates a steady decrease in
the ball filling (from 17 to 13 per cent) corresponding with the
mass loss due to liner wear, and an increase in the total filling
(from 26 to 35 per cent). Thus, in running on an unknown
influence of liner wear, and without a measure of ball filling,
the selected load set-point results in the load creeping up and
11TH MILL OPERATORS’ CONFERENCE 2012 / HOBART, TAS, 29 - 31 OCTOBER 2012
A MORE HOLISTIC VIEW OF MILL LINER MANAGEMENT
the ball charge, correspondingly, drifting down. Overall, the
impact of inadequate knowledge of the mill filling costs the
operation about ten per cent of throughput for about one
third of the operating time.
EXTENSION OF THE METHODOLOGY
The results to date suggest that this technique may be usable
as a mill-filling ‘soft-sensor’, permitting its use for process
control and optimisation. Additional refinements are being
carried out to improve its robustness, so that this approach can
be trialled as a real-time control tool in industrial applications.
Slurry hold-up
An estimate of the slurry holdup is required to give a more
accurate measure of the mass and power draw of the mill. For
these simulations, slurry filling was assumed to be constant,
corresponding to the filling measured during a crash-stop
inspection (a void fill fraction of 0.71). The variation in slurry
filling from 0.6 to one of the available mill charge voidage,
results in a 77 t variation in the mill load, with a corresponding
uncertainly in mill filling. This affects the power calculation
for estimating the ball load. The above variation in slurry
filling is equivalent to a ±2.2 percentage point variation in
total filling – which represents an undesirable uncertainty.
The effect on power draw can be dramatic if the mill goes into
a pooling state. A mill typically experiences a sudden slump
in power draw when a slurry pool develops inside the mill
(Morrell and Kojovic, 1996; Powell and Valery, 2006), with a
corresponding loss in grinding capacity – leading to reduced
throughput and/or a coarser grind. When utilising the power
model, if the influence of slurry pooling is not incorporated,
spurious results can be obtained. For the measured mill load,
the power draw is too low to resolve the ratio of balls to rocks.
These anomalous data can be easily edited out, but may also
serve as a useful indicator of slurry transport issues. Based
on the assumption that the spurious power data was due to
slurry pooling, these events were plotted as a percentage of
total operating time, as presented in Figure 9.
FIG 9 - Weekly average percent of slurry pool issue.
There are many instances when the mill has a low filling
of 25 per cent after installation of the new liner. As the mill
fills these instances drop off to negligible values. They pick up
again after replacement of the grates and then at the end of the
liner life. With a higher mill filling, the mill can hold a greater
volume of slurry and has more of the grate area exposed to
the charge, so it can handle a higher volumetric slurry flow
prior to the onset of pooling. This appears to be the issue after
relining. The mill filling is again lower for a period after the
grate change and there is a corresponding increase in pooling.
It is also possible that the absolute open area is also influencing
99
M S POWELL et al
the slurry transport, with the discharge area increasing as the
grate wears. When crash-stopping the mill, pooling has not
been observed, so this appears to be a transient state, driven
by fluctuations in feed composition, and more likely occurring
only at lower mill fillings.
Having a model that better correlates slurry discharge
capacity with grate condition would improve the predictive
capability of the filling model. The switch to a pooling
condition could also serve as an alarm to the operator to
modify the feedrate, water addition and the amount of
crushed recycle product, and to potentially switch to coarser
feeders to help release the pooling state of the mill.
Power model
The power model can utilise the slurry level information, but
this needs to be provided by an exterior model, as discussed
above. When the mill shifts into pooling the model cannot
cope in its current form. It does accommodate the reduction of
power for overflow mills, so can be modified to the gradually
increasing pool depth, if that information is available. Since
the balls are added at a frequent and constant rate, it is known
that the ball load cannot fluctuate wildly. The use of a long-
term moving average of ball load to smooth out the calculation
of filling is being investigated as an enhancement.
Another improvement to the power model would be
to make an allowance for the change in power draw as
the liner profile changes. The change in mill diameter is
accommodated through the wear model, but the liner profile
information is not utilised. This requires an improvement to
the power model, based principally on the change in fraction
of the cataracting charge. This enhancement is in the current
research portfolio of the JKMRC.
Grindcurves related to liner profile
Process data provides a useful overview for correlating mill
performance with the liner profile. However, it is difficult
to tease out the optimal operating condition that should be
pursued as the liner profile changes with wear. Grindcurves,
as per the procedure of Powell, van der Westhuizen and
Mainza (2009); and Powell, Perkins and Mainza (2011);
provide a technique for rapidly assessing the ideal mill
filling for a given operating condition. This will vary as the
liner wears, but the magnitude of this effect has not yet been
investigated in a structured manner.
FIG 10 - Throughput and specific energy as a function of shell liner life for Cadia 32 ft mill.
100
In order to make the outputs of the grindcurve meaningful
a good quality sample of the mill discharge is required. This
presents quite a challenge for a solids flow rate of 2500 t/h
and a slurry flow of about 1700 m3/h from a trommel
undersize which falls directly into a sump. A new technique
was developed for the Cadia mill and the process is due for
implementation over the next liner life.
LINERS COST-LIFE BENEFIT
Scanalyse, in collaboration with JKMRC and Newcrest
Mining, conducted an extensive 12 month study on the effect
of liner wear on the mill performance of the 32 ft SAG mill
at Cadia Valley Operations, from July 2010 to June 2011. The
methodology of determining the optimum liner shape was
previously presented at Metplant 2011 (Toor et al, 2011a), and
expanded on at the SAG11 conference (Toor et al, 2011b, Toor
et al, 2012). The results presented indicated that liners with
a worn shape and reduced mass but shorter life, outperform
their longer life counterparts in all key production parameters
of throughput, energy consumption and product size. This
paper quantifies the benefit of having shorter liner life cycles
for improved performance, by calculating the increase in
throughput and reduction in power, based on historical
data for this mill. It also presents the total overall gain by
accounting for the increased effort required for extra relines.
This provides a holistic view of the net advantages when
designing liners for performance and not specifically life span.
Figure 10 shows how throughput increases as the liner
wears, drops at half-life when the discharge grates (1/2 set)
and the feed outer liner are relined, then increase as the shell
liners wear further, resulting in a 12 per cent increase in
throughput at the end of the liner life when compared to new.
It should be noted that the throughput post grate reline is
still approximately three per cent higher, on average, than the
throughput prior to the grate reline, indicating the increase in
throughput is not only due to an increased open area of the
grates, but is also due to the wear in the shell liners. Aside from
throughput improvements over the shell liner life, specific
energy (kWh/t) decreases by a significant 12 per cent over the
same period. Importantly, this decrease is observed, even with
an increase of mill speed to adjust for a reduction in lift due
to worn lifters. Finally, grinding surveys conducted during
the course of the project indicate that the SAG product is finer
11TH MILL OPERATORS’ CONFERENCE 2012 / HOBART, TAS, 29 - 31 OCTOBER 2012
 A MORE HOLISTIC VIEW OF MILL LINER MANAGEMENT

as the liner wears. Thus all available data suggests that the
three primary performance indicators of throughput, energy
consumption and product size, all improved considerably as
the liners wear in the 32 ft mill studied.

Designing liners for performance

The observations suggest that liners with a reduced thickness
and lower lifter profile outperform their larger counterparts.
This section highlights the potential benefits of having shorter
life liners, which deliver more tonnes at a lower power and
produce a finer grind. Moreover, it is envisaged that the
increase in downtime necessitated by more frequent relines
can be overcome by the increase in mill performance. FIG 11 - Effect of reline shutdown frequency and duration on throughput.
It is possible to predict the throughput of liners with reduced
mass by analysing existing plant data. Taking a half-worn Figure 11 illustrates that reducing the additional downtime
liner as the starting profile of a new liner, the throughput over increases the throughput benefit. As a half set of grates are
the life of this liner is equal to the average throughput from replaced every three months, only an additional 14 hour
the second half of the original liner life. Table 1 summarises relining time is required to replace the shell liner. Using this
the increase in mill performance with shorter liner life cycles extra 14 hours of reline time per six month cycle, a comparison
and additional relines. can be made between the two designs based on overall
TABLE 1 tonnes processed at the required power. The comparison is
summarised in Table 2. It shows that by using the proposed
Summary of improved performance with shorter liner life cycles.
design over a six month period, a throughput increase of
35 k/t is predicted (1.25 per cent) with a corresponding power
No of relines/ Throughput Power (kW) Specific energy
reduction of 365 MWh (1.37 per cent).
six month cycle (t/h) (kWh/t)
1 707 6 684 9.47 Cost benefit analysis
2 719 6 638 9.25 A broad estimate can be made of the potential economic
3 733 6 548 8.93 benefits of utilising liners designed for performance and not
simply life span. Table 3 presents a summary of the expected
4 738 6 505 8.81 benefits for the mill studied, based on an assumed mill
6 736 6 463 8.78 availability of 96 per cent.
8 736 6 463 8.78 To estimate the cost of relining, a Figure of $3/kg of steel
was used for the material cost, plus ten per cent on the
Using simplified examples of each additional reline taking material cost for labour costs. The volume of the new and half-
a possible 20, 30, 40, 50 or 60 hours, Figure 11 quantifies the life shell liners in the proposed design change was obtained
combined effect of shorter but more productive liner life cycles from MillMapper®. Table 4 summaries the estimated cost of
and the additional downtime their more frequent installation relining.
necessitates. As is evident from the graph, the current setup
of relining every six months is not optimal, regardless of how TABLE 3
long a reline takes within the range of typical durations. At Summary of expected benefits through using proposed shell liner design.
present the shell reline of the 32 ft mill takes approximately
30 to 40 hours (average 34 h). Interestingly, the throughput Gold Copper
curves for the 30 h and 40 h relines indicate that thinner
optimised liners, requiring relines three times in each six Current throughput (t/h) 707 707
month cycle (equating to a shell reline every two months) Annual production 6 620 kg 2 729 025 t
would deliver the highest tonnage. Annual Au production (oz) 212 854 N/A
However, if relines are taking approximately 60 hours,
Price A$1 600 /oz A$6 000 /t
there is little advantage to relining more frequently with
thinner liners. This highlights the need for efficient relining to Annual revenue A$340 570 000 A$16 374 000
ensure optimal mill performance, especially when using the Additional annual revenue (1.25 per cent increase) A$4 257 000 A$204 700
presented philosophy of thinner liners which require more
Total A$4.46 M
frequent replacement.

TABLE 2
Comparison of throughput and power for current and proposed shell liner design.

Current design Proposed design Proposed design (two Difference over six Difference (per cent)
(three months) sets over six months) months
Throughput (t/h) 707 719 719 12 1.70
Liner life (days) 165 82.2 164.4 0.6 0.35
Total throughput (kt) 2 801 1 418 2 836 35 1.25
Total power (MWh) 26 607 13 120 26 241 -365 -1.37

11TH MILL OPERATORS’ CONFERENCE 2012 / HOBART, TAS, 29 - 31 OCTOBER 2012 101
M S POWELL et al
TABLE 4
Estimated cost of relining.
Current shell Proposed shell
liners liners
Liners volume (m3) 22.9 18.3
Liners mass (kg) 178 620 142 740
Cost of material @ $3/kg A$535 860 A$428 220
Cost of labour@ 10% A$53 586 A$42 822
Total cost of relining A$589 446 A$471 042
Number of relining per year 2 4
Annual cost of relining A$1 178 892 A$1 884 168
Annual increase of relining cost A$0.705 M
From Tables 3 and 4 it can be seen that the estimated
increase in annual revenue from the proposed design change
is in the order of $4 M. It should also be noted that the new
design is expected to reduce energy consumption and/or
specific energy – further increasing the net revenue achieved.
Based on the survey data, it could also be reasoned that the
new design would also reduce the P80 of the product, thereby
increasing the flotation recovery. These two additional
benefits of reduced specific energy consumption and possible
increase in recovery, add further commercial weight to the
proposed liner design with reduced mass.
There is clearly further opportunity to optimise the liner
profile if a shorter liner life is targeted. Optimisation would
aim at minimising any wasted shell plate thickness evident at
the end of the liner life, plus changing lifter width to reduce
metal wastage there. The excessive width is a function of the
structure required for the very high new lifter bar and is not
required for a lower lifter design. Improvements along these
lines would further decrease the liner cost, and lighter liners
are faster to replace, with the added potential of decreasing
the number of liner elements in line with the capacity of the
liner handler.
PREDICTIVE LINER WEAR MODEL
A predictive wear model for liners would be most useful in
optimising liner design. This is not merely for liner life cycle
prediction, but more importantly for providing an assessment
of mill performance over the life of the liner. Although the
status of DEM mill modelling is inadequate at providing fully
predictive simulations of mill performance, it can supply
qualitative comparisons of performance related to liner
design. Combining DEM outputs, trajectory analyses, power
modelling and historic data can provide a useful mechanism
for estimating the impact of progressive liner profile on
mill performance. Thus combining a capability to assess the
progression of the liner profile over time with performance
data will provide a powerful tool for improved liner design
and selection.
Discrete element method wear modelling
Some work has been conducted on utilising the DEM outputs
of contact force and frequency to model the wear of mill
liners, Cleary (1998); Kalala, Bwalya and Moys (2005a, 2005b);
Powell et al (2006); McBride and Powell (2006); Makokha
and Moys (2006); Rezaeizadeh et al (2010b); each of which
contributes to the predictive wear modelling of liners. These
models all require calibration to industrial data to fit the
wear rate as a function of the contacting materials – ore and
102
balls on the specific liner material. Although lacking absolute
predictive capability, these concepts can assist in modelling
the evolution of liner profiles with time.
The MillMapper® liner profile data can provide a drop-out
of the geometries in a form which can be directly imported
into the DEM software. Utilising the progressive profiles, a
wear model can be fitted, as presented by Weerasekara et al
(2011). The progression of the liner from new to full-worn
is illustrated in Figure 12, showing the excellent quality
of the data. Even qualitatively, the DEM outputs paint an
informative picture of the life of a liner and demonstrate how
wear rate is influenced by the liner profile. Once a wear model
is fitted with the required wear rate calibration, it can be used
to predict the wear of new liner designs.
FIG 12 - Slices of liner profiles from new to fully-worn in EDEM.
A good wear model can then be applied to modify the liner
design and to test the outcomes prior to manufacturing a liner
with a new profile. Currently the accuracy of the predictions
is insufficient for confident liner design, but this research is
ongoing.
Laboratory testing of liner wear
As noted in the DEM wear modelling section, the models
have to be calibrated to production data. It would be most
useful to have a test that could calibrate the wear constant for
a given ore and liner combination.
In general the factors that affect liner wear can be categorised
into operating parameters and material characteristics
(Rezaeizadeh et al, 2010a). Various approaches have been
proposed to predict the lifter wear (Radziszewski, 1997;
Cleary, 1998; Kalala, Bwalya and Moys, 2005a; Teeri et al, 2006;
Kalala, Breetzke and Moys, 2008). These approaches provide
an insight into liner wear, but a full relationship between
mill operating parameters, lifter profile and materials, with
wear rate is missing. Laboratory testing of liner wear could
provide reliable data for developing a predictive wear model
in conjunction with DEM simulation results. Using liner
wear tests makes it possible to compare the wear of different
compositions of materials as well as the wear of various liner
designs.
A pilot test is being trialled to allow the rapid comparison
of multiple materials in near field conditions. The test method
based on methodology proposed by Powell and Cornelius
(1992) and trialled at the JKMRC by Rezaeizadeh et al (2010a),
has been adapted to suit different lifter and backing plate
designs and materials. The pilot mill and sample mounting
are illustrated in Figure 13.
Utilising a liner wear model
To develop a predictive wear model, laboratory wear tests
can provide experimental data, while DEM simulations offer
a detailed view of forces acting on the liner surface. This could
be done through linking the results of experimental tests with
11TH MILL OPERATORS’ CONFERENCE 2012 / HOBART, TAS, 29 - 31 OCTOBER 2012

FIG 13 - Pilot mill and lifter bar for testing sample blocks.
the outputs of DEM simulations. The collision energy spectra
and collision intensity distribution on the surface of liners
can be derived from DEM simulations. A semi theoretical
model can then be applied to correlate the DEM simulations
with measured wear rates in laboratory tests. The predictive
wear model provides a means for optimising liner design.
A combination of the predictive wear model with grinding
models can potentially be applied in the liner design stage to
balance the liner life and mill performance over life of the liner.
FURTHER AREAS TO BE INCORPORATED
More aspects can be brought to bear on mill lining economics
and mill performance over life of liner. A few that show
potential are outlined here.
Interaction with relining methodology
Any change in liner design should be coordinated with the
entire relining process, not just in terms of ensuring that
the liner handler can cope with the liner segments, but in
optimising the relining time. If, as has been alluded to in the
liner cost benefit section, it pays to have a shorter liner life
with more frequent relines, then the efficiency of the relining
process becomes even more crucial. Taking advantage of
advanced relining equipment to leverage these potential
benefits was presented by Russell (2006). Using thinner liners
allows parts to be made larger, thus decreasing the number of
components to be installed during a reline. The concept was
expanded on by Rubie (2011), to incorporate a sophisticated
time and motion analysis of the relining procedure.
Discharge modelling
Rather than considering the grates and ports to be a separate
issue, it is proposed that the discharge grate be optimised
as an integral unit with the shell liner. The data on mill
operation clearly indicates the strong influence that the grate
has on mill performance (Figure 4). It is proposed that an
integrated understanding of the influence of liners and grates
would provide performance benefits. They could be set up
to compensate for the change in mill performance that each
induces with wear. Clearly good discharge and grinding
models are required to seriously consider this approach.
These models are under development, so their integration
into liner design has yet to be investigated.
CONCLUSIONS
Integrated liner wear monitoring, along with accurate
calibration of mill operating parameters with liner life, has
11TH MILL OPERATORS’ CONFERENCE 2012 / HOBART, TAS, 29 - 31 OCTOBER 2012
A MORE HOLISTIC VIEW OF MILL LINER MANAGEMENT
been used to identify opportunities to improve the mill control;
particularly as it relates to managing changes in performance
over the liner life. Quantifying the considerable impact that
changes in liner mass and profile (over liner life) have on
the total mass of charge and other operating parameters, can
aid in the development of a strategy for improved real-time
process control and optimisation.
Since grinding performance is strongly integrated with
liner design, monitoring process data over the liner life
provides a useful overview of the correlation between mill
performance and the liner profile. This approach can lead to
the development of liner designs with an optimum liner mass
and life span, thereby improving the grinding performance
and enhancing the cost-life benefit of liners. A possible profit-
based approach is presented for optimising liner design and
changing relining intervals to maintain mill productivity.
Combining the outputs of careful liner wear monitoring,
trajectory analysis, predictive wear modelling, power
modelling, DEM simulations, laboratory wear testing
and a new relining methodology can provide a powerful
management system for predicting the impact of liner design
on mill performance. It has been demonstrated that annual
production improvements of three to five per cent can be
achieved through: eliminating inappropriate drift in mill
filling resulting from liner wear; minimising step changes in
filling with each liner replacement; improving control of the
ball load; maintaining tighter and more consistent control;
and improving mill filling set-points.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
The authors would like to acknowledge the project funding
and permission to publish provided by Newcrest Cadia Valley
Operations. The help of site personnel and the metallurgy
team in collecting data is greatly appreciated.
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