GRINDING PROCESS OPTIMIZATION LEVERS TO PULL

Caroline Woywadt and Bernd Henrich

Gebr. Pfeiffer SE, Kaiserslautern, Germany

Summary

The proportion of energy consumption for grinding in the cement manufacturing process is quite
high, with nearly 50 % of total energy consumption. Cement grinding itself is rated with
approximately 34 % in the complete process. This huge number shows the potential to save
energy in regard of optimization of the process. Gebr. Pfeiffer SE offers support in dealing with
these issues by addressing topics and tackling tasks relating to mill operation and optimized
product properties. In the past decades the VRM has been replacing many Ball mill grinding
systems. Achieving the same quality of cement produced in BM and VRM was essential for the
success of the VRM. This was traced back by achieving the same or similar Particle Size
Distribution (PSD). But nowadays it is clear that the PSD is not the only factor to impact the
properties of the finish product. In this paper the interaction between the relevant parameters for
cement quality and VMR performance will be discussed.

1. Introduction

The cement industry shall meet manifold factors and requirements to be a sustainable industry.
This means achieving a balance between the fulfilment of ecological, social and economic needs
now and in future. Industry’s investment power and capacity for innovation is a key factor in this
respect.1

In the past decades the VRM has been replacing many Ball mill grinding systems. Achieving the
same quality of cement produced in BM and VRM was essential for the success of the VRM. This
was traced back by achieving the same or similar Particle Size Distribution (PSD). But nowadays
it is clear that the PSD is not the only factor to impact the properties of the finish product.

Levers to pull for getting the required product quality are mainly coming from the feed material
and the physical properties. The feed material describes the clinker with its chemistry, especially
the C3A-content, the sourcing of the clinker implicating a possible moisture and subsequently
prehydration. This is very important due to the number of grinding terminals installed in the past.
The sulfate agent needs a proportion of dihydrate, hemihydrate and anhydrite – balanced on the
clinker properties. Additional factor are the SCMs (Supplementary Cementitious Materials) which
influence the grindability and operational behavior plus the need for adequate reactivity.
To achieve the best optimized VRM mill performance some areas need special attention: Feed
uniformity, metal detection and extraction, preventive maintenance are only some areas to be
highlighted. Levers to pull for a well performing mill are operational parameters such as table
speed, gas flow, working pressure and mechanical adjustments as dam ring height and covering
the nozzle ring.
A smooth and stable mill operation with reduced or nil water spray is possible, hence grinding
without external heat is depending on feed moisture of the material possible.

2. Levers to Pull – Product Quality and VRM performance

2.1 Impact on Particle Size distribution (PSD)

In the past decades the VRM has been replacing many ball mill (BM) grinding systems.
Achieving the same quality of cement produced in BM and VRM was essential for the success of

16th NCB International Seminar on Cement, Concrete and Building Materials

03 - 06 December 2019, New Delhi, INDIA
the VRM. This was traced back by achieving the same or similar Particle Size Distribution (PSD).
PSD can be characterized by parameters such as slope and position parameter according to RRSB
evaluation. The slope characterizes the steepness of the PSD and the position parameter gives
information about the fineness overall. Fineness is also characterized with sieve residue figures
and Blaine measurement. When using laser diffraction equipment, the range resp. quantity of
particles between for example 3 to 30 µm is used to characterize the product. These physical
properties give a first indication for quality of the produced cement. The following figure shows
the results of slope of cements ground in ball mills. For comparison the figure for a vertical roller
mill is given as well. The range of slope for the ball mills is between 0.75 up to 1.05. The VRM
results in a slope of 0.86 which is a little under average.

Fig.1: Slope of CEM I ground in Ball Mill

By installation of high efficiency separators the differences PSD between ball mill and vertical
roller mill are quite low. In a vertical roller mill the PSD can be adjusted by different parameters:
by increasing the working pressure the quantity of fine scan be increased. By decreasing the
volume flow the PSD is becoming wider. Fig shows the comparison of PSD of a cement from
MVR mill and Ball mill. Both PSD are congruent.

Fig. 2: PSD of Cement produced in Vertical Roller Mill MVR and Ball Mill

2.2 Sulfate Adjustment

Cement grinding calls for a sulfate agent to be added to control the C3A hydration and cement
properties, such as setting time and strength development. As a VRM has a significantly higher
energy efficiency than a ball mill, much less heat is put into the grinding process. As a result the
dehydration degree of the sulfate agent is lower, which is advantageous in that the cement
temperature is lower and hence a cement cooler is not required. A further advantage of the low
temperature at the mill outlet is that the dehydration process does not continue once the product is
in the silo, thus avoiding the formation of lumps. A lower degree of dehydration, however, results
in a lower hemihydrate or plaster content, which can be compensated for by the addition of more
gypsum (within the limits set out in the standard relating to SO3 content in cement), by the

16th NCB International Seminar on Cement, Concrete and Building Materials

03 - 06 December 2019, New Delhi, INDIA
addition of a more reactive form of gypsum, or by the addition of more heat to the system, which
causes the dehydration of gypsum to increase.

A more reactive form of gypsum can be added by installing of the G4C® system. A separate
hammer mill is integrated into the VRM circuit to partially calcine the gypsum. If partial calcining
shall take place in the VRM, the mill outlet temperature has to be increased to 120 °C. At such a
high temperature, however, lumps will form in the finished product silo due to continuing
dehydration of the sulfate agent. If an appropriately low cement temperature is required, it is not
possible to obtain a sufficient plaster content in the cement itself without the use of G4C® for
calcination. By setting the outlet temperature of the hammer mill to a certain level the plaster
content of the sulfate agent can be adjusted in a wide range according to requirements imposed by
the clinker properties and the intended use of the cement.
However, the proportions of gypsum, hemi-hydrate and anhydrite have to be balanced according
to the clinker properties, mainly C3A-content.

2.3 Blended Cement – SCM

Supplementary Cementitious Materials (SCM) are used since many decades. The amount of
composite cements is still increasing considerably. SCM can be artificial or natural. Artificial
SCM are for example fly ash, granulated blast furnace slag (GBFS), silica fume. Natural SCM are
e.g. limestone, pozzolana. Fig. 1 shows the ternary diagram of the major SCM groups. The
hydraulic reactivity is increasing with increasing CaO-content. Hydraulic Properties of pozzolana
can be changed resp. increased by thermal treatment.

Fig. 1: Ternary Diagram of the Major SCM Groups

Artificial SCM often in use are fly ash and GBFS. The utilization of fly ash in concrete or as an
additive in cement introduces many benefits from economical, technical and environmental points
of view. Depending on the burning temperature, coal type and some other factors, fly ashes show
different properties in different size fractions. The level of performance of fly ash depends on e.g.
the lime reactivity, the carbon content and the fineness.

The engineering properties of GBFS, including its dewatering and transport characteristics, its
tendency to consolidation, its grindability and, naturally, its reactivity are determined by its
physical and chemical properties. The reaction potential is determined by many factors and
parameters where the optimization depends on metallurgical and economic factors.

Pozzolanic materials do not harden in themselves when mixed with water but, when finely ground
and in the presence of water, they react at normal ambient temperature with dissolved calcium
hydroxide (Ca(OH)2) to form strength developing calcium silicate and calcium aluminate
compounds. These compounds are similar to those which are formed in the hardening of
hydraulic materials. Pozzolanas consist essentially of reactive silicon dioxide (SiO2) and

16th NCB International Seminar on Cement, Concrete and Building Materials

03 - 06 December 2019, New Delhi, INDIA
aluminium oxide (Al2O3). The remainder contains iron oxide (Fe2O3) and other oxides. The
proportion of reactive calcium oxide for hardening is negligible.

In many countries the most available material as supplement is limestone. Limestone dilutes the
clinker content of the cement and impact the strength development. If natural pozzolana is
available cement manufacturing is more profitable due to the properties of pozzolana. The
definition of Pozzolana includes any volcanic material.2

2.4 Separate vs. Inter-Grinding

Vertical roller mills are very flexible for grinding feed materials such as clinker, limestone,
GBFS, pozzolana, fly ash etc. with different properties. When feeding moist materials, a heated
rotary lock will be installed, when feeding dry and fine materials an additional feeding point is
planned at the classifier housing.

Therefore, the issue for inter-grinding or separate grinding is still under discussion. When inter-
grinding clinker and GBFS the finer and more reactive fractions do not contain any or very small
proportions of GBFS. The decision for the mode of grinding has to be taken carefully. The
properties of e.g. fly ash and GBFS vary in a wide range and therefore, a tailor-made production
mode with specific fineness of the finished product is necessary to get the required final product
quality.2

Many plants equipped with MVR vertical roller mills have decided for separate grinding such as
example in Australia, where an MVR 6000 C-6 has been producing GGBFS and CEM I since
2014. In India many plants switch over from inter-grinding to separate grinding and vice versa.
SCM as limestone are also used for cement production by both inter- and separate grinding. An
MVR 6700 C-6 installed in Algeria produces mainly limestone-composite cement.

Table 1: CEM II/A-L and CEM I produced in MVR 6700 C-6

Limestone Cement OPC 2 OPC 1

Limestone injection (feeding point 18 % 0% 0%
at duct to filter)
Feed to mill (only Clinker and 280 t/h 240 t/h 345 t/h
Gypsum)
Total output 330 t/h 240 t/h 345 t/h
Fineness 4700 Blaine 4800 Blaine 3875 Blaine
4.0 % R45µm 3.0 % R32µm 2.5 % R45µm
SPC millcoupling 17.6 kWh/t 24.5 kWh/t 18.7 kWh/t

The MVR produces this type of cement by inter-grinding or by injecting pre-ground limestone at
classifier outlet of the MVR 6700 C-6. The limestone is pre-ground in the raw material mill, an
MVR 6000 R-6. In this case the feed material to the MVR C-6 is only clinker and gypsum, the
limestone added at classifier outlet is homogenized with the CEM I in the filer and during
transport to the silo.
shows the operational results of the different way of grinding mode.3 Another example – for
inter-grinding- is given in the following table: CEM I and different slagcements are produced in
an MVR 6700 C-6.

Table 2: Operating data for the production of different slag cements and CEM I in an MVR
6700 C-6
Mix 40 % BFS 34 % BFS 20 % BFS 94 % Cli
3 % Lst 9.5 % Lst 2 % Lst 3 % Lst
Product Rate 395 t/h 456 t/h 349 t/h 178 t/h

16th NCB International Seminar on Cement, Concrete and Building Materials

03 - 06 December 2019, New Delhi, INDIA
SPC mill 28.5 kWh/t 21.9 kWh/t 27.3 kWh/t 38.0 - 41.4 kWh/t
Feed moisture 2.9 % 3.2 % 1.9 % 0.3 %
Fineness 4670 Blaine 4420 Blaine 4850 Blaine 5500 Blaine
3.4 % R38µm 2.0 % R45µm 2.1 R38µm 0.9 R38µm

2.5 Water in the system

Essential for a smoothly running mill is a stable grinding bed. The bed formation is impacted by
feed uniformity and feed PSD. Metal detection and extraction gives also success to avoid
disturbance and damages in the mill internals. Water in the system is not only introduced by water
injection onto the grinding table, moisture of feed materials, evaporated water during gypsum
dehydration and grinding aids also provide a certain amount of moisture to the mill circuit. By the
amount resp. ratio of exhaust gas and recirculation gas the proportion of water can be controlled
as well.

Water injection has positive and negative impact on the grinding process and the product.
Comminution depends on pressure- and shear-stress on the particle bed. The surface contact
between the particles distributes the stress in the grinding bed. If the stress is sufficient, micro
cracks are generated. These actions can only take place when a compressive strength of grinding
bed is provided. In a dry grinding bed adhesive forces and electrostatic forces occur. For a better
formation of the grinding bed liquid bridges are advantageous. The surface tension and capillary
pressure in the liquid results in additional adhesive forces. Depending on this the compressive
strength is increased and flowability is decreased.
The pros and cons of water addition resp. injection onto the grinding bed are given in
Fig. 2. The effect on specific power consumption has to be highlighted due to the fact that a small
amount of water reduces the specific power consumption in the range between 5 to 20 %.

Fig. 2: Pros and Cons of Water Injection / Water in the System

2.6 Grinding Aids

Grinding Aids are common in the cement industry, even so many grinding installations are
operated without grinding aid. The use depends strongly on cement manufacturer and impact that
is needed for the finish product. Vertical roller mills can be operated without grinding aids but
grinding aids can support the performance. The type of grinding aid has to be chosen carefully
and depends e.g. on the clinker and additives / SCM, the temperature and moisture of feed
material. Impact of grinding aids can be very different: production increase, savings inn power
consumption, enhancement of product properties such as early strength increase, workability, etc.
The effects of grinding aid are different in ball mills and vertical roller mills. When talking about
the grinding zone the grinding aid reduces in the ball mill the surface energy forces to avoid
agglomeration of the newly fractured cement particles. In the vertical roller mill the liquid of the
grinding aid supports the liquid bridges and adhesive forces which decrease the flowability of the
grinding bed. The effect in the classifying zone is the same for ball mill and vertical roller mill.

16th NCB International Seminar on Cement, Concrete and Building Materials

03 - 06 December 2019, New Delhi, INDIA
3. Conclusion

The performance of a vertical roller mill is depending on many factors. The feed material is the
basis for the required quality for the finish product, SCM are available from many sources and
have a strong impact on improvement of cement properties. The type of sulfate agent needs to be
customized for the required workability, whereas the MVR mill with the additional system can
provide a tailor-made phase of gypsum with a solution called G4C®. Inter-grinding and separate
grinding are possible without any mechanical changes of the mill. The PSD can be customized by
adjusting the operational parameters such as e.g. volume flow and grinding pressure. Water
injection and effect of grinding aid have been discussed and both impact the performance of a
vertical roller mill substantially. Preventive Maintenance and wear part monitoring support as
well to a continuous, reliable operation with stable output and stable product quality. To achieve
the lowest TCO optimization of all parameters impacting the VRM performance and product
quality have to be taken into consideration and have to be implemented.
1
VDZ Homepage: Cement Industry, Sustainability and the cement industry. https://www.vdz-
online.de/en/cement-industry/sustainability/
2
Woywadt, C.: Grinding with MVR. World Cement 2018-11
3
Woywadt, C.: Case studies and operational results of modern MVR vertical roller mills. CI 4/2017, pp.
58-65

16th NCB International Seminar on Cement, Concrete and Building Materials

03 - 06 December 2019, New Delhi, INDIA