The 9th TCMA Technical Workshop

Saraburi September 12, 2006

Intermediate Diaphragms for Mill Optimization

Heinz U. Schaefer

Christian Pfeiffer Maschinenfabrik GmbH, Beckum, Germany

www.christianpfeiffer.de
office@christianpfeiffer.de
 The 9th TCMA Technical Workshop
Saraburi September 12, 2006

1. Introduction

Grinding of raw materials for the production of clinker and the finish grinding of clinker
with additives for the production of cement is still one of the main energy consuming
steps in the production process of the cement plants. About 65 % of the total energy
used by a cement plant is consumed by the different grinding facilities. Hence, the
optimisation of grinding plants related to their performance and specific energy
consumption is very important for the end-user.

Within the optimisation of grinding circuits special attention has to be drawn on the
material transport through the mill itself. A two compartment ball mill performs
actually two different kinds of grinding within one single machine. The possibility of
influencing the performance of the two compartments individually is a valuable tool in
respect of energy consumption.

2. Requirements for diaphragm design

Diaphragms have to fulfil a series of structural, wear and process technological

requirements.

Diaphragms do not simply divide the mill into two compartments, but they separate
two individual processes of comminution inside the mill:

Crushing of coarse feed material by large balls in the 1st compartment

Fine-grinding in the second compartment

Nowadays, they are tailor-made for each application to match the plant specific
requirements like:

o width of diaphragm
o method of mounting on mill shell
o slot width and slot shape
o adaptation to specific filling degree
o adaptation of open surface area for optimising mill ventilation
o flow control for optimised material transport

The support structure of a diaphragm must be stable and maintenance-free and

must enable the tube mill to operate for many years. The structure carrying the
diaphragm plates must be designed in such a way that it is rigid enough to withstand
changes in the ovality of the mill shell. Moreover it shall not be affected by operating
temperatures of 100 to 140 °C inside the mill as well as by temperature changes due
to frequent start ups and shut downs of the mill.

The slot width must be selected under consideration of the comminution process in
the 1st compartment of the mill. The shape of the slots must prevent blockage of the
slots.

The filling degree of both compartments must be take into consideration. In case of a
later change of the operation condition it must be possible to adapt the degree of
filling.
 The 9th TCMA Technical Workshop
Saraburi September 12, 2006

Proper aeration of the mill is of great importance. Many plants suffer from high clinker
temperatures and a maximum of mill ventilation can reduce the necessity for water
spray into the mill significantly.

By the diaphragm the retention time of the material in the 1st compartment and the
particle size at the end of the first compartment is controlled. An efficient flow control
is essential for utilisation of the available comminution energy in the 1st compartment.
Moreover the nowadays often installed pregrinding systems make a satisfying mill
operation without such a device almost impossible.

Finally all elements of a diaphragm must be easily accessible in order to ease

maintenance work.

3. Design features of the 4th generation diaphragm structure

The design of 4th generation diaphragm follows the well known principle of a rigid
structure which is mechanically not connected to the mill shell. More than 5000
diaphragms of this design have been supplied to the cement industry world wide in
the past.

For a long lifetime of the diaphragm structure all

diaphragms are installed without a mechanical
connection with the mill shell itself. Rectangular
pads are bolted onto the mill shell and the
fastening ring of the diaphragm is inserted in
these pads providing so called floating fixation
(Figure 1). Such a kind of assembly provides
that no stress or strain created during the
changes in the ovality of the mill shell is
transferred into the structure of the diaphragm.
Thus, fixation of the diaphragm plates on the Fig. 1: Fixation of the fastening ring of
support structure is risk less, bolt and plate the diaphragm on the mill shell
breakage does not occur.

The diaphragm support structure on the side facing 1st grinding compartment
consists of the plate cross. It is equipped with curved lifters inclined in the direction of
material transport (Figure 2).

The backside of the diaphragm

support structure is completely
closed and welded. It only has a few
circular openings as erection
purposes for the diaphragm backside
plates. At the outer circumference of
the backside structure openings for
de-aeration are foreseen. These
basic components of the diaphragm
support structure are fully welded to
the so-called Monobloc® structure,
which is a stable and inherently rigid
support. Fig. 2: Structure of a diaphragm during
manufacturing
 The 9th TCMA Technical Workshop
Saraburi September 12, 2006

In the centre of the diaphragm support structure there is a central opening with the
integrated material flow control system.

4. The flow control unit

The new solution developed by Christian Pfeiffer

for the 4th generation of intermediate diaphragms
ensures a discharge of the material outside of the
centre air flow. The material is nipped by the ball
charge immediately behind the diaphragm and the
whole length of the grinding path of the 2nd
compartment is utilized for grinding (Figure 3).

Fig. 3: Transfer of material from 1st to Fig. 4: Flow control unit in diaphragm center.
2nd compartment Note the flow control slide gates

Even after long mill operating periods it is possible to adjust the flow control gates
(Figure 4), and hence the flow of material because there are no adjusting elements
on the inside of the diaphragm which jam or weld up after long periods of operation.
The flow of material is adjusted while the mill is stopped without dismantling any
diaphragm elements.

5. The diaphragm plates

The plates over an intermediate diaphragm are subdivided into different plate rings
which are dimensioned to suit the filling ratio and the position of the main wear zone.
The diaphragm support structure has additional bolt holes for the diaphragm plates
so that the plate distribution can be adapted at any time if there is a change in
operating conditions. In this way the main wear zone can be limited to only one, or at
maximum two, plate rings. The sizes of the individual diaphragm backside plates and
slotted plates are selected so that they are still easy to handle during installation and
dismantling.

The slots first taper conically to the narrowest cross section and then widen to the
backside of the plate (Figure 5). The slots only enlarge to a negligible extent during
the life of the plate so there are no detrimental effects on the grinding process.
 The 9th TCMA Technical Workshop
Saraburi September 12, 2006

The shape of the bolt swages in the

diaphragm plates for taking the tear-off
bolts is critically important for the service
lifetime of the plates (Figure 6). The full
wear thickness of a plate can only be
utilised if suitable bolts and bolt swages
provide a firm seat for the plate even
after many years of operation.

It is clear that the fastening system using

a conical bolt swage offers great
Fig. 5: Slotted plate
advantages. With cylindrical bolt swages
the plates must be changed at a residual
thickness of 20 mm, but with a fastening system using conical bolt swages our plates
can be used down to a residual thickness of 8 mm or even less.

Our diaphragm plates are made of highly wear and

breakage resistant rolled steel material which is solely
manufactured by well-known steel producers acc. to the
specification given by Christian Pfeiffer.

Each plate is hardened by a special heat treatment

executed in a new heat treatment plant. The plant itself
consists of an annealing furnace, a quenching section and
a stress-relieve tempering furnace. Temperatures and
retention times in the furnaces and in the quenching basin
can be adjusted for each individual requirement and are
controlled and monitored by means of computerized
control system.
Fig. 6: Fastening of the plates with
tear-off bolt with conical swage

6. Mill ventilation

A major technological aspect to control the grinding process is the mill ventilation.
Several design criteria of a diaphragm have a significant influence on this important
topic.

In cement grinding the mill ventilation system fulfils two important functions:

- Cooling the cement and removing the heat generated during the
grinding process.
- Carrying part of the finished product out of the grinding area.

It is well known that the energy used during the grinding process in ball mills is
almost entirely converted into heat.

An adequate mill ventilation system is therefore needed for cooling the product. A
good mill ventilation system also ensures rapid discharge of the fines which are
produced during comminution. Inadequate mill ventilation will not only leave the
ultrafines in the circuit but will also cause high temperatures in the 2nd compartment
 The 9th TCMA Technical Workshop
Saraburi September 12, 2006

causing the formation of accretions and coatings on the grinding media and the shell
lining, which deteriorates grinding efficiency. Excessive water spray might be used to
overcome this problem, but this might lead to other problems such as lump formation
in silos and reduced compressive strength of the cement.

Adequate mill ventilation occurs at air velocities between 1.2 and 1.5 m/s in the free
cross-section of the mill. Typical ventilation data for the intermediate diaphragms are
given in figure 7.

Fig. 7: typical air speeds in clinker grinding mills

7. Conclusion

The 4th generation CPB intermediate diaphragm combines mechanical stability for a
long lifetime with excellent process control of the comminution and energy efficient
operation of ball mills in the cement industry.

Sophisticated quality control during manufacturing and the use of materials selected
under consideration of the particular application makes it a very reliable piece of
equipment.