The Capabilities of a Grinding Mill

DEM Simulation
for Digital Twin Technology
Maxim Sandul, CADFEM CIS, https://www.rocky-dem.ru/

Dmitry Bobkov, Digital Transformation Factory, https://www.digitaltwin.ru/

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Rationale for Mill DEM Simulation
The high cost of unscheduled downtime
caused by premature equipment failure is
estimated in tens and hundreds of
thousands of conventional units.

$
Mining companies can realize significant cost savings only
by reducing peak wear rate of the mill liner without
compromising throughput. It requires optimization of both
lifter design and operating process parameters.

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 Algorithm of Mill Digital Twin Creation

3D visualization of mill feed

Reference
movement
data

Digital twin
Predicting mill liner behavior

Process optimal characteristics

Multiobjective optimization

Rocky Creation and System Workstation

Reference data Metamodel Commissioning
parameters analysis of Rocky deployment and development
acquisition creation and start-up
calibration model EC&I integration and user training

Preliminary simulation Real-time

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Ways of Parameter Calibration

Calibration according to the dynamic slope angle

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Building a Model
Geometry clean-up

Geometry import

Setting the dynamics of model

elements

Setting the parameters of model

elements material

Setting the parameters of bulk

material

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Seamless Integration with ANSYS Workbench
Challenge: to study the effect of grinding mill lifter Input
height on energy consumption parameters

Output
parameters

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Mill Simulation Problems
Movement and discharge Lifters’ wear
simulation analysis

АNSYS Mechanical
Grinding modes
optimization Structural analysis, wear
and breakage, geometry
optimization

Determination of ANSYS Fluent

lifters’ liquid-solid flow
parameters simulation

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 Optimization of Mill Operating Modes

Material flow movement at rotation rate 10 rpm Material flow movement at rotation rate 15 rpm

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Steel Mill Liner Simulation with Account for
Wear New lifters

Worn lifters

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Simulation Results
DEM results:
• Internal dynamics of granular material
• Characteristics of particle-equipment interaction
• Intensity, frequency, and distribution of ore particles/ spheres
mutual collisions number
• Velocity and position of each particle at any moment of time
• Energy generated due to abrasion, cohesion (sticking), bond
breakage in particle aggregates
• Dark lines show the “trace” of the particles. This way of
particle trajectory visualization enables selection of optimal
mill operation modes (tumbling, cascade, mixed) depending
on material properties and particle size distribution.

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 Processing Results: Particle Coloring

Particle ID

Particle material

Maximum normal force

applied to the particle

Particle velocity

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 Processing Results: Particle Coloring

Particle ID

Particle material

Maximum normal force

applied to the particle

Particle velocity

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 Processing Results: Particle Coloring

Particle ID

Particle material

Maximum normal force

applied to the particle

Particle velocity

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 Processing Results: Particle Coloring

Particle ID

Particle material

Maximum normal force

applied to the particle

Particle velocity

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Postprocessing

Material is not ground Material is • Contact interaction analysis is available

ground for all pairs of interacting materials
• material-liner
• Evaluation of grinding efficiency without
Total impact power, kW/kg

• material-material
• material-spheres particle breakage simulation
• spheres-spheres
• Energy spectrum analysis (the
• spheres-liner
dependence of the accumulated impact
energy on the specific minimal particle
crushing energy) for various types of
particle size distribution, to determine
optimal operation modes and charge

• Measurement of mill power

consumption

Power density, J

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Simulation of Mill Discharge

Comparison of grates discharge efficiency.

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Challenges Solved with the Help of Mill Digital Twin
Recommendations to the mill operator:
• Optimal operation mode for best grinding and liner wear reduction

• Accurate evaluation of current capacity

• Optimal mill discharge

Early detection of pre-failure conditions:

• Bearing overheating

• EM failure

• Gear teeth failure

• Shaft misalignment

• Liner wear

Prediction and planning:

• Repair and overhaul planning when required

• Liner behavior prediction rocky-dem.com

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Digital Twin Implementation as Part of a Pilot Project

Цифровой двойник
Мета-модель
Расчет в Rocky DEM на базе платформы
в optiSlang
IIoT

1-ый этап 2-ой этап

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Digital Twin Implementation as art of a Pilot
Project
During the 2nd stage a metamodel (response surface) is created by means of ANSYS optiSLang on
the basis of an already-existing 3D model.

The metamodel enables definition of basic current values for predictive analytics.

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Digital Twin Implementation as Part of a Pilot
Project
At the 3d stage a
subsystem for data
collection,
preprocessing and
human-machine
interfaces are created
with the help of PTC
ThingWorx platform.

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System Model for Mill Components Diagnostics
A verified system model is the showpiece for early detection of defects in all structural and electrical
components that the equipment is composed of.

Discharge
device
Charge device

Ring gears
metamodel
Oil-pumping
station
metamodel
Electric motor
metamodel
Bearing – barrier
fluid assembly

Mill shell
metamodel

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Digital Twin Feasibility Study

1. Lower operation expenses (OpEx) due to repair intervals

change. Maintenance and repair only when necessary.
Adaptive management of work resources. Due to periodic analysis of mill
3D models, the mining factory
2. Lower capital expenses (CapEx) due to optimal operation increased annual profit to $5
million dollars*
mode selection, early detection of upcoming defects, and
following equipment lifetime extension.
3. Optimization of equipment operation modes.

* According to the data from Outotec, Minerva issue 1/2016

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