Powder Technology, 34 (1983) 261 - 274 261

A Comparison of the Bond Method for Sizing Wet Tumbling Ball Mills with a
Size-Mass Balance Simulation Model

L. G_ AUSTIN and K. BRAME

Department of dlineraZ Engineering. MineraZ Processing Section. PcnnsyZrionia State Lbiuersity, Cjniuersity hrk.
PA I6802 (U_S_A_)

(Received March 11,1982)

SUMMARY INTRODUCTION

A comparison is made of the results from a
ball mill model simulation with those of the
conventional Bond ball mill design method,
for a material whose breakage characteristics
and Work Index have been determined_ In
order to perform the simulation, Zlormal’
values were chosen for make-up feed size
distribution, mill residence time distribution,
ball mix, classifier behaviour, etc_ At high
flow rates through a mill (low reduction
ratio), it is necessary to allow for the reduc-
tion in breakage rates caused by over-filling of
the mill, using an empirical mass transfer rela-
tion: filling dfeed rate_ By suitable choice
of the constant in this relation, it was found
possible to duplicate the variation of mill
capacity with feed size and product size (in
wet closedcircuit grinding) predicted by the
Bond method_ The simulation model is then
used to predict the variation of performance
with design variables not included in the Bond
method.
The Bond method [I, 23 for sizing tum-
bling ball mills has been used successfully for
many years. On the other hand, a more
detaiied method of analysis of the grinding
process has been developed in recent years
[3 - 113, based on mathematical models of
t.he process. This method of analysis has been
variously called the phenomenological
approach 131, the size-mass balance 14, 121
method or the population balance met.hod
[5]_ The objective of this paper is to analyze
the advantages and disadvantages of the two
methods, compare the predictions, and show
how the advantageous features of each
method can be combined.
The primary purpose of the Bond calcula-
tion is to predict the mill size and mill power
to give a desired capacity Q (t/h) from a wet
overflow ball mill in normal closed circuit
operated with a circulation ratio C = T,fQ of
2.5 (see Fig. 1). The input to t-he calculation
is the make-up feed size characterized by the

Make-Up Feed Mill Producr

Fig_ 1_ A grinding circuit with recycle of the *aarse stream to the mill feed. The symbols represent mass flow rates
of solid.

0032-5910/3310000-00001so3.00 0 Elsevier Sequoia/Printed in The Netherlands

262
80%-passing size xo, the desired circuit
product size characterized by the SO%-passing
size ;rg, and an empirical grindability number
determined in a standard test: this number is
called the Bond Work Index Wit,,. The
primary purposes of the size-mass balance
method are not, only to predict the mill size
but to show the influence of the feed size
distribution, the variation of the complete
product size distribution with operating
parameters, the influence of classification effi-
ciency, etc_ The method essentially constructs
a complete simulation model for any circuit,
based on parameters measured in a small
laboratory mill and scale-up laws developed
by tests on small mills.
THE BOND METHOD
The standard method used in the U-S-A.
for sizing wet ball mills is that of Bond Cl, 23.
It requires a standard laboratory test on the
material to determine the Bond Work Inda,
using a special mill called the Bond test mill.
The material is first reduced to prepare a feed
of 100% < 6 U-S_ mesh and about 80% <
2000 Mm. 700 cm3 of this feed (tapped down
according to a standard procedure to give a
reproducible bulk density) is ground dry in a
standard cylindrical test mill of 12 in X 12 in
(305 mm X305 mm) with rounded comers,
run at a fixed speed of 70 rpm (85% of the
critical speed)_ The ball charge consists of a
specified number of balls ranging from l/2 to
l?& in in diameter (12.7 to 38 mm), with the
total ball load weighing 20.125 kg. The pro-
cedure involves grinding the charge for a short
time, sieving at a desired screen size to remove
the undersize, and replacing the weight of
undersize with an equivalent weight of
original feed. This’new mked feed is reground
and the process continued, using estimations
of a suitable grinding time (mill revolutions),
until a constant mass ratio of oversize to
undersize equal to 2.5 is achieved and the net
grams of undersize produced per mill revolu-
tion (denoted by GbP) becomes constant.
Screen analysis is performed on the under-
size product. Then the Bond Work Index is
calculated, in kilowatt hours per ton, from
the formula
We,., = (110)(44
. 5)/ j ( p,O-= )(Gbp)OS2 X
- 1
(1)
where p1 is the opening of the classifying
screen used in the test; xgT is the 80%-
passing-size of the product in micrometers;
and #oT the SO%-size of the original feed,
which is near 2000 pm. The factor l-10
converts the original Bond Work Index in
kilowatt ho&s per short ton to kilowatt hours
per metric ton.
Bond correlated the results from the
laboratory mill with those from a wet over-
flow ball mill which was 8 ft (2-44 m) in
diameter, operated in closed circuit, with a
circulation ratio of 2.5. His tests showed that
the specific grinding energy E was empirically
related to the make-up feed and circuit
product sizes by
(-
E=WIy!&-g_ - 1
where the value of 10 is actually- pm.
(2)
E is the specific grinding energy (based on
shaft power) to grind from a make-up feed of
SO%-passing xo to a circuit product of 80%-
passing size xg, in kilowatt hours per ton.
Equation (1) converts the laboratory result
(c;bP) to a WI*, which is appropriate in eqn_
(2) for the 8 ft i-d. mill circuit,. For another
mill diameter, the scale-up relation is
WI = (WI-)( 2.44/D)‘-* D < 3.81 m
(3)
WZ = (W&,)(0.914) D 2 3.81 m >
The empirical Bond equation for shaft mill
power mP for this type of mill is given, in
kilowatts, by the equation
mP = 7.33 J&(1 - 0.9375) x
P~LD*-~ (4)
where pb is the true density of the grinding
medium (tons per cubic meter), 9, is the frac-
tion of critical speed, J is the fractional
volume of the mill filled by the ball bed
(based on a formal bed porosity of 0.4) and
L is the mill length (meters).
The mill power, desired mill capacity Q and
specific grinding energy E are related by
mP= QE (5)
 265

where Q is in tons per hour. Combining eqns. (2), (3), (4) and (5) gives

O-10,
03-5(L/o)PlJJ - 0.937J2) & - 2x
I
Q = 6.13 -) D d 361 m

SW&es% --
go -2
( )
(6)

D3-3(L/D)pb(J - 0.937J2) @, - 2;:;$c

I. >
Q = 8.00 D 2 3231 m
- -
SWltest go -go
( 1 I

TABLE 1
Correcting factors for Bond sizing method [$(pr ) is desired % less than pr at open circuit I : < = &!I$a&$~

Fineness of grind XQ Low reduction ratio Open circuit ‘a(p,)

(ml =G IxQ (%I

70 1.00 >6 1.00 50 1.035

60 1.02 6 l-03 60 1.05
50 1.05 5 1.04 70 1.10
40 1.19 4 l-05 80 l-20
30 1.17 3 1.08 90 1.10
20 1.32 2.5 1.11 92 1.46
15 1.47 2.25 1.14 95 1.57
10 l-77 2.00 1-20 9s l-70
5 2.67 l-75 l-33
3 3.87 1.50 1.9

Over-sized feed: .$a = 1 + ($ -7) (2) ( 4ooo~~l_l~~13~~~~~~~~ - 1)

The factor c is the product of a series of

empirical correcting factors to WI for differ-
ent conditions (see Table 1): (i) fineness of
grind; (ii) low reduction ratio; (iii) over-sized
feed; (iv) open circuit_ Figure 2 gives a typical
result of the calculation_

ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES OF THE

BOND METHOD

The method has two major engineering

advantages: (i) it is very simple; (ii) experi-
ence has shown that it works for many
circumstances, to a reasonable degree of
accuracy, because it is based on plant
-I
IO IOD 1000 IOOOD measurements_
f GO k-PASSING SIZE OF PRODUCT. Q. “m There are two logical problems involved in
the Bond sizing method_ First, the specific
Fig. 2. Prediction of Bond for mill of 3.8 m diameter
(L/D= 1_6,J= 0_35;&= 70%;&= 7-9 t/m31 for grinding energy required to take a feed with a
~w?st = 10 kWhIton_ certain 8O%passing size to a product with a
264
certain SO%-passing size cannot be the same
for a batch test, the standard Bond locked-
cycle test, or a steady-state continuous mill
with a real mill residence time distribution,
yet Bond claimed that eqn. (2) was a ‘univer-
sal law’_ The size-mass balance treatments of
these three cases show that the shape of the
product size distribution and the associated
specific grinding energy is different for the
three cases [ 133, and it is not possible to cor-
relate the three different values exactly with-
out using the size-mass balance method.
However, these differences are in effect
avoided in the Bond sizing method because
the standard test result is empirically matched
to actual plant data (on the 2.44 m i-d. mill),
and it is thus not really assumed that WI is
the same between the different types of test.
Second, because the Bond method is purely
empirical, it is not possible to assign physical
meanings to the relation of capacity to x0
given in Fig. 2, or to the various correction
factors_
There are other disadvantages of the Bond
sizing method_ First, it is based on a mean
empirical fit of data, and there will be a range
of error for any specific mill and material and
set of operating conditions_ It does not
explicitly include several factors which are
obviously important: (i) recycle ratio and
classifier efficiency; (ii) mixture of ball sizes
in the mill; (iii) variations of residence time
distributions with mill geometzy and slurry
density; (iv) the influence of lifter design; (v)
the influence of slurry density and .slurry
rheology on breakage rates, and chemical
effects on rheology; (vi) variations caused by
underfilling or overfilling of the mill as flow
rate is changed, especially for grate or
peripheral discharge mills.
Again, it is known that the specific grinding
energy E is not independent of ball loading J,
whereas the use of eqn. (2) explicitly assumes
that E is not a function of J. Industrial
practice and laboratory tests IlO] show that
the specific grinding energy (to go from a
specified feed to a specified product) is less
for lower ball loadings than the ball loading
for maximum mill capacity.
The method uses only the 80%-passing sizes
of circuit feed and product to characterize the
size distributions, whereas it is clear that mill
capacity in general must depend on the shape
of the feed size distribution and the product
size distribution. The prime example of this is
the use of the reverse closed circuit shown in
Fig. 3, which is advantageous when the make-
up feed contains a significant quantity of
material already fine enough to meet product
specifications_ Conceptually, this circuit can
be treated as if there were two identical class-
ifiers, one classifying the make-up feed and
the other classifying the mill product. The
underflow from the fust classifier is the effec-
tive make-up feed to the normal closed cir-
cuit. To perform the Bond calculation on the
normal closed circuit part of this circuit
requires a knowledge of the classification ac-
tion of the classifier on the makeup feed. The
reverse circuit is more efficient than the
normal circuit for a given make-up feed and
product specifications (x0 and ~0) because
the shape of the final product size distribu-
tion is different, containing a smaller propor-
tion of over-ground fine material_
CLDSSIFER
RECElVlNG
RETURN
FROMMILL
f AND MAKE-UP FEED
ODUCT
Fig. 3. The reverse closed circuit treated as two
identical classifiers.
Finally, the empirical over-size correction
factor applied to a feed with xc = 10 mm for
example gives a very large reduction in mill
capacity at low reduction ratios for materials
with a high Work Index. The mill capacity
according to the calculation procedure is .
almost independent of x0 over a substantial
range (see Fig. 11). This means that a mill -
operated at a fixed flow rate would give large
changes in product fineness x0 with minor
fluctuations in feed rate or material grindabil-
ity, which is clearly not in accord with plant
practice or common sense_
Thus, the Bond sizing method does not
incorporate a number of important second-
order effects, and it cannot be used as a guide
to the fme-tuning or optimization of a given
system, from either.the operating point of
view or the economic point of view. It can
only be valid as a gross method for mills oper-
ating under normal closed circuit conditions.
THE SIZE-MASS BALANCE METHOD:
FIRST-ORDER BREAKAGE
Esperimental batch grinding tests (see Fig.
4) show that the rate of breakage (under
normal conditions) of material sized within a
J?Z upper-to-lower screen interval f0110Ws a
‘first-order’ breakage law:
rate of breakage to smaller sizes = Szu(t)W
where w(t) is the mass fraction of the mill
charge (hoid-up) W which is of the size
interval examined, t is the time of grinding,
and S is the specific rate of breakage of this
size, with units of fraction per unit time. In
order to construct a complete size-mass
balance, it is convenient to split the total size
range into ,/T screen intervals, numbered 1
for the top size, 2 for the second, etc, down
to interval n for material les than, say,
400 mesh (38 pm).
Using this symbolism, a size interval which
is breaking can be denoted by j, and a smaller
size interval which is receiving the products of
this breakage can be denoted by i, where
R > i > j. It has been found experimentally
that the mean set of primary breakage fiag-
ments produced from breaking sizej does not
change with the grinding time- These frag-
ments mix into the charge, and can in turn be
o EXPERIMENTAL
- CALCULATED
GRiNDING TIME @WdUTESI
Fig. 4. First order pIot for batch grinding of 16
mesh quartz in laboratory mill.
broken, but if they are measured before re-
breakage occurs, the mass fraction arriving in
size interval i from breakage of size interval j
is symbolized by bi.i, where X$Z?+ 1bi.i = l-
This set of numbers varies from one material
to another-
A balance of material being broken into and
being broken out of size interval i is: rate of
accumulation of size i material = sum rate of
production from breakage of all larger sizes
(j = 1 to i - 1) - rate of breakage of size i to
smaller sizes. In symbols, this is
dw,(r)W = ri=l
C bi_jSjWj(t)?V -SjWi(t)W
dt i=l
1 i> 1 I
or
i- I
dw,(t)
= -Siwi(t) + C bi_jSiwi(t), TZ2 i Z 1
df i=,
i>l ('7)
This is the basic set of equations for first-
order batch grinding_ The set of numbers Si is
a precise index of the weakness or ease of
grindability of each size, and varies from one
material to another_ The solution of the equa-
tions with a known starting feed of w,(O),
wZ(0), etc, for time t, gives ml(t), wz(t), etc.,
thus giving the size distribution produced.
This set of equations would apply to a
continuous mill operating at steady state if
the entering solid flowed through the mill as a
‘plug’ with all material staying in the mill for
the same residence time T_ However, ball mills
have a residence time distribut.ion (RTD) be-
cause forward and backward mixing occurs
along the mill axis. The model must therefore
be extended to allow for the actual RTD, as
first described by Reid [14]_ If a fraction
Q(t) dt of the feed stays in the mill for a time
t, and leaves between t and f + dt, this frac-
tion will be broken as if it were batch g-round
for time t. Its size distribution upon leaving
will be the set of numbers wi(t), obtained by
the solution of eqn_ (7) for each value of i.
Simultaneously, material that has been in the
mill for different lengths of time will also be
leaving; at steady state. the total product in
size interval i, Fpi, which leaves the mill will
be the weighted sum of all fractions of size i
product:
x 20
PiF= J w,(t)@(r)Fdt
0
266
or
pi = j’ Wi(t)@(t) dt (8)
0 laboratory mills has shown that the values of
This is the basic equation of steady-state,
continuous, first-order grinding. The integral
limit of infinity is, in practice, a time long
enough to include all significant contributions
to pi, and must be at least three mean
residence times, 37. Note that there are two
important additional assumptions implicit in
eqn. (8). First, it is assumed that all particle
sizes in the mill have the same distribution of
residence time. Second, it is assumed that the
slurry reaching the discharge flows out with
no preferential return of larger sizes back into
the mill; that is, there is no size classification
due to discharge_
In order to incorporate this mill model into
a closed circuit as shown in Fig. 1, it is neces-
sary to describe the action of the classifier(s)
in the circuit_ Under any given condition, it is
assumed that the fraction of size i in the feed
to the classifier which is recycled to the mill
feed is si: the feed to the mill is then obtained
from
Ffi = Qgi * F’iSi (9)
where fi is the fraction of size i in the mill
feed and gi the fraction of size i in the make-
up feed (see Fig_ 1 for symbolism). The set of
si values &es the action of the classifier on all
size intervals, and the values are called the
classifier selectivity values. Luckie and Austin
[ 153 showed how eqns. (7), (8) and (9) could
be combined and computed sequentially start-
ing at i = 1, to determine the size distributions
around the circuit for a given value of mean
residence time T, for specified Si, bi_i, gi,
RTD and Si-
The computation gives the circulation ratio
C, and since the mean residence time is
related to the solid flow rate through the mill
F and the c~erall mill hold-up W by T = W/F,
the mill capacity follows from
Q = W/7(1 + C) (10)
In practice, the computation is normally
performed to find the value of-r which will
give a desired one-point match (e.g. 80%
minus 100 mesh) in the circuit product.
RELATIONS FOR S AND B VALUES
A series of investigations [ lo,16 - 191 in
Si vary with mill conditions according to the
following relations. The variation of Si values
with particle size can be described by the
empirical expression
a
1
Sic=
( I(
xi
X0 l* (xi/ilA 1
n>i>l
where xi is the upper size of interval i, and x0
(11)
is a standard dimension, here taken as 1 mm.
The parameter CYis a characteristic of the
material which does not vary with rotational
speed, ball load, ball size, mill hold-up or
slurry density over the normal recommended
test ranges. The term U(xi/xo)= is the left-hand
straight line portion in the log-log plot of
Fig_ 5 The term l/l1 + (Xi/~)“] is 1 at smaller
values of Xi, but is less than 1 at larger vahe~
of Xi and makes the curve bend over to the
right-hand side. The parameters P and A de-
scribe the size at which the bendover occurs
and how steeply it falls to the right of the
maximum in S: p is the size at which the term
is 0.5.
The value of a also depends on the material
and it is determined [16] for laboratory test
conditions of Dr, d,, Jr, Gr and QcT, where
dr is the ball diameter in the test mill and Ur
is the formal interstitial filling of the ball
charge with powder: it is converted to the
desired pilot or full-scale mill conditions by
the following equations. The effect of ball
and powder fiiing is
Fig- 5_ Specific rates of breakage used in simulation:
D=3m,J=0.35;U=1,~,=0_7;Bondballmix,
2 in make-up ball.
 1 1 + 6-6&Z-3-
aa l+66J2_3 =~(--1.32w (12) C,= esp[---1_32(U- Ur)] (17d)
1 + 6.652-3
This applies for grinding at normal slurry c = 4, - 0.1 1 + exp[15_7(& - O-94)]
densities with water, over the range J = 0.2 to
0.5 and U = 0.5 to 2.5. Because a specific rate s @CT- o-1 1 + exp[ 15_7(& - O-94)]
of breakage is a fractional rate of breakage, (i7e)
the breakage per unit of mill volume is pro-
portional to the specific rate times the Z&(d) is the specific rate of breakage for ball
amount of charge in the volume, which is size d_
proportional to aJU. Equation (12) shows For a mixture of balls of mass fraction m,
that QJU goes through a flat maximum be- of size d,, m2 of size d,, ___, mb of size d,,
tween U = 0.5 to 1.1, but decreases for high etc., the overall values of breakage rates are
values of U, Le. the mill is over-filled, leading given by
to cushioning_
The effects of ball diameter and mill diam-
eter are:
(i) a a (l/cZ”~) No= 1.0 (13)
where sj is the overall. specific rate of break-
(ii) a=DNa (14) age of size i for amisture of m different ball
N, is close to 0.5 for D < 12.5 ft (3.81 m), sizes. (Note that S, = 0, since material cannot
and by analogy with the Bond method, is 0.3 break out of the sink interval.)
for D > 12.5 ft (see eqn. (6)). If the values of bi_i are cumulated from i =
n, the cumulative values B&= Zi=,, bk_j)
(iii) p a d 2DN: (15) have the form shown in Fig_ 6_ This can be
where N2 is O-1 to O-2. This allows for the expressed as the sum of two straight lines of
effect of ball size and mill diameter on slope y and /3, with a fraction Q, of slope y and
breakage of large feed sizes. The values of the
exponents N,-, and N+ may vary with the type
a fraction 1 - @ of slope /3s
t+ X,-,.3
of lifters, since the test mill will not tumble a
given size of ball in exactly the same way as a
larger mill with different lifter configuration_
Biej = aj;
i
x22
Lri 1 (1 -
( 1
61,) -
Xi
n>i>j (19)
Mill capacity can change as lifters wear down
in operation_ It is found for many materials that ai, y and @
The value of (I can be corrected for rota- are not dependent upon the breaking size j, so
tional speed by that the descriptive parameters are G’, y and &
1
a =(&-OS) (16)
1+ exp[15_7(+, -0.94)]
Again, it is expected that this equation may
not apply precisely for different types of
lifters.
Combining eqns. (12) - (16) gives

S,(d) = aT

where
N2 = 0.1 to O-2
(17a)

C2 = (dT/d)No ATo’1 (17b)

Fig_ 6_ Cumulativeprimarvbreakagefunction for
c, = (D/DT)N, N1 = O-5 (17~) quartz: 1 in balls.
266

from which biSj are readily calculated. It is TABLE 2

assumed that the biSj values do not change Characteristic breakage parameters for wet grinding
with mill diameter or mill conditions, provid- of quartz: Bond Work Index = 19 kWh/metric ton
ing that rotational speeds are reasonably close
to the maximum power condition so that the Weight of solid = 1.16 kg
balls are cascading properly, and that the True specific gravity = 2.65
slurry viscosity is low enough to avoid Slurry density = 64 wt.% soiid
changes in 7 [19]. However, the values change = 40 vol.% solid
somewhat for different ball diameters [ 191. Ball charge: d = 25.4 mm
Figure 7 shows the agreement betweeen J = 0.35
computed batch grinding results (using the Mill: D=195mm
solution of eqn. (7)) and the experimental V = 5200 cm3
r.p.m. = 72 = 70% critical
data, for the characteristic breakage param-
eters given in Table 2, which were determined Breakage parameters: D = 0.35 min-’
fY = 0.80
in a small laboratory mill with 25.4 mm diam-
$1 ;y65 mm
eter steel balls.
y = 1.25
Q = 0.55
RTD, MASS TRANSFER AND HOLD-UP
&~Iiaed

Measurements of residence time distribu-

tion in mills [20] indicate that the residence
time distribution in full-scale wet overflow
ball mills can be approsimated by the simple
equivalent system of one larger fully-mixed
reactor in series with two equal smaller fully-
mixed reactors_ However, when the measured
values of mean residence time r are used to
calculate mill hold-up W from r = W/F it is
also apparent that many mills are operated in
an over-filled condition. At high mass flow
rates through the mill, i-e_, short residence
times, the values of interstitial filling U
exceeds 1, and the values of a and W to be
used in the simulation are functions of flow
rate.
It is convenient to perform the computa-
tions of the simulations using a constant a
value corresponding to U = 1, aI say. The
value of r thus obtained is a formal or false 7,
rf say. It is clearly related to the real -r by
The real value of W is related to the formal
hold-up W, by W = UWI_ From eqn (10)
then, the circuit capacity is obtained from
Q = Wreall~rea~U+ Cl
= &W-JTf(l + C) (20)
where

Equation (12) gives a,,&, as a function of U,

SIZE. PC=
Fig. 7_ Size distributions for quartz wet ground in
batch laboratory mill (J = O-35, d = 25.4 mm, D =
195 mm): 40% solid by volume, 64% by weight.
thus
K. = U exp(-1_32U)/exp(-1.32) (21)
Figure 8 shows K. as a function of U: K. is
the over-filling factor, which gives a decrease
in capacity as U becomes greater than l_
Marchand et aL 1211 have concluded that
mill hold-up is related to flow rate through a
mill (for constant feed slurry density) by the
approximate empirical relation
U CEF”-5 (22)
 269

TABLE 3
Slowing-do&x factors for quartz at 40% volume
solids (65% weight solids): initial feed 16 x 20 mesh
FFOM U-05 TO 1.0

80%passing size Slowing-down factor X

tvm)

> 100 1.0

90 0.97
80 0.91
70 0.53
60 0.74
oi0 _ _.I._ .._ _.~ I _..___I
1.0
_____I:.......~
20 25
50 O-61
0.5-i
05 x.5
40
INTERSTITIAL FlLLlNG ” t30 0.5-l
Fig. 8. The over-filling factor K. as a function of ball
interstitial filling by po-wder.
Table 3 gives the values of K as a function
of the xP of the mill charge_ Mill capacity can
be approximately corrected for this slowing-
The value of the proportionality factor
down effect by assuming that t.he slurry leav-
depends on slurry density, ball charge and
ing the mill is characteristic of the slurry in
size, etc_, as well as mill size_ It seems a
the mill. This is valid for mill RTDs which are
reasonable approximation that relatively low
reasonably close to fully-mixed, as found for
flow rates to a mill can be considered to give
U = 0.5 to 1.0, which from Fig_ 8 gives K. wet overflow ball mill& The normal capacity
essentially equal to 1, while very high flow is reduced by multiplying by K_
rates lead to over-filling of the mill and
K,< 1.
COMPARISON OF BOND _4XD SIZE-MASS
Equation (22) can be written as
BALANCE SIMULATIONS
u= [(F/w,)T,J0-5 (2M
It is not possible to perform an exact
where T, = IV, /F,, with F1 being the flow rate
which gives U = 1. Since F = (1 + C)Q, eqns. comparison because the conditions in the test
(20), (21) and (22a) give mill and circuit used by Bond have never been
published_ Therefore, a number of reasonable
71 1~~ = U exp[ 1.32( U - l)] (23) assumptions have to be made to construct- the
If 71 is known for a given system, a value of rf equivalent simulation model. It was assumed
gives the corresponding value of U from eqn_ that the mixture of balls in the mill corre-
(23), and hence K. and Q follow from eqns_ sponds to the equilibrium Bond [l] mixture
(21) and (20). with a top size of 2 in, at J = 0.35 The RTD
used was the equivalent one-large/two-small
model with relative sizes of 7, c: O-7, rl_ =
SLOWING-DOWN EFFECT O-15. The classifier selectivity values were
assumed to fit the empirical relation (25):
Examination of the long grinding times of 1
Si=~ ~(l-b) (25)
Fig. 7 shows that the simulation predicts a 1 -i- (xJdso)-h
finer grind than that obtained experimentally-
where X is related to the Sharpness Index by
This results from a slowing down of breakage
SI = expl-2_1972/h]_ Reasonable values of
rate as the charge becomes fine, due to the
the by-pass fraction zi and Sharpness Index SI
development of high effective viscosity in the
were taken as O-3 and 0.5, respectively_ The
slurry [ 22,231. -4ustin and Bagga [24] have
value of d,, was varied to give C = 2.5 for any
shown that the results can be simulated using
desired product size xB_
false first-order grinding times 8, giving a
B values for a m-kture of ball sizes were cal-
slowing-down factor K defined by
culated from eqn_ (19) using y = l-10, @ =
I = Sg(t)/Si(O) = de/dt (24) O-65 and fi = 5.8. The breakage parameters of
270

the quartz of Table 2 were scaled to a mill of
3.8 m diameter with an L/D of l-5, usingNz =
0.2. The make-tip feed was assumed to fit a
Rosin-Rammler distribution with a charac-
teristic Schuhmann slope of s = 0.75. Initial-
ly an SOY&passing size of the feed was chosen
to be 2 mm_ The value of K0 was taken ini-
tially as unity; U = 1 gives Wf = 14.4 metric
tons. A comparison of the Bond calculation
with the circuit simulation at low feed rates
suggested that the simulation was predicting
about 10% too low capacity values: since the
mill and classifier conditions were arbitrary
estimates, it would be fortuitous if the Bond
and simulation results were identical. There-
U = Is this gives 7, = 4.94 min. The new
values of Q are also shown in Fig. 9. They
agree quite well with the Bond prediction. It
seems possible, therefore, that the Bond
method applies when the mill is over-filled at
high flow rates. Figure 10 shows the agree-
ment between the model simulation results
and the Bond results for the same shape of
feed size distribution but xG of 1 mm or
500 pm_ Again, the agreement is excellent,
showing that the agreement of Fig. 9 is not
fortuitous.
‘OOOL & 7 : : 9.‘
t’ o l-XT *I ‘!
SIMULATIDN

fore, the simulation values were multiplied by 4

1.1 (a increased by l-1) to give good agree-
1
ment for low flow rates. Figure 9 shows the
result. 1
It is~clear that variation of the capacity 1
7
with fineness of grind for the simulation and 3
2
Bond methods agree quite closely in the 2
capacity range of 10 to 50 t/h. Especially, the
Bond fineness-of-grind correction factor is the
1
natural consequence of the mill simulation_ It
is also clear, however, that the simulation ,oi 1 : i , : ,,.i , XI,.
t!
method w+h K0 = 1 over-predicts mill 10 100 IODO

capacity for low degrees of size reduction_ PRODUCT GO X-PASSING SIZE. x0. “III

This is not surprising since a circuit capacity Fig. 10. Comparison of Bond and simulation results:
of 200 t/h corresponds to a solids flow rate feed SO%-passing 1 mm and 0.5 mm (see Fig. 9).
through the mill of ‘700 t/h, which would
clearly lead to over-filling of the mill. Figure 9 also shows the open circuit results
To allow for this factor, it was assumed predicted by the model simulation. Because
that 175 t/h through the mill corresponds to the mass flow rates through the mill are only
l/3.5 of those in closed circuit, the over-
loo0 I , i I ,:*i ---7---z 1 filling factor does not come into effect until
Q is greater than 175 t/h. Thus the increase of
efficiency normally obtained by closing the
circuit to prevent over-grinding of fines is
offset at low reduction ratios (high flow rates)
by the decrease of efficiency caused by over-
filling of the mill. At low flow rates and fine
grinds, the increase in output obtained by
_
closing the circuit to C = 2.5 is approximately
2, which agrees with the result quoted by
Taggart [26]_ It does not agree with the Bond
i
sizing method (see Table 1) if the size at
l0l---!--LL_LliL_ : I : i LLLI/ which the Work Index was determined is
10 100 ,000 taken as 75 pm.
PRODUCT GO X-PASSING SIZE, a, pm Table 4 shows the model simulation results
obtained by varying the classification effi-
Fig- 9_ Comparison of mill capacities by Bond and
simulation methods (D = 3.8 m, L/D = 1.5; J = 0.35;
ciency as defined by by-pass and Sharpness
70% critical speed): feed 80%passing 2 mm, quartz Index. Although more efficient ciassification
WI- = 19 kWh/metric ton. (low &, high S.I.) gives significantly improved
TABLE 4 Bond: Q 0: D=(L]D) D < 3.81 m
Effect of classifier efficiency on closed circuit output
Simulation: Q = Wa a D3*x- (L/D)
at C = 2.5 (350% circulating load): base condition
SI = 0.5, by-pass b = 0.3 D< 3-81 m

Product xs,, S-I_ By-p& b Capacity factor Since IV, = 0.5, both methods scale in the
(pm) Q/Q- same way with respect to mill diameter and
420 to 38 l-10
length and the conclusions from Fig_ 9 are un-
0.6 0.2
0.6 0.3 1.04 changed, providing that the mass transfer/
0.6 o-4 0.97 over-filling relation scales in the same way_
O-5 0.2 l-05
OS o-3 1.00
0.5 0.4 0.94
DISCUSSION
o-4 o-2 l-00
o-4 0.3 0.95
0.4 0.4 0.89 Even though the Bond method has been of
great use in sizing mills fox closed-circuit
operation, the concepts behind the method
output, the change is not sufficient to explain contain certain logical contradictions and in-
t.he discrepancy between model closed/open consistencies. It was claimed by Bond that the
circuit ratios and Bond closed/open circuit Third Law of Comminution for batch grind-
ratios. However, if the screen size used in the ing was a fundamental law related t.o fracture
Bond calculation is taken as 300 pm, and the physics:
percentage less than 300 pm taken from the
(26)
simulation, the agreement between simulated
and Bond capacity results is excellent, as His argument can be reduced to this:
shown in Fig. 9. The Bond calculation stops eliarnination of the variation of 80%passing
atxo= 75 pm for this case as correction size of the product (xx) in a batch grinding
factors are not given for finer grinds. test shows the E a lO&&relation to apply,
Figure 11 shows the model predictions and the Griffit.h crack theory of fracture [27]
vexsus Bond predictions for a feed with over- contains a l/(crack length)*” term, therefore
size particles, x F = 10 mm. Again, the two eqn. (26) must be a fundamental law_ Such
methods give substantially different results reasoning is clearly inadequate, but it is often
for relatively low reduction ratios. repeated without question; for esample [ 283 :
It should be noted that the scaling laws fox “The Bond theory states that work input is
mill diameter are proportional to the new crack tip length
produced in particle breakage___.“, which is an
essentially meaningless statement. Even if
eqn. (26) were generally true, it should
logically be applied to the feed to the mill and
the product from the mill not the circuit feed
and circuit product_ Since it. was deduced for
batch grinding, it should apply to a mill in
plug flow, whereas RTD esperiments show
mills to be closer to fully-mized. Again, if it
were a fundamental law, why should it be
necessary to use fineness-of-grind and low
reduction ratio corrections to the law?
It must be concluded that the so-called
i Third Law of Comminution is not a funda-
10 j . . . . . . .i , .: . . . . . 1 i
mental law; and therefore it does not have to
IO 100 ID00
hold under all circumstances as it is entirely
PRODUCT GO X-PASSING SIZE. x0. ym
empirical_ The results presented in Fig. 7 do
Fig_ 11. Comparison of Bond and simulation results indeed fit eqn. (26) (assuming E ” grinding
for a large feed (see Fig. 9). time, ie_ constant mill power), but they are
272

TABLE 5
Effec: of Bond oversized feed correction factor

Test Work Index Feed Product Oversized Low reduction Capacity

--
(kwhit) s G X8 feed factor ratio factor (t/h)
&-&
(mm) (mm)
factor

14 10 1 1.92 1.0 0.216 216

10 2 2.83 1.04 0.124 247

19 10 1 2.96 1.0 0.216 104

10 2 4.90 1.04 0.124 105

24 10 1 4.33 1.0 0.216 56

10 2 7.64 1.04 0.124 53

also fitted by the simulation model. On the
other hand, the closed circuit analysis suggests
that it applies under closed-circuit conditions
purely as a result of decreasing breakage rates
due to over-filling of the mill and consequent
cushioning. The region requiring the fineness-
of-grind correction factors is actually the
natural result of efficient breakage at proper
filling level, while the lo/& relation should
properly be considered as a corrected result.
Similarly, Fig. 10 shows that the low reduc-
tion ratio correction is also a natural result of
the simulation.
Another logical problem occurs in the
conversion of the law to open circuit. The
correction factors involved (see Table 1) are a
function of the percentage of product less
than the sieve size used in the Work Index
test, yet the Work Index is often virtually
independent of the screen used in the test,
over a considerable range of screen sizes.
Thus, the prescribed Bond method of calcula-
tion will give a different open circuit mill
capacity for the same material depending on
the arbitrary screen used in the test procedure
for the Work Index The open circuit results
predicted by the mill simulation model (see
Fig. 9) agree with the Bond calculation only if
the screen size is taken as 300 pm (even
though the Work Index was actually deter-
mined using 75 pm).
The simulation model shows that the
reason that closing the circuit does not give
such a big increase in output for coarse grinds
as for fine grinds is that the high flow rates
required to give the short residence times
needed for coarse grinding in clcsed circuit
leads to over-filling of the mill. This leads to
cushioning and reduced breakage efficiency,
which counteracts the normal advantageous
effect of closing the circuit.
It is clear that the Bond oversized feed
correction factors become escessively large
for high Work Inde... For example, Table 5
shows the predicted capacities for Work
Indices of 14,19 and 24 kWh/metric ton. In
the last case, the calculation gives a lower
capacity for a coarser grind, demonstrating
that the empirical Bond expression cannot be
used for high Work Index.
Figure 12 shows the size distributions
predicted by the model simulation for the
oversized feed case, for grinding to 80%
passing 50 mesh (300 pm). The notable
characteristic is that the mill product still
contains 9% of material above 10 mm, with a
region from 1500 pm to 10 mm with only
small amounts of material in each size
interval. Figure 5 shows that the fastest break-
age rates occur about 5000 pm, so material
which is much larger than this will persist in
the mill, while material of about this size will
disappear most rapidly. In practice the size of
Fig. 12. Size distribution around closed circuit (C =
25) for over-sized feed 80% < 10 mm, product 80% <
300 pm.
make-up ball to the mill would be increased Bond method will over-predict capacity, un-
to give higher breakage rates for the large less the slurry density is reduced and appro-
sizes. priate additives used.

ACKNOWLEDGEhIENTS
CONCLUSIONS
We thank the sponsoring firms of the Coal
Although the Bond method for sizing mills Cooperative Program of The Pennsylvania
has been very valuable, there are several State University for financial support of this
logical inconsistencies involved in the dcriva- study.
tion of the method_ A. detailed comparison
with model simulations suggests that the so-
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274

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