cement performance international
VERTICAL ROLLER MILLS
Vertical Roller mills
(Vertical spindle mills)
• Range of Application
• Principles of Operation
• Mechanical Design
• Process Design
• Mill Operation
• Process Control
Range of applications
• Widely used for coal grinding
• Wide range of potential feeds -clinker, slag
• Can handle larger feed than ball mill
• Excellent drying capability - 20% +
• High wear rates if quartz content high
• Efficient grinding compared to ball mill
• Mill more sensitive to changes than ball mill
* Above 10% moisture needs auxiliary heat source
Principles of operation
• Combined drying and grinding unit.
• Feed via side (or top) chute to centre of
“table”
• Material passes under “rollers”
– grinding pressure, roller weight + hydraulic
• Wet material meets rising hot gas stream
• Recirculation of coarse material
– internal, via separator, external option
• Fines leave mill with gas flow
GAS + PRODUCT
TO PRECIP
Schematic
Mill assembly
Mill with Recirculation
Operation - Hydraulics
• Hydraulics
– Grinding force is adjusted using set point
on the hydraulics system.
– Loesche Mill - rollers raised for mill start.
– Polysius - start with rollers on material bed
Schematic - roller hydraulics
Air seals
Dampin
g
cylinder
Mill running
Mill stopped
Design Aspects - Mill Internals
• Dam ring
– A circumferential ring fixed to the mill table,
assists in controlling material retention, ie bed
depth. May be adjusted as table liners wear
• Table liners
– Wear protection for the table casting.
• Roller liners
– Wear protection for the rollers
Internals Design
Pfeiffer Loesche
Polysius Raymond
Babcock FLS - Atox
Design aspects - Process
• Gas flow and temperature (inlet and outlet)
– to meet drying requirements
– to provide gas velocity for material transport
– determines “port ring area” and can affect mill
body diameter
• Power requirements for milling
– to achieve capacity required
– determines motor size and mill table diameter.
Mill Circuits - 2 Fan System
Conditioning
Tower
Water
Spray
s
Recycle in compound Operation
Mill Circuits - 3 Fan System
Recycle in Compound operation
Conditioning
Tower
Material Movement
Nozzle Ring
Mill Body Louvre Ring
Port Ring
Rollers
Table
Operation - Material flow
pattern
Velocity m/s
Fines to
separator Coarser material
back to table
Particle Size mm
70 - 90 m/s
Dam Ring
Oversize to scraper channel
Circulating Loads
100 %
200 %
400 % 100 %
800 %
Power Consumption
• Typical power consumption kWh/t
– Mill main drive 8
– Separator 0.5
– Mill Fan 10 (2 fan system)
Mill with Recirculation
Operation -Material Bed
• Material bed formation
– Mill operates with a stable material bed under
the rollers. Typically 50 mm.
– An unstable or thin bed causes vibration, mill
stops, mechanical wear/damage.
– A thicker bed can reduce vibration, but draws
more power.
– With dry materials bed stabilised using water
– Oversize material can cause vibration
– Excess fine material in the bed can cause
vibration
Mill Sealing
• Air sealing
– mill seal
– mill feed Chute seal
– seals roller to casing
– Target <15% inleak at mill
GAS + PRODUCT
Mill Seals TO PRECIP
Feed bins
Roller
Triple gate seal seals
Mill Seal
Mill Operation
What happens to ? Mill Power Pressure Drop Vibration
When
1) Grinding Pressure Increased
2) Mill Feedrate Increased
3) Classifier Speed Decreased
4) Mill Airflow Decreased
PROCESS CONTROL
IMPORTANT PARAMETERS
• Feed proportioning
• Product chemistry and particle size
• Throughput
• Differential pressure
• Hydraulic pressure
• Vibration
• Mill motor power
• Elevator power
• Outlet temperature
• Inlet temperature
• Gasflow
Process Control
• Mill throughput
– Mill differential pressure
• Hydraulic system pressure
• Motor and gearbox protection (lube
system)
• Vibration interlocks
• Mill outlet temperature control
• Gasflow / pressure control
cement performance international
