Marhl Compur.

Modeliing,
Printed in Great Britain

Vol. 14, pp. 1072-1074,

0895-7177/90 $3.00 + 0.00

Pergamon Press plc

1990

GRINDING PROCESS SIMULATION IN A BALLMILL

Stenislaw
Tereslewicz
Peter
Radziszewski
Ddpartement
de genie
mdcanlque,
Universltd
Ste-Fey,
Qudbec,
CANADA ClK 7P4

Lava1

As a combination
of various
elements
that are both interdependent
Abstract.
the ballmlll
can be described
by its physical
parameters
and interactive,
along
with the parameters
of the material
ground.
Together
these
elements
transform
energy
to produce
an evolving
material
granulometry.
Different
from black
box models,
these
energy
transformations
are functions
of physlcal parameters
(mill
diameter,
length,
lifter
configuration,
charge
volume,
control
parameter
(feed,
rotation)
and material
parameball
distribution),
After
ters
(granulometry,
tensile
strength,
Youngs
Modulus)
of the process.
a description
of the fundamental
model of commlnutlon,
this
study presents
results
showing
the effects
of varying
material
hardness
on product
granulometry,
as well
as, how these
variations
may be compensated
for by using
changing
rotation
speed.
Ballmill

Keywords.

simulation;

energetics;

INTRODUCTION

specific
def lne.

a,Yaa

Sm-sm

e(y)

YY

es(y)

These work presents

a fundamental
model as a
function
of process
physical,
material
and
operating
parameters,
followed
by a case example for the compensation
of material
hardness
effects
using
mill
rotation
speed.

dt

~1
e(y)

-de(a)
dt

m(a)

change

lc

es(y)

de<Y)
dt

, to

energy
theoretically
CEII :

as

(4)

Asp(y)

0.25

e -

x 1o-4

0.1

e ref

Q2

R+l
~
R -

de(Y)

rate

of

change

19741

and

energy

alO8

with

the

&W
dt
the

(3)

1072

is

determined

commlnutlon

a process
as

dE(Y)b, !e!E

m(yjb,

dnp

used
rate

of
from

process.

in

breakage

particles
the

(6)

dt

where the mass of material

broken
function
of the nipping
mechanism

e(y)

(5)

CJ/m31

energy

dt

C.Jlm21

Specific
energy
rate of change
is
It is defined
dependent
function.
Radzlszewskl,
CEII
[Tarsslewlcz,

q(a) lost
out

Specific

The commlnutlon
event
can be described
by the
following
relationship
derived
from a breakage
energy
balance
ITaraslewicz,
Radziszewskl,
CEII
Y-l

where

BACKGROUND

of

where specific
area Asp(y)
is defined
as a
ratio
of particle
surface
to particle
mass and
surface
energy
e,(y)
is defined
from a strain
energy
fracture
model CYlglt,
19761.
Using
spalllng
as the fracture
mechanism,
surface
energy
es(y)
can be described
as :

where material
breakage
is defined
by the parameters
b and S.
Using either
of both developments it is difficult
to answer the question
:
How can a commlnution
process
be optimized
?

ti(Y)

rate

Specific
energy
is defined
CTaraslewicz,
Radzlszewskl,

where setting
the exponent
n to 1, 14, 2 and
integrating
defines
these
laws.
This approach
was also
used to develope
the batch grinding
equation
[Austin
et al.,
19841 presented
as :

=xb

energy

Specif

(1)

dt

hardness.

We shall
call
this
the breakage
energy
(bren)
function.
Negating
the energy
lost
term
{(@lost
leaves
only two constltuative
equat ions I the specific
energy
term e(y)
and the

In the past,
ballmills
have been studied
using
a black
box philosophy,
where by the lnteractlons
and lnterelationships
of ballmill
elements have been neglected
and mill
output
studied as a function
of mill
input.
Such approaches gave rise
to the development
of the comminutlon
laws of Kick,
Rittinger
and Bond summarized
by Charles
equation
CLowrlson,
19741 :

&dY)

material

charge

m(y)br
1s a
[Lowrlson,
dE(Yjbr
dt
1

breakage

dynamics

of

proc.
Charge

7th Int.

Con/

on Mathematical

and Computer

1073

Modelling
BALLMILL SIMULATION

dynamics

Charge dynamics
can generally
be pictured
as
distinct
zones can be
figure
1, where three
tumbling
and grinding.
identified
: crushing,

in

As most ballmills
in the litterature
are not
described
sufficiently
[Austin
et al.,
1984;
Lynch,
19771 with a number of parameters
being
approximated.
The input-output
feed granulometries
for copper
are ground
in a 3.20m x 3.05m
ballmill
are found in figure
2.

3.2t

1.985
E.?lb
FIG.

Charge

Profile.

The mathematical
description
of the charge
motion
evolves
from the application
of single
particle
motion
CMcIvor,
19831 in a mill
to a
system of particles
defining
the mill
charge
[Tarasiewicz,
Radziszewski,
BASII.
In essence,
charge
motion
is determined
from a force
balance on mill
lifters
which defines
the pointof-flight
or the point-of-slippage
as a function
of static
and dynamic friction
factors.
Discretizing
the charge
and defining
each element in time and space permits
the simulation
During simulation,
it is
of charge
motion.
then possible
to calculate
the energy
rate
consumed
by the mill
and how energy
is redistributed
in crushing,
tumbling
and grinding.

Axial

evolution

Axial
evolution
of particle
scribes
the mass transport
rial
in the mill.
It can
[Tarasiewicz,
19851 :

a2Ii(Y)

a*
ayat

r;l(Y)

ax* + pA

+y
where the
tial
form

(n;(Y)in

bran
after

FIG.

m(Yy

function
(3)
simplification

Input-Output
for Copper

Granulometry
ore.

Mill
lifters
are of the Sniplap
type [Dunn,
19761 with charge
volume being 40% of mill
volume filled
with an average
ball
size
of 2%
rotation
speed
is 80% of critical
and
inches,
ore feed
is 208 t/hr.

Model

Tuning

Model tuning
is accomplished
using a systematic
trial
and error
shooting
method where the target curve
is the output
granulometry
(figure
After
simulating
the charge
motion
(figure
2).
3),
it is possible
to determine
the axial
material
size
evolution
found in figure
4.

granulometry
dephenomena of matebe described
as

- V&y)

Material

Hardness

Effect

Material
hardness
effect
on output
granulometry
is shown in figure
5.
The simulation
results
show that as material
hardness
increased
output
granulometry
cumulatif
oversize
increases
in
the larger
size
intervals.
The opposite
trend
is true for decreasing
hardness.

&

(7)

at

integro-differenbecomes
:

g.(Y)

Z(Y)

ay

at

(8)

Tying charge
motion
to breakage
mechanics
completes
the necessary
constituative
equations
It
is
for the fundamental
model description.
now possible
to simulate
a real
case scenario.

FIG.

Simulated

Charge

Motion.

Proc.

1074

7th Int.

Conf

on Mathematical

and Computer Modelling

CONCLUSION

Ballmlll modelllng using a first principles

approach provides a better understanding of
comminutlon dynamics as a function of both
After tuning
physical end material parameters.
the model to a typical grinding situation, it
becomes possible to determine the effect of
Slmulsthese parameters on a desired output.
tlon results show that as mill feed hardness
evolves so does output granulometry forcing a
Ballmlll output
needed decrease in input feed.
feed and granulometry can be maintained regardless of material hardness shifts with the appropriate variations in mill rotation speed.
Process optimization
becomes a distinct posslblllty using this approach.

REFERENCES
FIG.

Material

Size Evolution.
Austin, L.G.; Kllmpel, R.P.; Luckle, P.T.;
(1984).
Process Engineering of Size
Ball Milling; Sot. Min. Eng.,
Reduction:
New York.
Dunn,

"Optimizing Ball Mill

D.J. (1976).
Liners for Production and Economy";
Mining Eng., Dec., 32-34.

Lowrlnson, G.C. (1974).

Crushing
Butterworths,
London.

and Grinding,

Mineral Crushing and

Lynch, A.J. (1977).
Grinding Circuits; Elsevler, New York.
"Effect of Speed and
McIvor, R.E. (1983).
Liner Configuration
on Ballmill Performance-;
Mining Eng., June, 617-622.
"A Dynamic Model for
Taraslewlcz,
S. (1985).
Grinding in a Ballmlll~, IASTED Lugano,
June, 406-409.
FIG.

Material Hardness Effect

On Output Granulometry.

Rotation

Speed Compensation

Rotation speed compensation

is shown in figure
There, for varying shifts in material hard6.
ness, the desired output granulometry is maintained at a constant feed rate using the compensating effect of changing ballmill rotation
speed.

FIG.

Taraslewlcz,
S.; Radzlszewski,
P.; (BASI);
"Ballmill Simulation Part I : A Kinetic
Model to Ballmlll Charge Motion", Trans.
Sot. Comp. Slm., (to appear).

Rotation

Speed Compensation.

Taraslewicz,
S.; Radziszewski,
P.; (CEI); "Commlnutlon Energetlcs Part I: Breakage Energy Model, (in preparation).
"Three Mathematical Models
Ylglt, E. (1976).
Based on Strain Energy"; Int. J. Min. Process, 3, 365-374.