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Selecting Motors for Mill Operations

This document discusses choosing the right motors for mills. It outlines a 4 step process: 1) determine maximum mill overload power, 2) benchmark motor power needs, 3) choose from gearless, synchronous or induction motor types based on power and efficiency needs, 4) select an optimal motor speed. It provides examples of applying this process to a case study of a South American iron ore project with one SAG mill and two ball mills. The conclusion is to size mills for nominal throughput and motors to handle potential overload conditions.

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233 views16 pages

Selecting Motors for Mill Operations

This document discusses choosing the right motors for mills. It outlines a 4 step process: 1) determine maximum mill overload power, 2) benchmark motor power needs, 3) choose from gearless, synchronous or induction motor types based on power and efficiency needs, 4) select an optimal motor speed. It provides examples of applying this process to a case study of a South American iron ore project with one SAG mill and two ball mills. The conclusion is to size mills for nominal throughput and motors to handle potential overload conditions.

Uploaded by

avca65
Copyright
© Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd

Choosing the Right Motors for your Mills

Alex Doll and Derek Barratt DJB Consultants, Inc., Canada

Overview of Mill Selection


Grinding testwork to characterise the project's oretypes Characterise hardness variability or load grinding results into block model Select mill sizes to achieve a desired throughput (or select a throughput based on desired mill sizes) Select motor(s) to fit the mills

Step 1: Mill overload power


Determine a set of operating conditions that reflects the maximum overloaded condition that the mill should be able to handle:
SAG mills: 20% v/v ball charge, 30% v/v filling and 78% critical speed with worn liners Ball mills: 36% v/v filling and 78% critical speed with worn liners

Step 1: Mill overload power


SAG mill, use a Tent Diagram to identify the design requirements Example, SG=4.0 38' 19' EGL SAG Requires 21.5 MW at mill shell

Benchmarking Power

Step 2: Power measured where?


The process conditions reflect power delivered to the mill shell The motor power reflects the motor output Motors with pinions and reducers must allow mechanical losses
makes the motor bigger to produce the same shell power

Step 3: Which Type?


Three commonly used mill motor types:
Gearless drives
largest size, up to 28 MW highest efficiency

Synchronous with pinion


one or two pinion configuration, up to 15.6 MW

Induction motor with speed reducer


one or two pinion configuration cheapest capital, but poorest electric efficiency

Step 3: Which Type?


Electrical efficiency
Gearless is highest Induction is lowest
CCV/Transformer Input 0.98 0.99 0.99

Motor Input

Directly affects operating costs


inefficient motors consume more Gearless power Synchronous
Induction

0.97

0.96

0.96

Motor Output

1.0

0.985

0.97

Mill Shell

Step 3: Which Type?


Gearless is always variable-speed Synchronous and induction are normally fixed-speed
Can be made variable speed by adding more equipment and sacrificing electrical efficiency In almost all cases, variable speed is costeffective for SAG mills Variable speed for ball mills depends on the particular project and ore

Step 4: Select Speed


The rated speed of a motor is nominated by the engineer The torque output of a motor is constant up to the rated speed The power output of a motor is constant above the rates speed
(More on speed in the case study)

Case Study
South American iron-ore project Variability in ore density 60,000 tonnes/day on 75% of samples Single line
1 SAG, 38' 19' EGL 2 ball mills, 22' 38' EGL

Case Study: Nominal operation

Case Study, Design Speed


78% of critical 75% of critical

Case Study, 21.5 MW SAG


Density 4.0 t/m Density 3.17 t/m

Case Study, Liners


(based on change in mill volume, does not consider charge motion)

Worn (75 mm)

New (150 mm)

Conclusion
Size grinding mills for nominal operating conditions (throughput targets) Size motors for overload conditions that may reasonably be encountered
High ball charge, volumetric filling High density ore Worn liners

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