Griiidiiig Mill Scofe-yp Problems

C . C . Harris and N. Arbiter

Ball and rod mills at Anaconda Co.'s Carr Fork copper mine outside Salt Lake City, UT. A t left, Hardinge 16.5 x 29 ft ( 5 x 8 . 8 m) ball
mill. A t right, Hardinge 14 x 20 ft (4.3 x 6.1 m) rod mill. The mills were produced by the Mineral Processing Division of Koppers Co.
Inc. Photo courtesy of Koppers.

T h e economic advantage.s of large

d i a m e t e r b a l l m i l l s can be c o m oromi.sed by une.\pected c a p a c i t y
i m i t i n g conditions. These arise because media r o t a t i o n a l flow to ore
a.xial flow ratios, and the n u m b e r o f
m i l l revolutions that ore is subjected
to d u r i n g r e s i d e n c e , are b o t h i n versely proportional to m i l l diameter.
Because of this, m i x i n g efficiency and
g r i n d i n g kinetics may decrease and
become capacity l i m i t i n g w h e n m i l l
diameters reach a critical range.
T h e r e are t w o possible scale-up
problems i n v o l v e d i n the design and
use of mineral processing machinery:
Selecting the size and operating
conditions for available larger e q u i p ment, to insure that operating results
w i l l match those obtained w i t h smaller units; or
E x t e n d i n g the size ranges o f
e q u i p m e n t b e y o n d existing l i m i t s .
P r e v i o u s r e s e a r c h at C o l u m b i a
U n i v e r s i t y i n t o flotation m a c h i n e
hydrodynamics has demonstrated the
C. C. Harris is professor of mineral
engineering and N. Arbiter is a emeritus
professor with Henry Krumb School of
Mines, Columbia University, New York,
NY 10027.
MINING

ENGINEERING

i m p o r t a n c e i n scale-up of i n t e r n a l
flow relationships; these p e r f o r m a
similar role i n g r i n d i n g ( A r b i t e r and
Harris, 1980).

Problems at Bougainville
T h e largest t u n i b l i n g mills i n use i n
1943, according to Taggart, were 9 ft
(2.7 m) for rod m i l l s and 10.5 ft (3.2 m)
for b a l l m i l l s . Since t h e n , r o d m i l l
d i a m e t e r s have i n c r e a s e d to 15 ft
(4.6 m) a n d b a l l m i l l d i a m e t e r s to
16.5 ft (5.0 m), w i t h t w o plants using
18-ft(5.5-m) m i l l s . T h e more recently
d e v e l o p e d p r i m a r y autogenous m i l l s
have diameters u p to 36 ft (11 m ) .
I n spite o f these r e l a t i v e l y large i n creases, there has been o n l y one publ i s h e d report regarding scale-up problems: the B o u g a i n v i l l e installation of
eight 18 ft x 21 ft (5.5 m x 6.4 m) ball
m i l l s . D e s i g n e d for 90 000 st/d (82
kt/d), the c i r c u i t o r i g i n a l l v treated
about 72,000 st/d (66 kt/d). According
to the operator (Hinkfuss, 1976),
..
the m i l l s use about o n e - t h i r d more
p o w e r per tonne of ore g r o u n d than
w o u l d be e x p e c t e d f r o m s m a l l e r ,
3.7-m (12-ft) m i l l s . " C i r c u l a t i n g loads
up to 650% are necessary, and coarser
feed sizes are a p r o b l e m . V a r y i n g b a l l

loads, b a l l sizes, a n d l i n e r profiles

brought no i m p r o v e m e n t . Increasing
m i l l speed increased p o w e r proportionately, b u t capacity less than prop o r t i o n a t e l y . T o reach d e s i g n capacity, an additional 18 x 21 ft (5.5 x
6.4 m) m i l l was installed, f o l l o w e d by
a 18 x 24 ft (5.5 x 7.3 m) m i l l (Steane
and H i n k f u s s , 1979).
Because of these problems, the m i l l
manufacturer r e c o m m e n d e d that no
ball mills larger than 16.5 ft (5 m) in
d i a m e t e r be c o n s t r u c t e d u n t i l the
B o u g a i n v i l l e p r o b l e m c o u l d be better
u n d e r s t o o d (Kjos, 1979). H o w e v e r ,
m i l l s of the same size perform satisfactorilv at Cities Service Co.'s Pinto \'alley plant (Hulsebos, 1979, 1981), and
autogenous m i l l s nearly t w i c e that
diameter are i n regular service.

Scale Effects in Tumbling Mills

S t u d y o f a v a i l a b l e data f r o m
Bougainville, Pinto Valley, and other
p l a n t s , a n d a d e t a i l e d analysis o f
scale-up, indicate that there should be
a critical diameter range for ball m i l l s *
* The same problem can be expected
with any tumbling mill, but not necessarily at the same diameter.
JANUARY

1982

^3

above w h i c h scale-up problems can

be expected. T h e difficulty is not i n
the ability to predict or provide the
p o w e r necessary to d r i v e the m i l l
(Kjos, 1979), but rather i n the existence of a previously unrecognized
dimensional and dynamic factor associated w i t h m i l l scale-up. This has
two interrelated components:
A decrease in m i x i n g w i t h i n creasing m i l l diameter, due to the dependence of m i x i n g effectiveness on
the n u m b e r of m i l l r e v o l u t i o n s to
w h i c h a u n i t of feed is subjected. This
w i l l be compounded w i t h the dispersion of residence times (Herbst and
Fuerstenau, 1980; F i n c h and Ramirez-Castro, 1981) to be expected in a
single reactoreven i f w e l l m i x e d
(Levenspiel, 1972);
A g r i n d i n g kinetics factor, represented by the ratio of the g r i n d i n g
media circulation rate to ore feed rate;
this also decreases w i t h increasing
m i l l diameters.
These hectors are different aspects o f
the interaction between media circulation and feed flow. T h e i r systematic
development is given i n Table 1 .

Mixing Considerations
The Bougainville staff ( H i n k f u s s ,
1976; Hinkfuss and Steane, 1979) and
other observers (Kjos, 1979) have
suggested that poor m i x i n g and flow
problems are i n v o l v e d . Calculations
ydsed on Bougain\ilIe and Pinto Valley operating data, i n c l u d i n g application of equations 8 and 9, lead to data
in Table 2. Also i n c l u d e d for compari-

Notation
D

L
L,
N
n
P
O,

Q,

t
V
V
W

e
p

cr

44

Mill d i a m e t e r m e a s u r e d i n s l d ^ l i n e r s
F r a c t i o n c r i t i c a l speed ( = N \3 w h e r e N
is in r p m a n d D in feet)
Mill l e n g t h m e a s u r e d internally
L o a d i n g : f r a c t i o n of mill v o l u m e o c c u p i e d by
g r i n d i n g m e d i a , m e a s u r e d at rest
Mill r o t a t i o n a l s p e e d : r e v o l u t i o n s per u n i t t i m e
A v e r a g e n u m b e r of r e v o l u t i o n s d u r i n g t h e res i d e n c e of an e l e m e n t of ore in the mill { = Nr)
Mill power c o n s u m p t i o n : net p o w e r = c o n sumed power-idling power
Mass feed rate of o r e t h r o u g h m i l l : a x i a l m a s s
f l o w rate [ = new feed rate x (1 -i- c i r c u l a t i n g
load ratio). N o t e : Q / V ^ D " ' ]
Mass r o t a t i o n a l f l o w rate: may refer to steel, o r
p u l p , o r d r y o r e , o r any c o m b i n a t i o n , d e p e n d i n g o n density t e r m ,
pNV^. See also T a b l e
2, f o o t n o t e j . N o t e : 0,.''V ^ D " " ' )
N o m i n a l r e s i d e n c e t i m e of o r e e l e m e n t in m i l l
( = V^or/Q,)
Mill v o l u m e (=7rLD"/4)
V o l u m e of mill o c c u p i e d by m e d i a ( = VL,)
V o l u m e of p u l p ( = Ve)
W e i g h t of mill c o n t e n t s : may refer t o steel o r
pulp or dry ore d e p e n d i n g on density t e r m ,
p(=Vp)
Grinding media void ratio: void volume/bulk
v o l u m e - 0 . 4 1 , n e w ball c h a r g e : e - - 0.38.
s e a s o n e d ball c h a r g e ( T a g g a r l 5-32); ~ 0.4 t o
0.5, e x p a n d e d d u e t o mill r o t a t i o n (to be p u b lished)
A u t o g e n o u s m i l l s : < = 1; = 1.2, e x p a n d e d d u e
to mill rotation
Halt angle s u b t e n d e d at mill c e n t e r by g r i n d i n g
m e d i a at rest [(9 - sin6cose)/7r = L,]
Density of mill c o n t e n t s o r of a c o m p o n e n t of
c o n t e n t s : bulk d e n s i t y of ball load - 290 lbs/
c u b ft; steel d e n s i t y 480 l b s / c u b ft
Ore d e n s i t y

JANUARY

1982

son are data f r o m a smaller ball m i l l

(Taggart, 194-5) and a large autogenous
m i l K L o v e d a y . 1979). The 18-ft(5.5-m)
m i l l data show that at Pinto Valley a
u n i t of feed is exposed to 2.4 times as
man\l revolutions as at Bc2Ugainv i l l e . T h e significantly l o w e r n value
for Bougainx ille than for Pinto Valley
( a n d e s p e c i a l l y for t h e o t h e r t w o
p l a n t s ) a n d s t a f f o b s e r v a t i o n s at
B o u g a i n v i l l e raise questions about
the n u m b e r of m i l l r e v o l u t i o n s req u i r e d for effective m i x i n g of feed
w i t h g r i n d i n g media.
Orr discussed m i x i n g granules o f
three colors in a rotating mixer and
c o n c l u d e d that the q u a l i t y o f m i x i n g
(based on a
test) d e p e n d e d on the
n u m b e r of revolutions as f o l l o w s : 11,
DOor; 23, fiiir; 35, very good; 56, excelent. W h i l e there are too many diss i m i l a r i t i e s b e t w e e n s y s t e m s , re(juirements, and criteria to apply this
information d i r e c t l y to c o m m i n u t i o n ,
these results support the idea that
poor m i x i n g is one probable cause of
the B o u g a i n v i l l e p r o b l e m .
T h e 18-ft (5.5-m) m i l l s i n question
o p e r a t e at s u b s t a n t i a l l y t h e same
speed and w i t h similar loadings. T h e
performance differences must be due
p r i m a r i l y to differences i n residence
times d e t e r m i n e d by the h i g h e r feed
rates and m u c h h i g h e r c i r c u l a t i n g
loads at Bougain\'ille. These result i n
a 40% l o w e r n o m i n a l residence t i m e
and n value compared w i t h Pinto V a l ley. For m i l l s of d i f f e r e n t diameter, all
other factors b e i n g the same, the differences can be even larger. T h i s is
illustrated i n T a b l e 3, calculated from
B o u g a i n v i l l e data p r o p o r t i o n e d d o w n
to a 5.9-ft (1.8-m) m i l l , w h i c h is the
size used i n t h e i r p i l o t studies. Calculated values are also i n c l u d e d for a

16.5-ft (5-m) m i l l , internal diameter

15.9 ft (4.9 ni) ( R o w l a n d and Kjos,
1978), w h i c h is the largest recomm e n d e d diameter m e n t i o n e d earlier
(Kjos, 1979).
T h e figures f o r t h e 5.9-ft(1.8-m) m i l l
are r o u g h l y comparable w i t h those for
the t h r e e satisfactorily p e r f o r m i n g
m i l l s i n T a b l e 2; the higher n values
suggest a h i g h e r rotational m i x i n g effectiveness for the other m i l l s compared w i t h Bougain\'ille. Other m i l l
dataprocessed i n this study show that
the n value for the B o u g a i n v i l l e m i l l is
by far the smallest for an operating
m i l l , a l t h o u g h smaller values have
been calculated f r o m manufacturers'
e s t i m a t e d capacities for 18-ft-diam
(5.5-m-diam) mills p r o d u c i n g very
coarse grinds.
A l t h o u g h m i x i n g deficiencies are
usually a t t r i b u t e d to rotational flow
inadequacies, another mechanism
can also result i n segregation of p u l p
and g r i n d i n g m e d i a w i t h r e d u c e d
g r i n d i n g efficiency. T h e axial component of ore flow w i t h average velocity,
L/t oc L D " - ^ increases s t r o n g l y on
scale-up. T a b l e 2 shows that this velocity i n the B o u g a i n v i l l e m i l l is considerably greater than i n the other
m i l l s : nearly 2.5 times that for Pinto
V a l l e y , and more than 10 times that for
Butte and Superior. I n spite of the
very large size of the autogenous m i l l ,
its axial component of ore velocity is
low.
H o r i z o n t a l flow velocities t h r o u g h
porous m e d i a are governed by the
pressure gradient from feed to discharge; scaled-up geometrically, this
is constant. I f this applies even approximately to flow-through g r i n d i n g
m e d i a , a p o i n t w i l l be reached i n
scale-up w h e r e the imposed feed rate

Table 1General Mill Equations

P o w e r - I n t e r n a l Rotational Flow E q u a t i o n s
1. P ^ NLD^
Torque-arm equation. Theoretical/experimental confirmation.
2. O, ^ NID' =c N V
I n t e r n a l r o t a t i o n a l f l o w ( V = n LD'U^ = VL,)
3. P

0,D

F r o m e q u a t i o n 1/2. " P u m p " e q u a t i o n : " h e a d " is s y n o n y m o u s w i t h D.

O p e r a t i o n a l C o n s t r a i n t s (Current
C o n s tParnatc tf ircaec )t i o n c r i t i c a l s p e e d ( C o n s t a n t F r o u d e n u m b e r ) . K i n e m a t i c s i m i l a r i t y .
4
5
constant
T h r o u g h p u t scaleup. Constant specific energy. Proportionality coefficient increases
5. Q, =t P
f o r c o a r s e r g r i n d s , s o f t e r o r e s , a n d vice v e r s a .
Derived Equations
6, P ^ LD- ^
7, P,'V, ^ Q / V .
D"-^
8- Q,,/Q, ^ D - '
9. (Q,/V){V/Q,)

Nt D - '

From 1 and
From 5 and
diameter.
From 3 and
diameter.
From 2 and

4. P o w e r v e r s u s m i l l size e q u a t i o n f o r s i m i l a r o p e r a t i n g c o n d i t i o n s .
6. S p e c i f i c p o w e r a n d s p e c i f i c t h r o u g h p u t i n c r e a s e s i m i l a r l y w i t h mill
5. F l o w r a t i o ( r o t a t i o n a l / a x i a l ) d e c r e a s e s s t r o n g l y w i t h i n c r e a s i n g m i l l
8. N o m i n a l r e s i d e n c e t i m e , t = Vcr/0, =t D~''^ Vp =

fV^.

Notes
In e q u a t i o n s 1, 2. a n d 3 m i l l l o a d i n g is a s s u m e d t o be c o n s t a n t in s c a l e u p .
E q u a t i o n s 1, 2, a n d 3 a p p l y t o all r o t a t i o n a l m a c h i n e r y o p e r a t i n g u n d e r g r a v i t a t i o n a l c o n s t r a i n t .
C u r r e n t s c a l e u p p r o c e d u r e s i n v o l v e o n l y e q u a t i o n s 1. 4, 5, 6, a n d 7.
Equatj^ons 2, 3, 8, a n d 9 i n v o l v e i n t e r n a l r o t a t i o n a l f l o w a n d p r o v i d e n e w i n s i g h t i n t o m i l l d y n a m i c s .
N r = n in e q u a t i o n 9 is a v e r a g e n u m b e r of mill r e v o l u t i o n s d u r i n g r e s i d e n c e of o r e .

Current scale-up practice involves equations

1, 4, and 5, with equations
6 and 7 derived from them. Equation
1 is
the torque-arm
relationship
for power consumption,
while equations
4 and 5 respectively
express
the
imposed
constancy-or
near constancy-of
fraction critical speed, and of applied energy per unit of ore in the mill. Equation 2,
internal rotational
flow, leads to equation
8, flow ratio, and to equation
9, giving the average number of
revolutions
during ore residence
in the mill. While all the equations
are capable of some refinement,
this cannot
significantly
affect the strong inverse relationship
to mill diameter shown by equations
8 and 9, from which the concept of a
critical diameter
follows.

MINING

ENGINEERING

Table 2Mill Specifications, Operating and Performance Data, and Derived Parameters

D X L ft'"
V c u ft
L,%: (9 + s i n e ) ' "
W St"'
V cu ft""
N rpm
P hp i n s t a l l e d / c o n s u m e d
New f e e d st/h
C i r c u l a t i n g l o a d ratio
Q, st/h
CT I b / c u ft
Q, st,'h'
P/DQ, h p - h / f t s f ^ '
P/DNW(1 - L,) h p - m i n / f t s t ' "
Qi/Q,

Q / o - cu ft/min
t min
n revs
UF ft/min

Bougainville""

Pinto Valley'"'

Butte a n d Superior'^'

Palabora"*'

18 ft (5.5 m ) o v e r f l o w m i l l
Porphyry Copper
Design specification
17.4 X 21
4994
40; 2.40
289.6
998.7
12.5
68

18 ft (5.5 m ) o v e r f l o w m i l l
Quartz monozite
Current operation
17.4 X 21
4994
37; 2.34
267.9
923.9
12.3
67
4000/
365
1.5
912.5
172""'
2.654 X 1 0 '
8.66 X l O - *
0.111
290.9
176.8
5.22
64.3
4.02

8 ft (2,4 m ) o v e r f l o w m i l l
Z i n c b l e n d e in g r a n i t e
- 1 9 2 7 Operation
7 . 4 " " X 5.8""
2494
3 6 ; 2.32
13
44.9
20
71
200/246
12.5
2
37.5
172<""
2.113 X I C
15.73 X 1 0 - * " '
0.200'"'
563.3
7.27

3 2 ft (9.7 m) a u t o g e n o u s m i l l
Carbonatite
Current Operation
31.5 X 21.4 X 14""'
10476'"
35; 2.30
297.6
4400
10
73.3
/6970
623
1.67
1663
202.9
2.44 X 1 0 '
9.07 X l O - "
0.114
146.7
273.2

6.18
123.5
0.94

16.1
161
1.33

4250/4410
483
4
2415
172""'
2.843 X 10
8.91 X 1 0 - *
0.117
117.7
468
2.13
26.7
9.86

(a)
(b)
(c)
(d)
(e)
(f)

Data f r o m S t e a n e a n d H i n k f u s s
Data f r o m H u l s e b o s ( p r i v a t e c o m m u n i c a t i o n )
Data f r o m T a g g a r t : 5-57 (see a l s o 1st E d . , 1927, p. 351)
Data f r o m L o v e d a y
Inside l i n e r s
C a l c u l a t e d f r o m : L, = (9 - sin9cos9)/7r

(g)

B u l k d e n s i t y of steel b a l l s : p = 290 I b / c u ft A u t o g e n o u s m i l l s ; b u l k d e n s i t y e s t i m a t e d
as - 8 0 % of o r e d e n s i t y
R o t a t i n g l o a d : (ball m i l l ) = 0.5: ( a u l o g e n o u s m i l l ) = 1.2
Q,(st/hr) - 1 8 8 . 5 W ( s t ) N ( r p m ) / ( 9 + s i n 9 ) ; s e e (f) (to be p u b l i s h e d ) . T o c o m p a r e t h e
b a l l a n d a u t o g e n o u s m i l l s in s t r i c t l y s i m i l a r t e r m s Q, ( b a l l m i l l ) s h o u l d be
a u g m e n t e d by - 5 t o 1 0 % to i n c l u d e o r e , o r Q, ( a u t o g e n o u s m i l l ) s h o u l d be
d i m i n i s h e d by - 2 0 % t o e x c l u d e g r o u n d p r o d u c t . In e i t h e r c a s e t h e g e n e r a l
c o n c l u s i o n s w i l l be u n c h a n g e d .

(h)
(j)

exceeds the media's capacity for p u l p

flow. The result w i l l be increased
short c i r c u i t i n g and a possible backup
and increased h o l d u p o l p u l p i n the
m i l l . T h e s e ideas are based o n a
suggestion by Kjos (1979) to explain
capacity limitations i n rod m i l l scaleup.
I n the absence o f more detailed i n f o r m a t i o n on c u r r e n t B o u g a i n v i l l e
operations, and r e l y i n g only on the
r e p o r t e d m i l l speed increase f r o m
68% to 7 1 % of c r i t i c a l , and i n the
n u m b e r of m i l l s from 8 to 10, the foll o w i n g rough estimates are p r o v i d e d :
Q,/Qf - 117.7 X (71/68)/(8/10) = 153.6;
t = 2.13/(8/10) = 2.66 m i n ; n =_26.7 x
(71/68)/(8/10) = 34.8 rev; L/t = 7.9
ft/min (2.4 m/min). Because these values are associated w i t h increased capacity, the inference is that: n values
above about 35 rev; and L/t values
b e l o w about 8 ft/min (2.4 m/min),
should be threshhold design criteria
in a Bougainville-type operation.
W i t h near c r i t i c a l c o n d i t i o n s ,
shorter residence times w i l l h i n d e r
m i x i n g by both rotational and axial
flow mechanisms. I n general, circuits
w i t h softer ores and coarser g r i n d requirements, and w i t h conditions causing h i g h circulating loads, may encounter critical conditions w i t h larger
m i l l d i a m e t e r s b e f o r e those w i t h
harder ores and finer g r i n d requirements. Autogenous m i l l s , w i t h h o l d u p
volumes for ore corresponding to the
entire expanded load fraction, should
be farther f r o m c r i t i c a l c o n d i t i o n s
than ball or r o d m i l l s of the same
diameter; for the same reasons, thev
WiNING

ENGINEERING

(k)
(I)
(m)
(n)
(o)

See e q u a t i o n 3 P is c o n s u m e d p o w e r , o r if n o t a v a i l a b l e , i n s t a l l e d p o w e r
P o w e r c o r r e l a t i o n e q u a t i o n . L, in r a n g e 0.35 t o 0.45 (to be p u b l i s h e d )
E s t i m a t e d d e n s i t y of o r e : 172 I b / c u ft s 2.75 g m / c u c m
C a l c u l a t e d f r o m N a n d i,.
C a l c u l a t e d f r o m D, W, a n d p

(p)

T h i s v a l u e is u n u s u a l l y h i g h . M o r e d a t a t h a n t h o s e g i v e n h e r e w e r e a n a l y z e d g i v i n g
v a l u e s m o r e in t h e r a n g e of t h e o t h e r m i l l s . I n s p e c t i o n o f T a g g a r t ' s t a b l e s s h o w s
t h a t t h e P v a l u e f o r t h i s c a s e is a t y p i c a l .
C y l i n d e r of l e n g t h 14 ft w i t h c o n i c a l e n d s , t o t a l l e n g t h 21.4 ft
8 0 % of c a l c u l a t e d v o l u m e t o a l l o w f o r g r a t e at d i s c h a r g e

(q)
(r)

can operate effectively at m u c h larger

diameters.

Grinding Kinetics
G r i n d i n g kinetics depends not so
m u c h on total a p p l i e d p o w e r as on the
rate of energy transfer to ore particles
t h r o u g h contact w i t h g r i n d i n g media.
T h i s can be expressed b v e(|uation 8,
Q i / Q f D - ' , w h i c h states'that the ratio
of rotational mass flow rate o f media to
axial mass flow rate o f ore varies i n versely w i t h m i l l diameter. T h e ratio
is also related to the product of the
encounter frecpiencv b e t w e e n ore and
balls, and to b a l l w e i g h t . F r o m this, i t
follows that for an ideal system:
a) I n a m i l l o f g i v e n size, encounter
frequency is inversely proportional to
ball w e i g h t , w h i l e the energy i m parted per contact is d i r e c t l y proportional to b a l l w e i g h t ;
b) I n scaled m i l l s using balls of the
same w e i g h t , encounter frequency is
inversely proportional to m i l l diameter, w h i l e the energy i n c r e m e n t is d i rectly p r o p o r t i o n a l to m i l l diameter.
I n b o t h cases the total energy i m p a r t e d to an e l e m e n t of ore is the
same. Statement (a) is similar to one
given b y Rose and Sullivan i n discussing b a l l diameter effects. Ecjuation 8
generalizes the concept to i n c l u d e the

effect of m i l l diameter, as i n statement

(b). T h e m o d e l requires homogeneous
m i x i n g ; w i t h o u t this the efficiency of
encovmter is i m p a i r e d .
T h e above a r g u m e n t f o l l o w s d i rectly from the t h r o u g h p u t constraint
i n equation 5: Q, ^ P; expressing constant specific energw The result is a
consequence of the t w o kinetic factors
and their variation w i t h m i l l diameter:
n o m i n a l residence t i m e ,
D ~ " ^ and
m i l l rotational speed; N
D " " ^ Arguments on the effect of m i l l diameter
on r e s i d e n c e t i m e (acD""-^) and on
energy per impact {^D), b u t w i t h o u t
the concept o f encounter frequency
i m p l i c i t i n the flow ratio equation 8,
are d i f f i c u l t to r e c o n c i l e w i t h the
scale-up relationship,
constant
specific energy, e(juation 5.
I f the total a p p l i e d specific energy
remains constant, a trade-off between
n u m b e r o f ball/ore contacts and
e n e r g y t r a n s f e r p e r contact is expected w i t h i n certain l i m i t s . But the
question n o w raised is: what happens
b e y o n d these l i m i t s i n the direction of
decreasing encounter frequency? ( I n
the other d i r e c t i o n there are clear res t r i c t i o n s on the r e d u c t i o n of b a l l
size.) T h e effect of varying both ball
and m i l l diameters on the fre(}uency
of e n c o u n t e r is shown i n T a b l e 4,
based on calculations from data i n
T a b l e 2.

Table 3Comparison of Different Diameter Mills

D ft(m)
17.4(5.3)
15 9 (4.9)
5.9 (1.8)

N rpm
12.5
13.1
21.5

Qi/Q,
117.7
128.8
347

t min
213
2.23
3.66

n revs
26.7
29.2
78-7

JANUARY

1982

45

Table 4Average Number of Ball Contacts* per Pound of Ore

Mill
D ft (inside liners)
Flow rate r a t i o ' " ' (steel'ore) Q , / Q t
Mill revs d u r i n g o r e r e s i d e n c e " " n
Ball diameter
(in)
1
2
3
4
5

Ball weight
(lb)
0.15
1.2
4.0
9.5
18.5

Bougainville
17.4
117.7
26.7

Pinto V a l l e y
17.4
290.9
64 3

Butte a n d
Superior
7.4
563.3
123,5

785
98
29""
12
6

1939
242
73""
31
16

3755
469
141
59
30""

(a) F r o m T a b l e 2
(b) R e p l a c e m e n t ball size v a l u e
In about half ot the contacts
the balls and ore are locked

The numbers suggest that w i t h i n creasing m i l l diameters, even w i t h

constant energy per ton, both the frec|uenc\ of encounter and the value of
n a n d t h e r e b y nii.xing e f f e c t i v e nessmay d e c r e a s e to a d e g r e e
where g r i n d i n g efficiency is seriously
i m p a i r e d above some c r i t i c a l m i l l
diameter.* This conclusion is reached
for the same ball m i l l size w i t h the
same applied energy b u t w i t h increasing ball size. An alternative and comp l e m e n t a r y e.xplanation has b e e n
given by Rose and Sullivan (1958),
who point out that g r i n d i n g
. . decreases w i t h verv h i g h energv d e n sities and also the efficiency of the
blow is i m p a i r e d w h e n the balls are
unduly large. . . " These conclusions
are confirmed i n part by the Bougainville staff (Hinkfuss and Steane, 1979),
w h i c h reported that w i t h comparative
tests on ball sizes from 60 m m to 100
mm, " I n all cases there was no detectable i m p r o v e m e n t i n the efficiency of
the m i l l i f anything, the larger balls
resulted
in a slightly
lower
throughput, a slightly coarser g r i n d ,
and a higher ball c o n s u m p t i o n . "
* A. J. Lynch and coworkers in on experimental study of the some problems,
using grinding rates of size fractions as
criteria, find a pronounced decrease in
rates for plus 6 mm, and particularly plus
12 mm fractions, above a critical mill
diameter range. This is without doubt a
compounding of poor mixing and decreasing kinetic factors (Tables 3 and 4)
acting selectively on coarser size fractions.

against

the rising

wall resulting

in little

grinding.

W h i l e the importance of this k i n e t i c

factor can o n l y be established b y more
study, indications are that a c r i t i c a l
m i l l diameter, g r i n d i n g efficiency w i l l
be d e c r e a s e d b y i n c r e a s i n g b a l l
d i a m e t e r s , a n d m a y be i m p r o v e d
somewhat by r e d u c i n g ball diameters.
C h a n g i n g ball sizes alone is not l i k e l y
to correct e n t i r e l y for the critical effect.

ore, r e s u l t i n g i n h i g h Q i / Q f and n values. I n all cases, however, there must

be eventual l i m i t i n g diameters.
Large diameter m i l l s have clear advantages i n capacity and relative cost,
but serious diameter l i m i t i n g situations can occur, as the B o u g a i n v i l l e
e x p e r i e n c e t e s t i f i e s . M e t h o d s to
evaluate each a p p l i c a t i o n w i t h more
^ertainty, and to correct for near c r i t i cal c o n d i t i o n s , must be d e v e l o p e d .
F u r t h e r study o f the internal flow aspects o f t u m b l i n g m i l l b e h a v i o r
should lead to a better u n d e r s t a n d i n g
of m i l l dynamics and a more secure
basis for m i l l design, scale-up, and
operation.

Acknowledgments
T h i s w o r k is supported by grants
p r o v i d e d by Cities Service Co. We are
grateful for t h e i r generosity and encouragement.

References
Summary and Conclusions
I n t r o d u c i n g the concept of the
internal rotational flow o f t u m b l i n g
m i l l contents, Q,, and a p p l y i n g relationships i n v o l v i n g this q u a n t i t y to
c o n v e n t i o n a l scale-up p r o c e d u r e s ,
lead to t w o n e w dimensionless measures o f t u m b l i n g m i l l i n t e r n a l
dynamics: Q i / Q f , the ratio of i n t e r n a l
r o t a t i o n a l _ m e d i a flow to axial feed
flow, and n , the n u m b e r of revolutions
to w h i c h a u n i t of ore is exposed w h i l e
in the m i l l . These quantities are proportional to each other and b o t h are
inversely p r o p o r t i o n a l to m i l l diameter. Therefore, m i l l s w i t h diameters
above some c r i t i c a l value may be less
effective compared to smaller m i l l s
d e p e n d i n g on ore hardness, r e d u c t i o n
ratios, and c i r c u l a t i n g loads. A l t h o u g h
B o u g a i n v i l l e g r i n d requirements w i t h
18-ft-diam (5.5-m-diam) m i l l s may
represent a b o r d e r l i n e c o n d i t i o n ,
harder ores, finer g r i n d i n g r e q u i r e m e n t s , or b o t h , m a y p e r m i t e v e n
larger d i a m e t e r m i l l s . T h e m u c h
larger diameter autogenous m i l l s are
e f f e c t i v e because t h e i r active v o l umes are almost e n t i r e l y o c c u p i e d b y

A r b i t e r , N., a n d H a r r i s . C. C , 1980, " E n e r g y a n d S c a l e - u p

R e q u i r e m e n t s in M i n e r a l P r o c e s s i n g , " F o u r t h J o i n t
M e e t i n g M M I J - A I M E , To(<yo, p p 63-83.
F i n c h , J . A., a n d R a m i r e z - C a s t r o , J . , 1 9 8 1 , " M o d e l i n g
M i n e r a l Size R e d u c t i o n in t h e C l o s e d - C i r c u i t Ball Mill at
P i n e P o i n t s M i n e C o n c e n t r a t o r , " International
Journal
of Mineral Processing.
V o l . 8, 61-78.
H e r b s t , J . A., a n d F u e r s t e n a u , D. W., 1980. " S c a l e - u p
P r o c e d u r e f o r C o n t i n u o u s G r i n d i n g Mill D e s i g n U s i n g
P o p u l a t i o n B a l a n c e M o d e l s , " International
Journal
of
Mineral Processing,
V o l . 7, 1-31.
H i n k f u s s , D. A., 1976, " T h e B o u g a i n v i l l e C o p p e r L i m i t e d
C o n c e n t r a t o r , " Flotation:
A.M. Gaudin
Memorial
Volume.
M. C. F u e r s t e n a u , e d . . V o l . 2. C h a p t e r 40, A I M E ,
N e w Y o r k , p p . 1125-1144.
H i n k f u s s , D. A., a n d S t e a n e , R. A., 1979, " S e l e c t i o n a n d
P e r f o r m a n c e of L a r g e D i a m e t e r B a l l - M i l l s at B o u g a i n ville C o p p e r , L t d . , P a p u a , N e w G u i n e a , " Proceedings
of
the Eleventh
Commonwealth
Mining and
Metallurgical
Congress,
Hong Kong 1978, I M M , L o n d o n , p p . 577-584.
H u l s e b o s , J . , 1979, 1 9 8 1 , C i t i e s S e r v i c e C o . , p r i v a t e
communications.
Kjos, D. M., 1979, " G r i n d i n g C i r c u i t s ; C u r r e n t S t a t u s a n d
P r o j e c t e d F u t u r e D e v e l o p m e n t , " 50th A n n u a l M e e t i n g of
t h e M i n n e s o t a S e c t i o n , A I M E , M i n n e s o t a , J a n . 10-12.
L e v e n s p i e l , O., 1972, Chemical
Wiley. N e w Y o r k , 2 n d E d .

Reaction

Engineering,

L o v e d a y , B. K., 1979. " P r e d i c t i o n of A u t o g e n o u s M i l l i n g

f r o m P i l o t - p l a n t T e s t s , " Proceedings
of the
Eleventh
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Mining
and Metallurgical
Congress,
Hong Kong 1978, l M M , L o n d o n , p p . 557-564.
L y n c h , A. J . . 1 9 8 1 , K r u t t s c h n i t t M i n e r a l R e s e a r c h C e n t r e ,
p r i v a t e c o m m u n i c a t i o n t o be p u b l i s h e d .
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Technology,

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R o s e , H. E . , a n d S u l l i v a n , R. M. E., 1958. A Treat/se or) (he

Internal Mechanics
of Ball, Tube and Rod Mills, C o n s t a ble, L o n d o n .
R o w l a n d , C. A., Jr., a n d Kjos, D. M 1978, " R o d a n d Ball
M i l l s , " Mineral Processing
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239-278.
T a g g a r t , A. F., 1945, Handbook
Wiley, New York, 2nd Ed.

of Mineral

Dressing,

Conversions
Convert
From
m
kW
kWh/t
mm

Evidence of grinding mill scaleup over the years. At left, photo of 8 ft x 18 in (2.4 x
0.45 m) conical mills in 1914. At right, Koppers 15.5 x 22 ft (4.7 x 6.7 m) ball mill.
46

JANUARY

1982

kg
ton(t)

Divide
By

To
c u ft
ft
hp
hp-h/st

in
lb
St

MINING

0.02832
0.3048
0.7457
0.8220
25.40
0.4536
0.9072

ENGINEERING