Go Gearless

Gearless Mill Drives

Robust

Available

Efficient

Compatible
Good reasons to go gearless
In minerals processing, profit requires
throughput. Grinding low-grade ores calls for
high volume mills and round-the-clock
reliability. High power, huge capacity, and brute
strength are balanced against critical bottom-line
issues like efficiency, control and availability.
Today, there is only one motor type capable
of meeting the demands of high-throughput
minerals processing.
The Gearless Mill Drive (GMD).
Robust
Our GMD is strong, rigid and round. The
tremendous forces involved with today’s huge
SAG and ball mills demand it. Designed
and built for maximum stiffness, our GMDs
pit mass and muscle against torque and heat to
retain concentricity and precision control
over your grinding process. ABB has always
provided individual alignment of every pole for
precise adjustment for concentricity.
Available
GMDs are synonymous with low maintenance.
With a GMD from ABB, all maintenance is
scheduled and performed during planned
downtime. Our superior dry sealing design uses
no grease and effectively prevents contamination.
The ABB GMD ring motor has only two
wearing parts—brushes and dry seals. And
with the resulting low maintenance, your mill
is more available.
Efficient
No other motor achieves the cost efficiencies of
an ABB GMD. Calculated on the basis of all
operational electrical losses, ABB efficiency helps
you achieve the lowest total production costs
per ton of ground ore. The reasons are simple:
more copper where it counts. Optimized
electrical frequency. Lower operating temperatures
requiring less cooling power. And ABB gives you
the fastest, most precise control on the market.
Compatible
ABB meets all your established standards. We
assure compatibility with your key systems:
PLC, MCC, HVAC, and fire-fighting, as well
as local safety codes. And ABB works with
your choice of consultant and mechanical
mill supplier. Connectivity is never a problem
with ABB. We provide solutions for every
electrical and motor-related challenge you face.
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ABB—first in gearless mill drives

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In 1969, ABB (then
•• ••
•• • ••
•
Brown Boveri & Cie.) •• ••
commissioned the •• •
first GMD the world ••
had seen, an 8600
•• ••
horsepower (6400 kW) ••• •
motor for a ball mill at ••••
Ciments Lambert-Lafarge in Le Havre, France.
This GMD is still operating with its original
converter and turning in cost-effective
performance with proven long-term reliability.
And more significantly, this GMD powers a
dry cement process and met the challenge of •• ••••
heat-related expansion from the beginning.
Above: The first GMD for
• •••
a ball mill installed by ABB in
• ••
1969 at France’s Ciments
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ABB was also first to introduce GMDs for Lambert-Lafarge. •
minerals processing. In 1985, ABB delivered the • •• • ••
first GMD to power an ore mill at Bougainville Left: ABB applied the first •• • ••
•• •
••
GMD solution in minerals for
in New Guinea. Our client required, and we •
guaranteed, a maximum of 24 hours annual ••
an ore mill at Bougainville,
Papua New Guinea, in 1985.
•• ••

•
downtime. After three years, the client confirmed

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that we had annually fulfilled our guarantee.

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Below: Newmont Gold’s
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Carlin, Nevada operation

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is the site of ABB’s unique

More recently, ABB continued its pioneering

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double-rotating ball mill

innovation by supplying the first GMD to power
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GMD application.
a double-rotating ball mill in Carlin, Nevada.
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Again, ABB met the heat challenge—160ºC at

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the mill shell. This unique mill is considered

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to be the most energy efficient of any grinding

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mill in the world.

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In addition, ABB is the leading global supplier

of large low-speed synchronous diesel generators,
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machines with nearly identical mechanical

and electrical design features to the GMD. Since
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the early 1990s, ABB has led in the development

of these large diesel-powered generators. This
experience base has contributed technology and
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functional insight to our GMD program.

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 From design to start-up

1. Design
ABB’s strict design philosophy is built on a
thorough advance understanding of your
process and production goals.

2. Component Manufacturing
ABB’s component manufacture team utilizes
the precision and consistency of advanced
production techniques to obtain the highest
quality possible.
ABB’s massive GMD stator assemblies
are wound with more copper where it counts,
for superior energy efficiency.

3. Factory Assembly
The assembly bays at ABB’s Gearless Mill
Motor Factory in Bilbao, Spain are
equipped to build a motor to any size, any
specification you require—no application
is beyond our reach.

4. Erection & Start-up

Your gearless mill drive system is assembled
on-site as stator sections, poles and
PowerHouse are erected and commissioned
to enable more highly productive—and
profitable—grinding operations.

Ore Concentration
Secondary
Crushing

Primary
Crushing Water
Concentrators

Separation
Rotation

SAG/Ball Mill

Conditioning

Tailings Pond

Drives are the heart of your plant...

To Water
Treatment Plant
Getting it right

Grinding mills are getting steadily bigger as

demand for higher throughput grows. The SAG
mill must accept the full output of your mine.
For optimized throughput of ores that vary in
hardness, variable speed is necessary. The relative
hardness of ore frequently can vary within a
wide range. For hard material, you must run
your mill faster. Softer ores require lower
mill speeds. No matter what, your throughput
target must be met.

Increased capacity of SAG mills has exceeded

the capabilities of conventional geared drive
systems. For these large capacity operations, the
GMD is the only viable drive option. Even in
smaller grinding operations where conventional
geared drives are an option, GMDs can
Global decline in ore grades can mean higher throughput
requirements to maintain production levels. ABB’s
GMD solutions are tailored to your particular challenge.

prove superior due to their reliability, availability

and efficiency.

You can count on ABB to help you evaluate your

needs and determine the best drive solution.

Begin with the facts

Every grinding operation is different. That’s
why ABB commits to an active role in optimizing
the variables for you.

Early in the specification stage, vital preliminary

calculations determine power requirements
and operating speeds for your mill. Based on the
results of these key preliminary calculations,
ABB derives magnetic pull per pole, unbalanced
magnetic pull, and gravitational and centrifugal
forces for the proposed mill/drive system.

At stake is providing sufficient strength and

stability in the foundations of your mill, ensuring
sufficient power range for starting and jogging
the mill, and understanding the full range
of forces acting on the GMD stator. ABB helps
you get it right.
 Pole electrical Pole laminations
interconnection
Pole windings
Pole Mounting
ABB’s pole mounting
Stator (static) GMDs from ABB
methodology with eccentric Front cooling duct
fixing bolt sleeves integrates
Rotor cover (rotating)
the center plates, pole Slip ring Poles mounted on mill flange The Inside Story
bolts and mill flange as an fixation
efficient spring system, Pole support flange Since inventing the gearless mill drive in
so force transfer from pole the late 60’s, ABB has accumulated
Pole mounting Eccentric fixing bolt sleeves
to mill flange is by friction
flange for exact pole alignment Mill flange
thirty years of experience customizing
only. Bolt shear is not an gearless solutions for our clients’ industrial
issue with a GMD from ABB.
applications. Our state-of-the-art
manufacturing facilities in Bilbao, Spain
and staff of master engineers and
Electrical stator craftsmen in Bilbao and Baden, Switzerland
connection
Stator can bring all the benefits of gearless
drives to your specific operation.

The GMD from ABB is designed and

Mill Discharge engineered from the bottom up to
deliver massive capacity, superior energy
efficiency, unmatched availability and
Mill Feed
global, round-the-clock support to ensure
the return on your technology investment.

Sole plates (slideway) for GMD

erection and maintenance

Cooling System
ABB’s custom-designed
cooling system ensures
optimal operating conditions Isolated mill feed and
within the stator housing discharge bearings Solid foundation designs
for superior efficiency and
There is no substitute for a strong foundation.
minimal energy losses.
To ensure your civil engineers have all the
Cooling air (blue) is circulated
throughout the stator Cooler units facts, ABB provides detailed information on
housing’s front two ducts, the requisite stiffness of the foundation as
flows through the air determined by the dimensions, weight, mass
gap, and returns (red) to the and forces exerted on the GMD/SAG mill unit.
cooler units.

No gearless mill drive solution is beyond our reach

Robust
The gearless mill drive is a very simple motor,
but the design and operational variables you
face in specifying a GMD are formidable.
A thorough understanding of the mechanical
forces in action, the mill/drive air gap and
other operating influences is crucial to design
excellence.
ABB’s GMD design philosophy accommodates
the eccentricity of your mill. In any gearless drive,
the rotor is rarely perfectly centered in relation
to the stator. Designs have to provide for
mechanical stability and build in the necessary
mass and weight for the required rigidity.
ABB takes full responsibility for the critical
air gap. We take into consideration all factors
that affect the essential separation between
your mill and the GMD stator, for instance, by
calculating the unbalanced magnetic and
physical forces involved in starting and operating
the mill. All forces inherent in the process
must be safely absorbed by the physical design
of the GMD ring motor, mill, foundation
and related facilities.
Stator
Robust means rigid.
In any gearless mill drive, the stator is the
key to stability. Its strength is critical. The spring
constants of the stator housing are calculated
using established standards to determine size
and weight requirements, as well as the number
of sections in the housing. For example, 36-foot
(12-meter) SAG mill GMDs typically ship
in four sections weighing approximately 80 tons
each. Manufacture of the stator represents the
most critical design element and is ordered first.
Rotor
Robust means round.
In a GMD, the poles are attached to the mill,
giving it the function of the rotor. The roundness
of the mill and the position of the poles are
critical to maintaining a proper radial air gap.
ABB’s single-pole design allows for individual
adjustment, giving greater precision when
compensating for out-of-roundness in the mill.
And ABB’s design means the center plates,
pole bolts and mill flange act together as an
efficient spring system, ensuring that transfer of
torque from pole to mill flange is only by
force of friction, and not by bolt shear forces.
Advanced Air Gap
Rotor
Monitoring
Capacitive sensors
inside the stator deliver
Probe
constant status
updates on critical air
Stator
gap dimensions.
Output
Meter-Rectifier
HF Frequency
Oscillator Feeding
Meter-Amplifier
Air Gap
Robust means concentric.
The most critical dimension for a GMD is
the air gap. Its size is dependent on rotor/stator
roundness and concentricity. Deviation in
concentricity is the source of magnetic pull
imbalance around the GMD air gap, and
consequently critical to the force distribution
in the mill/GMD/foundation system.
With a nominal air gap of 16-17mm for
large SAG mills the design allows for maximum
eccentricity. The air gap helps mitigate the
reality of roundness and concentricity variations
that depend on heat, load and process conditions.
The ABB system is monitored by nine
non-contact, capacitive sensors located inside
the stator. These also inform you on air gap
status at standstill.
Available

The less time you need to spend maintaining, Motor seal

adjusting and tuning your mill drive system,
the more available it is to grind ore. ABB’s
GMD includes design features that minimize
mill stoppages and their duration. GMD
installations from ABB deliver higher availability
levels that help you maximize the volume of
ore—and thereby your revenue stream.
Mill liner maintenance
Available means accessible.
Most GMD/SAG downtime is for adjustment
or replacement of the mill liner plates. The
stator housing in GMDs can limit access to the
first row of liner bolts next to the head
flange, where the GMD motor wraps around
the mill shell.
With the ABB GMD, liner bolt access is fast
and easy. Our design provides sufficient
space to use standard tools for removing and
reinstalling first-row liner bolts. Maintenance
is simplified, downtime minimized. Superior
access allows more frequent fine tuning
for extended liner plate life with reduced cost
of consumables.
Available means reliable.
GMDs must be protected from the hostile
environment in which they operate. ABB’s axial
Ease of access for
greaseless sealing system uses Teflon® to minimize liner bolt removal
friction. The spring-loaded design seals out
particle and fluid contamination. The Teflon®-
to-metal seal has a 16-20,000 hour service life—
that’s over two years in typical applications.
The sealing tracks are easily inspected through
access ports. Sensors monitor seal height (axial)
and indicate end of seal life 1500 hours in
advance—no greasing, no lubricant, no worry.
Mill Liner Maintenance
ABB’s unique design allows
full access to first-row liner
bolts next to head flange,
for fast, easy maintenance
with standard tools.
Rotor cover (rotates)

Stator cover (static)

Radial locating beam

for the seal assembly

Seal spring for constant

contact pressure

Protective rubber seal (2)

Rubber contaminant excluder

Teflon® sealing rings (2)

Greaseless Sealing System

The greaseless axial sealing system on an ABB GMD seals out contaminants and makes
lubricant maintenance a thing of the past. The orange lines mark the axial movement of
the rotor using ABB’s dry sealing design.
Efficient

The high power ratings of GMDs and their
megawatt-scale electric grid loading make
high electrical efficiency a must. GMDs from
ABB are the most efficient on the market.
When more copper is used to build the stator
and rotor windings conductivity improves,
resistance drops, and electrical losses are reduced.
This is important—typically, 80 percent
of motor losses are associated with copper.
ABB designs its GMDs with more copper.
ABB uses 10 to 15 percent fewer poles than
competitive designs. Similarly, a proprietary
assembly method packs more copper into
available space. By minimizing the number of
pumps for cooling water, transformers, main
excitation transformer, all auxiliaries related to
motors, HVAC for the PowerHouse, all
air cooling fans, and the GMD motor itself.
Filter and compensation
Efficient means integrated.
ABB is committed to delivering a system that is
compatible in every way—with your systems
and those of your electrical network. There are no
shortcuts to assuring network compatibility.
For ABB, the filter and compensation issue must
be addressed with a proper electrical study
and a compensation system expressly designed
for your situation. Interior of the ABB PowerHouse

poles and increasing copper density, we

further improve the efficiency of the motor.
And higher efficiency means less power lost to
heat. Consequently, the ABB design draws
less current for the cooling fans.

Comparing apples to apples

Efficient means accurate.
Pre-configured, factory- Excitation converter
Claims of electrical efficiency can be misleading. tested controls for minimum
ABB’s rational approach measures electrical commissioning times

efficiency over the entire system by including all

electrical components: converters and converter

100% from Grid

Water-cooled thyristor stacks

output
efficiency = Losses
input

Transformers
~ 95% ~ 0.8% Core losses
Copper losses (main and excitation converters)

Cycloconverter
~ 0.2% (main and excitation converters)
Heat losses

Auxiliaries
~ 0.9% Air fans (main motor) Circulation water pumps
Air fans container (AC units)
Container AC compressor
Circulation water pumps (main converter)

Motor
SM
~ 3.1% Stator
Core loss
I2R loss
Rated power output Eddy currents
13,500kW Rotor
I2R field winding Excitation
Friction & windage
 Compatible

Grinding is the heart of ore processing, and
compatibility of electrical systems is a key
criterion when interfacing within the plant.
It often becomes a critical differentiating factor
for optimum operating efficiency. Care is
required when selecting systems to ensure low
maintenance, training and life-cycle support
expenditures.
Therefore, no GMD is an island. At ABB
we place the highest priority on compatibility.
To put it simply, our GMD and associated
controls and equipment work with your existing
electrical systems, no matter who built them.
Our emphasis on compatibility and flexibility
has just one purpose: a superior return on your
GMD investment.
Our PowerHouse or yours?
Compatible means easy.
When it comes to designing your power supply
and control center, you have a choice with
ABB motor controller—
ABB. Integrate the power, control and ancillaries
precise, smooth, fast into your existing E-rooms, or go for
a self-contained, pre-commissioned solution.
Our straightforward speed control allows you
to start, reverse direction, creep and jog with
unmatched precision. More importantly, the
ABB converter uses the fastest, most responsive
motor controller on the market for exceptional
smoothness and efficiency.
Anti-Rocking
Our mill drive control system is equipped
with an anti-rocking software package to reduce
the undesirable mill rocking time after a
normal shutdown sequence. This control applies
an “electrical brake” to the GMD system to
achieve smooth stop down to zero within
seconds, eliminating the need for any mechanical
braking system.
Dropping Charge Protection
ABB’s advanced electrical control system includes
constant torque monitoring during the start-up
“push-button” period to protect your mill against
dropping charge damage.

If your existing mill area is suitable, ABB Angle vs. Angular Speed Speed-Position control curve during the push-button period.

can locate the GMD power supply there. 40

Acceleration Evaluation Action
and Decision
Alternatively, we can supply the ABB 30
Speed

PowerHouse, a self-contained, air conditioned 20

power supply and control center that is 10

pre-assembled, pre-commissioned and fully 0

10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 110 120 130 140 150 160 170 180
tested prior to delivery. Degrees of rotation

Torque Comparison Torque reference curve Measured operating torque

120
Acceleration Evaluation Action
and Decision
Cataracting 100

80

60
Torque

Cascading
40

20

Toe 0

-20
10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 110 120 130 140 150 160 170 180
Degrees of rotation

Dropping Charge Protection As the loaded mill starts up, ABB’s GMD control evaluates
ABB’s GMD control system features critical torque torque build-up in the 40th to 75th degree range, ensuring
monitoring during the push-button period, protecting your that appropriate decisions are taken before a frozen charge
mill against damage by the dropping of a frozen charge. can drop.
Force Transfer and Forces acting at 90º
Mill Stability 82%a

The forces acting on your GMD combine

in many patterns. Each of these forces must be
magnetic pull
accommodated in the design of the motor.
a Force magnitudes and
Thorough mapping of mechanical force transfers
help ABB optimize your overall system. directions vary depending
centrifugal on pole location.

82º
b Torque force component.
weight torqueb

Forces acting at 180º 90º Forces acting at 0º

centrifugal magnetic pull

torqueb 77º
180º 0º
88º torqueb
90%a
92%a
FL FR
magnetic pull centrifugal 270º weight
weight

Forces acting on foundation left Forces acting at 270º Forces acting on foundation right
torqueb thermal unbalanced magnetic pull

torqueb 84º
weight
thermal unbalanced magnetic pull
weight
centrifugal

magnetic pull
torqueb

resultant force
weight

100%a

resultant force

As your GMD supplier, ABB takes responsibility
for delivering a GMD that is fully capable of
absorbing the forces at work without detrimental
deflection:
1. Force distribution dictates the motor/mill
interfacing (pole-fixing) as well as motor/
foundation interfacing.
2. Air gap variation is a source of magnetic
pull imbalance.

3. Forces on pole and stator vary around the

motor with process status and operation.
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Unmatched ABB manufacturing capabilities
• • ••
ABB’s GMD manufacturing facility •in• Bilbao, ••
• •build •
Spain, is designed and equipped• to
very large motors and generators. Our machine
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•
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shops and assembly bays are fully capable of
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handling the largest gearless mill drive
••

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components. Our workforce is supported
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Robust, Available, Efficient and Compatible

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by the world’s most experienced and innovative
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GMD engineering and design team.
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Training and support

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The Gearless Mill Drive from ABB will help you

•••••••••••••••••

ABB provides complete factory-based and

•••

on-site training with every GMD. While the

•••

size and power of a gearless mill drive may

suggest technical complexity, the operation and
meet today’s high-capacity ore processing demands.
••••

maintenance of a GMD are straightforward

and well within the capabilities of your
•••••••••••••••••••••••

maintenance staff.
No GMD solution is beyond our reach.
After installation, we continue to support
your organization with a technical hotline and
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modem-based remote diagnostics, with full

service after start-up.
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Safety
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Full electrical grounding is absolutely essential

••

for any GMD installation. Stray voltage

induced by the eccentricities of the motor can
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and will be present on and around the motor

••

and mill shell. Correct and safe grounding

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of both mill bearings is therefore an essential ••

••••

feature of GMD installations. ••

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••••

The only safe design is one in which both mill ••

bearings are fully insulated and isolated. ••• •••
••• ••
ABB therefore insists on the full insulation of ••••• ••••
•

•••• •••••••
•••

both mill bearings for the protection of the mill

bearings themselves and all personnel. ABB’s
Go Gearless. Call ABB.
•
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GMD solutions are available, proven and safe.

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 ABB’s GMD factory is located in Bilbao, Spain,
a world-class deepwater port. From here ABB is able to
cost-effectively ship any drive, of any size, anywhere in the
world. Bilbao is also home to the magnificent new
Guggenheim Museum Bilbao. Like the new
Guggenheim complex, ABB’s GMD operation
stands for a spirit of innovative design and
advanced materials in harmony with the best
lessons of experience and history.

Ready to go gearless? Go ABB.

GMDs from ABB are robust, available, efficient and compatible.

When mills are the heart of your plant, you rely on their throughput—
day in, day out. You need the peace of mind only ABB can provide.

Go gearless. Go ABB.

3BHT 490 275 R0001

ABB Switzerland Ltd

CH-5400 Baden-Dättwil
Switzerland
Phone: + 41 (0)58 586 84 44
Fax: + 41 (0)58 586 73 33
E-Mail: process.industries@ch.abb.com
www.abb.com/minerals
 Pole electrical Pole laminations
interconnection
Pole windings
Pole Mounting
ABB’s pole mounting
From design to start-up Stator (static) GMDs from ABB
methodology with eccentric Front cooling duct
fixing bolt sleeves integrates
Rotor cover (rotating)
1. Design the center plates, pole Slip ring Poles mounted on mill flange The Inside Story
ABB’s strict design philosophy is built on a bolts and mill flange as an fixation
efficient spring system, Pole support flange Since inventing the gearless mill drive in
thorough advance understanding of your
so force transfer from pole the late 60’s, ABB has accumulated
process and production goals. Pole mounting Eccentric fixing bolt sleeves
to mill flange is by friction
flange for exact pole alignment Mill flange
thirty years of experience customizing
2. Component Manufacturing only. Bolt shear is not an gearless solutions for our clients’ industrial
issue with a GMD from ABB.
ABB’s component manufacture team utilizes applications. Our state-of-the-art
the precision and consistency of advanced manufacturing facilities in Bilbao, Spain
production techniques to obtain the highest
and staff of master engineers and
quality possible.
Electrical stator craftsmen in Bilbao and Baden, Switzerland
ABB’s massive GMD stator assemblies
connection
are wound with more copper where it counts, Stator can bring all the benefits of gearless
for superior energy efficiency. drives to your specific operation.

3. Factory Assembly
The GMD from ABB is designed and
The assembly bays at ABB’s Gearless Mill Mill Discharge
Motor Factory in Bilbao, Spain are
engineered from the bottom up to
equipped to build a motor to any size, any deliver massive capacity, superior energy
specification you require—no application efficiency, unmatched availability and
is beyond our reach.
Mill Feed
global, round-the-clock support to ensure
the return on your technology investment.
4. Erection & Start-up
Your gearless mill drive system is assembled
on-site as stator sections, poles and
PowerHouse are erected and commissioned
to enable more highly productive—and
profitable—grinding operations.
Sole plates (slideway) for GMD
erection and maintenance

Cooling System
ABB’s custom-designed
cooling system ensures
Ore Concentration optimal operating conditions Isolated mill feed and
Secondary within the stator housing
Crushing
discharge bearings Solid foundation designs
for superior efficiency and
There is no substitute for a strong foundation.
minimal energy losses.
To ensure your civil engineers have all the
Cooling air (blue) is circulated
throughout the stator Cooler units facts, ABB provides detailed information on
Primary housing’s front two ducts, the requisite stiffness of the foundation as
Crushing Water
Concentrators flows through the air determined by the dimensions, weight, mass
gap, and returns (red) to the and forces exerted on the GMD/SAG mill unit.
Separation
cooler units.
Rotation

SAG/Ball Mill

Conditioning

Tailings Pond

Drives are the heart of your plant... No gearless mill drive solution is beyond our reach
To Water
Treatment Plant