1. COAL TYPES, WHY PULVERISATION?

2. FIRING DIRECT FIRING, INDIRECT FIRING

3. PULVERISERS TYPES, CLASSIFICATION
4. BOWL MILLS CONSTRUCTIONAL
FEATURES
5. GRINDING PRINCIPLE
6. MILL REJECT SYSTEM
7. OPERATIONAL PARAMETERS
8. MAINTENANCE PRACTICES
9. COMPARISION OF TUBE & BALL MILL

IT IS THE MOST EASILY AND

ABUNDANTLY AVAILABLE, CHEAP
AND TRANSPORTABLE, ENERGY
SOURCE

TYPES OF COAL
BASED ON PROXIMATE ANALYSIS OF
COAL ON DRY BASIS:
1.ANTHRACITE
2.BITUMINOUS
3.SUB-BITUMINOUS
4.LIGNITE

PULVERISED FORM OF COAL

IT HAS MADE MODERN STEAM
GENERATING UNITS HIGHLY THERMAL
EFFICIENT, RELIABLE AND SAFE.
IT HAS MADE EFFICIENT USE OF LOW
GRADE COALS.
IT PROVIDES GOOD CONTROL OVER
COAL AIR MIXTURE PROPORTION,
FLAME STABILITY WITH MINIMUM
LEVEL OF UNBURNT CARBON.

GRINDING PROCESS
RAW COAL FROM
COAL FEEDER

P.F. TO BOILER

P.F.+AIR
HOT AIR

GRINDING ZONE

REJECTS

FIRING
DIRECT FIRING:
Coal is ground and is directly carried from the Pulveriser to
the Furnace by use of Pressurised air. Pressurised Air from
Primary Air Fans goes to the Pulverisers. Sufficient
temperature is maintained for drying of coal and moving to
the furnace without settling.

INDIRECT FIRING:
Here coal is ground and is carried to an Intermediate
Bunker. Based on the Unit load demand coal moves from
the Intermediate Bunker to the Furnace. A suction fan helps
in sucking the pulversised fuel to the furnace. This system
is suitable, where the boiler load varies and the mills
consume huge power. But, the disadvantage is that, the
capital cost is high due to extra bunkers and fans.

FUNCTIONAL REQUIREMENTS OF
PULVERISER
GRINDING OF COAL
DRYING OF COAL
REJECTING UNDESIRABLE REJECTS
LIKE PYRITES & STONES
TRANSPORTATION OF PULVERISED
COAL

TYPES OF PULVERISERS
BASED ON PRINCIPLES OF PARTICLE
SIZE REDUCTION
- IMPACT
- ATTRITION
- CRUSHING
PULVERISERS USE ONE, TWO OR ALL
THE THREE PRINCIPLES.

TYPES OF PULVERISERS
Speed

Type

Low
10 to 20 RPM
Ball tube mills
(16 rpm in
Vindhyachal)

Medium
High
40 to 70 RPM 900 to 1000
RPM
Bowl Mill, MPS Impact or
Mill, Ball and
Hammer
Race mill
Mill.
Beater Mill
or Fan Mill.

TYPES OF MILL
Tube or ball mills: These are low-speed machines that grind

the coal with steel balls in a rotating horizontal cylinder. If the

diameter of the cylinder is greater than the length of the cylinder,
the mill is called a ball mill. If the length of the cylinder is greater
than the diameter of the cylinder, it is called a tube mill.
Vertical spindle mill: These are medium-speed machines that
include bowl mills, ring roll mills, and ring and ball mills. The bowl
mills are further divided into deep bowl or shallow bowl mills.
Impact mill: These are high-speed impact machines that use
beater wheels to crush the coal.

Ball & Tube Mills

Tube mills: The tube mills are low-speed machines that

grind the coal with steel balls in a rotating horizontal
cylinder. If the length of the cylinder is greater than the
diameter of the cylinder, it is called a tube mill.

TUBE MILL
These are slow speed Mills. The Mills are
designated as BBD-4772
Where,
B Broyer (Name of inventor).
B Boulet (French word for Balls).
D Direct firing.
47 Diameter of shell (in Decimeters) i.e. 4.7m dia.
72 Length of shell (in Decimeters) i.e. 7.2 m length.

CONSTRUCTION OF TUBE MILL

CYLINDRICAL SHELL LINER
SHORT CONICAL LINER
LONG CONICAL LINER
INLET LINER
SCREW CONVEYOR RIBBON
HOT AIR TUBE
CONNECTING ROD
INLET LINER WITH BOSS

DETAILS FOR SCREW CONVEYOR ASSEMBLY

RIBBON

REMOVABLE
SHAFT
ANGLE

CHAIN
&
CHAIN LINK

PRINCIPLES OF GRINDING
Raw Coal is fed into the Mill for Grinding. Grinding
takes place by Impact and attrition.

MILL DETAILS

Design coal capacity- 83.15 Tons/Hr

Ball charged- 90 Tons
Speed 15 to 16 rpm
Screw assebly- Right hand helix(DE side)
Left hand helix (NDE side)
Direction of rotation from NDE end- Clockwise.
Shell door opening- two numbers.
Shell liners- 600 nos.
weight of liners- 60.26 MT

Bowl Mills
These are medium speed Mills. The Mills
are designated as XRP-803/ XRP-1003
Where,
X 3 Phase, 50 Hz Supply (Y for 60 Hz supply)
R Raymond (Inventor of the mill),
P Pressurized,
80/100 Nominal dia. of the Bowl (inches)
3 Number of the Grinding Rolls.

BOWL MILL
Bowl mills are employed to pulverize the precrushed raw coal to the required fineness before it is
admitted into the boiler furnace for combustion. The
operating characteristics of bowl mills make it the
best mill available for the direct firing system
of the coal. The best features of all the pulverisers
have been incorporated in the design of the bowl
mill.

DEEP BOWL MILL

FUEL DISCHARGE
ARRANGEMENT

ROLLER ZONE
SCRAPPER ZONE
GEARBOX

SHALLOW BOWL MILL

P F discharge
arrangement
Journal spring
assembly

Classifier
Inner Cone

Roller Journal
assembly

Inverted
Cone

Primary
Air Inlet
Duct

Main Vertical
Shaft
Mill Base
and Gear
Housing

Motor

Scraper
assembly

Worm Gear

Mill
Foundation

Construction features

ROLLER ZONE
ROLLER ZONE INCLUDES:
1. ROLLER JOURNAL ASSEMBLY (03 NOS.)
2. INNER CONE
3. INVERTED CONE
4. CENTRAL FEED PIPE
5. VANE WHEEL (AIR PORT ASSLY.)
6. BULL RING SEGMENT (BRS)
7. BRACKETS

SCRAPER ZONE
SCRAPER ZONE CONSISTS OF :
1. SIDE LINERS
2. AIR CHAMBER
3. GUIDE VANES
4. SCRAPER
5. INSULATION COVER PLATE
6. REJECT OUTLET

FUEL DISCHARGE SYSTEM

THE FUEL DISCHARGE SYSTEM CONSIST OF :
1. CLASSIFIER
2. VENTURI VANES
3. VENTURI O-COLLAR
4. MDV & MPO
5. TRANSITION PIECE & PF PIPES

SEAL AIR SYSTEM

Seal air for the journal assembly is supplied through
the ends of the trunnion shaft, through holes bored
through the shaft and into the journal head. The mill
area above the bowl is usually under suction, and air
is pulled into this area. The air flows from the journal
head through the small annular clearance between
the upper journal housing and the journal head skirt.
The journal housing rotates, and the journal skirt is
stationary. The flow of seal air prevents the coal dust
from going up to the area around the oil and possibly
contaminating the oil supply.

MILL REJECT SYSTEM

MILL HAS BEEN DESIGNED TO REJECT TRAMP IRON,
PYRITES & OTHER DENSER & DIFFICULT TO GRIND
MATERIAL. WHEN THESE COME UNDER THE ROLLER,
THE ROLLER LIFTS UP ALLOWING THESE TO PASS
UNDER. THESE ARE FURTHER CARRIED OVER THE
EDGE OF THE BOWL & DROP THROUGH THE MILL SIDE
AIR INLET HOUSING. THEN, SCRAPPED BY
SCRAPPERS THROUGH TRAMP IRON SPOUT TO
PYRITE HOPPER, FROM WHERE THEY ARE
PERIODICALLY REMOVED

MILL REJECT SYSTEM

GEAR BOX
THE MAIN PARTS OF GEAR BOX ARE :
1.WORM SHAFT
2.WORM GEAR
3.VERTICAL SHAFT

WORM SHAFT & WORM GEAR

GEAR BOX

LUBRICATION
Lubrication of Gearbox components
Upper radial bearing by external Lubrication
system
Sump lubrication of Lower radial bearing and
thrust bearing
Worm gear and worm shaft bearings lubricated
by sump oil. The worm shaft bearings are
splash lubricated.
Lubrication of Roller Journal assembly Bearings
The journal assembly is filled with oil and
internal circulation takes place as the roller
assembly rotates around its axis.

LUBRICATION IN RJ ASSLY

LUBRICATION
Lubricant Used and Qty.
Gear box - Servo mesh SP-320 2800 lit/mill
Roller Journal assembly- Servo mesh SP 680
qty- 83 lit/RJ assly.
- 250 lit/Mill

OIL REPLACEMENT
Parts to be
Lubricated

Lubricants Frequency of
Oil check

Remarks

Mill Drive
Gear
Housing

Servo
mesh sp320

03 months

Change
oil as per
lab report

Roller
Journals

Servo
mesh sp680

03 months

Change
oil as per
lab report

Journal stop
bolt

Servogem3

01 month

Worm shaft
oil seal

Molikote33

01 month

PARAMETERS WHICH DETERMINE

THE PERFORMANCE OF MILL
RAW COAL-HGI,TM,SIZE
PF FINENESS
R.C.FEEDER CALIBRATION
PA FLOW
MILL OPERATING PARAMETERS
MILL INTERNALS CONDITION AND
TUNNING

Sizes of raw coal

Larger the size of raw coal fed to mill, amount of work per unit mass
is increased to get fine coal of small fineness.
Hence the mill capacity varies inversely with the size of the raw
coal. Using smaller size raw coal feed to mill to increase the milling
capacity only shift the workload to the raw-coal precrusher.Normally
optimum coal size is selected so that total initial, operating and
maintenance cost of precrusher and mill can be kept minimum.
Coal passing through 20/25 mm mesh is found suitable for Indian
conditions

FINENESS ANALYSIS

FINENESS
FINENESS DETERMINES
SPRING COMPRESSION
DEFLECTOR BLADE POSITION
WEAR OF GRINDING ELEMENTS
WHICH IN TURNS EFFECTS
-P.F. RECIRCULATION
-UBC IN BA & FA
-REJECTION
-DP (BOWL DP)

COAL GRINDABILITY
Grindability is defined as the ease with which the coal can be
pulverized. This should not be confused with hardness. Coal
of the same hardness may have a range of different
grindability indices because of other constituents, such as
moisture. A standard index has been developed based on use
of the Hardgrove Grindability machine and is called the
Hardgrove Grindability Index. Grindability is determined by the
amount of new material that will pass through a 200 mesh
sieve. A 50-g air-dried sample sized to greater than 16 mesh
and less than 30 mesh is placed in the Hardgrove machine
with eight 1-in. steel balls. A weighted race is placed on the
balls, and the machine turned for 60 revolutions. The resultant
coal size is then compared to an index and a value assigned
from the index.

GRINDABILITY VS CAPACITY
The design rating
on all Alstom RB
pulverizers is based
on a grindability
index of 55 with
70% passing
through a 200 mesh
screen.

RC FEEDER CALLIBRATION

FEEDER RATE
The manufacturers recommendation is not to
operate the mills below 40% of the design
capacity without ignition support in the boiler.
Below 40% design capacity, the air and fuel
mixture can cause coal flame stability problems
and boiler explosions. With ignition support the
minimum feeder rate is 25% of the pulverizer
capacity. At feed rates below 25% capacity, any
momentary interruption of coal feed will allow the
pulverizer to empty. This will cause a loss
of boiler fire and possible boiler explosion.

PRIMARY AIR FLOW

Primary air provides the means to dry,
classify, and transport the coal from the
grinding zone of the mill through the
classifier & PF pipes to the furnace
Two constraints for the PA flow are:
Ability to maintain the minimum air
velocity (1516 m/sec) to transport the
coal
To maintain the correct air & fuel ratio
between 1.6-2.4

OPERATING PARAMETERS
MILL AIR FLOW MILL SHOULD BE OPERATED AT THE DESIGN
AIRFLOW AT ALL LOADS. OPERATING AT HIGHER
AIRFLOW WILL CAUSE EXCESS WEAR AND UPSET
THE PERFORMANCE OF CLASSIFIER ETC.
MILL OUTLET TEMPERATURE TOO HIGH A OUTLET TEMPERATURE
MAY LEAD TO A PULVERISER FIRE & TOO LOW
OUTLET TEMPERATURE MAY NOT DRY THE COAL
SUFFICIENTLY.
PULVERISED FUEL FINENESS LOW FINENESS RESULT IN UNBURNT
CARBON & HIGH FINENESS RESULT IN INCREASE IN
WEAR RATE & REDUCTION OF MILL CAPACITY.
MILL CAPACITY THE CAPACITY OF MILL DEPENDS ON THE HARD
GROOVE GRINDABILITY INDEX, THE MOISTURE
CONTENT OF COAL & THE PULVERISED FUEL
FINENESS OUTPUT REQUIRED.

OPERATING PARAMETERS
MAINTAIN Mill Outlet Temperature
BETWEEN 70-80C.
REDUCE THE MILL LOAD IF Mill Outlet
temperature DROPS BELOW 60C
MAINTAIN PF FINENESS between 65-75%
THRU 200 MESH AT A MILL LOAD OF
DESIGNED MILL CAPACITY

OPERATING PARAMETERS
CONT.
MAINTAIN BOWL DP 300 mm WC
REDUCE THE SPRING COMPRESSION BY 5% FOR
EVERY 10 POINT INCREASE IN HGI
KEEP THE UBC IN FA & BA AS PER THE REQUIRED
VALUES, BY TUNING BOILER OPERATING
PARAMETERS TOO
MAINTAIN VARIBLE AIR FLOW TO IMPROVE
COMBUSTION, REDUCE WEAR AND MAINTAIN P.F.
FINENESS

MILL CAPACITY
MILL CAPACITY

WHEN HGI

MILL CAPACITY

P.F.FINENESS

MILL CAPACITY

RC TM

MILL CAPACITY
CONT
MILL CAPACITY

RC SIZE

MILL CAPACITY

MOT

MILL CAPACITY

BOWL DP

MILL INTERNALS & MAINTENANCE

PRACTICES

The grinding elements are the most wear prone elements.

The Grinding elements consist of 3 Nos. Grinding Rolls and One Set
Bull Ring Segments.
A life chart based on the running hours is maintained on monthly
basis.
Based on the running hours of the elements and their wear
measurement, the Grinding Elements are replaced.
Presently, the Grinding Rolls replaced are of High chrome Carbide
Insert Rolls and the Bull Ring Segments are of High chrome Materials.
The Grinding Rolls are replaced after 6000 hours and at the same
time the Bull ring segments are also replaced.
The Liners are another wear prone components to protect the Mill
Body.
The liners are of Ni-Hard material and are replaced when they get
damaged due tp erosion.
Apart from this, the ceramic tiled items like Inner cone, Ventury vanes,
Mill discharge Valves, Multiport Outlets, Orifices are replaced after
10000-15000 operating hours.

DAMAGED BRS

RJ ASSEMBLY

WEAR MEASUREMENT OF GRINDING ROLL

CLASSIFIER CONE WITH CERAMIC

INSTALLED

CLASSIFIER SETTING
Setting of Classifier is adjusting the
opening of the classifier.
There are 2 positions at the extreme.
0 : Means all classifier vanes are fully Open
10 : means all classifier vanes are closed.

Based on the fineness analysis, the

classifier is set to achieve the desired
fineness level.

CLASSIFIER SETTING

For optimum mill operation, the classifier pointers

should be set between 0 and 3. If the coal is too
fine when the setting is on point 1, the spring
pressure on the rolls may be too great. If the coal
is too coarse when the setting is on 3, the spring
pressure on the rolls may not be enough.

INVERTED CONE POSITIONING

If the inverted cone is raised to a point that the

clearance between the inverted cone and inner
cone is greater than 4 in., coarse coal will be
carried out of the mill and not returned to the bowl
for grinding.

SPRING COMPRESSION
One indication that the spring
pressure is too high is a
rumbling noise at low loads. If
the spring pressure is too low,
the rumbling noise can occur at
high loads.

SPRING COMPRESSION

ROLLER JOURNAL & SPRING ASSLY

REPLACEMENT OF RJ ASSLY

JOURNAL OPENING COVER

REPLACEMENT OF RJ ASSLY

COOLER CLEANING
Drain oil from gear housing & drain water from
cooler tubes.
Remove cover head of cooler
Use wire brush of standard Length to remove
the scale formed in tubes.
Pressurize the tube bundle with water.
Repeat the process till clean water will come.

FOREIGN MATERIALS IN
MILLS
These materials do not pulverise readily
and therefore should be kept out of the
raw fuel supply. When they get into the
system, they collect and may catch fire.
Each time the mill is opened for any
reason, remove any such debris from air
inlet, inner cone, bowl or other areas.

SCRAPER REPLACEMENT
A scraper is attached to the bowl hub
skirt and pushes debris to the reject
chute. A rigid guard acts as a shield for
the scraper pivot arm. Bottom edges are
most susceptible to wear and should be
replaced after wear. Maintaining proper
support (pins and bushings) helps to
minimize wear.

SCRAPER ASSEMBLY

VENTURI OUTLET
The outlet venturi is located at
the top of the mill just below the
mill discharge valves
The venturi distributes the
pulverized coal into the fuel lines
as the coal exits the mill. The new
design outlet venturi distributes
the coal and air mixture more
evenly and with less turbulence to
the fuel outlets. The less turbulent
flow reduces the wear on the
venturi components and the
discharge valve bodies.

MDV & MPO

The discharge valves prevent
the boiler gas from returning to
the mills. The flapper type valve
uses a disc that is removed
from the coal stream when the
valve is open. Removing the
disc
during operation eliminates disc
wear and maintains a positive
barrier between the mill and
boiler when the valve is closed.

MILL CLEARANCES

Vertical gap between body liner segment and rotating vane

segment of air port assembly. - 5 to10 mm
Gap between inverted cone and inner cone. -100 mm
Gap between center feed pipe lower and inner cone. -115 mm
Vertical gap between scraper and insulation cover plate.
-16 to19mm
Vertical gap between skirt and insulation cover plate. -19 to21mm
Vertical gap between scraper guard and insulation cover plate.
-10 to16mm
Radial gap between scraper and mill side bottom liner.
- 25 to 30mm
Radial clearance between Air Seal housing & Seal runner
- 1 + 0.0
- 0.05

BEST PRACTICES IN MAINTENANCE OF

BOWL MILLS
Both sides Ceramic Tiled Inner Cones have
been used to improve Mill fineness for better
combustion.
Spring loaded Mechanical face seals are being
used for higher life of Mill Gearbox bearings
and seals.
High Chrome plated Roller Journal shaft
sleeves are being used for better life of shaft
seals and increased life of Roller Journal
bearings.
Ceramic Tiled Orifices are being used for higher
life of Orifices and even distribution of Fuels in
Pulverised fuel pipes.

BEST PRACTICES IN MAINTENANCE OF

BOWL MILLS
Ceramic Mill Discharge Valves and Multiple
Port Outlets are being used for Higher life.
Inside of Mill Body has been lined with ceramic
Tiles for preventing any erosion.
Rotating vane Wheels have been installed to
improve the fineness and even distribution of
Flow in all pipes to improve Boiler efficiency by
reducing unburnt carbon.

BOWL MILL PERFORMANCE

OPTIMISATION TENCHNIQUE
1. TO AIM AT THE DESIGN
- MILL OUTPUT
- LOW RATE OF MILL REJECTS, ESPECIALLY
COAL IN IT TO BE LESS THAN 10%
- PULVERISED COAL FINENESS AT MILL
OUTLET, WITH COMBUSTIBLES IN FLYASH
AND BOTTOM ASH IN LIMITS.
- OPTIMUM AUXILIARY POWER
CONSUMPTION.

BOWL MILL PERFORMANCE

OPTIMISATION TECHNIQUE
THE PROCEDURE FOR MILL OPTIMISATION IS A
SERIES OF TESTS CARRIED OUT TO ACHIEVE THE
DESIRED RESULTS, LIKE- CLEAN AIR FLOW TEST AND HOT AIR FLOW TEST,
CALIBRATION OF AIR FLOW INSTRUMENTS.
- OPTIMISATION OF JOURNAL SPRING
COMPRESSION LOAD.
- OPTIMISATION OF BOWL DP VALUE, KEEPING
%
REJECTS UNDER CONTROL
- CLASSIFIER VANE SETTINGTO MAINTAIN
PULVERISED FUEL FINENESS.

BOWL MILL PERFORMANCE

OPTIMISATION TECHNIQUE
- HEIGHT OF THE VENTURI COLLAR TO MAINTAIN
THE DESIRED PULVERISER FUEL FINENESS AND
DP ACROSS THE BOWL.
- RING-ROLL CLEARANCE TO REDUCE HIGH BED
FORMATIONON THE BOWL AND TO REDUCE
REJECTION RATE.
- INVERTED CONE GAP TO MAINTAIN THE
PULVERISED FUEL FINENESS.
- SPRING SEAT GAP TO ENSURE EQUAL LOAD ON
BOWL BY SPRING ASSEMBLIES.

MILL FIRE
The usual causes of pulveriser fires are:
i)Excessive Mill Outlet temperatures
ii)Foreign material such as paper,
bags, belt etc.
iii)Excessive accumulation of pyrites
or coal at the mill bottom or air inlet
to the mill.
iv)Improper or unusual operation

INDICATIONS:
The two most common indications of a
fire in a milling system are:
a)A high or rapidly increasing mill outlet
temperature without other cause.
b) Paint peeling from the mill and/ or
piping.

Fire extinguishing procedure

If a mill system fire does occur, perform
the following:
a) Regardless of the fire location DO NOT
shut down the mill and NEVER open
any mill inspection doors until all
evidence of the fire has disappeared.
b) SHUT THE HOT AIR SHUT OF GATE.

Fire extinguishing procedure

c) Place the feeder on manual control and
continue feeding coal at a high rate
without overloading the mill.
d) Cool the mill by admitting steam or water.

FIRES UNDER THE BOWL USUALLY DO NOT CONTRIBUTE TO

ABOVE BOWL FIRES OR EXPLOSIONS UNLESS SOMETHING IS
ALLOWED TO VIOLENTLY DISPERSE THEM, SUCH AS A SUDDEN
SLUG OF WATER. THE MOST EFFECTIVE WAY OF TREATING THEM IS
TO CONTINUE RUNNING THE MILL WITH COLD AIR UNTIL THE FIRE
GOES OUT. THE MILL AIR INLET SHOULD BE CLEARED AT EVERY
OPPORTUNITY.

Advantages & Disadvantages

Ball & Tube Mills

Bowl Mills

Mill output is controlled by Variation of

Primary Air Flow
Air Fuel ratio is less thereby erosion in
the down stream of Mill is low

Mill output is varied by variation of Coal

flow into the Mill
Air-Fuel ratio is high enough to cause
increased erosion in the downstream of
the Mill
The Mill responds to faster load variation The response to load variation is slow
and is quite helpful in the ABT regime for UI
charges
There is no Mill reject and hence, there is The Mill rejects require a Mill reject
handling system
no Mill reject handling system
Wearing elements (Grinding Balls) are For replacement and setting of
refilled during running condition of Mill clearances of wear elements (Grinding
Rolls & BRS) mill shutdown is required
and hence, less downtime
Mill fineness is higher and hence, the Mill fineness is comparatively lower
combustion in Boiler is better

Advantages & Disadvantages

Ball & Tube Mills

Bowl Mills

No Mill purging is required

Mill purging is required on regular basis

depending on coal quality
Requires open gear lubricants, attention Does not require a grease handling
system
is required on handling of grease
Requires longer cooling time to start work Requires very short cooling time
Mills
require
minimum
spares
if
maintained properly and foreign material
ingress is controlled
Mill availability is marginally higher as
compared to Bowl mills
Cost on Consumption of wearing
elements is high
Cost on power consumption is very

high

Maintenance is difficult and cumbersome

Mills require major spares due to high

wear & tear
Mill availability is lower as compared to
Ball mills
Cost on Consumption of wearing
elements is low
Cost on consumption of power is very
much lower.
Easy maintainability

OPERATE AND
MAINTAIN YOUR
EQUIPMENT SAFELY