CLINKER COOLER PERFOMANCE, CEMENT GRINDING PROCESS AND WATER CONSUMPTION: A CASE STUDY OF BALL MILLS

Sunday Joseph

doi:10.4314/njt.2026.4007

Authors

J. S. Oyepata BUA Cement Plc., NIGERIA https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4066-8158

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.4314/njt.2026.4007

Keywords:

Ball Mill, Cement Mill Outlet Temperature, Clinker, Clinker Cooler, Water Consumption

Abstract

Clinker cooler determines the life span and the efficiency of any cement grinding station. Clinker is cooled by injecting fresh cold air into the cooler via a series of fans across the layer of hot clinker. The recovered heat (air) during this process are reused for the pyro-processing, that is, the main burner uses secondary combustion air in the rotary kiln and pre-heater uses the tertiary air. Inadequate heat recovery from the clinker resulted in use of larger volume of water at the cement grinding stations, thereby increasing operating and maintenance costs and the loss of revenue. This paper assessed the effect of inefficient clinker cooler at cement grinding plant and its water consumption. The cement grinding stations, are places where the clinker and other additives are been milled to the final products known as powder cements. The grinding process includes: (ball mill), milling chambers, liners, grinding medias clinker and other cement additives. The ball mill rotary in a circular form, whereby causing a frictional forces insider the mill. The impact of the frictional forces between the grinding media balls, liners, and the raw materials inside the cement milling chambers increases the material temperature from 85 ^oC to temperature above 121 ^oC. The rise in material temperature inside the milling chambers necessitates the high volume of water consumption (7300 liters per hour). This high volume of water was used to maintain the cement outlet temperature below 122 ^oC. It was observed, that the excessive use of water in quenching the material temperature, recorded a huge negative impact on the storage facilities and other critical operating equipment. For the ball mills to work effectively and efficiently, the exiting clinker temperature from the clinker cooler most be less than 100 ^oC and the cement mill clinker weigh-feeder temperature most less than 68 ^oC.

References

[1] Guangchao, S. Changzhong, Wu. Hengshuai, G. Liang, W. Guitao, W. and Mingpeng, Z. “Design of Three-chamber Ball Mill”, Journal of Physics, 1750 (2021), pp. 1-7, 2021. doi:10.1088/1742-6596/1750/1/012065

[2] Aga, T. Anyadika, C. Mbajiorgu, C. and Ogwo, V. “Assessment of the Effect of Cement Industry Effluent Discharge on Water Quality of NGO River in Benue, Nigeria”. Nigerian Journal of Technology, 39(3), pp. 918-924, 2020. doi:10.4314/njt.v39i3.34

[3] Artanti, L. Mustofa, B. Sari, R. and Rutama, D. “Comparative Study of the use of ordinary Portland Cement (OPC), Portland Composite Cement (PCC) and Hydraulic cement (HC) types in High Quality Concrete with an Independent Compaction System”, International Seminar of Science and Applied Technology: Natural Resources Management for Environmental Sustainability. 479, pp. 1-9, 2024. doi:10.1051/e3sconf/202447907019

[4] Oyepata, J. “Energetic and Exergetic Analytical Approaches in Optimizing Grate Clinker Cooler Performances: A Case Study of a Cement Plant in Nigeria”, Journal of Engineering Research and Reports, 25(6), pp. 96-108, 2023. doi:10.9734/JERR/2023/v25i6926

[5] American Society for Testing Materials - ASTM C441/C441M-17. “Standard Method for Effectiveness of Pozzolans or Ground Blast-Furnace Slag in Preventing Excessive Expansion of Concrete Due to the Alkali-Silica Reaction”, International, West Conshohocken, Philadelphia USA, 2018.

[6] Sutar, S. Patil, V. and Chavan, V. “Ordinary Portland Cement”, Study and Review of ordinary Portland Cement, 1(3), pp.153-160, 2021. doi:10.17509/ajse.v1i3.37973

[7] Iryna, K. and Dmytro, S. “Improvement of the structure of a ball mill with the purpose of Increasing the efficiency of material crushing”, Technology Audit and Production Reserves, 65(3), pp. 6-11, 2022. doi:10.15587/2706-5448.2022.260278.

[8] Tianming, G. Lei, S. Ming, S. Litao, L. and Fengnan, C. “Analysis of material flow and Consumption in cement production process”, Journal of Cleaner Production, 112 (20), pp. 555-565, 2016. doi:10.1016/j.jclepro.2015.08.054

[9] Ziya, S. Zuhal, O. and Hikmet, K. “Mathematical Modeling of Heat Recovery from a Rotary Kiln”, Applied Thermal Engineering, 30(9), pp. 817-825, 2010. doi:10.1016/j.applthermaleng.2011.04.024

[10] Madlool, N. Saidur, R. Rahim, N. and Kamalisarvestani, M. “An overview of energy savings measures for cement industries”, Renewable Sustainable Energy Review, 19 (13), pp. 18- 29, 2013.

doi: 10.1016/j.rser.2012.10.046

[11] American Society for Testing Materials - ASTM C688-14. Standard Specification for Functional Additions for Use in Hydraulic Cements International, West Conshohocken, Philadelphia USA., 2018.

[12] American Society for Testing Materials - ASTM C1565-19. Standard Test Method for Determination of Pack-Set Index of Portland and Blended Hydraulic Cements International, West Conshohocken, Philadelphia USA, 2018.

[13] Frauke, S. Ioanna, K. Bianca, M. Scalet, S. and Luis, D. “Best Available Techniques (BAT), Reference Document for the Production of Cement, Lime and Magnesium Oxide for the Cement Industry”, Integrated Pollution Prevention and Control 3(12), pp. 39-42, 1999. doi:10.2788/12850

[14] Kumar, S. Kumar, J. Mahesh, M.. Quantum Nanostructures (QDs), 1, pp. 58 – 88, 2018. https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-08-101975-7.00003-8

[15] Bian, X., Wang, G., Wang, H., Wang, S., and Lv, W. “Effect of lifters and mill Speed on particle behavior, torque, and power consumption of a tumbling ball mill: Experimental study and DEM simulation”, Minerals Engineering, 105 (17), pp. 22–35, 2017. doi:10.1016/j.mineng.2016.12.014

[16] Sinnott, M. Cleary, P. and Morrison, R. “Combined DEM and SPH simulation of overflow ball mill discharge and trommel flow”, Minerals Engineering, 108(7), 93–108., 2017.

doi:10.1016/j.mineng.2017.01.016

[17] Peter del Strother. Lea’s Chemistry of Cement and Concrete, 5th Edition, Butterworth-Heinemann, Oxford, U.K, pp. 2-34., 2019.

[18] FLSmidth. Comminution Manual. Copenhagen, Denmark, pp. A.1-E.13, 2007.

[19] Holderbank, (2000b). “Process Technology, Mill Ventilation and Cement Cooling” Holderbank Financière Glaris Ltd Publication, Glaris Germany, pp. 1-35, 2000.

[20] Rasoul P and Kianoush, B. “The effect of

ball size distribution on power draw,

charge motion and breakage mechanism of tumbling ball mill by discrete element method (DEM) simulation”, Physicochemical Problems of Mineral Processing, 54 (2), pp. 1-15, 2017. doi:10.5277/ppmp1811

[21] Oyepata, J. Baba, N. Idowu, E. and Adediran, A. “Impacts of Clinker Storages Heat Transfer, Its Effect on Vertical Roller Cement Performances: A Case Study of Cement Grinding Operations in Nigeria”. Journal of Engineering Research and Reports, 25(7), pp. 66- 81, 2023. doi:10.9734/jerr/2023/v25i7939

[22] Mohsen M. “Simulation of a Laboratory Scale Ball Mill via Discrete Element Method Modelling”. Advances in