BMSIMUL

BMSIMUL is a package to simulate the performance of a ball mill and is applicable to different types of mill systems:

• Open-circuit mills

• Closed-circuit systems with any kind of classifier

• Multi-compartmented mills

• Air-swept mills

• Grate discharge and overflow type wet mills

• Ball mills operated with or without a preseparator

The use of the package BMSIMUL can yield rich dividends :

• Increased throughput (minimum 5%)

• Reduced specific energy consumption (minimum 5%)

• Reduced wear rates of balls and liners (minimum 10%)

• Improved powder quality

• Evaluation of alternative operating strategies

• Training of plant personnel

The package BMSIMUL is capable of predicting the entire mill circuit performance which includes the following:

• The product particle size distribution and specific surface area

• The product particle size distribution and specific surface area

• The power consumptions of mill and auxiliary equipments

• The wear rates of balls and liners

• The make-up ball charge required

• The individual size distribution of the streams around the classifier based on classifier settings

For a dry mill, the following are additionally predicted:

• The air ventilation and water injection required

• The complete heat balance table

• The dew point and humidity of the outlet air

• The rate of fine powder entrained by the air stream

• The amount collected by the preseparator (if any) and the dedusting system (ESP or bag filter)

For a wet mill, the following are additionally predicted :

• The sump water addition rate

• The complete mass balance of solids and water

• A hydrocyclone model is also available which can be optionally integrated

The package BMSIMUL is based on the internationally accepted Distributed Fracture Model wherein the grinding process is described as a sequence of events;  each event being described by a distribution function and the number of events occurring per unit time being described by a rate of breakage function (or selection function).  The parameters involved in these functions are dependent on the following operating conditions :

• Mill design features including diaphragms, liners etc.

• Ball loading

• Ball size distribution

• Diaphragm settings

• Material hardness

• Product fineness required

The user can study the effect of all the above operating conditions on the performance of the mill circuit. 

The companion packages CLASANAL and SIZEANAL would be useful along with BMSIMUL for analysis of classifier operation and predicting the particle size distribution of powders at different locations respectively.