Energy Efficiency Analysis of Copper Ore Ball Mill Drive Systems

Piotr Bortnowski, Lech Gładysiewicz, Robert Król and Maksymilian Ozdoba
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Piotr Bortnowski: Department of Mining and Geodesy, Faculty of Geoengineering, Mining and Geology, Wroclaw University of Science and Technology, 50-421 Wroclaw, Poland
Lech Gładysiewicz: Department of Mining and Geodesy, Faculty of Geoengineering, Mining and Geology, Wroclaw University of Science and Technology, 50-421 Wroclaw, Poland
Robert Król: Department of Mining and Geodesy, Faculty of Geoengineering, Mining and Geology, Wroclaw University of Science and Technology, 50-421 Wroclaw, Poland
Maksymilian Ozdoba: Department of Mining and Geodesy, Faculty of Geoengineering, Mining and Geology, Wroclaw University of Science and Technology, 50-421 Wroclaw, Poland

Energies, 2021, vol. 14, issue 6, 1-14

Abstract: Milling is among the most energy-consuming technological stages of copper ore processing. It is performed in mills, which are machines of high rotational masses. The start of a mill filled to capacity requires appropriate solutions that mitigate the overloading. One method for increasing the energy efficiency of ball mills is to optimize their drive systems. This article looks at two variants of drive systems with efficiencies higher than the already existing solutions. The first variant is a low-speed synchronous motor with permanent magnets without a gearbox, and the second variant is an asynchronous high-efficiency motor with a gearbox and a fluid coupling. The energy performance analysis of the three solutions was based on the average energy consumption indicator per mass unit of the milled material and on the energy consumption per hour. The investigations required models of the drive systems and analyses with the use of the Monte Carlo methods. The highest energy efficiency is observed in the case of the solution based on the permanent magnet motor. However, the drive system with the high-speed motor offers a gentle start-up possibility owing to the fluid coupling.

Keywords: fluid coupling; ball mill; electric motor; drive system; grinding; energetic efficiency (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (10)

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