15000 HP Gearless Ball Mill Drive in

Cement
- Whv not!
Author: Reinhold A. Errath
Engineering Manager
Variable Speed Drives

ABB lndustrie AG
CH 5401 Baden / Daettwil
Switzerland

1. Abstract
Over recent years, there has been a clear trend towards higher capacity cement production
units. Five to ten years ago 2500 tonnes per day was large. Nowadays in Asia lines are built for
10000tonnes per day. The development of ball mill grinding units has not shown the same trend,
output and ratings have remained more or less constant perhaps due to the success of pre-
grinding with high pressure grinding roll technology. This lack of movement towards larger mills is
somewhat surprising since in the same period the drive rating of ball mills for similar duties such
as ore grinding has shown an increase in drive ratings from 3000 to 15000 HP. Ball mills in this
power range are equally, when not more, efficient than their smaller counterparts and are
capable of processing the total daily productionwithin the overnight low tariff period for electrical
energy. Significant energy and cost economies can be achieved with a gearless mill drive
working with a ball mill in these upper power ranges. This prospect should also be of interest to
the cement industry. The technology is available for an up-sizing of cement grinding installations
and the gearless mill drive is a proven, reliable drive.

24-Feb-95
0-7803-2456-0195 $4.00 0 1995 IEEE-IAS 433
 Figure 1. The world biggest ball mill.’

2. I nt roduction
The worlds largest ball mill - 15000 HP - was recently installed and successfully commissioned
in the U.S.A.for a mineral grinding process (see Figure 1). The process application is dry
grinding as is also usual for the cement industry. Due to lower specific investment and operating
costs the decision was made to install only one dry grinding mill instead of two of a smaller size.
The size of the equipment necessitated the consideration of certain aspects during the design,
manufacturing, installation and commissioning. The fact that the entire plant production is
dependent upon this one huge grinding mill meant that particular attention had to be paid to the
design of the mill, the drive and the power electronics. The component having the utmost
influence on the mill availabilii was considered to be the drive train. The decision therefore
taken by the customer and the consuttant was to select a gearless wrap-around drive solution
since this is not only the most reliable drive concept offering the highest availability but also has
the lowest maintenance requirement. The first part of the paper describes how the behaviour and
the performance of a dry grinding mill is in this huge power range. The second part is mainly
dedicatedto how and why this kind of mill could be well applied in the cement industry.

’ Photo: Krupp PolysiusAG

434
3. Layout
Figure 2 gives a possible layout of gearless ball mill.

GEARLESS
MILL FEED

-----

Figure 2. Layout of ball mill with gearless drive.

4. Ball Mill Specifications

Mechanical
Rated output 11200 kW (15000HP)
Shell diameter 6.2 m (20.3 ft)
Shell length 25.4 m (80.3 ft)
Rated speed 13 rpm
Weights:
Mill structure : 415 mt
Rotor of motor : 131 mt
incl. pole flange
Mill internals : 491 mt
Ball charge 663 mt
Total 1700 mt

0 Electrical

Motor type Synchronous motor

Motor speed = Mill speed
Rated 13 rpm
Maximum 14 rpm
Creeping 1.3 rpm

435
 Rated frequency 4.98 Hz
Number of poles 46
Rated voltage 2985 V
Rated current 2302 A
Stator segments 3
Stator split at 3 o'clock
6 o'clock
9 o'clock
Stator weight 214 mt (60 + 60 + 94)
Rotor poles weight 110 mt (46 X 2.4)
Stator boring 9200 mm
Air gap:
cold 14 mm
operation 12 mm
Type of motor cooling : air / water
Controland power
electronic housing : Container construction
Power electronic type : Cycloconverter
Main power line 13.8 kV
Fault level 182 MVA
Electricalconfiguration : 12 pulse

0 Process
Grinding capacity : 320 mt/h
Feed size (max) 38 mm
Moisturecontent (max): 9.5 %

5. Function Of The Gearless Mill Drive

0 General
In principle, it is possible to use a cycloconverter to feed any electric machine that has a rotating
field. In this regard, the synchronous machine combines many advantages which qualify it as an
ideal alternativeto the d.c. machine for variable-speeddrives.
The commutator of the d.c. machine with its brushes, (requiring more maintenance) is dispensed
with. There is no upper design limit to the rated output of synchronous machine, as is the case
with the d.c. motor on account of its commutation. Likewise, the cycloconverter has no upper
design limit. The drive can be constructed with a single motor up to the highest ratings
demanded.
The air gap can be made sufficiently large. This allows the rotor to be mounted directly on the
rotating part of the driven machine as has been done with the gearless ball mills. The large air
gap permits relatively large air gap variations which must be expected on account of the thermal
expansions and bending of the axis of such machines.

436
In contrast to the induction motor, the synchronous motor does not draw its reactive magnetising
power from the stator winding. The magnetising flux is supplied by the rotor with its d.c. field
winding which, in turn, accepts the excitation power from a separate, controlled three-phase
bridge converter. This enables the motor to operate at unit power factor and to load the
cycloconverter with the lowest possible current at a given output.

0 The wrap-around motor

The motor shown on Figure 3 is of shaftless and bearingless design. The rotor is divided into a
number of segments equalling the number of poles. The poles are mounted directly on the mill
tube flange or on the end wall flange. This flange is bolted on to the mill drum as close as
practical to the fixed mill bearing (one bearing has no axial float, while the second bearing has
sufficient float to accommodate the thermal expansion of the mill). This is the location with least
axial movement of the mill due to thermal expansion. Also the mill deflection due to bending after
shut down is smallest at this location. The dust sealing, using an elastic structure, absorbs the
radial thermal expansion as well as the tension caused by the temperature difference between
the rotor rim and the mill drum. The laminated pole has a "T" cross section, the radial leg of
which directly abuts the mill drum flange, to which it is fastened with through bolts using eccentric
bushes. The eccentric bushes permit exact centring of every single pole to achieve smooth rotor
rotation and a uniform air gap. The motor air gap is calculated together with the mill
manufacturer, taking the system data into account.
The stator frame is designed as a self-supporting ring construction. The stator can be split up
into a number of transport units for easy handling. It is mounted on a motor foundation with
integral stator bedplates. During installation and overhaul the stator can be moved on these
bedplates.
An air-to-waterheat exchanger with a fan is installed in the frame for the closed circuit cooling. In
the case of an adequate supply of cooling water not being available an air-to-air heat exchanger
can be used.

Figure 3. General design of a wrap around motor.

437
 Function of the cycloconverter

-1
I

I
SR
I
I

. _ I

Figure 4. Circuit diagram of cycloconvertor.

Design and principle

The cycloconverter is a frequency changer which converts a polyphase voltage with the
frequency f l into a single or polyphase voltage with a different, lower frauency f2. Energy can
be transferred in either direction directly without a d.c. link. Consequently, the cycloconverter is
classified in the group of linecommutatedconverters.
By virtue of its design, the cyclwonverter consists of reversible, usually suppressed-half thyristor
converters as known and used for years with d.c. drives (see Figure 4). The basic unit is
generally a three-phase bridge with which a three-phase voltage can be converted into a direct
vsitage. In this way, the converter output is a positive, rectified voltage in rectifier operation or a
negative, rectifiedvoltage in inverter operation. By means of phase-anglecontrol this voltage can
be continuously varied from zero to roughly the maximum phase-to- phase a.c. voltage, both in
the positive and the negative polarity. Owing to the valve action of the thyristors, the direction of
the current remains the same under all conditions. If two three-phase bridges are antiparallel
connected, the direction of the current can also be reversed by blocking one bridge and releasing
the other (see also Figure 5).

43
 'd 1

I
'Vd
I I
M = Toque
n=speed
I
'd
----+
n

Figure 5. Operating range of a cycloconverter (for one phase).

If the output current of such 'a converter is controlled to obtain a sinusoidal shape with a given
frequency like it is shown on Figure 6, the arrangement acts as a frequency converter and is
called a cycloconverter. The reactive power of commutation required for the current transfer
between the individual legs of each bridge is obtained from the power system. Only one of the
antiparallel bridges is in operation at a time, so that circulating currents are entirely excluded.
When the current reverses, i.e. when the current commutates to the antiparallel bridge, a brief
dead time is observed before this latter bridge is fired.

I
Figure 6. Output voltage of a cycloconverter

Since the output frequency of the cycloconverter is derived from the power-system frequency, it
must be lower than the latter. In practicethe output frequency f2 can be continuously varied from
zero to about 50 percent of the system frequency. The maximum speed attainable by the drive
thus amounts to nearly half the synchronous speed referredto the system frequency.
In view of this physical limit, the cycloconverter is used for low-speed drives. The maximum
attainablespeed can be calculatedfrom the followingformula:
f 1
n max 60 [r/min]
P
where: fl = power - system frequency [Hz]
p = number of pairs of poles of the motor

Physical design of the cycloconverter

In order to operate in harmful dusty areas, the complete cycloconverter and the auxiliaries of the
motor, such as cooling, and of the ball mill, such as bearing, lubrication etc., are housed in a
439 .
 closed container providing adequate protection against ingress of dust and water
(Figure 7).

Figure 7. Cycloconverter and auxiliaries incorporated in a container with IP55 protectiondegree.

An additional and important advantage of this concept is that all necessary components are
already installed, cabled and tested prior to shipment. This means that installation and
subsequent commissioning at site requires only the connection of external cables and checking
of external signals. As a consequence only a very short commissioning time is required.

Regulation
The controller receives the actual motor current, the excitation current and the motor voltage in
the form of feedback signals. With these signals the processor calculates the actual speed and
controlsthe flux and the torque. \

This regulation is realised in a high speed microprocessor. It can be easily commissioned with
the help of a PC.

0 Efficiency
Statements about the efficiency of a drive system are only valid if the overall efficiency of the
drive system is defined. The overall efficiency takes into account all individual efficiencies such
as those for the transformer,the converter, the motor, etc.

440
 Gearless (wrap-around) mill drives are distinguished by their generally high efficiency. The
following efficiency calculation is based on an operating point of 95 % which is realistic for the
plant.
The values given in Table 1 and used for the following efficiency calculation are based primarily
on measured values (90 %).

Equipment Losses (kw) Poutput (kw)

(shaft power)
Main transformer 288
Excitation Transformer 4
Cycloconverter 100
Excitation converter 4.2
Motor ventilating and windage loss 35
Motor core and stray load loss 50
Motor 12R loss 180
Total: 661.2 11186
Table 1

Poutput
rl= * 100
Poutput +Plosses

i i 186 [kWl
9= = 94,4 %
11 186 + 661.2[kW]

Efficiency = 94.4 %

6. System Advantages
A gearless drive offers the following intrinsic advantages compared to other drive systems:

no gear box
no lubsystem for gear box
minimum number of mechanical components
minimum number of electrical components
it operates virtually wear free
no inching drive
minimum space requirements
variable speed (allowingfor process optimisation)
minimum maintenance
high availability
high reliability
minimum spare parts requirements
smooth start up
accurate positioningwithout auxiliary equipment
bi-directionaloperation possible without any extra cost
441
 0 big air gap between the motor and the stator (low sensitivity for deformations or
displacements of the mill body)
0 continuous gap monitoring between rotor and stator gives clear indication of critical operating
conditions, allowing timely shut down before damage occurs

7. Harmonics In The Network

0 Harmonics
The three-phase cycloconverter feeds back to the supply system not only the harmonics well
known from the conventional thyristor power converter but additionally also the sidebands
depending on the output frequency. Generally speaking, the following applies to three-phase
cycloconverters:
f2
2) = (k*pfl)f6*n*-
fl
in which
k*pkl = harmonics as in conventional thyristor power converters

f2
S*n*- = sidebands
fl
2) = ordinal number of the harmonic
k = whole-number multiple 1,2,3, ....
P = pulse number
n = whole-number multiple 1, 2, 3, ....
fl = input frequency of the cycloconverter
f2 = output frequency of the cycloconverter.

In the conventional thyristor converter the magnitude of the individual harmonics is given by the
equation

1
I, =- * 1L1
U

where:
1, = current of the U th harmonic,
1L1 = fundamental current.
It is almost impossible to state an absolute magnitude for the harmonic currents. These depend
to a large extent on the method of controlling the firing point and on the mode of operation of the
cycloconverter during run-up and at the higher speeds. In neither of these control modes are
harmonic amplitudes reached which are similar to those supplied by the conventional thyristor
converter.
The cycloconverter has harmonic amplaudes which are remarkably low. This is accounted for by
the fact that a three-phase cyclo-converter is actually composed of three 6-pulse converter
sections, each of which has about one third of the output of the equivalent symmetrical 6-pulse
converter, and that the three converter sections commutate at different times. The harmonic
currents produced by the three converter sections do not add arithmetically but geometrically,

442
because they represent vectors whose angles are not concurrent owing to the different firing
points of the converter sections.
Power electronic devices are generally non-linear components, therefore the current taken by
them is not sinusoidal but contains harmonic components. These harmonic currents cause
distortion in the line voltage which can be very high in resonance cases. The magnitude of this
distortion depends on several factors:
- short circuit power of the supplying network;
- damping of the network
- presence of the power factor correction units on the network;
- cable length connected to the network.
The voltage distortion can be calculated if the harmonic currents and the corresponding source
impedances are known. However, the best solution is to avoid as much as possible transmitting
harmonic currents into the network. That means a pro-active problem recognition instead of a
reparative problem solution.
The random conditions such as the contribution of other (alien) current harmonics, cable lengths,
cable capacities etc., were not known in this case. It was therefore necessary to build a filter and
compensation unit which even under these conditions had to fulfil the contractual obligation of
meeting IEEE 519 requirements.
The configuration of the filter and compensation unit is shown on the Figure 8.

0 Reactive power
- -
Since the cycloconverter is line commutated and phase controlled it behaves in the same
manner with regard to reactive power for commutation and control as the symmetrically
controlled thyristor converter of a d.c. drive.

c
13,8KV I 60Hz I
S,> 181MVA
CTC PROTECTION
CTC PROTECTION
I

S, >87MVA 3mH - -

4
1
CTF3
a:
T

cTF3

CTU F5 f
15000 HP FW 2225KVAr F5/ 4450KVAr
Figure 8. Filter and compensation unit.

443
 In other words, at the moment of statting-up from standstill, the maximum power corresponding
to the breakaway torque, apart from the 12R losses, is drawn as reactive power from the power
system.
Since with synchronous machines the displacement power factor is controlled to power factor 1
at the machine terminals, the displacement factor on the system side is similar to that of a
thyristor converter supplying a dc machine. The average displacement factor on the system
under rated operating conditions will range from 0.7 to 0.85,depending on the use of the drive
and the technologically necessaryvoltage margin for control purposes.
Both power factor correction and limitation of voltage distortions to meet the requirements of
IEEE 519 as contractually specified were successfully achieved with a system switched in
several steps. This was achieved despite the astonishingly low fault level of SK 2 181 MVA.

0 Measuring results
Table 2 shows the harmonics content in the supplying net with respect to motor speed.

GMD-
Speed
(rpm)
I THD-U
(%)
I THD-I
GMD

(ON/OFF)
I Filters
(ON/OFF)
0 0,U OFF ON
8,15 0,72 3,78 ON ON
935 0,53 2,89 ON ON
11,2 0,42 3,08 ON ON
12,6 0,58 2,76 ON ON
12,9 0,82 4,57 ON ON
13,3 0,59 3,13 ON ON
3,91 2,20 7.96 ON OFF
7,81 158 538 ON OFF
9,17 1,49 5,31 ON OFF
935 1,16 499 ON OFF
11,2 1 ,a 5,83 ON OFF
11,9 1,53 5,69 ON OFF
12,6 159 6,25 ON OFF
13,l 1,95 7,73 ON OFF
where: GMD Gearless Mill Drive;
THD-U Total Harmonics Distortion - voltage;
THD-I Total Harmonics Distortion - current.
Table 2.

8. Installation And Commissioning

The installation as well as the commissioning of the previously described drive were carried out
on schedule and without any serious problems. This proves that also ball mills in the order of
magnitude of 15000 HP can be calculated and mastered so that they can be applied without
-
problem or risk also in cement plants!

9. Conclusion For Cement Plants

Ball mills in this power range are equally, when not more, efficient than their smaller counterparts
and are capable of processing the total daily production within the overnight low tariff period for
electrical energy. Significant energy and cost economies can be achieved with a gearless mill

444
 drive working with a ball mill in these upper power ranges. This prospect should also be of
interest to the cement industry. The technology is available for an up-sizing of cement grinding
installationsand the gearless mill drive is a proven, reliable drive.
There are now 50 gearless mill drives installed and operating around the world. Of these, 37 are
for raw mills or finish mills in the cement industry, some of which have been in operation for 20
years or more.

IO. Energy Consumption - Cost Savings

0 Yearly energy consumption
Two cases are taken here into consideration (see Table 3):
0 Case 1:
The yearly production is achieved with a ball mill having a drive rating of 7500 HP and
an operating time of 8000 hours.

0 Case2
The yearly production is achieved with a ball mill having a drive rating of 15000 HP and
operation time which is mostly within the low tariff phase.

I Case I Consumption I Running 1

7500 HP I 44755 I 8000
15000HP I 44300 4000
Table 3.

As it can be seen, the energy consumption for one year does not differ significantly between the
two cases. The slightly better performance of the 15000 HP mill comes from the better efficiency
which bigger motors have.

0 Cost savings
Energy costs
It is possible to plan and carry out the grinding process within the power low tariff periods due to
the decoupling of the plant processes with intermediate material storage of raw meal and clinker.
This practice is already carried out in various cement plants. The grinding capacity in the low
tariff period must, however, be adapted to and fulfil the total consumption capacity. Higher
investment costs are inevitably the consequence. That this investment can nevertheless be
capitalised can be seen in the following tabulation of high and low tariffs in various countries (all
prices are given in US$).

Table 4.

445
 Basis of the energy prices in Brazil.
Taking a 4000 tpd plant into consideration, the required daily grinding capacity of 4000 t of
clinker could be realised as follows:

CASE 1: One mill with 170 mt / h and 7500 HP ( 5600 kW ) operating 24 hours

Total hours: 24 Total costs: 11200

Table 5.

CASE 2: One mill with 340 mt / h and 15000 HP (11200 kW ) operating 11.6 hours, low
and normal tarii period

Total hours: 11.6 Total costs: 5152

Tabfe 6

Energy / cost savings

It is possible to plan and cany out the grinding process within the power energy cost savings in
one year operation time (8000 hours)

Table 7

446
 Depending on the local energy cost structure, it could be worthwhile to oversize the mill and to
run it only in the daily low tariff period as is shown in the example above.

Investment costs
The investment costs for a mill with twice the capacity as for case 2 are certainly not the twice
the cost for case 1.
A rule of thumb states that a doubling in the production capacity of a mill has the following
impact:

- Mill mechanicalequipment 1.5 to 1.8 range

- Mill motor 1.3 to 1.7 range
- Power electronics from 1.3 to 1.5 range

An oversized drive system thus has a significant competitive advantage when comparing with the
investment costs for 2 smaller drive systems.

' Maintenance savings

The maintenance requirements for a 340 mt / h (15000 HP) mill are not significantly more than
those for a mill with 170 mt / h (7500 HP). The advantage for maintenance is however the
availability of the drive system during the high tariff period when it does not have to be in
operation.

Higher MTFB
The mean time between failure (MTBF) is clearly defined. With the same qualily of components
the time between the statistical Occurrence of faults is inversely proportional to the number of
components used.
The gearless mill drive has fewer components and above all fever wearable parts than any other
comparable drive of this rating and order of magnitude. The MTBF is therefore also higher than
any other comparable drive of this magnitude.

11. Summary
Ball mills in this power range are equally, when not more, efficient than their smaller
counterparts, and are capable of processing the total daily production within the overnight low
tariff period for electrical energy. Significant energy and cost economies can be achieved with a
gearless mill drive working with a ball mill in these upper power ranges. This prospect should
also be of interest to the cement industry. The technology is available for an up-sizing of cement
grinding installations and the gearless mill drive is a proven, reliable drive.

15000 HP gearless ball mill drive in cement ?

-Why not!

447