Industrial-Scale Analysis of the Set-Pressure and Feed-Moisture Effect on HPGR
Iron-Ore Comminution Efficiency
Z. Liu,1 Y. Jiang,1 P. Wang,1 C. Sun,1 B. Yang,1 R. Li,1 W. Liu,1 C. Liu,1, 2 & *J. Kou1
1
School of Civil and Resources Engineering
University of Science and Technology Beijing, Beijing 10083, China
2
Ansteel Group Mining Co. Ltd.
39 219 Road, Anshan, 114000, China
Abstract
This study investigated the effect of set pressure and moisture content on high-pressure grinding roll (HPGR)
comminution efficiency with Anshan-type maghemite. Results showed that the HPGR is most effective for
comminuting coarse-grained ores larger than 6 millimetres (mm). The -0.075 mm size fraction of the
comminution product could reach up to 17.8% as the set pressure increased. The effect of feed moisture on
comminution efficiency was mainly due to the lubrication effect and grinding-aid effect. However, at high set-
pressure and high moisture-content levels, HPGR throughput decreased, resulting in higher specific-energy
consumption.
Keywords
HPGR, iron ore, set pressure, moisture, reduction ratio
Introduction
Comminution is an energy intensive process and consumes about 40% to 70% of the gross electricity of mining.
To improve energy-efficiency, current research has focused on two main areas: energy-efficient comminution
equipment and optimizing comminution processes. Amongst these studies, the high-pressure grinding roll
(HPGR) is undoubtedly the favourite, and widely recognized as energy-efficient comminution equipment.
HPGR comminution efficiency is mainly influenced by the feed ore characteristics and working parameters,
including roll gap, working pressure, roll speed, and roll surface structure. In confined-bed comminution, the
internal high-density distributed force of ore granular materials facilitates reducing energy dispersion, which is
the HPGR’s energy-saving mechanism. In addition, the confining pressure directly affects the force-chain density
in granular materials. Hence, set pressure is a significant factor in comminution kinetic behaviour of the ore
granular materials in the HPGR compression zone.
Moisture content is another important factor which directly affects the granular materials such as rheology,
cohesion, and adhesion. Previous studies show that the water content’s lubrication effect is detrimental to ore
comminution efficiency, because water reduces the internal friction of the ore particle matter causing relative
sliding between particles, thus destroying the granular bed structure. However, water does not only have a
lubrication effect, it also has a grinding-aid effect by intruding into the cracks of the ore to decrease its surface
energy, thereby increasing the efficiency of the crushing process.
In this paper, the effect of set pressure and moisture on HPGR comminution efficiency with Anshan type
maghemite iron ore was investigated. Five set pressure levels from 3.0 to 5.0 megapascals (MPa) and three
moisture levels of 0.67%, 3.0%, and 5.0% were selected.
Materials and Equipment
Ansteel Group Mining Co. Ltd. provided the head sample collected from the product of a tertiary crushing circuit
flowsheet in the powder ore bin. The total weight of the head sample was 2.0 tonnes. The head sample was
mixed and reduced then divided into 10 portions of 200 kilograms each for the HPGR test. The moisture content
of the raw ore was determined to be 0.67%. The ore particle size mainly ranges between +1.18 millimetres (mm)
and −0.075 mm and the overall grain size is 80% passing (F80) 10.52 mm.
The industrial-scale HPGR machine used in this study is a Sinosteel NMC GM100/30, which consists mainly of a
feed bin, hydraulically driven feed gate, and two counter-rotating rolls. The HPGR has a roll diameter of 1,000 mm,
a roll width of 300 mm, a rotational speed of 0-20 revolutions per minute (rpm), a column-nail roller surface, a
maximum working pressure of 12.0 MPa, and a minimum roll spacing of 3 mm. The set pressure and roll gap are
adjustable, and the installed power of the equipment is 132 kilowatts (kW) ൈ 2.
Results and Discussion
After each test, the sample was collected and sieved to characterize the particle size distribution curve of
comminution product. And the energy cost data were collected from the PLC control system.
1 | SAG CONFERENCE 2023 VANCOUVER | September 24–28
EFFECT OF SET PRESSURE
Figure 1a exhibits there is a positive linear correlation between set pressure and specific energy. And when the
set-pressure rose from 3.0 to 5.0 MPa, the specific energy consumption increased from 1.17 to 2.30 kilowatts
hours per tonne (kWh/t). Figure 1b shows that the cumulative passing ratio of the coarse fraction decreased the
most and the P80 at different set pressure levels are 7.56, 6.89, 6.55, 6.31 and 6.00 mm.
The reduction ratio increased as the size decreased, attaining a local maximum at 0.425 mm and then declining,
eventually reaching a minimum at 0.075 mm in Figure 1c. In addition, the cumulative reduction ratio for each
particle size at 3.5 MPa is closer to that of 4.0 MPa, similarly, 4.5 MPa is closer to 5.0 MPa, indicating a significant
change in the kinetic behaviour of the ore comminution in HPGR at 3.5 and 4.5 MPa. It can be seen in Figure 1d
that the largest relative increases occur in the -4.0+0.425 mm size fraction. Besides, the points in the points group
above the red line with high pressure conditions are in the upper part of the points group for each size fraction,
indicating that the comminution effect of the coarse-grained ore increased with increasing pressure; but one
anomaly occurs at the -8+6 mm size fraction.
Figure 1—Working performance and product characteristics at different set pressure
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EFFECT OF MOISTURE
In Figure 2a, when moisture went up from 0.67% to 5.0%, the specific energy consumption rose from 4.6 to
6.9 kWh/t. Figure 2b shows the P80 at different moisture levels is 6.00, 5.84 and 5.57 mm.
The majority of the water at 3.0% moisture content may be adsorbed on the ore surface, and the remaining
water was not enough to invade the ore cracks, so lubrication played a major role and reduced the comminution
effect, but when the moisture content rose to 5.0%, in addition to being adsorbed onto the ore surface, excess
water was able to invade the ore fractures, and although the lubrication effect was further enhanced, the
grinding-aid effect of water played a greater role, ultimately enhancing the comminution effect.
Figure 2c exhibits the highest comminution efficiency and the smallest corresponding reduction ratio were
achieved for the +4 mm size-fraction ore at 3.0% moisture level. And the comminution product is heavily
distributed in the −4+0.045 mm size fraction. Figure 2d proves the moisture has the greatest effect on the
comminution efficiency of +15 mm and −15+12 mm size fraction. Additionally, the smallest reduction ratio for
each size fraction in the −1.18+0.85 mm interval indicates the largest increase in this size fraction.
Figure 2—Working performance and product characteristics at different moisture
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Conclusion
HPGR has good comminution efficiency for iron ore, especially for ore above 6 mm, and the ore +6 mm
size fraction can be reduced from 40.8% to about 20% after one open circuit comminution test. In
addition, a significant increase in the -4+0.425 mm size fraction was found.
The increase in set pressure has the greatest impact on the comminution efficiency of coarse-grained
ore, while the increase in the -0.075 mm grain content of the product is relatively high. The increase of
-0.075 mm size fraction content at set pressure of 5.0 MPa is about twice as much as that of 3.0 MPa,
demonstrating that it is technically feasible to replace coarse grinding ball mills with HPGR. However,
the problem of high energy-consumption and lower throughout due to high set-pressure cannot be
ignored. Besides, there is a significant positive linear correlation between set-pressure and working-
pressure, working power, energy consumption and specific energy, which facilitates the prediction and
control of HPGR energy consumption.
The moisture affects HPGR comminution efficiency mainly through the lubrication and grinding-aid
effects. When the water content is 3.0%, water is mainly present on the particle surface in the form of
a water film, and lubrication effect played a major role, resulting in relative sliding between ore particle
and a reduction in the −5 mm size fraction. However, when the moisture content rose to 5.0%, excess
water entered the ore fractures and the grinding-aid effect played a major role, resulting in an increase
in the ore content of all particle sizes in the comminution product. While increasing the moisture
content could contribute significantly to improving comminution efficiency, high moisture content led
to increased rheology of the ore granular material, which in turn reduced throughput and ultimately led
to higher energy consumption.
Reference
Ed. Note: The authors have intentionally omitted a bibliography and references.
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