XXXI International Mineral Processing Congress 2024 Proceedings/Washington, DC/Sep 29–Oct 3 3947
techniques to provide novel insight into the grinding oper-
ation as it occurs every rotation of the mill.
In the last decade, multiple technologies have been
introduced. One of the most prominent systems is based
on a single microphone or an array of microphones. This
technology can show when the mill is empty or complete
regarding impacts (‘metal to metal’ impacts, for liner pro-
tection). The main limitations of this solution are the lack of
trajectory estimations and the ore location inside the mill.
On the other hand, DEM simulations have been used to
successfully understand the charge trajectory and its effects
on the grinding operation. The challenge with DEM simu-
lations is that they typically include only one operational
condition, e.g., different rotational speeds, with a comput-
ing time that could take several hours for one operational
change. This prevents its use in real-time optimization.
One of the most promising instruments for deter-
mining/assessing what is happening inside the mill is the
installation of multiple high-resolution vibration sensors
magnetically mounted to the mill shell. These provide
vibration profiles that open up a new world of analysis and
observation due to their enhanced sensitivity to previously
undetectable conditions occurring in the mill. These condi-
tions include changes in ore size, hardness and competency
the effect of different ball charges, filling levels, new/worn
liners slurry consistency and rotational speed.
Combined with existing instrumentation, these mea-
surements create a vast new data source that can now be
processed in real-time thanks to much faster data process-
ing and advancements in analytics and artificial intelligence.
For example, the new three-sensor mill shell vibration sys-
tem, described later in this paper, will yield approximately
10,000 data points of new helpful information for every
minute of operation for a mill rotating at 10 RPM.
While various instruments are available on the market
to measure vibration on the mill shell, the MillSlicerVIP
system (Figures 1 and 2), which contains five sensors strate-
gically placed on the mill, was selected for this study. Three
sensors are located on the mill shell, while two others are
placed at the feed and discharge trunnions of the mill. The
shell-based sensors yield a 360-degree vibration profile of
what is occurring in real-time simultaneously at the mill’s
Figure 1. MillSlicerVIP Schematic
techniques to provide novel insight into the grinding oper-
ation as it occurs every rotation of the mill.
In the last decade, multiple technologies have been
introduced. One of the most prominent systems is based
on a single microphone or an array of microphones. This
technology can show when the mill is empty or complete
regarding impacts (‘metal to metal’ impacts, for liner pro-
tection). The main limitations of this solution are the lack of
trajectory estimations and the ore location inside the mill.
On the other hand, DEM simulations have been used to
successfully understand the charge trajectory and its effects
on the grinding operation. The challenge with DEM simu-
lations is that they typically include only one operational
condition, e.g., different rotational speeds, with a comput-
ing time that could take several hours for one operational
change. This prevents its use in real-time optimization.
One of the most promising instruments for deter-
mining/assessing what is happening inside the mill is the
installation of multiple high-resolution vibration sensors
magnetically mounted to the mill shell. These provide
vibration profiles that open up a new world of analysis and
observation due to their enhanced sensitivity to previously
undetectable conditions occurring in the mill. These condi-
tions include changes in ore size, hardness and competency
the effect of different ball charges, filling levels, new/worn
liners slurry consistency and rotational speed.
Combined with existing instrumentation, these mea-
surements create a vast new data source that can now be
processed in real-time thanks to much faster data process-
ing and advancements in analytics and artificial intelligence.
For example, the new three-sensor mill shell vibration sys-
tem, described later in this paper, will yield approximately
10,000 data points of new helpful information for every
minute of operation for a mill rotating at 10 RPM.
While various instruments are available on the market
to measure vibration on the mill shell, the MillSlicerVIP
system (Figures 1 and 2), which contains five sensors strate-
gically placed on the mill, was selected for this study. Three
sensors are located on the mill shell, while two others are
placed at the feed and discharge trunnions of the mill. The
shell-based sensors yield a 360-degree vibration profile of
what is occurring in real-time simultaneously at the mill’s
Figure 1. MillSlicerVIP Schematic