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What is the difference between a vertical and horizontal ball mill?
When it comes to ball mills, everyone is definitely familiar with them. As a large-scale mining mill, it is widely used in various industries due to its low price, high production capacity, but as a development trend in the domestic powder industry, efficient, energy-saving, and environmentally friendly vertical mills have extremely strong performance advantages in various types of grinding equipment.
1. Structure and installation aspects
The vertical mill has a simple structure and is installed
vertically, with a small footprint, simple infrastructure,
convenient installation, and short time consumption; The structure
of the ball mill is relatively complex, and it is installed
horizontally. The installation technology is difficult, and the
requirements for the foundation are high. The cycle is long, and
the floor area is large. Both can be arranged outdoors, but
generally speaking, the building area of the vertical mill is 70%
of that of the ball mill, and the building space is 50% -60% of
that of the ball mill, resulting in low investment costs.
2. In terms of crushing methods
Vertical grinding mainly adopts grinding and crushing method,
followed by impact force, suitable for fine and ultra-fine
grinding, with low grinding medium consumption and long service
life of the lining. The ball mill mainly adopts impact crushing
method, followed by grinding, suitable for coarse and fine
grinding, with high grinding medium consumption and short service
life of the lining.
3. In terms of process flow
Vertical mill integrates crushing, drying, grinding, and grading
transportation. Compared to ball mill, the process flow of vertical
mill is simple, and the infrastructure investment is small, which
can save one dryer for the mill system. The vertical mill has a
separator and uses hot flue gas to transport materials. There is no
need for a powder concentrator or elevator, and the dust containing
gas from the mill is directly collected by the powder collector.
Therefore, the vertical mill system has a simple process, low
failure rate, high operation rate, and compact layout.
Generally speaking, finished products of the same fineness are processed using a vertical grinding process, and after two stages of grinding, the product fineness can meet the requirements. Traditional ball mill processes require three stages of grinding.
4. Energy consumption
The vertical mill has fewer operating components and is a low
energy consumption type with low vibration; All components of the
ball mill are basically in motion, belonging to the high-energy
consumption type with high vibration. In addition, the vertical
mill uses grinding rollers to directly crush and grind materials on
the grinding plate, which saves energy consumption by 30% to 40%
compared to the ball milling system.
Generally speaking, under the same grinding properties of raw
materials and product particle size, the power consumption of
vertical mills can be reduced by 30% to 50% compared to that of
ball mills.
5. In terms of drying capacity
Vertical mill combines grinding, grading, and drying (when the
material has a high moisture content), and uses hot air flow to
transport materials. When grinding materials with high moisture
content (such as coal, slag, etc.), the inlet temperature can be
controlled to achieve the final moisture content of the product.
Vertical mill can dry materials with a moisture content of 12%
-15%, with strong drying ability. Even for drying ball mills, only
materials with a moisture content of 3% -4% can be dried.
Therefore, using vertical mills for the production of materials
with high moisture content not only saves economic costs, but also
saves time costs.
6. In terms of material discharge methods
The discharge of materials from the vertical mill is forced, which
can avoid overfilling. After the materials are rolled by the
grinding roller on the grinding plate, they are taken away by the
Jet stream of the wind ring at the edge of the grinding plate. The
qualified fine powder is collected by the dust collector along with
the airflow through the powder concentrator.
The discharge of materials from ball mills is self discharging,
which is prone to overgrinding. Especially for overflow ball mills,
their materials automatically overflow. When the material level is
higher than the discharge port, they are automatically discharged,
consuming energy and are prone to overgrinding.
7. Quality aspects of the product
1) Compared to ball mills, vertical mills have higher product
homogenization and purity. This is because during the operation of
the vertical mill, the time required for grading the finished
powder is short, avoiding overgrinding.
2) Due to its unique working principle, the vertical mill does not
have direct contact between metals during operation, resulting in
minimal metal wear and minimal pollution to finished materials.
3) The adjustment of separator speed, wind speed, and grinding
roller pressure for vertical grinding is very convenient, achieving
convenient adjustment of product fineness. The built-in powder
selection device can timely eliminate fine powder, reduce
overgrinding phenomenon, and ensure stable product particle
composition. Ball mills are prone to overgrinding, and the unit
wear of limestone is generally 4-6 grams per ton, with ball mills
reaching up to 500 grams per ton.
4) When grinding white minerals with a vertical mill, the impact on
their whiteness is much smaller than with a ball mill.
8. Environmental impact
1) The vertical mill has a soft sound at work, usually around 80
decibels. The grinding roller does not come into direct contact
with the grinding disc (equipped with devices to prevent direct
contact and avoid destructive impact and severe vibration), and the
noise is about 20-25 decibels lower than that of the ball mill.
2) The vertical mill adopts an overall seal, and the system
operates under negative pressure, with less dust and a clean
environment. The ball mill is open, and there is a dust problem.
9. Development and application aspects
The process manufacturing technology of vertical grinding started
late and its industrial production application is in the promotion
stage; The manufacturing technology of ball mills is relatively
mature and has been widely used in industrial production. But in
the future, as vertical grinding technology becomes more mature,
efficient and environmentally friendly equipment will become more
competitive in the market.
10. In terms of price and production capacity
The popularity of ball mills is not without reason. In large-scale
powder grinding production equipment, ball mills are relatively
cheap, with small one-time investment, high production capacity,
wide applicability, and simple operation. The vertical mill does
not have an advantage in terms of price, but it is equipped with a
hydraulic system, making maintenance operations convenient and
fast.
As an efficient and energy-saving grinding equipment, vertical
mills have gradually been applied to various industries such as
slag grinding, cement clinker grinding, power plant
desulfurization, phosphorus ore grinding, manganese ore grinding,
etc. due to their excellent performance, becoming the preferred
grinding equipment for energy conservation, emission reduction, and
environmental protection. In today's increasingly stringent
environmental requirements, vertical mills have become the
preferred equipment for raw material grinding and coal grinding
internationally.