Performance Evaluation of Polygonal and Cylindrical Ball Mills Using Discrete Element Method

ABSTRACT Ball mills are frequently utilized in the chemical and mineral processing industries to reduce the size of particles. In mineral processing, cylindrical rotating mills with wear‐resistant materials are used at various operation scales. Polygon‐shaped rotating mills are used in artisanal and...

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Main Authors: Mathew Ndeto Kyalo, James Kuria Kimotho, Hiram Muriithi Ndiritu
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Wiley 2025-01-01
Series:Engineering Reports
Subjects:
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1002/eng2.13043
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author Mathew Ndeto Kyalo
James Kuria Kimotho
Hiram Muriithi Ndiritu
author_facet Mathew Ndeto Kyalo
James Kuria Kimotho
Hiram Muriithi Ndiritu
author_sort Mathew Ndeto Kyalo
collection DOAJ
description ABSTRACT Ball mills are frequently utilized in the chemical and mineral processing industries to reduce the size of particles. In mineral processing, cylindrical rotating mills with wear‐resistant materials are used at various operation scales. Polygon‐shaped rotating mills are used in artisanal and small‐scale mining due to technological and economic reasons. It is imperative to thoroughly evaluate polygon‐shaped mills to inform decisions regarding their improvement or replacement based on technological data. Even a minor enhancement in grinding efficiency and mill durability can yield substantial economic and environmental advantages. In this study, the performance of polygonal‐shaped mills was evaluated and compared with cylindrical profiles, taking into account power draw, collision energy dissipation, relative wear, and operational stability. The effect of installing lifters in the mills was also assessed. Simulations using the discrete element method (DEM) were carried out to describe the mechanical behavior of grinding media and its interaction with the mill walls. Notably, polygonal‐shaped mills without lifters facilitated interparticle interaction with limited centrifuging of particles compared to cylindrical mills without lifters. The installation of lifters in polygonal mills increased interparticle collisions and reduced power draw and wear rate. Cylindrical mills with lifters had high interparticle collisions similar to polygonal profiles but with much lower wear rate and high operational stability.
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spelling doaj-art-f2d7f31db2e049b3aebb8dd3ce061e9f2025-01-31T00:22:48ZengWileyEngineering Reports2577-81962025-01-0171n/an/a10.1002/eng2.13043Performance Evaluation of Polygonal and Cylindrical Ball Mills Using Discrete Element MethodMathew Ndeto Kyalo0James Kuria Kimotho1Hiram Muriithi Ndiritu2Department of Mechanical Engineering Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology Nairobi KenyaDepartment of Mechanical Engineering Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology Nairobi KenyaDepartment of Mechanical Engineering Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology Nairobi KenyaABSTRACT Ball mills are frequently utilized in the chemical and mineral processing industries to reduce the size of particles. In mineral processing, cylindrical rotating mills with wear‐resistant materials are used at various operation scales. Polygon‐shaped rotating mills are used in artisanal and small‐scale mining due to technological and economic reasons. It is imperative to thoroughly evaluate polygon‐shaped mills to inform decisions regarding their improvement or replacement based on technological data. Even a minor enhancement in grinding efficiency and mill durability can yield substantial economic and environmental advantages. In this study, the performance of polygonal‐shaped mills was evaluated and compared with cylindrical profiles, taking into account power draw, collision energy dissipation, relative wear, and operational stability. The effect of installing lifters in the mills was also assessed. Simulations using the discrete element method (DEM) were carried out to describe the mechanical behavior of grinding media and its interaction with the mill walls. Notably, polygonal‐shaped mills without lifters facilitated interparticle interaction with limited centrifuging of particles compared to cylindrical mills without lifters. The installation of lifters in polygonal mills increased interparticle collisions and reduced power draw and wear rate. Cylindrical mills with lifters had high interparticle collisions similar to polygonal profiles but with much lower wear rate and high operational stability.https://doi.org/10.1002/eng2.13043artisanal and small‐scale minerscollision energydiscrete element methodpolygonal ball millspower draw
spellingShingle Mathew Ndeto Kyalo
James Kuria Kimotho
Hiram Muriithi Ndiritu
Performance Evaluation of Polygonal and Cylindrical Ball Mills Using Discrete Element Method
Engineering Reports
artisanal and small‐scale miners
collision energy
discrete element method
polygonal ball mills
power draw
title Performance Evaluation of Polygonal and Cylindrical Ball Mills Using Discrete Element Method
title_full Performance Evaluation of Polygonal and Cylindrical Ball Mills Using Discrete Element Method
title_fullStr Performance Evaluation of Polygonal and Cylindrical Ball Mills Using Discrete Element Method
title_full_unstemmed Performance Evaluation of Polygonal and Cylindrical Ball Mills Using Discrete Element Method
title_short Performance Evaluation of Polygonal and Cylindrical Ball Mills Using Discrete Element Method
title_sort performance evaluation of polygonal and cylindrical ball mills using discrete element method
topic artisanal and small‐scale miners
collision energy
discrete element method
polygonal ball mills
power draw
url https://doi.org/10.1002/eng2.13043
work_keys_str_mv AT mathewndetokyalo performanceevaluationofpolygonalandcylindricalballmillsusingdiscreteelementmethod
AT jameskuriakimotho performanceevaluationofpolygonalandcylindricalballmillsusingdiscreteelementmethod
AT hirammuriithindiritu performanceevaluationofpolygonalandcylindricalballmillsusingdiscreteelementmethod