Effects of key factors on grinding performance in horizontal stirred mill fine grinding process: Simulations and experiments

Abstract

With the gradual depletion of high-grade, easily beneficiated minerals, fine or ultrafine grinding has become the key operation for processing refractory ores. As the core equipment for fine grinding operations, the research and application of HSMs have become a focal point within the grinding field. This study investigated the impact of key factors on the grinding performance of HSM through simulations and physical experiments. Simulation results indicated that the optimized grinding process parameters for the HSM are as follows: media size of 2 mm, media filling ratio of 50%, agitator speed of 1500 rpm, and a D-type agitator. At this point, the energy utilization rate, inter-media forces, total collision energy, agitator power consumption, and wear all reach their optimal state for grinding performance. Physical experimental studies have found that the RRB equation can accurately describe the PSD of grinding products from HSMs. Pulp handling capacity has the greatest impact on grinding performance, followed by agitator speed and grinding concentration, while the media filling ratio exhibits the least influence.

Keywords: Horizontal stirred mill, Key factors, Grinding performance, Simulations, Orthogonal experiment