I am working in a grinding unit having a vertical roller mill for slag grinding (UBE VRM). Initially this mill is for only slag grinding but we are also able grind clinker. We are getting clinker from various sources. Because of this we are getting different output & power consumption. I want to ask you is this normal to get different output & power consumption? How much influence does the wear rate of table & rollers have on output & power consumption. Also I want to know what are ways to increase the output of the vertical roller mill.

It is normal to get different outputs from the mill with materials from different sources. This will depend on the hardness of individual materials. There are ways to increase the output from a vertical mill. These involved justments to the separator and the airflow through the mill. A number of case studies have been reported by Siam Cement where major increases in output were achieved by these means.

Are there any recognised ways to increase raw mill production?

The first stage is to maximise the output with the existing mill. You should conduct axial tests and recirculating load tests to make sure that the ball charge and lining are optimal. The next stage might be to conduct trials with grinding aids to try to boost the output of the mill by up to 15 per cent. Beyond that you will need to consider modifications to the milling circuit by adding further equipment. There are two options to do that: (i) add a pregrinding facility such as a hammer mill or roll press, or (ii) add a regrind mill. Adding further equipment will be significantly more expensive than introducing grinding aids but has the potential to boost the output to higher levels.