INVESTIGATION OF ENERGY - TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPMENT IN ULTRA FINE GRINDING

Abstract

Ultra-fine grinding refers to the process of reducing materials to extremely small particle sizes, typically in the micron or submicron range. It is commonly used in various industries such as mining, pharmaceuticals, ceramics, and chemicals, where the production of fine particles with specific properties is required. Energy plays a significant role in ultra-fine grinding processes. The reduction of materials to such small sizes requires a considerable amount of energy input. The energy consumption in ultra-fine grinding is typically higher compared to conventional grinding methods due to the higher surface area and increased particle-particle interactions. In the mining sector, with the depletion of high-grade ore deposits, it has become a necessity to operate very low-grade ore deposits with very small particle liberation sizes. In the enrichment of these ores, most of the energy required is spent on grinding. In micronized grinding, conventional mills (such as rod and ball mills) lose their efficiency and become uneconomical. most of the energy spent in conventional mills is used directly in size reduction, and a significant portion is lost as heat and sound without doing any useful work (size reduction). In addition, for grinding below 75 µm , the efficiency of conventional mills is greatly reduced (energy consumption increases excessively), and grinding becomes uneconomical. In this study, alternative fine and ultrafine grinding mills for ore dressing plants are introduced, and information about their working principles is presented. Unlike other studies, information on particle and grinding energy calculations is given. The reasons for the lack of a theory or model to perform newly developed calculations for ultrafine grinding theories are tried to be explained.