Optimization studies in ball mills to increase cement production capacity and reduce energy consumption and their effect on sustainable ecology

The main purpose of this master's thesis is to carry out optimization studies to increase production capacity and reduce energy use in ball cement mills without compromising quality criteria. Moreover, these optimization processes were carried out without stopping the production processes. In other words, it seeks to minimize the economic output that may result from shutting down the facility. In addition, the effect of this study on sustainability in terms of environmental, economic, and social aspects was examined. In the master's thesis presented here, optimization studies were carried out in three stages. In the first stage, the blaine (specific surface), fineness, chemical analysis, and hourly production values obtained with the current working conditions of the cement mills operating far below their capacity were examined. In the second stage, it was observed how the hourly production values changed by changing the mill operating conditions (mill inlet and outlet suction, filter inlet temperatures, damper angles, etc.). In the third stage, cement production was carried out with the changed parameters for about 3 months. Then, the strength, specific surface, fineness, and chemical contents of the samples taken from different points of the mills at certain time intervals were examined by XRD, CNH-S, SEM/EDX, MAPPING, FT-IR, and particle sizer analysis methods. Especially since the opening values of the separator's fresh air inlets were increased from 30–50% to 80–100%, the return tonnage of the separator was reduced from 200 tons per hour to approximately 150 tons per hour. Besides, an increase of approximately 18% was observed in cement fineness values in both mills. The increase in cement fineness values shortened the grinding time and saved energy consumption. An increase of approximately 4% has been observed in the 28-day strength test results. When the hourly production values for both mills are examined, they have ranged from 73–74 tons per hour to 79–80 tons per hour. On the other hand, after the optimization study, the effects of the vehicles belonging to the mill units and used in the shipment, depending on the increase in production, on sustainable ecology and economy were evaluated by calculating the CFP values. As a result, the results obtained before and after optimization were compared in detail. After the optimization, significant improvements were observed in terms of both energy cost and product quality. It has been determined that, besides providing an approximately 8% capacity increase in better quality and low energy consumption, the inputs that cause greenhouse gas emissions are partially reduced due to the decrease in energy consumption.