Comparing the grinding aid effects of ethanolmines and polyethylene glycols in cement industry

In the cement industry, a great amount of the total electric energy consumption is consumed in grinding raw materials and clinker. Because of the diminishing available sources of energy and the attendant rise in energy costs, it is important to pay particular attention to this major cost item. In the cement industry, in order to reduce the energy cost, grinding aids are used. The aim of the present research work is to evaluate and compare the effectiveness of polyethylene glycols and ethanolamines as grinding aids in production of Portland cement in ball mill. In all cases, the addition of grinding aids resulted in significant improvement in the specific surface area when added at the same amount of 0.06 percent by the cement weight. In addition, all grinding aids reduce specific power consumption of the mill especially at relatively higher Blaine specific surface areas. It was found that DEA is the most effective grinding aid. This compound increases the Blaine specific surface area of the cement by 23%. DEA reduced the specific power consumption of the mill up to about 40%. The compound grinding aid composed of 50 wt% PEG400 and 50 wt% DEA was less effective on Blaine specific surface area and specific power consumption than each of its components.

Keywords:

Grinding aid , Blaine specific surface area , Specific power consumption , Ball mill