Possibilities to Reduce Consumption of Steel Balls in Drum Mills while Saving Energy Consumption

In the present work, an analysis of the main parameters affecting the consumption of steel balls in drum ball mills was made, and research was carried out to obtain a relationship between the ball load and measured values. A passive factorial experiment was carried out on ball mills type 4.5 x 6. The results of the experiment were processed using modern computer programs and are shown tabularly and analytically. Testing of the hardness and chemical composition of the balls used in beneficiation factories processing copper ores, as well as the content of residual iron in the pulp of the used drum ball mills, was carried out. A mathematical model of the ball consumption function was created. A generalized utility function is created while conserving energy consumption. The main parameter in it is the ball filling factor of the mill drum, fully describing the grinding process in drum ball mills. The results of all these activities were analyzed and conclusions were summarized on the basis of which engineering solutions leading to a reduction in the consumption of balls in drum mills were proposed.