US 12,391,612 B2
Moisture management in vertical roller mills
Joshua Detellis, Framingham, MA (US); Keith Marsay, Solihull (GB); Jeffrey Thomas, Winchester, MA (US); Thais Araujo, Belo Horizonte-mg (BR); Josephine H. Cheung, Lexington, MA (US); and Denise A. Silva, Los Alamitos, CA (US)
Assigned to GCP Applied Technologies Inc., Malvern, PA (US)
Appl. No. 17/427,485
Filed by GCP Applied Technologies Inc., Cambridge, MA (US)
PCT Filed Feb. 1, 2019, PCT No. PCT/US2019/016309
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Jul. 30, 2021,
PCT Pub. No. WO2020/159536, PCT Pub. Date Aug. 6, 2020.
Prior Publication US 2022/0127193 A1, Apr. 28, 2022
Int. Cl. C04B 7/52 (2006.01); B02C 15/00 (2006.01); B02C 25/00 (2006.01); C04B 20/02 (2006.01); C04B 28/14 (2006.01); C04B 40/00 (2006.01)
CPC C04B 7/52 (2013.01) [B02C 15/001 (2013.01); B02C 25/00 (2013.01); C04B 28/14 (2013.01); C04B 40/0032 (2013.01); B02C 2015/002 (2013.01); B02C 15/007 (2013.01)] 16 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A system for manufacture of cement, comprising:
(A) a vertical roller mill comprising:
a grinding table for grinding particles comprising clinker and a sulfate source chosen from gypsum, plaster, calcium anhydrite, or a blend thereof;
at least one rotatable roller for providing rolling contact with the grinding table to grind the particles;
a classifier for removing ground particles from the vertical roller mill;
an air flow system to carry particles from the grinding table through the classifier; and
at least one dispenser apparatus for introducing water, cement grinding aid, or both, to contact the particles;
(B) at least one humidity sensor that provides a humidity output corresponding to a moisture level of air inside the vertical roller mill or the air flow system;
(C) a processor for comparing the humidity output from the at least one humidity sensor with at least one selected from the group consisting of
(i) a predetermined humidity threshold level or at least one pre-established relationship between relative humidity and one or more cement property of interest, wherein the predetermined humidity threshold level and the at least one pre-established relationship is selected based on correlations between the humidity output and one or more physical or chemical properties of the corresponding finished cement, hydrated cement, or cementitious product made with the cement;
(ii) at least one data set or mathematical relationship that contains correlations between the humidity sensor output and one or more physical or chemical properties of the corresponding finished cement, hydrated cement, or cementitious product made with the cement; and
(iii) both (i) and (ii), wherein
the processor is programmed to initiate, based on the comparison, at least one protocol chosen from: (i) providing a visual or auditory alarm; (ii) adjusting water, cement grinding aid, or both being dispensed onto the grinding table or the particles ground on the grinding table; (iii) adjusting air flow entering or exiting the vertical roller mill or the air flow system; (iv) adjusting temperature of air inside the vertical roller mill or air flow system; (v) adjusting amount of materials introduced into the vertical roller mill; or (vi) a combination thereof.