Effect of specific energy consumption on fineness of portland cement incorporating amine or glycol-based grinding aids

摘要

A comprehensive research project was undertaken to evaluate the effect of specific energy consumption (Ec) on variations of portland cement fineness measured by the Blaine test and sieve analysis. Amine and glycol-based grinding aids (GA) were incorporated at various concentrations of 0.04, 0.06, and 0.08% of the cement weight. At Ec values lower than around 20 kWh/ton, test results have shown that cement fineness increases almost linearly with the increase in grinding energy according to Rittinger's law. Beyond 20 kWh/ton, part of the energy appears to be lost due to cement agglomeration, indicating the starting of a "non-productive" phase. The Blaine test was found to be more accurate for evaluating variations in cement fineness as compared to the sieve residue determined on 100, 80, 63, and 38 μm meshes, particularly at higher grinding energy. Compared to a reference cement mixture, the addition of 0.06% GA led to significant gains in grinding mill productivity varying from 16 to 72%, depending on the GA type and Ec used.