Modeling, simulation and evaluation of control loops for a cement grinding process

This paper focuses on modeling of an industrial cement grinding circuit using physical arguments and experimental data. The resulting "gray-box" model, which consists in a mixed set of algebraic and partial differential equations, can be used to gain some insight into the process dynamics and design control loops to achieve product specifications. Several multivariable control schemes using the feed rate and the classifier speed as manipulated variables, and the circulating material flow rates and/or the fineness of the product as controlled variables, respectively, are compared and the influence of disturbances, i.e., variations in the material grindability, is investigated.