America 30 t/h Feldspar Grinding Plant Project
Four ball mill feldspar grinding plant in America producing 180-mesh ceramic-grade powder. 30% capacity gain, 15% energy saving. EPC by Zhengzhou Sinoma.
Project Details
Project Overview
This feldspar grinding plant was delivered to a mineral processing customer in North America, producing ceramic-grade feldspar powder at 180 mesh. The line uses four ball mills in parallel — two units of φ2.4 × 7 m and two units of φ2.2 × 13 m — coupled with high-efficiency air classifiers to guarantee a stable 180-mesh product for tile and sanitaryware manufacturers.
The customer had been running an old ball mill circuit that could not hold fineness consistently and was consuming excessive power. After evaluating three Chinese suppliers, they awarded the EPC contract to Zhengzhou Sinoma Engineering Technology based on reference plants in Europe and competitive energy guarantees.
Customer Challenges
Fineness drift: The old circuit could not hold 180 mesh (R90 ≤ 8%) continuously; screen blocking pushed fineness outside spec several times per week
High power cost: Specific energy ran above 45 kWh/t at 180 mesh, driven by outdated classifier design
Low uptime: Frequent liner and media replacement, plus manual screen cleaning, cut effective running time below 80%
Dust emissions: Old baghouses leaked, exposing workers to feldspar dust
Technical Solution
We designed a closed-circuit ball mill plant with four parallel mills and independent classifier loops, allowing the customer to run 2–4 mills depending on demand while keeping each mill at its best efficiency point.
| Item | Specification |
|---|---|
| Ball mills | φ2.4 × 7 m × 2 units + φ2.2 × 13 m × 2 units |
| Grinding media | High-chrome steel balls, graded for 180-mesh output |
| Air classifiers | ZM-series dynamic classifiers, 4 units |
| Dust collection | PPC pulse bag filters, outlet < 10 mg/Nm³ |
| Packing | Automatic valve bag packing machines |
| Feed size | ≤ 20 mm crushed feldspar |
| Product fineness | 180 mesh (R90 = 3–5%) |
| Total installed power | ~2,600 kW |
Why Four Mills Instead of One Large Mill
The customer's demand fluctuated between 60% and 100% of nameplate capacity across the year. A single large mill would run at low load for half the year, wasting energy. Four smaller mills let the operator:
Run only the mills needed for the current order book
Take one mill offline for relining without stopping the whole plant
Produce two fineness grades simultaneously (e.g., 120 mesh and 200 mesh) on different mill lines
Project Timeline
| Phase | Timeline | Key Activity |
|---|---|---|
| Contract & engineering | Q4 2022 | Process flow, foundation drawings, electrical single-line diagram |
| Manufacturing | Q1 – Q2 2023 | Four mill shells, girth gears, classifiers, baghouses fabricated |
| Shipping | June 2023 | Breakbulk shipment from Shanghai to the US West Coast |
| Installation | July – August 2023 | Mechanical erection by local crew under our engineer's supervision |
| Commissioning | September 2023 | Classifier tuning, media grading, 30-day trial run |
| Commercial operation | October 2023 | Handover, performance test passed |
Results After 12 Months
Fineness control: 180-mesh product held at R90 = 3–5% with zero customer rejection in 12 months
Capacity gain: Output up approximately 30% versus the old circuit at the same installed power
Energy saving: Specific power dropped from 45 kWh/t to ~38 kWh/t (~15% reduction), saving roughly USD 180,000 per year
Dust control: Indoor particulate kept below 5 mg/m³, meeting local OSHA requirements
Uptime: Modular design supports > 95% availability; mills can be relined one at a time
Customer Feedback
"Zhengzhou Sinoma delivered the four mills on time and to spec. Their engineer stayed on site for six weeks, tuning each classifier until every product batch hit the 180-mesh spec. Power consumption is down, and we have not had a single quality complaint from our ceramic customers. We will use them again for our next expansion."
Related Equipment
Looking for a feldspar or quartz grinding plant? See our ball mill and air classifier range for ceramic, glass, and mineral powder applications, or contact our engineers for a tailor-made circuit.