Avaliação da carga térmica em moinhos de esferas na produção de óxido de chumbo e análise do sistema de arrefecimento

Abstract

This work presents an assessment of the thermal load generated in ball mills used in the production of lead oxide (PbO) on an industrial scale, focusing on the Shimadzu equipment employed by the company Elo Energy Storage. With the expansion of production capacity and the installation of a new mill, automatic shutdowns due to overheating were observed, suggesting a possible deficiency in the cooling system. To investigate the issue, a mass and energy balance of the mills was performed, considering the exothermic reactions involved, the motor powers, and the operational data provided. Subsequently, the thermal load that needs to be dissipated by the cooling system was determined. The results indicate that the total thermal load (548.188 kJ/s) exceeds the nominal capacity of the existing cooling tower. Although the system works adequately under most operating conditions, its efficiency is compromised on hot days and under high demand. The work proposes two main interventions: optimizing the layout of the cooling system and acquiring a new cooling tower, in order to ensure thermal stability and operational continuity of the mills.