I. Technological Breakthroughs and Innovation
1. Principle and Advantages of Single-Drive Technology
The single-drive high-pressure roller mill is a highly efficient and energy-saving crushing device. Compared to the traditional dual-drive system, it is equipped with only one power system and achieves synchronous rotation of the two rollers via gear transmission.
Core advantages:
45% Energy Savings: Data from Changsha Jianren Machinery shows that it saves 45% energy compared to dual-drive systems, significantly reducing energy consumption per ton of ore.
Investment reduced by 1/3: Simplified equipment structure leads to a significant reduction in investment costs.
Excellent synchronization: The fixed roller is driven to the moving roller via a precision gear system, ensuring perfect synchronization and eliminating the problem of uneven roller surface wear caused by speed differences in dual-drive systems. As a result, the service life of the roller surface is extended by 30% to 50%.
Capacity Increased by 50%+: Processing capacity improved by more than 50%, achieving a process innovation that emphasizes "more crushing, less grinding."
2. Latest Innovation
Smart Monitoring System: Metso has launched HPGRSense™, a solution that monitors equipment operating conditions in real time without requiring downtime for inspection, thereby optimizing grinding efficiency.
New roller surface material: The application of high-chromium alloy rollers increases equipment lifespan by 30%–50% and reduces energy consumption by 18%–22%.
Forced Parallel Technology: Nangkuang Group’s New Patent Achieves Precise Synchronization on Both Sides of the Moving Roller, Enhancing Crushing Uniformity.
Constant-pressure design: The HPGM series from Huat Magnetic & Electric features intelligent automatic correction, ensuring stable pressure between rolls and boosting crushing efficiency by more than 30%.
II. Corporate Updates
1. Major progress by domestic enterprises
CITIC Heavy Industries:
The trial run of the GM240-170 large-scale high-pressure roller mill was successfully completed, marking a new breakthrough in large-scale equipment.
The GM220160 model boasts a processing capacity of 2,200 t/h, a roll surface pressure of 6.5 N/mm², a 23% reduction in specific energy consumption, and an operational lifespan of up to 8,500 hours—reaching an internationally leading level.
Won the bid for the MCC Copper and Zinc High-Pressure Roller Mill project, valued at 115.58 million yuan, further solidifying our leading position in the industry.
Changsha Jianren Machinery (Representative of Single-Drive Technology):
The DG1600×1000 single-drive high-pressure roller mill is applied in the electrolytic manganese industry: its processing capacity has been increased from 800 t/d to 1600 t/d, power consumption has been reduced from 42 kWh/t to 21 kWh/t, and costs have dropped from 22.5 yuan/t to 8.5 yuan/t.
Nine Model 1614 units have been installed at the Bachu Iron Ore Mine in Xinjiang, strengthening the company’s market presence along the Belt and Road Initiative.
Shandong Huat Magnetic & Electric:
The HPGM series single-drive high-pressure roller mill has been exported to Southeast Asia. Each unit has a processing capacity of 180–300 tons per hour, with energy consumption 15%–20% lower than that of imported models, and its price is only 70% of the imported counterparts.
Providing HPGM1480 equipment for Xinjiang ilmenite mines, replacing four ball mills and significantly reducing fine crushing power consumption.
2. International Business Trends
Metso:
Secured two strategic orders from Malaysia’s Fortress Minerals, providing core equipment for two high-pressure roller mills.
Introducing the Nordwheeler, the world’s first semi-mobile high-pressure roller mill crushing station, specially designed for manufactured sand production and equipped with the HRC 8™ high-pressure roller mill.
Secures Australia’s first order for a mobile HPGR system, expanding applications in the gold mining sector.
FLSmidth:
In 2024, we secured 15 HPGR orders, including a major project in India, further solidifying our market position.
III. Application Cases and Outcomes
1. Mining sector
Jiangxi Copper:
In December 2023, the high-pressure roller mill successfully completed a trial run with material. After crushing, the ore was formed into a powder cake-like product, and the process ran smoothly.
Magang Nanshan Mining:
Adopting the new process of “crushing – high-pressure roller milling – ball milling,” which has been incorporated into the national standard “Code for Process Design of Beneficiation Plants in Metallurgical Mines,” significantly enhances grinding efficiency.
Sijiaying Iron Ore Mine:
Research on ultrafine crushing using a high-pressure roller mill has been successfully completed, achieving the goals of "more crushing and less grinding, and early liberation," thereby improving ore-dressing efficiency.
2. Other industry applications
Cement Industry:
Used for pre-grinding clinker, slag, and steel slag, this process increases the output of ball mill systems by 30-50% and significantly reduces energy consumption.
Construction aggregate:
Metso’s HRC 8™ high-pressure roller mill boosts the production of manufactured sand and the sorting of construction and demolition waste, reducing energy consumption by 50% and significantly cutting dust and noise levels.
IV. Market Prospects
In 2023, the Chinese market size for high-pressure roller mills reached 8.5 billion yuan, representing a year-on-year increase of 12%.
The global market is projected to grow from $1.2 billion in 2025 to $2.2 billion in 2035, with a compound annual growth rate of 6.5%.
The localization rate has risen to over 85%, and some leading enterprises have achieved import substitution, significantly reducing procurement costs.
High-pressure roller mills are gaining increasing popularity under the “Dual Carbon” policy. With the cement industry aiming to reduce carbon emissions by 25-55% by 2030, high-pressure roller mill technology has emerged as a key solution.
V. Trends in Technological Development
Intelligent Upgrade:
Integrating 5G communication, AI algorithms, and sensing technologies enables remote operations and predictive maintenance, boosting overall equipment efficiency to 92%.
Liaoning University of Technology has developed a crushing effect prediction model based on piston loading experiments, enabling precise control.
Large-scale and energy-efficient:
Companies such as CITIC Heavy Industries have launched ultra-large-scale equipment with a processing capacity of 2,000 t/h or more, reducing specific energy consumption to 0.8 kWh/t.
The new roller surface material and optimized hydraulic system enable the equipment to achieve a continuous operating cycle exceeding 10,000 hours.
Expansion of application areas:
Expanding from traditional mining and cement industries into areas such as construction waste treatment and new-energy material processing.
The combined process of high-pressure roller milling plus hydrometallurgy holds great potential for the extraction of strategic mineral resources such as lithium and cobalt.
Conclusion
Thanks to its remarkable advantages in energy conservation and efficiency enhancement, single-drive high-pressure roller mills are becoming the core equipment for “cost reduction and efficiency improvement” in industries such as mining and building materials. As intelligent technologies become more deeply integrated and their application fields continue to expand, this “green crushing” technology will keep driving industry transformation and providing robust equipment support for achieving the “dual-carbon” goals.