Safety Alert – Broken Bolts of a Ball Mill Shell Flange.
INCIDENT:
On Tuesday, 9th April 2024, during night shift, a ball mill at a grinding circuit encountered excessive slurry spillage from the shell flange at the discharge end of the mill. This was identified by process plant operators, and they immediately stopped the ball mill safely. Upon inspection, approximately 50% of the shell flange bolts were either broken and/or cracked. The gap between the shell flange had opened to about 30mm.
INITIAL OBSERVATIONS:
The following are initial observations of the incident;