Patent ID: 7237735

Claim:
A device for protecting a grinding mill, at startup from a gravity-balanced condition thereof, including a rotating mill drum used for grinding material from damages caused by a potentially damaging lumped volume of said material falling from a fall position within said rotating drum and impacting an impact position within said rotating drum upon rotation thereof at startup from the gravity-balanced condition, said rotating drum being coupled to a torque provider able to generate a driving torque for rotation of said rotating drum, a presence of said potentially damaging lumped volume of said material being predictable upon an operational parameter of said grinding mill being in relation with said rotating drum meeting predetermined critical parameter conditions corresponding thereto, said device comprising: a parameter sensor operatively coupled to said grinding mill for providing an evaluation of said operational parameter upon said rotating drum moving at startup from the gravity-balanced condition, said parameter sensor assessing the presence of said potentially damaging lumped volume of said material from the evaluation of said operational parameter meeting said predetermined critical parameter conditions; an effectuator operatively coupled to the torque provider and to said parameter sensor for receiving an assessment of the presence of said potentially damaging lumped volume of said material thereform, said effectuator initiating an action for reducing the risks of damaging said grinding mill upon reception of the assessment of the presence of said potentially damaging lumped volume of said material.