Due to differences in grinding processes, the nature of bloating, and its causes, the methods for handling bloating also vary. However, regardless of the cause, the first step is to stop feeding ore, and then take necessary measures based on the specific situation.

For open-circuit grinding, after stopping the feed, simply increasing the feed water (rear water) appropriately will allow the ore to slowly drain from the grinding mill, eliminating the bloating and restoring normal operation.

For closed-circuit grinding, the feed consists of two parts: the original feed and the return sand from the classifier. Simply stopping the original feed is not enough to eliminate the bloating phenomenon, as the return sand continues to be fed into the grinding mill. Therefore, the amount of return sand should be reduced as soon as possible. Specifically, this involves: shutting off the front water (water added to the grinding mill for ore discharge), increasing the rear water (feed water), reducing the amount of water fed into the classifier tank, increasing the classification mass fraction, reducing the mass fraction of the ore in the grinding mill, increasing fluidity, accelerating material discharge, and thus reducing the amount of return sand. This method is summarized in a catchy rhyme: “Close the front water, add the back water, increase the concentration (classification concentration) to reduce returned sand.” Sometimes, to quickly reduce the amount of returned sand, the classifier’s screw can be temporarily lifted, allowing the returned sand material to be “temporarily stored” in the classification tank, thus speeding up the elimination of “bloating.” Once the mill returns to normal, it can be slowly lowered (Note: Do not lower it too quickly to avoid overloading the classifier with a large amount of “temporarily stored” ore in the tank). When “bloating” is severe, i.e., “stuck,” high-pressure water can be injected into the mill through the feed or discharge port to loosen and dilute the material inside, discharging a portion, and then increasing the amount of back water to accelerate discharge.

For some closed-circuit grinding processes using screens, an emergency pool is generally provided. In cases of severe “bloating,” the coarse ore can be temporarily stored in the emergency pool and pumped back for re-grinding after normal operation is restored.

If severe bloating occurs (such as vomiting followed by diarrhea), after treatment and recovery, the grinding mill should be stopped and necessary checks should be performed: such as whether the scoop head has fallen off or is loose, whether the feeder is loose, whether the screws have been cut off, and whether other parts of the grinding mill are damaged.