The work presents a theoretical and experimental assessment of the mechanical power absorption by a prototype horizontal ring mill, during the continuous comminution of olivine with feed rates for a wide range of operating conditions. The forces acting on a ring element of a prototype ring mill under continuous operating conditions have been theoretically calculated and it has been experimentally confirmed that they are proportional to the square of the rotational speed. A linear variation of power with feed rate has been established and a functional relationship between consumed power and rotational speed is also proposed. Results demonstrate that there exists a feed rate for which the value of the friction coefficient between the rings and the powdered material is minimized, independently of the rotational speed. It was further found that the product size depends on the absorbed mechanical power and it decreases with increasing power values. (C) 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.