Cement News tagged under: Manufacturing technology
Improving process safety26 August 2015, Published under Cement NewsThe increasing use of alternative fuels is one example of where process safety is brought to the forefront at many cement plants, but hazards related to the storage and transportation of fuels, structural failures of fly ash silos/coal bins, explosion in kilns and coal mills, etc, underline the importance of process safety management. By K Ramesh Ramalingam, Prasad Ramchandra Rajadhyaksha and SV Jithesh, Chola MS Risk, India. Figure 1: key elements of process safety for a cement plant... |
VRM optimisation29 July 2015, Published under Cement NewsMost new cement plants utilise vertical roller mills (VRM) for raw material grinding and preparation. Taking a step-by-step look at the entire roller milling process, Kline Consulting recommends routine measurements and discusses ways to overcome chemical issues to optimise operations. A closer look at VRM efficiency and optimisation The vertical raw mill has several advantages over previously-used mill systems including: • lower power consumption • less part wear/consumption • ... |
Process impact on clinker17 July 2015, Published under Cement NewsThe fine microstructure of cement clinker provides a number of clues relating to the state of the process which made it, including the temperature, the chemistry, the fuel type and quality, the thermal profile through the process and the efficiency of cooling. Microscopic and macroscopic analysis can, in some cases, differentiate between different cement kiln types. More usefully, knowing details of the process which made the clinker is of immense value in interpretation of the significance ... |
Slakers and movers08 July 2015, Published under Cement NewsPoorly-slaked lime can have a major negative impact on lime consumption and the operating cost at an end-user’s site. The amount of lime used in the process is determined by a combination of slaking parameters. The optimisation of the slaking process will help drive operating costs down and also reduce CO 2 emissions. By Roman Stoiber, STT Enviro Corp Systems & Solutions, Canada. Lime production, conversion and what slaking efficiency really means to the end user When the slaki... |
Freight fortunes?08 June 2015, Published under Cement NewsRecent developments in cement and clinker trade with shifts in demand patterns have combined with an increasing availability of bulk carrier capacity to push freight rates down. Can cement producers expect this trend to continue going forward? By Levent Karaçelik, Marvel Shipping, Turkey. The scenario for seaborne traffic is changing with lower demand being registered As domestic demand patterns shift and fortunes of local producers change, the cement and clinker trade between c... |
Dosing flexibility28 May 2015, Published under Cement NewsAs hybrid cars are slowly conquering the streets worldwide, proving that a mix of alternative energies is the key to future flexibility and mobility, industrial processes are becoming increasingly atuned to the benefits of using a range of alternative fuels. The utilisation of such fuels frees cement producers from their dependency on price fluctuations in the global energy markets as well as improving their environmental record. By FLSmidth Pfister, Germany. Examples of altenrative... |
How much alite?18 May 2015, Published under Cement NewsThe content of alite and other cement phases such as belite, aluminate and ferrite can have significant effects on the strength of the final mortar. This article looks at the correlation between alite and other cement phases on the 28-day strength of cement as well as some of the production conditions required to produce high-quality cement in these circumstances. Figure 1: quantity of alite and 28-day strength from seven cement plants It is well known that the four main phases ... |
The new normal11 May 2015, Published under Cement NewsThe shift to polythene cement bags by some cement producers has helped them improve brand differentiation as well as offering benefits in terms of maintaining a quality product throughout the packing and distribution process. To achieve this bagging success, key product and packaging process parameters have been improved. By David Khanna, BPI Visqueen, UK. BPI Visqueen explains why advances in polythene cement bags are giving rise to a significant shift in packaging material and... |
Balancing dusts in the kiln08 April 2015, Published under Cement NewsChemically the expectation for a cement clinker is that it will have the same overall chemical composition as the raw materials from which it is made, less any gaseous emissions and plus any ash provided by the fuels. However, much happens between the raw materials entering the raw mill and the emergence of the clinker. Figure 1: typical LSF of materials through a kiln Much of the variation in the bulk chemistry of the material passing through the system is related to the creati... |
Clinker cooling16 March 2015, Published under Cement NewsDescriptions of the formation of cement clinker generally concentrate on those reactions that take place as the kiln feed heats up and passes through the process to the burning zone. The part of the operation after the burning zone and up until the clinker’s eventual delivery to the cement mill can also have a significant effect on the quality of cement produced. Figure 1: zoned C3S crystal with C2S inclusions in a finely divided groundmass. (Field of view is 90µm) In a precalci... |