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- Title: Upgrading control systems
- Author(s): Mohamed Salin, Lafarge Malayan Cement, and Jørgen Bech Storgaard, FLS Automation, describe a project to replace control systems and renovate motor control centres at two plants in Malaysia.
- Synopsis:
- Two Lafarge cement plants in Malaysia, Rawang and Langkawi, shared a common problem. Both had ageing control systems that were becoming unreliable and difficult to maintain. To eliminate this problem, both plants developed plans to upgrade their control systems and in the process, replace some of the obsolete components.
The motor control centres (MCCs) were an additional concern. Both plants had experienced several failures and even if functional, the MCCs did not provide the type of status, diagnostic and power monitoring information available from modern units.
Both plants were ‘data starved’. The systems in place only provided limited information on the status of the process and the plant equipment and this information was not readily available to key decision makers. As a result, improvements in data acquisition and distribution were important objectives in the control modernisation projects.
- Title: Cementing business ties
- Author(s): This month’s cover story, by Max Lehmann, Sales Manager, Cement Industry and Ernst Geiger, Project Manager, Cement Industry, ABB Switzerland Ltd, describes a recent project to electrify the new production line for Amreyah Cimpor Cement Co. (ACCC) in Egypt, providing comprehensive control over the production line with the company’s latest Industrial IT technology.
- Synopsis:
- The Egyptian Public National Cement Industry founded Amreyah Cement Co. (AMCC) in 1978. Egypt has a long tradition in the cement industry: its first industrial cement plant was constructed more than 100 years ago. During the last century, the country’s cement industry has grown tremendously and today is one of the biggest in the Middle-East. The nine Egyptian cement companies have a total capacity of approximately 32.5 million tpa. Consumption per capita in 2002 was approximately 392 kgs. Since the mid 1970s, this market has been of high importance to ABB, which has managed to supply all electrical equipment to nearly all the cement plants in the country. The latest example of ABB‘s activities in this market is the complete electrification of ACCC’s cement production line, located approximately 30 km west of Alexandria, near the Mediterranean coast.
- Title: Shemal expansion
- Author(s): Gérard Richter, Senior Consultant Engineer, and Ali Memari Fard, Managing Director, CEMAG Anlagenbau Hameln, Germany, describe the upgrades and new installations required to expand the production capacity of the Shemal Cement plant, Iran, to 4000 tpd.
- Synopsis:
- In 2001, CEMAG Anlagenbau was awarded a feasibility study to examine the most economical way to optimise and expand production at the Shemal Cement plant to 4000 tpd, and alternatively 4800 tpd, clinker production. Based on detailed studies of technological possibilities, logistics, as well as surveys of existing equipment, a number of different solutions involving reasonable investment costs were put forward to the plant management.
It became apparent that the optimisation of existing equipment and an extension up to 4000 t clinker production would be the best compromise in relation to the investment into per ton and per day clinker production.
- Title: Fast Track Expansion in Costa Rica
- Author(s): This article is based on details supplied by Holcim Costa Rica regarding its newly expanded and modernised plant.
- Synopsis:
- In striving for socio-economic development, Costa Rica has evolved from an agricultural export-based economic model to a more industrialised, export based one. Its traditional agricultural exports, principally of coffee and bananas which began at the end of the 19th and the beginning of the 20th Century, have been replaced by an economic development increasingly focused on the export of non-traditional goods and services. These include a surge in tourism and foreign capital investment, especially in sophisticated electronics and medical equipment. In the process, the country passed through protectionist economic models that included import substitutions, increased agriculture diversification and the development of public services.
This transition of the productive structure has been proven by the influx of small and medium-sized national companies dedicated to the production of high technology, software, refined chemicals and biotechnology, all of which are destined for exportation. Despite their incipient growth, these new sources of wealth are the result of a national development plan orientated to promote open markets; to guarantee an increased level of competition within the national market; to support small and medium-sized companies; and to reduce the distortions generated by governmental intervention using deregulation schemes and privatising initiatives.
- Title: Use of secondary materials at Rohrdorf
- Author(s): Heinrich Rodlmayr, Rohrdorf Cement, Germany, analyses the use of secondary materials at the plant.
- Synopsis:
- The Rohrdorf plant is situated in Southern Bavaria, approximately 50 km south-east of Munich. Owing to the proximity of the Alps, tourism plays an important role in this region. The protection of the environment and the importance of sustained development have therefore been part of the company’s policy for many years.
The quarry adjacent to the plant supplies up to 40% of the required raw material and approximately 60% is won from quarries in the surrounding area. Most of the deliveries are made by rail. The raw material is stored in a blending bed and is subsequently milled to raw meal in a ball mill. Pyrite and mill scale are used as correcting additives. For some months now flyash from a power station has also been added to the raw meal as a secondary raw material.
- Title: Improvements at Mojave
- Author(s): Bruce Shafer, Plant Manager, California Portland Cement Co., USA, describes a number of recent upgrades at the Mojave plant, including an IKN KIDS and a vertical roller mill for finish grinding.
- Synopsis:
- The Mojave plant, operated by California Portland Cement Co., is equipped with a four-stage preheater in-line calciner kiln operation. The kiln line was put into service in 1980. Through continuous improvement efforts over a number of years, the pyroprocessing system became constrained by fan limitations. The stable operation would routinely operate with both the tower ID fan and the baghouse fan set to run at amp limit. The introduction of pure oxygen was a logical step in increasing clinker production. Over the past five years, the plant has made a number of graduated steps utilising oxygen. Today the plant is consuming 235 tpd of pure oxygen generated from two on-site vacuum swing absorption facilities. This improvement in kiln operation has led to two more recent noteworthy modifications which are the subject of this report. First, an IKN KIDS was installed in the standard grate cooler. Secondly, a vertical rollermill for finish grinding has been placed on order.
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