Optimization and upgrades
Optimization and upgrades of cement plants take place on different areas including
- Quarry
- Clinker production process
- Cement production process
- Electrical power or fuel consumption
- Environmental impact
- Maintenance
- Staff
- Reporting
Optimization ranges from troubleshooting a specific issue to complete plant audits.
Within these areas for optimization, there area different key objectives which shall be reached
- Increased product quantity
- Increased product quality, for example reduced standard deviation of clinker factors or reduced standard deviation of cement quality criteria
- Reduced electrical energy or thermal energy consumption per ton of clinker
- Reduced electrical energy consumption per ton of cement
- Increased plant and equipment availability
- Reduced maintenance spending
- Reduced dust emissions levels
Improving the profitability of the plant is always an objective.
The first steps in optimization process are
- Collecting date
- Verification of data
- Identification of opportunities to optimize
From these identified opportunities, targeted measured for effective optimization are developed. These measures range from changes in production, for example updated raw mix composition, up to repairs and investment in equipment or plant sections. The measures are classified based on their impact on objectives vs. cost, regarding their implementation time and associated expenses, etc.
Finally, the measures are arranged within a step-wise modernization programme to unleash the full potential of your plant. Low cost – high impact measures are prioritized.
Fuel switch
Replacing the main fuel of your plant fully or partially with another fuel is referred to as fuel switch. The most typical switch is from firing HFO or coal to firing natural gas.
For using alternative fuels in your plant, please take a look in the chapter “Decarbonization”.
Natural gas is a different fuel than HOF or coal:
- Stockpiling and pre-processing or pre-heating are not needed
- Natural gas firing requires connection to supply line, metering and pressure reducing station, burners and valve trains suitable for natural gas
- Burning natural gas results, compared to other fuels, in
- Higher flue gas volumes in kiln and preheater
- Lower heat transfer between combustion and raw materials
- Lower sulfur input to the system
- Lower carbon emissions
Therefore, a switch demands study of impact on clinker production. The commercial impact has to be analyzed case by case.
A typical approach to implement natural gas as fuel is in two steps:
Within a feasibility study, the following is done:
- Investigate the impact of natural gas firing on the production process, the product quality and quantity, emissions, and the equipment
- Determine and specify necessary modifications and/ or replacement of existing equipment, e.g., burners
- Design of gas supply system
- Investigate necessary modification on power supply and process control system
- Ensure supply of natural gas with defined supply conditions
- Commercial analysis
- Tendering for equipment and services
- Detail engineering, manufacturing, construction and erection, commissioning (mainly provided by specialized suppliers)
- Project management, quality control, supervision
Consecutively, during the execution of the project, the following steps are taken:
Revamping
Plants with reduced maintenance for longer periods of time, even being out of operation for years, typically needs a major overhaul when restarting the production. We refer to this as revamping.
The scope of these revamping works is typically defined by the production targets, the situation at the plant as well as the budget for the works.
A detailed investigation on the plant is the first step. At this point, documentation to record the equipment and its status is created. This documentation will serve as the basis for the future works.
Afterwards, the single measures which will form the revamping programme are developed.
Consecutively, necessary material and equipment deliveries are tendered, teams for engineering, construction and erection works assembled, plant operation planned, etc.
For all these works, a highly skilled engineering consultant is required. IBBL provides this knowledge on cement production process, on plant engineering, on project management, on mechanical, electrical and civil engineering and on project management.
In parallel, the budget and the time schedule for the revamping programme has to be maintained at all times to keep the project within its financial limits and its schedule.
The project execution starts with signing the contracts to deliver new machinery or spare parts and contracting the engineering and execution teams.
All these activities which are now commencing at many companies and the plant need professional management and leadership in many aspects. For example the engineering integration, scheduling, cost control, the planning of deliveries, construction and erection works, the skills to erect equipment, etc. need to be done. IBBL team has the team to do this.
Already during the erection and commissioning ongoing works, the production team is already involved so that a smooth hand-over from the project to production team is ensured.