Powtech 2014 moves bulk solids forward

ICR visited Powtech 2014 in Nuremberg Messe, Germany, from 30 September to 2 October, to find out from some of the exhibitors that are focussed on the cement industry their news about the latest developments in the sector.

Powtech offers a wide variety of suppliers to the cement industry the opportunity to exhibit and the products and services being marketed ranged from  small items such as material level sensors, through to packaging equipment and complete plant management systems. The show attracts 711 exhibitors from 28 countries and has developed into a major international event, covering six exhibition halls with live forums and the supporting TechnoPharm exhibition for pharmaceuticals, food and cosmetics.

ICR's first port of call was at Aerzener, which is celebrating its 150th anniversary this year. The company is marking the date with the introduction of several new products designed to improve energy efficiency. The E-Compressor series consists of four volume-flow size areas, ranging from 55kW up to 630kW. These screw compressors are offered in two designs with pressure differences of 2 and 3.5bar. The company claims energy savings of six per cent, depending on the pressure ration or volume flow used.

Aerzener’s E-Blower extends the high-efficiency solution provided by the company’s Delta Hybrid Generation 5 series of blowers. The E-Design reduces power demand by four per cent, claims Aerzener. This is achieved by flow-optimised guidance of the air in-take and acoustic hood and in the filter silencer. The patented inlet cone minimises pressure loss and noise reduction. This product is available in six sizes for air intake volumes of 30m³/h to 1000m³/h and pressures up to 1000bar or negative pressures up to 500mbar.

Meanwhile, Scheuch is nearing completion of its first DeCONOx project for a European cement producer, which it aims to share with ICR readers next year.

ICR also visited Haver & Boecker with its new Lafarge Global Supplier Winner Award in the sustainability category for the Adams® clean, sealed and compact Fast, Form and Seal technology, which applies to the cement sector. The technology comes as a HAVER ADAMS^® 1 – a stationary one spout filling machine or as HAVER ADAMS^® 2-12, with up to 12 filing spouts and high speeds of 2000bags/h.

Over on the Christian Pfeiffer stand, ICR was given a demonstration of a new concept tool for project managers to work with cement producers. The 3D augmented reality tool is a computer software application that can be taken out to a plant to visualise exactly how material flow would work in ball mills and separators by simply pointing an Ipad at a model of a grinding plant that comes to life on the computer screen in animated form. Much of the company’s current business in the cement sector is centred on South America and South Africa with refurbishment projects especially adding to turnover. The company also sees the potential for further development in ball mill optimisation with improved charging and separator performance for older mills.

Beumer was keen to remind us of its 80th anniversary next year. The bulk materials handling specialist from Beckum is still looking to expand sales in the Middle East despite recent difficulties in the region. On its stand was information about the warehouse management system, which is a web server application to control and coordinate the entire cement packaging process, storage and preparation for shipment. The company has also re-engineered its paletpac for high-capacity a layer palletiser series enabling better accessibility, a shorter assembly time and higher flexibility with lower costs, according to Beumer.

On visiting the Emerson Process Management stand, ICR was given a full overview of the company’s portfolio including its DeltaV SIS™ automation systems for safety and burner management, maintenance services and lifecycle services.

Vega demonstrated the VEGAPULS69, which is a new sensor and radar level-measuring instrument for bulk solid applications, such as cement. The level transmitter operates at a frequency of 79GHz with enhances focussing to reduce the influence of background noise. New microwave components allow the sensor to detect minor reflected signals within containers or silos. The range of this product is up to 120m with an accuracy +/-5mm.

At the Sintrol stand, ICR was introduced to the company’s dust monitors which include the S303 monitor for continuous readings with high temperature versions up to 700°C, while the E-Spy is dedicated for electrostatic precipitator monitoring.

Kaeser Kompressor was showcasing its Sigma Profile compressor series now available for blower systems. The company also featured its rotary blowers that can be supplied with the Sigma Control 2 controller for monitoring.

The Xoptix stand was exhibiting its in-process particle size analysis equipment. The XO analyser range measures particles from 0.1 to 3000µm and is suited for measuring dry industrial powders. The XOSC3X also offers full, automated control for each sizer unit.

Several other stands were also seen including those of Concetti Group, Schenck Process, Listenow, Dal Teknik Makina, Fives FCB, Siemens, Claudius Peters, Donaldson, Kalenborn, Venti Oeldi, CemTec, Nordic Air Filtration and many more besides. The next Powtech will be held between 19-21 April 2016.