International Cement Review articles tagged under : Manufacturing Technology

29 April 2019

A cooler for the future

To reduce frequent clinker cooler downtime and high clinker temperatures a US cement plant required a new cooler to be installed. As an additional benefit future upgrades would also be easier to carry out. By IKN, Germany. Figure 1: this US cement plant had a new cooler installed by IKN to maximise performance A cement plant in the USA (see Figure 1) was experiencing frequent clin...

24 April 2019

Digital twins

Established for some time in industries such as automotive, logistics and even healthcare, digital twins are becoming more widespread. For the cement industry digital twins can also provide benefits as they enable ac...

11 April 2019 Arthur Harrisson

Belite appearance in clinkers

This month Arthur Harrisson looks at the second-most abundant constituent of cement – belite – and its appearance in clinkers. Figure 1: Type I belite with multiple sets of parallel laminations. The blue cryst...

03 April 2019

Modular miracles

Cement producers looking for fast entry into growing small- and medium-sized markets are increasingly looking at employing the light-asset approach. Modular and mobile grinding systems can provide a versatile and cos...

Alternative clinkers 11 March 2019 Arthur Harrisson

Alternative clinkers

The drive to lower the carbon footprint of cement has led to the development of alternative cement clinkers to replace Portland cement clinker. Arthur Harrisson examines the potential of carbon reduction in four alte...

28 February 2019

Admixtures and sustainability

With reducing the environmental impact of cement manufacture high on the agenda for producers, sustainable cement additives based on renewable materials can contribute towards reducing a plant’s carbon footprint and ...

FCB Horomill® turns 25 01 March 2019

FCB Horomill® turns 25

This year marks the 25th anniversary of the FCB Horomill ® , a breakthrough technology for raw meal, cement, slag and minerals grinding. Having actively participated in the development of the mill, Buzzi Unicem refle...

20 February 2019

Bearing the load

Due to its inherent characteristics, cement production is one of the most severe processing environments and the bearings employed must be reliable, tough and robust to withstand such harsh operating conditions. By N...

06 February 2019 Arthur Harrisson

Aluminium and iron in clinker

Aluminium and iron are two of the key components in Portland cement clinker. Varying their presence in clinker can have significant effects on the final clinker. Arthur Harrisson looks at some of the impacts of such ...

28 January 2019

The intelligent enterprise

In a commoditised business such as cement, companies are using lean, intelligent processes to enable efficient production and timely delivery. Optimising processes and operations presents an opportunity for producers...

17 January 2019

The ‘magic’ of magnesium

While petcoke is a less expensive fuel option, its use can lead to operational challenges for the cement plant, such as the formation of kiln rings and build-ups in the lower cyclones of the preheater. To optimise co...

19 December 2018 Arthur Harrisson

Reducing cadmium volatility

A recent news report for the Journal of Engineering described some experimental work that has been carried out in China designed to investigate the behaviour of some heavy metals, especially cadmium, in cement clinke...

26 November 2018 Arthur Harrisson

Sulphate in clinker

The amount of sulphate (SO 3 ) varies widely in cement clinker. Arthur Harrisson discusses the sources of SO 3 and its impact on clinker composition. Figure 1: relationship between the contents of sulphate an...

14 November 2018

Kiln maintenance

Increasing competition within the cement industry and growing concerns about sustainable cement production have placed more rigorous demands on maintenance in cement plants, including the maintenance of the kiln. The...

03 October 2018

Bring in the drones

In the last few years commercial drones have become increasingly common in quarries all over the world. But how does the use of drone technology impact quarry operations? For specific tasks drone technology can total...

03 October 2018 Arthur Harrisson

Strength predictions

A prediction of strength in concrete can be made through a range of methods and with numerous variables. To facilitate this, Arthur Harrisson examines the key factors that control strength development in concrete. ...