Airvault modernisation to see new preheater construction method
The business unit Cement Technologies of thyssenkrupp has received an order from Ciments Calcia SA, subsidiary of HeidelbergCement Group, for the construction of a turnkey cement production line.
The new 4000tpd clinker kiln line is to be built at the Airvault site and will replace the two existing lines. A new construction method is being implemented for the erection of the preheater tower at the Airvault plant. The preheater modules, including brickwork and electric systems, are to be preassembled in parallel and almost entirely at ground level.
The main equipment for the raw material preparation includes a double-shaft hammer crusher with a capacity of 1200tph, a longitudinal blending bed, a quadropol® QMR² 45/23 vertical roller mill with a throughput of 370tph and a tangential blending silo with a storage capacity of 10,000t for the raw meal. The kiln line consists of a single-string, five-stage dopol® cyclone preheater with integral calciner suitable for the use of alternative fuels and a three-support rotary kiln, followed by a latest generation polytrack® clinker cooler. The plant also includes a preparation workshop for SRF fuels as well as proven and reliable dedusting systems.
Pablo Hofelich, CEO of Cement Technologies at thyssenkrupp: "I would like to thank HeidelbergCement and Ciments Calcia for their trust. This is another important step in our long-standing cooperation. In this flagship project, our latest innovations in sustainability and safety are leading the way to a future-proof cement production, with significantly reduced emissions."
By implementing specific processes, the plant’s energy performance will be improved while reducing its thermal and electrical consumption. Thanks to the use of waste as an alternative fuel to fossil energy, the plant's greenhouse gas emissions and carbon footprint will be substantially reduced. The plant is designed to allow for conversion to oxyfuel technology in the future, to efficiently separate carbon dioxide and thereby facilitate carbon capture and storage at a later stage.
The Airvault cement plant, scheduled to start-up by mid 2024 will become a benchmark plant in terms of decarbonisation and environmental protection.
Ciments Calcia SA's Airvault plant
