Cement News tagged under: manufacturing technology
Dosing flexibility28 May 2015, Published under Cement NewsAs hybrid cars are slowly conquering the streets worldwide, proving that a mix of alternative energies is the key to future flexibility and mobility, industrial processes are becoming increasingly atuned to the benefits of using a range of alternative fuels. The utilisation of such fuels frees cement producers from their dependency on price fluctuations in the global energy markets as well as improving their environmental record. By FLSmidth Pfister, Germany. Examples of altenrative... |
How much alite?18 May 2015, Published under Cement NewsThe content of alite and other cement phases such as belite, aluminate and ferrite can have significant effects on the strength of the final mortar. This article looks at the correlation between alite and other cement phases on the 28-day strength of cement as well as some of the production conditions required to produce high-quality cement in these circumstances. Figure 1: quantity of alite and 28-day strength from seven cement plants It is well known that the four main phases ... |
The new normal11 May 2015, Published under Cement NewsThe shift to polythene cement bags by some cement producers has helped them improve brand differentiation as well as offering benefits in terms of maintaining a quality product throughout the packing and distribution process. To achieve this bagging success, key product and packaging process parameters have been improved. By David Khanna, BPI Visqueen, UK. BPI Visqueen explains why advances in polythene cement bags are giving rise to a significant shift in packaging material and... |
Balancing dusts in the kiln08 April 2015, Published under Cement NewsChemically the expectation for a cement clinker is that it will have the same overall chemical composition as the raw materials from which it is made, less any gaseous emissions and plus any ash provided by the fuels. However, much happens between the raw materials entering the raw mill and the emergence of the clinker. Figure 1: typical LSF of materials through a kiln Much of the variation in the bulk chemistry of the material passing through the system is related to the creati... |
Clinker cooling16 March 2015, Published under Cement NewsDescriptions of the formation of cement clinker generally concentrate on those reactions that take place as the kiln feed heats up and passes through the process to the burning zone. The part of the operation after the burning zone and up until the clinker’s eventual delivery to the cement mill can also have a significant effect on the quality of cement produced. Figure 1: zoned C3S crystal with C2S inclusions in a finely divided groundmass. (Field of view is 90µm) In a precalci... |
Best energy consumption16 February 2015, Published under Cement NewsWhen it comes to achieving the best energy consumption, what are the key factors a cement producer needs to address? In this article, extracted from the newly published Cement Plant Environmental Handbook (Second Edition), Lawrie Evans presents a masterclass in understanding and optimising cement plant energy consumption. By Lawrie Evans, EmCem Ltd, UK. Figure 1: electrical energy (MWh) index across 14 countries, 2013 As control of sources, generation, distribution and consumpti... |
Supplying certainty11 February 2015, Published under Cement NewsThe Middle East and Africa cement markets have experienced varying fortunes over recent years. While GCC countries have largely enjoyed strong levels of demand in the last two years, North Africa has been affected by political and social unrest, while many regions of sub-Saharan Africa are enjoying rapidly-rising consumption. With a wealth of experience in MEA markets, Polysius SAS, part of ThyssenKrupp Industrial Solutions (Germany), has recorded sustained activity in these countries, over... |
Dealing with natural variation26 January 2015, Published under Cement NewsThe variability in deposition environment and the depth of its location in the quarry mean that limestones show significant variation at different places. For the cement producers, this presents challenges to obtain a uniform raw material supply. Stratigraphical variation in the quarry presents challenges to obtain a uniform raw material supply Cement clinker is made primarily from naturally-occurring raw materials, the highest proportion of which is limestone. Most limestones w... |
It’s all in the bag12 January 2015, Published under Cement NewsA correctly-selected air pollution control system will not only control emissions to air successfully, but will also contribute to the cement plant’s overall efficiency. By John B Johnson, FLSmidth AFT, USA. AFT fibreglass filter bags The poor performance of pollution control equipment at a cement plant can be caused by changes in process or raw materials, increases in temperature, air flow or velocity, poor maintenance or improper filter media selection. An analysis of the comp... |
Concrete, air and aggregates19 December 2014, Published under Cement NewsThe design of a good-quality concrete mix depends on a number of factors: the right balance between cement and water used, avoiding excessive air entrapment and the use of suitable aggregate. A fresh delivery of concrete Most Portland cement production is destined to become a part of concrete, whether ready-mix, precast, sprayed or other type. A typical mix for concrete is shown in Table 1. Concrete contains three essential elements: aggregate (including coarse, fine and sand... |