IndustrySectorsCement_draftMay05

Company Toolkit for Energy Efficiency www.geriap.org 1

INDUSTRY SECTORS CEMENT

(NOTE: This chapter has to be expanded, updated and edited.. A more detailed version will follow in the final Toolkit which will cover the information relevant to the headings listed below) SECTOR DESCRIPTION ....................................................................................................................................................1 PROCESS FLOW ..................................................................................................................................................................1 MAJOR PROCESS EQUIPMENTS ................................................................................................................................5 ENERGY EFFICIENCY OPPORTUNITIES ............................................................................................................... 10 REFERENCES .................................................................................................................................................................... 16

Sector Description This section briefly describes the Industry Sector and gives a short introduction to the main

features about the sector Cement and CO2 The global cement industry contributes around 20% of all man-made CO2 emissions and is consequently responsible for around 10% of man-made global warming (Global cement technology magazine). The energy consumption by the cement industry is estimated at about 2% of the global primary energy consumption, or almost 5% of the total global industrial energy consumption. Cement production increases at about 3%/year at the moment. This rate is set to increase as developing nations rapidly become richer, and spends proportionately more on cement- intensive infrastructure. There are two sources of CO2 emissions from the cement plant. One by virtue of the energy it uses and secondly the evolution of CO2 as a by-product in the calcination process. The cement plant releases one tonne of CO2 for every tonne of cement produced, half of it from the fuel it uses and the other half from calcinations process. Process Flow This section includes the description of each step and the main inputs and outputs

The basic process of Cement production as shown in fig. 8.2.1 involves 1. Acquisition of raw materials 2. Preparation of the raw materials for pyroprocessing 3. Pyroprocessing of the raw materials to form Portland cement clinker, and,


4. Grinding the clinker to Portland Cement

Description of production processes Mining: Limestone, the key raw material is mined in the quarries with compressed air drilling and subsequently blasting with explosives. The mined limestone is transported through dumpers or ropeways to the plant. Surface mining is gradually gaining ground because of its eco friendliness.

Crushing: The limestone as mined is fed to a primary and secondary crusher where the size is reduced to 25 mm. Of late even a tertiary crusher is used to further reduce the inlet size to the mill. The crushed limestone is stored in the stockpile through stacker conveyors. The crushed limestone, bauxite and ferrite are stored in feed hoppers from where they are fed to the raw mill via a weigh feeders in the required proportion. Raw Materials Preparation:. Roller mills for grinding raw materials and separators or classifiers for separating ground particles are the two key energy-consuming pieces of equipment at this process stage. For dry-process cement making, the raw materials need to be ground into a flowable powder before entering the kiln.

Limestonequarry

Crusher

Limestone stockyard

Gypsum and other constituents

Clinker storage

Cement Mill

High grade limestone

Raw Mill

IronOre

AluminaRaw meal blending

and storage silos

Upto 60% Fuel in

Stage 1

Stage 2

Stage 3

Stage 4

Precalciner

Rotary KilnFuel in

Grate cooler

To clinkerstorage

Bag Loading

Bagging M/cs

Cement silos

Exit gas to raw millor abatement

Fig. 7.2.1


Generally ball mills and vertical roller mills are used. Coal Milling: In plants using coal, coal mills are part of the system to provide dried pulverized coal to kiln and precalciner. The raw coal from stock yard is crushed in a hammer crusher and fed to the coal mill. The coal mill can be an air swept ball mill or vertical roller mill where the coal particles are collected in the bag filter through a grit seperator. The required size is 80 % on 90m and less than 2% on 212m . Hot air generated in a coal fired furnace or hot air from clinker cooler/preheater exhaust is used in the drying of coal in the mill. Pyro processing: The function of the kiln in the cement industry is to first convert CaCO3 into CaO and then react Silica, Aluminum Oxide, Ferric Oxide, and Calcium Oxide with the free lime to form clinker compounds: C3S, C2S, C3A, and C4AF.. The raw material mix enters the kiln at the elevated end, and the combustion fuels generally are introduced into the lower end of the kiln in a countercurrent manner. The materials are continuously and slowly moved to the lower end by rotation of the kiln. Pulverized coal, gas, pet coke or Oil are the fuels generally used. This system transforms the raw mix into clinkers, which are gray, glass-hard, spherically shaped nodules that range from 0.32 to 5.1 centimeters (cm) in diameter. The chemical reactions and physical processes that constitute the transformation are quite complex, but they can be viewed conceptually as the following sequential events: 1. Evaporation of uncombined water from raw materials as material temperature increases to 100OC 2. Dehydration as the material temperature increases from 100OC to approximately 430OC to form oxides of silicon, aluminum, and iron; 3. Calcination, during which carbon dioxide (CO2 ) is evolved, between 900OC and 982OC to form CaO; and 4. Reaction of the oxides in the burning zone of the rotary kiln to form cement clinker at temperatures of approximately 1510OC Pre heater and Pre calciner: Preheaters are cyclones are arranged vertically, in series, and are supported by a structure known as the preheater tower. Hot exhaust gases from the rotary kiln pass counter currently through the downward-moving raw materials in the preheater vessels. Compared


with the simple rotary kiln, the heat transfer rate is significantly increased, the degree of heat utilization is more complete, and the process time is markedly reduced owing to the intimate contact of the solid particles with the hot gases. The improved heat transfer allows the length of the rotary kiln to be reduced or in other words for the existing kiln if retrofitted, increases the production. . Additional thermal efficiencies and productivity gains have been achieved by diverting some fuel to a calciner vessel at the base of the preheater tower. This system is called the preheater/precalciner process. While a substantial amount of fuel is used in the precalciner, at least 40 percent of the thermal energy is required in the rotary kiln. Upto 95 % of the raw meal gets calcined before entering the kiln. Calciner systems sometimes use lower-quality fuels (e.g., less-volatile matter) as a means of improving process economics. From pre-heater and pre-calciner, 60 % of flue gases travel towards raw mill and 40 % to conditioning tower where water injection is used to condition the gases. These gases are ultimately passed through electrostatic precipitator (ESP) for the maximum removal of particulate matters. Clinker Cooler: The hot clinker is cooled from 1100OC to 90OC in the grate cooler with a series of fans. The cooler has two tasks: to recover as much heat (upto 30% of kiln system heat) as possible from hot (1450OC) clinker so as to return it to the process; and to reduce the clinker temperature to a level suitable for the equipment downstream. The hot air from recuperation zone is used for main burning air (secondary air) and precalciner fuel (tertiary air). The remaining air is sent to the stack through multiclones or ESP. Once clinker leaves the kiln it must be cooled rapidly to ensure the maximum yield for the compound that contributes to the hardening properties of cement. The main cooling technologies are the reciprocating grate cooler and the tube or planetary cooler. Finish Milling: In this final process step, the cooled clinker is mixed with additives to make cement and ground using the mill technologies described above. These materials are then sent through mills which perform the remaining grinding. The grinding process occurs in a closed system with an air separator that divides the cement particles according to size. Material that has not been completely ground is sent through the system again. Finish milling is the grinding of clinker to produce a fine grey powder. Gypsum


(CaSO4) is blended with the ground clinker, along with other materials, to produce finished cement. Gypsum controls the rate of hydration of the cement in the cement-setting process The cement thus produced is collected in the bagfilter and taken to cement silos through a vertical pneumatic pump.. The energy used for cement grinding depends on the type of materials added to the clinker and on the desired fineness of the final product. Cement fineness is generally measured in a unit called Blaine, which has the dimensions of cm 2 /g and gives the total surface area of material per gram of cement. Higher Blaine indicates more finely ground cement, which requires more energy to produce. Portland cement commonly has a Blaine of 3000-3500 cm 2 /g. Major Process equipments This section includes a general description of the equipments used in different processes

(available and used) and comparing the energy efficiency of these Energy flows: The cement making process is highly energy intensive accounting for nearly 40 50 % of the production costs. This provides ample opportunities for reducing energy consumption as many of the cement plants in developing countries consume much more than the the best achieved figures in developed countries. Electrical Energy: The energy flows in a typical cement plant is given in the figure 8.2.2 below. The major electrical energy consumption areas are mill drives, fans and conveying systems.


Energy Flows

Limestone Mining

Crushing

Raw Milling

Pyro Processing

Clinker Cooling

Cement Grinding

Packing & Dispatch

Coal Milling

Transport

Dieselfor loaders, dozersand compressors

Diesel for dumpers and trucks/Electrical energy for ropeway

Electrical Energy for crushers

Electrical Energy forMill drive and fans

Heat Energy from kiln off gases

Heat Energy from fuel input

Electrical Energy for fans, drive and clinker breaker

Electrical Energy for Mill drive and fans

Bauxite, Ferrite

Gypsum

Pre calcinationHeat Energy from fuel input

Electrical Energy forKiln drive, fans and ESP

Electrical Energy for mill drive and fans

Heat Energy from fuel input/waste heat from clinker cooler

About 30% of electric power is consumed for finish grinding, and a little under 30% each is consumed by the clinker burning process. Raw mill circuit is another major consumer accounting for 24 % of the energy. The raw mill circuit and finish grinding process mainly consumes electric power for the mill, and the clinker burning process mainly for the fan. Typical distribution of electrical energy is provided in the table below for a cement plant operating at 75 kWh per tonne of cement.

Electrical energy distribution Section / Equipment Electrical energy consumption

(kWh / ton of cement) % Energy Consumption

Mines, crusher & stacking 1.5 2

Reclaimer, Raw meal grinding & transport 18.0 24

Kiln feed, kiln & cooler 22.0 29.3

Coal mill 5.0 6.7

Cement grinding & transport 23.0 30.7

Packing 1.5 2

Lighting, pumps & services 4.0 5.3

Total 75.0 100

Thermal Energy:

Fig. 8.2.2


Thermal energy accounts for almost half the energy costs incurred in cement manufacture. A variety of fuels such as coal, pet coke, gas and oil in addition to unconventional fuels such as used tires, incinerable hazardous wastes, agro residues etc are used in the cement plant. The major use of thermal energy is in the kiln and precalciner. In plants using coal, an external coal or oil fired furnace is used for generation of hot air required for coal mills. The number of stages in the pre-heater system has a major bearing on the thermal energy consumption of the kiln as shown in the table below.

Specific heat consumption in various kiln systems

Kiln process Heat consumption (kcal per kg clinker)

Wet process with internals 1400-1500 Long dry process with internals 1100

1-stage cyclone preheater 1000 2-stage cyclone preheater 900 4-stage cyclone preheater 800

4-stage cyclone preheater plus calciner 750 5- stage preheater plus calciner plus high efficiency cooler 720 6-stage preheater plus calciner plus high efficiency cooler less than 700

Material and Energy balance Material and energy balance in a cement plant

The cement process involves gas, liquid and solid flows with heat and mass transfer, combustion of fuel, reactions of clinker compounds and undesired chemical reactions that include sulphur, chlorine, and Alkalies. It is important to understand these processes to optimize the operation of the cement kiln, diagnose operational problems, increase production, improve energy consumption, lower emissions, and increase refractory life.. A typical balance is shown in the figure 8.2.3.


Fig 8.2.3

Mass balance for production of 1 Kg cement Based on figure from Austrian BAT proposal 1996, Cembureau

Instruments required:

Conducting a material and energy balance would require apart from various parameters available in the control panel, measurement of flows, dust concentrations and electrical energy consumptions. The following instruments are suggested as minumum requirements;

No Parameter Purpose Instrument 1 Velocity To calculate gas flows Pitot tube with manometer 2 Static

pressure To measure pressure drops across various equipment such as cyclones, bag filters, ESPs, Mills etc

3 Dust concentration

To calculate powder loading, collection efficiency, material losses etc.

High vacuum sampler

4 Surface temperature

To calculate radiation losses Infra red thermometer

5 Power To calculate specific electrical energy consumption

Portable power analyser

Points to consider:

The plant has to be under stabilized condition so that the measurements taken are representative of normal operating conditions. The number of measurements to be taken depends upon the repeatability of the data. Since the temperature, pressure and flow rate are always variable during operation, a little skill and patience are required to keep the error up a


minimum. Since it becomes necessary to set up a measuring point at a place different from the usual working place, consultation shall be held with a relevant party in advance taking the safety of work into consideration, and the measurement shall be made in cooperation with that party. Necessary sampling points if not available have to be provided.

What do we get out of it ?

Raw Mill Example

This example illustrates how a material and energy balance is to be carried out for a raw mill. Under stable operating conditions the following were measured:

- Mill throughput by weigh feeder at the mill inlet - Velocity measurements at various points for calculating flow - Static pressures at various operating points - Energy measurements by a portable power analyzer which directly measures kW - Fan operating speed by tachometer

The fig. 8.2.4 represents the balance carried out for the raw mill circuit

The following were the outcomes of the balance

- There is huge

leakage between mill outlet and CA fan inlet - CA and DC fans are not operating in the best efficiency points resulting in poor

efficiencies (Efficiencies upto 80 % is possible by impeller change or fan replacement)

- Air infiltration is observed in the bag house

Raw Mill circuit

Raw Mill

Grit Separator Cyclone

Bag filter

CA fan DC fan

To Rawmeal Silo

Roots blower3600 m3/hr

5000 mmWC75 kW

AirLift

pump

70 TPH

85,000 m3/hr @ 120OC

550 mmWC200 kW

1000 RPM

1,83,115 m3/hr @ 125OC

165 mmWC140 kW

750 RPM

Kiln gases290OC

69122 m3/hr

Dilutionair

Grit rejectsFeed

CA fan Efficiency 52 %

DC fan Efficiency 44 %

Fig. 8.2.4


Necessary rectification and retrofitting can bring about a 20 % reduction in energy consumption per ton of raw meal.

Samples of formats for undertaking material and energy balance are given in the next few pages. However it would be desirable for each plant to make its own formats depending on the depth of the balance and the nature of the plant.

Energy Efficiency Opportunities This section includes practical tips, CPEE options checklists etc

Option to reduce CO2.Reduction in CO2 emissions from the cement plant involves a two pronged strategy.

1. By improving energy efficiency 2. By promotion of blended cements which can decrease the clinker percentage in

cement, thus reducing the process CO2 emissions

CP-EE in cement plants, starts from the software including operation control and process control, then extends into the field of hardware including equipment improvement and process improvement. Generally, CP-EE measures can be classified into the following three steps:

Raw material process Clinker burning process Finish process

First step

1) Selection of raw material 2) Management of fineness 3) Management of optimum grinding media

1) Prevention of stoppages due to failure 2) Selection of fuel 3) Prevention of leak

1) Management of fineness 2) Management of optimum grinding media

Second step

1) Use of industrial waste material (fly ash) 2) Replacement of fan rotor 3) Improvement of temperature and pressure control system 4) Improvement of mixing & homogenizing system

1) Use of industrial waste material (waste tires) 2) Recovery of preheater exhaust gas 3) Recovery of cooler exhaust gas (drying of raw material and generation of electricity) 4) Replacement of cooler dust collector from multiclone to E.P.

1) Installation of closed circuit dynamic separator) 2) Installation of feed control system

Third step

1) From wet process to dry process 2) From ball and tube mills to roller mill

1) From wet process to dry process 2) Conversion of fuel (from existing to cheaper alternatives) 3)From SP to NSP 4)Use of industrial waste (slag and pozzolana)


5)From planetary and under coolers to grate cooler

Capacity Utilisation High capacity utilisation is very essential for achieving energy efficiency. This brings down the fixed energy loss component of the specific energy consumption. Survey of excellent energy efficient companies show that 80% of the companies attribute capacity utilisation as one of the foremost reason for a major drop in specific energy consumption. Atleast 90% capacity utilisation is to be ensured for achieving low specific energy consumption. Also achieving high capacity utilization is under the control of plant personnel. Hence the first and foremost step for an aspiring energy efficient unit should be on increasing capacity utilisation and reduce the specific energy consumption. Fine Tuning of Equipment This is another opportunity for saving energy. On achieving high capacity utilisation, the fine tuning of equipment should be taken up by the energy efficient plants. Various energy audit studies reveal that Fine-tuning, if efficiently done can yield 3 to 10% of energy saving. The greatest incentive for resorting to fine tuning is that it requires only marginal investment. Technology Upgradation But quantum jumps in energy saving can be achieved only by application of new technologies/upgradation of existing technology. A list of energy efficient technologies are given in Chapter 8.2.6.

CP-EE in a cement plant 10%-20% of electrical energy reduction has been achieved in a cement plant by:

Raw meal mix design change Elimination of run-on equipment Finish Mill Optimization Avoidance of air supply leakage Installation of more efficient fan motors Employees Awareness Power monitoring and targeting Process Replacement Measures


Energy Efficient technologies:

Technique Description Emission reduction/ energy improvement

Process Control and Management Systems

Automated computer control may help to optimise the combustion process and conditions

Typically 2.5-5%

Raw Meal Homogenising Systems

Use of gravity-type homogenising silos

Reduction power use (1.4-4 kWh/t clinker)

Conversion from Wet to Dry Process

Complex operation, leaving only the structural parts intact

Estimated at 2.2 GJ/t (increase of power by about 10 kWh/t)

Conversion from dry to multi-stage preheater kiln

Four or five stage preheating reduces heat losses, and sometimes reduces pressure drop

Depending on original process. In one example reduction from 3.9 to 3.4 GJ/t

Conversion from dry to precalciner kiln

Increase of capacity, and lowering specific fuel consumption

Depending on original process. Estimated at 12% (0.44 GJ/t)

Conversion from Cooler to Grate Cooler

Large capacity and efficient heat recovery.

Reduction of 0.1-0.3 GJ/t (increase in power by 3 kWh/t)

Optimisation of Heat Recovery in Clinker Cooler

Heat recovery improved by reduction of excess air volume, control of clinker bed depth and new grates.

Estimated at 0.5 GJ/t in the US, and 0.2 GJ/t in India

High efficiency Motors and Drives

Variable speed drives, improved control strategies and high-efficiency motors

Estimated power savings ranging from 3 to 8%.

Adjustable Speed Drives Reducing throttling and coupling losses by replacing fixed speed AC motors

Estimated at 10 kWh/t cement

Efficient Grinding Technologies

High-pressure mills (like the Horomill) has improved grinding characteristics

Estimated at 16-19 kWh/t (40-50%)

High-efficiency Classifiers Material stays longer in the separator, leading to sharper separation, thus reducing overgrinding

Estimated at 1.7-2.3 kWh/t cement (8%)

Fluidised bed Kiln Rotary kiln replaced by stationary kiln leading to lower capital costs, wider variety of fuel use and lower energy use

Fuel use of 2.9 to 3.35 GJ/t clinker (also lower NOx emissions)

Advance Comminution Technologies

Non-mechanical milling technologies as ultrasound. Not commercially available in coming decades

Expected (theoretical) savings are large

Mineral Polymers Mineral polymers are made from alumino-silicates leaving calcium oxide as the binding agent.

Preliminary estimates suggests 5 to 10 times lower energy use and emissions


Case studies MADRAS CEMEMTS LIMITED, INDIA

The plant achieved savings equivelent to 16.5% of the total energy cost by achieving the bench marking figures for the cement industry.

Specific Electrical Energy Consumption : 69 Kwh/tonne of Cement Specific Thermal Energy Consumption : 705 Kcal/kg Clinker

The major measures implemented during last three years include:

1 Installed new generation of MMD Crusher for limestone crushing. Power consumption is 60% less than the conventional crusher.

2. Utlisation of hot gas to Raw mill and Coal mill from Kiln exit gas thereby saving 160 Kcal/ Kg. Clinker.

3. Effective utilization of hot gases from cooler to Cement mill. This is equivalent to saving of 55 Kcal/ Kg clinker.

4. Up-gradation of Kiln and Cooler capacity improvement from 2350 to 3000 TPD by modifying the top of cyclone diameter and introducing CIS/CFG system to cooler for higher heat recuperation. This has saved 1.2 kWh/T of cement and 10 Kcal /Kg cl.

5. Up-gradation of Raw mill capacity from 180 TPH to 220 TPH by modifying the classifier. This has saved about 2 Kwh / Tonne of cement.

6. Optimization of Cement mill with changes in the mill internals. This has saved about 4 Kwh/ Tonne of cement.

7. Installed Fuzzy Logic Software System for better process stability and increased throughput

8. Installed Variable Frequency Drive (VFD) for cooler fans to save electrical energy.

9. Saved energy by optimizing process cooling water pump capacity.

10. Optimized DG Set operating voltage and frequency to 6.4 KV and 48 Hz

11. Optimized pressure setting of identified air compressor.

12. Replaced conventional chokes with energy efficient electronic chokes in fluorescent lamps and filament indication lamps in control pane ls with LED lamps.

14. Reduced voltage drop in pump house MCC feeder by shifting capacitor bank from SS to center.


SONADIH CEMENT PLANT, INDIA

The plant incorporates the latest state-of-the-art technology comprising 5-stage preheater with in- line precalciner and vertical roller mills for raw material and coal grinding. The cement grinding system consists of a ball mill attached to roller press and hybrid classifier. The plant employs the latest concepts in instrumentation, and is fully automatic with centralized process control and operations equipment.

1. A wide range of measures as below have been adopted:

2. Proper raw mix composition for easy grindability and better burnability

3. Optimization of coal mix

4. Monitoring of process parameters and false air leakage, and optimization of process parameters

5. Replacement of table liner and roller tyres of raw mills and coal mill at optimum wear

6. Elimination of dampers from DC drive fans

7. Use of variable speed control fan and belt drives by v/f, slip power recovery system (SPRS) thyristor control devices for energy conservation.

8. Replacement of refractory at optimum wear to avoid radiation losses

9. Uninterrupted power supply to plant by running main grid and DG power grid in auto parallel control

10. Burning waste oil emulsions in the kiln

Through these measure, the plant has been able to achieve specific power consumption of 63.5 kWh/ per tonne of clinker and a specific heat consumption of 730 kcal/kg of clinker


GHG linkages

In the cement production process, carbon dioxide emissions can be grouped as energy-related, referring to emissions that result from the combustion of fossil fuel, and process-related, referring to the emissions from the decomposition of calcium carbonate. Studies have shown that one ton of carbon dioxide gas is released into the atmosphere for every ton of Portland cement which is made anywhere in the world. The only exceptions are so-called 'blended cements', using such ingredients as coal fly ash, where the CO2 emissions are slightly suppressed, by a maximum of 10%-15%. Cement, (Portland cement), results from the calcination of limestone (calcium carbonate) at very high temperatures of approximately 1450-1500 C, and silico-aluminous material according to the reaction

5CaCO3 + 2SiO2 --> (3CaO,SiO 2) + (2CaO,SiO 2) + 5CO2

this means that the manufacture of 1 metric tonne of cement generates 1 metric tonne of CO2 greenhouse gas.

Evaluating Carbon Dioxide Emissions due to energy savings

Evaluating Carbon Dioxide Emissions due to cement blending


The

efficiency scenario leads to energy savings at each step which can then be translated into annual carbon reductions a total of 22 kilotonnes of carbon or 10.4 kg C per tonne of cement. In the cement blending scenario there are no energy savings from efficiency improvements, but because the clinker-to-cement ratio is benchmarked at 0.95, total cement output of 3.1 Mt leads to an expected clinker production of 2.95 Mt. Since the plant operates with a 0.65 clinker-to-cement ratio, 0.95 Mt of clinker are avoided, saving 2,950 TJ of fossil fuels, or 62 kilotonnes C if fuel oil is used in the kiln 10 . Also, since 165 kg C per tonne are generated through calcination, an additional 152 kilotonnes of carbon emissions are avoided. The blending project avoids 214 kilotonnes of carbon emissions, or nearly 70 kg C per tonne of cement. This is almost 10 times the total amount avoided by the efficiency project or 7 times when taken on a per tonne of cement basis. This example demonstrates that blending cement can lead to significant carbon emission reductions. These savings can be much larger than those that energy efficiency projects may attain.

References

1.National Productivity Council- Energy Audit reports in Cement Industries. 2.Reports of Lawrence Berkley Laboratory 3. Web Sites: India Cements Ltd, Australian Cement Institute

Documents

IndustrySectorsCement_draftMay05