Cement plant case studies and insights

Results of a pyroprocess application of ECS/ ProcessExpert® (PXP) solution

Officially launched in July 2024, the latest update to our ECS/ProcessExpert (PXP) advanced process control solution brings together cutting-edge technologies to deliver real-world results. Early adopter CEMEX is already reaping the benefits.

Originally designed in 1919 as a solution for the safe transportation of pulverised fuels, the Fuller-Kinyon® screw pump has proven itself to be a must-have component in materials handling systems worldwide. Over more than a century, the pump has evolved to handle greater throughputs, longer conveying distances, and the increasing complexities of today’s dry bulk materials processes. In that time, it has been widely applied across the cement and other dry bulk materials handling industries, developing reputation as a real workhorse – as is testified by the continuing operation of some of the original FK Pumps.

Jose Gil, Head of Service Execution, Fuller USA, discusses the evolution of digital and how this has resulted in a step change in delivering service and support.

Jason Heiser discusses how the Ful-Floor™ Pneumatic Reclaim System works, and the advantages of fluidisation over other discharge methods.

A groundbreaking research project aims to create advanced electric heating technologies that could dramatically reduce carbon emissions from cement production. The Innovation Fund will invest almost DKK21 million in the project, which will run from 1 September 2024 to 29 February 2028.

We are proud to share a testimonial from Medcem Cement regarding their postive experience with Pfister AutoGAP 2.0 — automatic gap adjustment for DRW Rotor Weighfeeders

We have launched the latest version of our ECS/ControlCenter™ Platform 9.1 software, bringing new functionality for mobile working, interoperability, and AI integration to the industry’s leading plant control system.

Ozinga is a fifth-generation family business that has been supplying the construction industry throughout Illinois, Indiana, Wisconsin, Michigan and South Florida for almost a century. What started as a small coal yard has grown into a premier supplier of concrete and materials solutions. As business has grown, the company needed a terminal in the Port of Palm Beach to support their concrete business. This was a challenging location. The site is in a tourist area subject to high interest from local government with considerable desire to maintain a pleasing aesthetic. It was also a complex project because Ozinga wanted to utilize a mechanical ship unloader with a pneumatic conveying system – the first time, to the team’s knowledge, a solution quite like this had been attempted worldwide. Thankfully, Ozinga had already assembled the perfect team to pull it off following a successful first project in Chicago with Dome Technology and Fuller.

Vast potential is offered by digitally-based, people-powered services.

As the cement industry continues its journey towards net zero, Fuller is focusing on optimization at every stage of the process to increase efficiency and, in turn, sustainability. We talked to Raveendran Chalil and Manoj Taneja to find out how service and sustainability are intertwined, and why performance optimization underpins the industry’s ambitious environmental targets.

Our latest ECS/ProcessExpert® advanced process control solution brings together a range of cutting-edge technologies to deliver cement plant optimization well beyond what was possible with previous incarnations of the software.

The latest update to our ECS/PlantDataManagement system features a range of advanced functionality that supports critical decision making to improve plant- and enterprise-level productivity, profitability, and sustainability.

How do you ensure your cement sampling and analysis systems are ready to support your Industry 4.0 ambitions? It all starts with the system responsible for collecting, organising, and tracking sample data: the Production Laboratory Information Management Systems (LIMS). Jens Asbjørn Pedersen, Global Product Manager – Sampling, Preparation, and Analysis, and Claus Østergaard, Global Technical Manager – Laboratory Automation Software, at Fuller explain.

Kiranmai Sanagavarapu, Program Manager - Clinker Decarbonisation, and David Jayanth, Project Manager, Carbon Capture, Fuller, share highlights from a cross-industry panel discussion on carbon capture in the cement industry, with a focus on the US.

Troubleshooting is now so easy for operators at Mangalam Cement’s plant in Rajasthan, India, that downtime is a thing of the past. Upgrading the control system to Fuller's ECS/ControlCenter™ V8 has made the system simple to use and Mangalam no longer depend on specialised individuals to perform maintenance or bypass interlocks.

The Pfister® FEEDflex is an upgrade to the proven and widely used Pfister® DRW Rotor Weighfeeder, with the advantage of a much lower minimum feed rate – down to as little as 60 kg/h – with no change to the maximum feed rate.

As announced on 29 January 2024, FLSmidth (now Fuller) is exploring new ownership for our Cement business. We welcome this development. Cement has been the heart and soul of FLSmidth (Fuller) for much of its history, however our market environment has evolved. Years ago, we shared some synergies and economies of scale by integrating aspects of our organization with our mining business. However, our industries, and in turn, the appropriate operating models which best serve them, have diverged. Consequently, combining our two organizations under one ownership is now forcing more operational friction than benefit.

John Terembula, Fuller, discusses options to reduce the clinker factor using existing technologies and materials.

What does your maintenance team want you to know about reliability, but is afraid to tell you? Jose Gil, Fuller, explains. Ask anyone working at a cement plant and all would agree that reliability – of equipment, of the process, of production output, of product quality – is critical. Fuller would also agree. In fact, the company even has Reliability Centred Maintenance (RCM) service specifically designed to help cement plants prioritise reliability. Ask who is responsible for reliability and they would probably all point to the maintenance team. And here, Fuller would disagree.

Whatever happens next with market dynamics, achieving efficiencies will continue to be foremost in people’s minds. Whether you operate a port, a terminal or a manufacturing plant, the ability to do more with less will be what sets you apart from the competition. Pneumatic conveying is already widely adopted as the most efficient means of material transport. It’s both cleaner and safer than mechanical methods and, with the right technology, you can achieve impressive volumes and speeds. Key to this capability are the core pump and compressor technologies, which can either make or break your process.

Pneumatic conveying is a clean, quick and reliable way of moving materials around the plant and is almost always the most efficient means of transporting materials around a site. In those instances where pneumatic conveying does not look like an efficient option, the reason is typically given as high energy consumption. However, the introduction of a new rotary airlock, the V-Series Feeder / Airlock, reduces the installed power of pneumatic conveying systems and lowers operating costs significantly.

Fuller will support a leading cement producer to improve the reliability and performance of its operations in Latin America. The new contract builds on a long-standing relationship between the two companies and will last a period of 18 months.

Testing, testing – how material and pilot scale testing helps confirm clay suitability for eco cement: Fuller experts describe the material testing necessary to determine if a particular clay is suitable to process into eco-friendly cement.

Cement plants have a new solution for online analysis of raw materials thanks to a partnership between Fuller and FCT ACTech. Under the agreement, Fuller will incorporate FCT ACTech’s advanced XRF and XRD analysers in its new QCX® CUBE solutions. The agreement was signed in August 2023.

A new research effort led by Fuller is working to use digitalization and advanced predictive modelling to maximize the use of supplementary cementitious materials in cement, a key pillar to decarbonise cement.

Automation is a major contributor towards sustainable production and efficiency in modern cement plants. But what are the boundaries of automation today? Does automation start with the control system and end with high-level optimization? Or could it also include smart instruments, Intelligent Motor Control Centers (iMCCs), and a robotic laboratory? This would mean that plants could also business intelligence solutions to help make informed decisions at the plant level, as well as at the enterprise level. With the advancement of technology, the boundaries of automation are shifting.

Increasing energy efficiency through advanced digital tools is helping cut carbon by reducing power consumption. However, there are some emissions that are much harder to deal with: those which occur with the calcination of limestone and formation of clinker.

A new collaboration with Lin & Associates means the company’s flagship adaptive model-less multivariable control solution, DELTUM® will be incorporated into our ECS/ProcessExpert (PXP) advanced process control (APC) software. The aim is to deliver even greater responsiveness to changes in the process conditions so that plants can best fulfil their sustainability ambitions.

After implementing its second production line with the latest ECS/ControlCenter software, Arghakhanchi Cement knew what benefits a state-of-the-art plant control system could bring. It also showed up the obsolete and fault-prone software used on its older production line. So much so, that the company decided it needed an upgrade.