An Overview of …

The Cement Manufacturing Process

 The Cement Manufacturing Process
Objectives of this presentation ...

ƒ To provide a general overview of the cement

manufacturing process.

ƒ To provide some specific information concerning the

main parts of the process including:
- the materials involved

- the equipment used

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distribution outside the client organization without prior written approval from Holcim Lanka.
 Cement Manufacturing Processes

Cement plant boundaries

Raw material supply

- Mechanical processes Customer

- Thermal process
- Chemical process

Concrete
Cement & Mortar

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distribution outside the client organization without prior written approval from Holcim Lanka.
 Cement Manufacturing Processes
Mechanical Processes Thermal Mechanical Process
Process
Raw
Materials
Calcareous Fuels
Argillaceous
Silica correctives Raw
Iron correctives Meal Gypsum
Mineral
Clinker Components
Quarrying OR
Crushing
Pre-blending Burning...
Grinding Cement
Homogenizing...
Grinding...
Dispatch
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distribution outside the client organization without prior written approval from Holcim Lanka.
 Cement Manufacturing Process - Schematic
Production of Cement by the Dry Process
Feed Bins
Sampling Station

Quarry Crushing Plant (s) Raw Materials Storage and Preblending Corrective Materials

Electrostatic
Homogenizing and
Precipitator
Cooler Dedusting Storage Silo

Coal

Raw Meal

Water
Air-to-Air
Cooler Coal
Mill

Cyclone
Rotary Kiln Preheater Conditioning Raw Mill
Tower

Mineral Filter
Clinker Cooler Gypsum Components Bulk Dispatch Packing Machine Bag Palletisation

Cement Cement
Clinker Silo Silo
Storage

Cement Mill

Zement-trocken-englisch.dsf Kma 27.4.98

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distribution outside the client organization without prior written approval from Holcim Lanka.
 Materials: Raw Mix Components ...
ƒ Main Raw Mix Components

 Calcareous (Calcium/Lime) Materials --> CaCO3 (Limestone)

 Argillaceous Materials --> SiO2, Al2O3 & Fe2O3 (Clay)

ƒ Main Components (Chemistry):

 CaO = Lime / C SiO2 = Silica / S

 Al2O3 = Alumina / A Fe2O3 = Iron / F

ƒ Raw Mix Corrective Materials

 Materials rich in C, S, A, F to correct the rawmix

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distribution outside the client organization without prior written approval from Holcim Lanka.
 Quarry: Limestone and Marl

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distribution outside the client organization without prior written approval from Holcim Lanka.
 Process: Raw Material Extraction

Explosive Charge
Stemming
Primer
Cartridge

Column
Charge

Toe
Detonator or Cap
Charge

Drilling and blasting

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distribution outside the client organization without prior written approval from Holcim Lanka.
 Process: Quarry Operation - Blasting

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distribution outside the client organization without prior written approval from Holcim Lanka.
 Process: Quarry Operation, Loading & Haulage

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distribution outside the client organization without prior written approval from Holcim Lanka.
 Process: Raw Material Crushing...

Impact
Crusher

Materials are reduced

from >1m to >100mm
in size
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distribution outside the client organization without prior written approval from Holcim Lanka.
 Process: Raw Material Crushing ...

After quarrying, the material is

crushed to reduce it from a
size of ~ 1.5m to ~ 30 - 100mm

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distribution outside the client organization without prior written approval from Holcim Lanka.
 Process: Transport to the Clinker Producing Site

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distribution outside the client organization without prior written approval from Holcim Lanka.
 Process: Raw Material Pre-blending

Direction of travel during

stacking/making the pile

Reclaiming is at 900 to
the direction of stacking

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distribution outside the client organization without prior written approval from Holcim Lanka.
 Pre - blending: stacking and reclaiming
ƒ Stacking: How do you make a “Black Forest” cake?
ƒ Reclaiming: How do you eat a “Black Forest” cake?

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distribution outside the client organization without prior written approval from Holcim Lanka.
 The Vertical Roller Mill – Operating principle ...

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distribution outside the client organization without prior written approval from Holcim Lanka.
 Process: Raw Material Grinding ...

Tube mill

Vertical mill
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distribution outside the client organization without prior written approval from Holcim Lanka.
 Process: Dust Collection (To clean gas streams) ...
Bagfilter

Electrostatic Precipitator
with Conditioning Tower
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distribution outside the client organization without prior written approval from Holcim Lanka.
 Process: Raw Meal Homogenisation ...
In
FR
Filter FR The raw meal is homogenised
by a combination of the way it
is added to/pulled from the silo
and air mixing in the silo.

Out

HS
Bypass

GKA GKJ

Active Inactive

GAS
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distribution outside the client organization without prior written approval from Holcim Lanka.
 Pre - blending: stacking and reclaiming
ƒ Stacking: How do you make a “Black Forest” cake?
ƒ Reclaiming: How do you eat a “Black Forest” cake?

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distribution outside the client organization without prior written approval from Holcim Lanka.
 Chemical Composition - Examples
Limestone Raw Meal Clinker

L.o.l. 42.2 35.1 0.24

SiO2 1.9 14.3 22.7
Al2O3 0.81 3.6 5.7
Fe2O3 0.52 2.0 3.2
CaO 55.2 42.0 67.0
MgO 1.4 1.8 2.9
SO3 0.56 0.25 0.33
K2O 0.22 0.63 0.74
Na2O 0.08 0.22 0.35
TiO2 0.05 0.17 0.25
Cr2O3
Mn2O3 0.02 0.10 0.15
P2O5 0.01 0.06 0.09
Cl 0.01 0.01 0.01

Minimise for white cement

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distribution outside the client organization without prior written approval from Holcim Lanka.
 Process: Preheating/Pre-calcination...
Stages
315
50 Raw meal
1
500 Exhaust gas
315
2
660
500
3
785
660
4
880
785
5
1000
0 500 1000
Temperature 0C
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distribution outside the client organization without prior written approval from Holcim Lanka.
 Process: Clinker production...
• A rotating steel tube
• 40 - 230 m long
• 2.5 - 7.5 m diameter
• Protected by refractory
materials (Resistant to heat)
• Slope ~2-30
• Sinters Rawmeal

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distribution outside the client organization without prior written approval from Holcim Lanka.
 Siggenthal Production Process - Kiln

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distribution outside the client organization without prior written approval from Holcim Lanka.
 Process: Fuel Combustion ...
A complex burner is used
to mix different fuels with
air and deliver them to the
burning zone of the kiln for
combustion

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distribution outside the client organization without prior written approval from Holcim Lanka.
 Process: Clinker Cooling ...
Clinker at ~1350 0C enters
the cooler and forms a bed
through which air is blown
to cool it to ~150 0C

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distribution outside the client organization without prior written approval from Holcim Lanka.
 Materials: The Actual Reactions ...
Some of the changes and reactions that occur during
the change from Raw Meal to Clinker ...

Temperature 0C
20 - 100 Evaporation of free water (H2O)

100 - 300 Loss of physically adsorbed H2O

600 - 900 Dissociation of carbonates (CO2 Ç)

> 800 Formation of C2S, C3A & C4AF

> 1250 Liquid Phase of C3A & C4AF forms

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distribution outside the client organization without prior written approval from Holcim Lanka.
 Materials: The Actual Reactions ...
Another representation of the reactions ...

(%) (%)
C C3S 65
S C2S 20
A C3A 6
F C4AF 8

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Materials: Raw Meal to Clinker ...

The basic sequence of reactions ...

Reactants + C S+ C S
3 2 Cooled
Raw Meal AND
Products Clinker
(60°C) Liquids/Melt (180°C)
(450 - 1300°C) (1450°C)

Natural Synthetic Rock with

Minerals Created Minerals
from Earth Alite & Belite
Aluminate & Ferrite
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 Clinker under the Microscope

ƒAlite

ƒBelite

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 Process – Cement grinding

Operation principle
of a Tube mill

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distribution outside the client organization without prior written approval from Holcim Lanka.
 Process: Cement grinding ...
+ 5% Gypsum Portland
90-95% Clinker Milling
+ 5% Mineral Comp’t Cement

Ball mill
Note – Composite
Cements may
contain >5% mineral
components as a
clinker replacement

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distribution outside the client organization without prior written approval from Holcim Lanka.
 Process: Cement dispatch ...
Layout of dispatch / shipping station

Cement from the mills

Storage

Cement Cement
Silo Silo

Dispatch/Transport
Packing & Loading
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distribution outside the client organization without prior written approval from Holcim Lanka.
 Process: Cement dispatch (Example)...
Bulk loading
for trucks ...

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 Process – Cement Packaging

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 Process: Cement Palletizing (Example)...

Single
bags in ...

Multi-pack out
Direct to load
out, or plastic
wrapped first

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distribution outside the client organization without prior written approval from Holcim Lanka.