Sponsored editorial on behalf of Christian Pfeiffer
It does not always have to be expensive investments and all-round renovations. Even with small investments, companies in the cement industry can increase production, reduce energy requirements and improve competitiveness. A plant audit carried out by experts helps to find out where small improvements can lead to big successes.
In order to optimize grinding plants, operators do not necessarily have to plan extensive modernizations. After all, gradual investments can also lead to permanently better results. For example, significantly better results can be achieved quickly and easily at comparatively low cost by replacing the mill diaphragm or, alternatively, the mill shell lining of the first grinding compartment, by installing a separator or optimizing the ball charge.
To find out where even smaller investments are worthwhile, companies are well advised to take advantage of the offers of professional suppliers which operate worldwide and therefore have a broad knowledge of grinding mills with different equipment. On that basis, they are able to create a benchmark after a plant audit. The company Christian Pfeiffer from Beckum/Germany, for example, sends out specialists as part of its "360° Mill Check" who carry out comprehensive on-site audits of the grinding processes and propose concrete solutions for more efficient operation. In a two-compartment ball mill, for example, the engineers carry out such a mill check to create a longitudinal sieving, check the grinding media filling ratio and evaluate the condition of the mill shell lining as well as the intermediate and discharge diaphragm. In addition, they often determine the grindability of the clinker and inspect the separator if one is existing.
Based on the collected test results, minor improvements can then be made which often lead to astonishing results. In a plant in Romania, for example, it was possible to increase the production of CEM II cement from 69 t/h to 81 t/h by simply replacing the mill internals (complete mill shell lining of the 1st and 2nd compartment as well as the mill diaphragm), which corresponds to a production increase of 17.4 %, while at the same time saving specific energy of 14.4 %.
To find out more about the 360° Mill Check and Christian Pfeiffer visit the website at: christianpfeiffer.com