08 March 2017
Rexnord launches ‘smart’ PT Select Bearings 08 March 2017
US: Rexnord has launched so-called ‘smart’ PT Select Mounted Spherical Roller Bearings. These bearings are targeted for conveyor, fan and blower applications in the cement, aggregate, material and package handling industries. They also include product specific QR codes laser-etched on to each product linking to product specific information that links to a dedicated mobile application. The bearings also include engineered bearing seals to increase product life, such as standard triple lip and clearance seals to provide ingress protection against contaminants, to reduce operating temperatures at higher speeds and they feature nitrile material with protective metal shield.
South Korea: Voith has reported on a contract to engineer and install a belt conveyor drive and controller system for SsangYong Cement’s Donghae plant. Changes made by the engineering firm to two belt conveyors from the main limestone quarry to the plant managed to double the production of the quarry.
The engineering company installed new drive trains on the longer 12.8km SB500 belt conveyor, one of the longest single conveyors in the world. The installed power is now 2 x 1.2MW at the head and 1 x 1.2MW at the tail of the conveyor. The existing drives from the longer conveyor were used to double the number of drive trains on the shorter 2km SB200 conveyor. The new configuration of the SB200 drive system consists of 4 x 600kW installed power at the head equipped with new gearboxes. A Voith TurboBelt DriveControl system was also installed to reduce the start-up time of the longer conveyor by half, from originally over 10 minutes. The system includes active-load sharing, belt conveyor control, slip detection and remote service capability. It is also expected to extend the belt lifetime by reducing the mechanical stress as well as the dynamic impacts.
“Due to this retrofit project, we were able to reduce the working hours of plant workers, achieved cost savings, and a flexible operation is now possible. Thanks to Voith’s technical support and efforts, the plant will enjoy sustainable operations providing value to its community, its owner, and the employees,” said Dukgi Lee, General Manager of the plant.
South Korea: SsangYong Cement has awarded a contract to Claudius Peters Projects for the supply of a grate cooler modification. The existing cooler at the Donghae cement plant will be upgraded by with an ETA 5th generation clinker cooler system. It consists of a fixed inlet, the High Efficiency module (HEM) and a moving floor ETA technology. It is designed for a stable production at 7600t/day.
SsangYong cement was established in 1962 and operates the world’s largest cement plant in Donghae with a capacity of 11.5Mt/yr of clinker. It employs around 400 workers.
US: Orcem Americas, a subsidiary of Ireland’s Ecocem, has been refused planning permission to build a slag cement plant in Vallejo, California. The cement producer was hoping to build a US$50m grinding plant but it faced opposition from local residents on environmental grounds, according to the Irish Times. The issues for the planners was an anticipated increase in the number of trucks on local roads and pollution from the plant. Orcem Americas can now appeal the decision to Vallejo’s City Council if it chooses.
UK: Breedon Group’s sales revenue and profits have been expanded by its acquisition of Hope Construction Materials in 2016. Its revenue rose by 43% year-on-year to Euro523m in 2016 from Euro367m in 2015. Its profit before tax rose by 50% to Euro53.9m from Euro36m. The group also attributed its success to its aggregate business.
“2016 was arguably the most eventful year in the group’s history. We completed our largest acquisition to date, invested a record amount in our business, began supplying our biggest ever contract and delivered an excellent financial performance – all against the background of an uncertain economic environment and challenging trading conditions in many of our markets,” said executive chairman Peter Tom.
The building materials company added cement production to its portfolio when it purchased Hope in mid-2016. It added a cement plant, five new quarries, a network of concrete plants and eight rail-linked distribution depots. In November 2016 it bought Sherburn Minerals, including two terminals in northeast England and eastern Scotland, that are used to import cement and ground granulated blast-furnace slag (GGBS).
Aalborg Portland orders two calciners from A Tec 08 March 2017
Denmark: Aalborg Portland has awarded A Tec a contract to upgrade its Cement Kiln 87 in Aalborg. It has ordered two calciners for its 4500t/day semi-dry kiln system that was commissioned in 1988. The calciners will be designed and delivered during the kiln’s annual stop in February and March 2017. Commissioning is planned for the spring of 2017. The upgrades are intended to increase production of Ordinary Portland Cement on the line.
A Tec intends to adapt the flow pattern of the calciner system in a way to improve the operational behaviour of the system. The design will be configured for the usage of 100% solid alternative fuels with low emissions. Additionally, the number of kiln stops due fall through cyclone blockages should be reduced. A Tec will conduct the engineering, supply the equipment and will be responsible for errection and documentation.
The new calciner system will be equipped with the A Tec Post Combustion Chamber (PCC) for the optimised mixture of fuels and combustion air in the end section of the calciner. The PCC was specially developed for the achievement of complete combustion of alternative fuels at high substitution rates.
Siam Cement Group buys Vietnam Construction Materials 08 March 2017
Vietnam: Thailand’s Siam Cement Group (SCG) has purchased a 100% stake in Vietnam Construction Materials for US$155m. The enterprise value of the transaction is valued at US$440m, including net debt and additional efficiency improvement investment to the acquired assets, according to the Bangkok Post. Vietnam Construction Materials has a cement production capacity of 3.1Mt/yr including one integrated plant at Tuyen Hoa in Quang Bing Province. The acquisition raises SCG’s cement production capacity in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) region outside of Thailand to 10.5Mt/yr. It follows other purchases by SCG of Vietnamese building materials companies including the white cement producer Buu Long.