1st Global Cement Conference and Exhibition Iran 2006
12-13 June 2006
Tehran, Iran
Reviewed by Robert McCaffrey, conference organiser
Image gallery for the 1st Global Cement Conference and Exhibition Iran 2006
The 4th Asian Cement Conference Iran 2006 successfully took place at the Cultural Complex of the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs in Tehran, 11-13 June 2006, followed by a field trip to the Firuzkuh cement plant project on 14 June. Over 300 officially-registered delegates attended the Asian Cement Conference and Exhibition, with approximately another 150 complimentary visitors attending the exhibition on 11 June.
Event start
The event started at 2pm on Sunday 11 June, with the opening of the Asian Cement Exhibition. It is estimated that around 450 attendees visited the exhibition on the first afternoon of the event. At 5pm, delegates poured into the conference auditorium for the official opening of the conference, which started with the Iranian national anthem, and a recitation from the Koran. Delegates were then welcomed by the Iranian co-organiser of the event, Dr Ali Bakhshi (editor of Iranian Cement Magazine and creator of www.IranCement.com), and subsequently by Dr Robert McCaffrey, conference convenor. Mr Pourkahlil, secretary of the Iranian Cement Association then gave an overview of the developments in the industry, with an outlook for the next 10 years. Mr Atabak, managing director of Tehran Cement, who made the suggestion that even if all proposed projects do not come to pass in Iran, those that are already started will lead to an excess of capacity some time in the next ten years, and that then significant export capacity will then be needed. Media interest in the event was intense, with a dozen reporters attending from all the main Iranian papers, as well as Iranian TV - which broadcast a 20-minute feature on the conference and exhibition.
The deputy minister of Industry then opened the conference officially, and inaugurated the exhibition, touring all exhibition stands one by one. Tehran Cement then kindly sponsored a dinner for all attendees at the Cultural Complex, and delegates were subsequently able to watch the FIFA World Cup match between Iran and Mexico on the big screen in the auditorium. Scenes of jubilation greeted the equaliser from Iran in the first half of the match, even though the final scoreline was 1-3.
Conference first day
The conference started with an overview of the Iranian cement industry by Dr Bakhshi, and was followed by Henrik Sonderberg of FLSmidth, who gave an overview of FLS projects in Iran. Mr Bokaian of Abyek Cement Co gave an overview of which is claimed to be the largest upgrading project in the world, close to Tehran, and this was backed-up by the first presentation from Stephan Pallmann of Polysius, who also spoke on the Abyek project. Following a very busy coffee break, Thomas Neuhaus of IKN spoke about a cooler replacement project in Canada, which is expected to be operationally very similar to two similar projects in Iran which are coming up in the near future. Mr Zolfghari of Hegmatan Cement Company then spoke about his company's upgrading project, while Johannes Crump of KHD spoke - in his company's 150th anniversary year - of various projects that have succeeded in increasing production capacity from Iranian cement production lines. Cristian Buldur spoke about Uzinexport's case studies in Iran, and on his company's general capabilities. The long morning was brought to a conclusion by Farid Dadgar of Neda Industrial Group, who spoke about the electrical and automation systems of the Kerman Momtazan Cement Company's new plant project.
Following lunch, Stephan Pallmann of Polysius spoke on his company's approach to the use of alternative fuels, and showed video of the Polytrack cooler in operation. Mark Wellington of FCT outlined approaches - through modelling - to combustion optimisation, and to pyroprocessing optimisation through the use of on-line XRD. Tahir Abbas of Cinar Ltd then detailed approaches in mathematical modelling for combustion optimisation, and outlined a number of examples where his company had helped to redesign processes for ultimate efficiency. Dirk Lechtenberg of MVW spoke about the production of secondary fuel from municipal solid waste (MSW), while Professor Abbas Taeb spoke on the techniques for energy optimisation at three Iranian cement plants and Mr Sadighi, senior advisor, spoke on the use of alternative fuels in the seventh plant of the Tehran Cement Company. The consensus of the session was that while both oil and gas are so inexpensive in Iran, there is very little incentive for the use of alternative fuels. However, it was realised that market reforms may lead to the reduction of fuel subsidies for Iranian industry, and that alternative fuel use may yet become an important trend in Iran.
After the afternoon session, delegates gathered together for a reception at the Cultural Complex of the Ministry of Labour and Social, before heading off for the evening to their own respective dinner dates.
Conference second day
The programme of the second day of the conference commenced with a well-presented speech from S. Rashidi of the Amirkabir University of Technology, on the development of a new software for optimisation of air separators, and was followed by an overview of materials handling technology from Barry Woodbine of Aumund. Rolf Hoppler of ABB then gave a fascinating paper on a 'network-friendly' downhill conveyor drive, which was robust enough to be the only piece of equipment still operating after a major power cut. Philippe Davin of Iteca spoke on instrumentation in the cement industry - an apparently simple subject but one which causes endless frustration at plant level - particularly on the use of level sensors in silos and hoppers. After a long and fruitful coffee break, Kurt Hofer of Scheuch spoke alongside Kourosh Fatemi on Scheuch's installation of the EMC concept on the bag filters at Mazandaran Cement. Werner Themmel of Inspec Fibres then spoke on the P84 fibres which are used to make bag filters, pointing out the economic advantages of using such high-tech fibres over less sophisticated but less expensive alternatives. Abdel Baky of Pfister, Germany, gave a very nice presentation on the theoretical background to the operation of rotorweighfeeders, and their use in the cement manufacturing process.
After lunch Nicolas Gouez of CMD spoke about the upgrade and optimisation of heady-duty mechanical drives, and pointed out that correct lubrication can go a long way to ensuring correct performance from gears. Max Luedtke of ABB spoke on the possibilities of improving plant performance through the use of new and proven software technologies, while Anil SenGupta of Reitz India gave a well-illustrated presentation on the possibilities of retro-fitting process fans for upgradation and optimisation in cement plants. Roland Martin of Gebr. Pfeiffer showed how it was possible to upgrade mills - and not just Gebr. Pfeiffer mills - in a cost-effective manner, and Hassan Yazdi of FLS Automation spoke on recent high-level control achievements in Asia. Saumitra Pal of Saramadan Services detailed the use of MathCement as an optimisation tool for cement plants, and the conference programme was finally broght to a close by an introduction to the Firuzkuh cement plant by F&K CES, Cement Engineering Services.
Awards and prizes
The conference chairmen (Professor Taeb, Dr Vaseghi, Mr Azizian and Dr Allahverdi) were thanked, as were Rahim Vaseghi of CES (field trip organiser) and Dr Bakhshi, conference co-organiser, and his team. CES was awarded the Best Exhibition Stand prize. As ever, delegates were asked to vote on their favourite presentations, and the results normalised to the number of attendees in each session. Mark Wellington of FCT was in fifth place, in joint fourth place came Dirk Lechtenberg (MVW) and Rolf Hoppler (ABB), in third place was Dr Bakhshi, in second place was Hassan Yazdi of FLS, but the winner of the Asian Cement Conference Best Presentation Award was Max Luedtke of ABB (seen left).
Field trip
On Wednesday 14 June, around 100 delegates made the spectacular and picturesque 180km trip to the north east of Tehran to visit the Firuzkuh cement plant project, with CES as the general contractor.
After the visit, delegates were able to refresh themselves at a local restaurant, and to enjoy delicious Iranian cuisine.
The future
The Global Cement Conference Iran 2006 was a huge success and will be repeated in 2009. We look forward to meeting you there!