Displaying items by tag: Upgrade
France: LafargeHolcim France has inaugurated a new clinker loader at its Martres-Tolosane cement plant. The Euro4.4m project consists of a 1000t silo fed by a belt conveyor and a loading area for trains and trucks. It is intended to supply the grinding mill at LafargeHolcim’s La Couronne plant with raw materials. The loader was built by DB2i, a subsidiary of engineering company Demathieu & Bard with the assistance of Comminges Bâtiment and Alibert & Fils. The project is part of a wider Euro100m investment initiative at the site.
Taiheiyo Cement to expand San Fernando plant
26 June 2018Philippines: Japan’s Taiheiyo Cement plans to expand its San Fernando plant in Cebu. The cement producer has allocated US$65m for a new unit and equipment for the site, according to the Manila Bulletin newspaper. Cement production will be increased to 16,350t/day from 7350t/day at present. In addition, another US$68m has been assigned to upgrade the plant’s dust collectors to filters. The plant could also import cement from Japan and South Korea. The upgrade has been organised to meet the government’s ‘Build, Build, Build’ infrastructure development program.
Pakistan: Power Cement plans to take out a Euro30m loan from Germany’s Deutsche Investitions to finance building a 7700t/day new clinker production line. In mid-2017 the cement producer ordered a production line from Denmark’s FLSmidth for a third line at its plant at Nooriabad.
Turkey: Switzerland’s ABB says that Batısöke Çimento is one of the first companies in the world to install its ABB Ability MNS Digital product, a scalable, modular low-voltage (LV) smart switchgear solution to optimise operations at its cement plant near Aydin.
MNS Digital incorporates ‘intelligent’ devices with a data interface to enable remote operation, monitoring and condition-based maintenance. It gives the operator access to real-time data. MNS Digital can connect to the ABB Ability cloud platform, a local SCADA (supervisory control and data acquisition) or ECMS (electrical control and monitoring system), to extended Automation System 800xA or other types of distributed process control systems (DCSs). ABB is also supplying a medium-voltage switchgear product, UniGear Digital, to the plant.
Germany: IKN has revealed that first clinker was created on schedule at HeidelbergCement’s Burglengenfeld cement plant in April 2018 following an upgrade to one its kiln lines.
IKN was awarded a contract for engineering, supply and installation to upgrade the pyro-processing line to 4000t/day, from raw meal feeding to clinker discharge. The contract included integration engineering, supply and installation of add-on components for the raw meal grinding plant. The new production line comprises a two-string, five-stage preheater tower with inline calciner and Fire Bed Combustor for coarse refuse-derived fuel (RDF). IKN says that its most modern preheater and calciner design ensures minimum pressure drop at maximum performance and high efficiency. The kiln line has been designed for maximum use of a broad range of alternative fuels.
China: Austria’s RHI Magnesita plans to invest Euro20m in its dolomite plant in China. It is intended to address global pressures in the supply of raw materials to the refractory industry and ‘rapidly’ provide additional volumes to its customers worldwide. In the medium term more than 250 jobs will be created at the brick plant and raw material mine in Chizhou.
The Chizhou site includes an ‘extensive’ dolomite mine and raw material production as well as facilities for the production of high-quality dolomite-based finished products. Successful trials are already underway in the brick plant in Chizhou where it is planned to start production by the beginning of 2019. The raw dolomite mine is planned to resume operation by the end of 2019. This overall investment will eventually lead to the creation of up to 250 jobs.
“After the completion of the investment, RHI Magnesita will be able to offer a fully integrated dolomite source in each of the big regions of the world to our customers and simultaneously offer dual sourcing options,” said Stefan Borgas, the chief executive officer (CEO) of RHI Magnesita. He added that the investment will allow the company to offer its customers in Asia shorter lead times and provide additional capacity to customers in North America, Europe and Asia from local sources.
Borgas went on to say that stricter environmental regulations in China have led to local plant closures, resulting in shortages of both magnesite and dolomite, ‘dramatic’ increases in raw material cost and supply security issues. These developments have accelerated the shift from magnesia- to dolomite based products. High stainless steel production has further fuelled demand for refractory products and compounded the pressure on raw material supplies.
Republic Cement to expand production
25 June 2018Philippines: Republic Cement has signed an agreement with its parent company Aboitiz Group to provide structural and mechanical upgrades to its plants at Bulacan and Cebu. The projects are scheduled to be completed by mid-2019, according to the Philippine Star newspaper. The cement producer is also considering increasing the clinker and cement production capacity at its plants at Teresa and Batangas, and increasing cement production at Iligan. The company is a joint venture run by Ireland’s CRH and local partner Aboitiz Group.
Nigeria: BUA Group is ready to commission a new 1.5Mt/yr cement production line at its Sokoto Cement plant in the northwest of the country. The upgrade will increase production at the unit to 0.5Mt/yr, according to the Vanguard newspaper. The company exports cement from the plant to neighbouring Niger. The new line will run on coal and natural gas. The cement producer also operates a 3.5Mt/yr plant at Okpella & Obu in Edo state in the mid-west of the country.
Tunisia: Ciments de Bizerte is planning to upgrade the cement grinding capacity by 20% at its plant in Bizerte. Other anticipated upgrades include the installation of a new 10,000t cement silo and the contruction of a captive wind farm, according to the L'Economiste Maghrébin magazine.
Yakutcement starts third kiln at plant
14 June 2018Russia: Yakutcement has started the third kiln at its plant at Mokhsogollokh in Khangalassky. The new production line has a clinker production capacity of 0.5Mt/yr, according to Sakha Life. Representatives of local government and the management of the cement plant’s owner’s Vostokcement attended the opening. Cement from the new line is intended to support local demand in the region.