Review No.

128

Cape Girardeaus Low Cost 100,000t Clinker Expansion Reprint of article published in International Cement Review, July 1999 By Scott J. Zolotsky, Fuller Company, USA and John E. Burian, Lone Star Industries, Inc., USA

A member of the F.L.Smidth-Fuller Engineering Group

By John E Burian of Lone Star Industries, Inc and Scott J Zolotsky of Fuller Company

The original 3000tpd plant was designed and supplied by Allis Chalmers for the Marquette Cement Company and commissioned in 1981. Various improvements throughout the years brought the plants capacity up to 25 per cent over the original design capacity. John E Burian of Lone Star Industries, which operates the plant, and Scott J Zolotsky of Fuller Company look back on the expansion process to increase production past 4000tpd.
clear that in order to meet the tight schedule, forced by the plants normal winter outage, both LSI and Fuller must work closely together as a team, to result in a successful project which met all guarantees in nine months. preheater gases for drying and the cooler-vent system was converted to 100 percent air recirculation, eliminating the need for a cooler vent stack. Three plant audits were conducted to find bottlenecks that were preventing, or could prevent, the plant from achieving higher nominal productions. In April 1997, the first process audit was performed. A higher than normal clinker production of 3750tpd was determined and the required raw mill availability was greater than 90 per cent to keep up with the kiln. Clinker production could not be increased without a significant increase in mill production. Hence, the scope of the initial audit was to assess the present operation of the mill, identify potential bottlenecks, and the most cost efficient means of increasing raw mill production by 8-15 per cent. The raw mill, raw mill baghouse fan, kiln drive and bypass circuit were operating at near maximum levels. The specific power consumption of the mill main motor was very high at 10.2kWh/t @ 75 per cent - 200 mesh. The mill motor was seven per cent overloaded during the audit, backed by reports that the mill motor would frequently trip on overload. The grindability of the Cape Girardeau raw material, as tested by Fullers laboratory, was of typical hardness with an expected specific power consumption of 6.2kWh/t @ 75 per cent 200 mesh for a Fuller Vertical Roller Mill. Reducing the specific power consumption was the key to

one Star Industries Inc (LSI) operates a cement plant at Cape Girardeau, Mis souri, US. Improvements through the years brought the plant capacity up to 3750tpd before the upgrade project. Fuller Company was asked to study the plants raw grinding and pyro-processing system operations, to establish whether an increase in nominal clinker production could be achieved. The impetus for the evaluation was Lone Stars desire to meet future cement sales demands for the Mississippi Valley market. The evaluation team involved Fuller process and mechanical specialists visiting the site and surveying existing plant operations to determine process machinery limitations and recommending operational changes, all in order to develop a findings report. Recommendations emphasised re-using as much existing equipment as possible for an economically justifiable solution, in terms of both capital investment and downtime. Based on several process audits, and a proposal submitted in July 1997, Fuller was awarded a contract in September 1997 to modify the raw mill and pyro-processing areas of the plant, achieving clinker production of 4000tpd, 60kcal/kg fuel savings and an eight per cent rise in raw mill grinding capacity. At time of contract signing it was made INTERNATIONAL CEMENT REVIEW

Background
The core 1981 equipment in the pyro-processing area consisted of an RSP 4 stage preheater/precalciner, 14-6" x 235-0 long rotary kiln with 2 x 300 HP drive, and an AC reverse Stoker 1032I3/1226H/1233H clinker cooler. Ground raw meal for the process was supplied by a Raymond VR8 mill (3000HP) originally rated for 250tph in a two fan circuit arrangement. The cooler-vent air was the original source of heat for drying in the raw mill. In 1991, the system was converted to use

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SEPARATOR DRIVE SHAF T MILL OUTLET

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RAR TM SEPARATOR

SEPARATOR GUIDE VANES SEPARATOR ROTOR

FEED CHUTE REJECTS CONE

MILL B ODY

the future success of the project. Testing showed the inefficiency of the existing static raw mill classifier, providing the focal point for the raw grinding modifications. Pyro-processing operational data was also collected and analysed during the first process audit. Process calculations identified very poor clinker-cooler performance. Several other areas were also found to be limiting operation, including calciner retention time and velocity, high preheater inleakage, poor cyclone efficiencies, kiln/ calciner fuel and oxygen balance, and the pressure drop across the cyclones. Identifying these problem areas allowed LSI and Fuller to target which modifications would enable the plant to reach the desired clinker increase in the shortest payback

period. Equipment and installation cost, downtime, operational reliability, and operating costs were all analysed to come up with the appropriate scope of modifications. To support main equipment upgrades, an auxiliary equipment survey was performed to verify the conveying and material handling equipment. Although the raw mill circuit was guaranteed for an eight per cent production increase, a 15 per cent increase was expected. For this reason, it was planned to upgrade the material handling equipment associated with the raw mill to

Table 1: Area modifications at LSI - Cape Girardeau, MO

Plant Area Raw Mill
a) Classifier

Equipment

Result

Installed a RAR 45.0 high efficiency - Improved separation of mill product dynamic classifier - Reduced specific power consumption - Increased raw mill production - Improved burnability of raw mix - Pre-spin gases in direction of classifier - Increased open area to reduce dP - Improved grinding efficiency - Reduced mill table power draw - Increased volume capability - Decreased operating costs

b) Louvre Ring Assembly Modified existing ring with angled blades c) Dam Ring New ring with reduced height d) Baghouse Fan Replaced fan wheel

15 per cent, if the upgrade cost differential between eight per cent and 15 per cent was minimal. The same philosophy was applied to the pyro-processing area. Verifying all the auxiliary equipment was a top priority because installing core equipment capable of producing a significant increase in capacity will not reach its potential if the conveyors, dust handling systems, weigh feeders, etc, are not capable of the increased duties. An additional process audit was performed to combine a pyro-processing heat balance with raw mill measurements. The scope of this audit was to establish a baseline for the pyro-processing system which provided the basis for the plant upgrade. This audit and associated measurements were also used to verify that nothing had been overlooked and the modifications included in the project scope were sufficient to satisfy performance goals.

Project scope
The project scope for the plant upgrade was set by the expected raw grinding capacity increase accomplished by improving the grinding efficiency of the mill circuit. The raw grinding capacity then determined the achievable clinker production rate, which further dictated the sizing for the remainder of the equipment such as the kiln feed and alkali bypass systems. Some of the equipment in the pyro-processing area was designed with a future planned capacity of 4320tpd. Table 1 provides a list and purpose of the modifications in each area.

Kiln

a) Kiln Drive

Changed drive to 2 x 350HP Added CIS inlet module Added CFG system

- Increased available torque at higher kiln speed - Improved reliability and operation - Improved fuel efficiency - Attained 100 per cent of combustion air is coming from efficient cooling air - Increased kiln bypass capablity while keeping within existing equipment ratings - Obtain proper fuel split and oxygen between the kiln and calciner

Cooler

a) First Drive Section

b) Second Drive Section Added RFT grates in first compartment

Bypass System
a) Spray Tower Added a spray tower and water spray system Modified kiln riser duct and added kiln riser restrictor damper

Preheater
a) Kiln Riser Restrictor

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CFG FAN 2L

CFG FAN 3L

CIS FAN IL Fix left 4x7 rows

Fix right 5x7 rows CIS Fan IR

CFG FAN 2R P FAN 4A

Bray butterfly valve Damper O Flexible connector (14) (18) (18)

CFG FAN 3R P FAN4B RECIRCULATED AIR

RECIRCULATED AIR

Figure 3: Air distribution schematic of the cooler modification

Raw grinding area

A new high efficiency classifier (RAR 45.0) replaced the existing static classifier in the Raymond raw mill which allows a higher percentage of material that has reached the specified product size to leave the mill, while rejecting oversize material back to the table for further grinding. This ultimately improves the grinding efficiency of the mill and reduces the specific power and loading conditions in the roller mill. In addition, the kiln feed burnability improved due to more control of the top particle size in the product. The existing louvre ring of the raw mill did not have angled blades, therefore high velocities were required to prevent excessive rejects out of the mill. The air velocities in the mill were measured to be > 100m/ sec

in process audits. A new, angled louvre ring reduced this velocity to 75m/sec without significant rejects. The lower air velocity helped reduce the pressure drop across the mill and relieve the raw mill baghouse fan duty. In addition, the new louvre ring pre-spins the air in the direction of the classifier rotation, helping to improve the efficiency and reduce the pressure drop across the high efficiency classifier.

Table 2 : Raw grinding system

Baseline performance Post performance Change (%) Raw mill production (tph) 275 317 +15 Mill motor power - gross (kW) Product fineness (-200 mesh) Mill power consumption (kWh/t) 2550 75 9.3 2500 75 7.9 -2 0 -15

Table 3 : Pyroprocessing system

Baseline performance Post performance Change Average production (tpd) 3746 Fuel consumption (kcal/kg) 892 Kiln gases bypass (per cent) 10 Total cooler loss (kcal/kg) 230 Tertiary air temp ( O C) 771 Clinker discharge temp ( O C+ambient158 Cooling air to grate (kgair/kgclk) 3.1 Cooler vent fan speed (RPM) 761 4040 835 10 175 828 110 2.6 582 +7.9% -6.4% 0% -24% +57OC -48O C -16% -24%

A new dam ring was also installed in the Raymond Mill. The dam ring in a vertical mill controls the bed depth on the table under the roller to assure efficient grinding. The result was a lower specific power consumption, thereby increasing production. The existing baghouse fan efficiency was low at 74 per cent. The fan wheel was replaced to increase the fan efficiency to 82 per cent.

This modification provided a measure of safety margin, while reducing operating costs by approximately 1kWh/t clinker produced. This relatively inexpensive modification had a short payback period based on the reduced operating costs alone. Another pressure and cost saving tactic performed by LSI was to replace the baghouse bags with advanced membrane bags which allowed a lower pressure drop and increased durability. Overall, the installed cost for the raw grinding area was US$5.7 million. In terms of the clinker production increase, the incremental cost was US$57/t yielding a quick return on investment by removing the raw mill as the production bottleneck. JULY 1999

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Pyro-processing area A Controlled Impact System (CIS) fixed inlet module and Controlled Flow Grate (CFG) system was installed in the entire first drive section consisting of seven rows of CIS grates and 23 rows of CFG grates, providing approximately 85 per cent of combustion air. Reduced Fall Through (RFT) grates were installed into the first compartment of the second drive section to supply the remainder of the combustion air. The system utilises six separate fresh air cooling fans to supply air to the grates. Separate fans are used to supply the left and right sides of the cooler. Manually operated valves provide further air flow control across the width and along the length of the cooler (shown in Figure 3).

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Two new fans were used for sealing air, supplying recirculated air to the undergrate area, reducing wear between grates and providing protection to undergrate components. Recirculation air guarantees the fresh air Overall, the cost for the pyro-processing added to the cooler does not exceed the air area was US$4.6 million. Existing equiprequirement back into the process. ment was utilised as much as possible reThe existing fans and cooler components sulting in a low incremental cost of US$46/ for compartments 5-8 were re-used to help t The return on investment is what made this lower costs. The only modification required project viable and a financial success. in this portion of the cooler was to convert the seventh compartment fan into 100 per Kiln feed area cent recirculation air and the eighth com- The kiln feed system was also upgraded to partment fan to approximately 20 per cent keep pace with the rest of the modifications. recirculation and 80 per cent fresh air. The The kiln feed bucket elevator was upgraded eighth compartment fan has an with a new belt and greater amount of buckautomated bleed air damper which is used ets to accommodate the increased feed rate. to control the firing hood draft in this In addition, a new belt conveyor delivering ventless cooler. feed to the elevator was necessary. The kiln A new spray tower and water spray sys- feed system can now handle up to a future tem were installed into the existing 4320tpd clinker capacity. alkali bypass system to increase the bypass capability. The existing quench air fan, Electrical area baghouse, and bypass fan were reused to The electrical components which accompakeep project costs down. The system is now nied process modifications included motors, capable of 15 per cent bypass at 4320tpd. drives, instrumentation and upgrading of the The pyro-processing modifications MCCs and distributed control system. The reduced the specific fuel consumption by installed electrical components cost US$2.2 60kcal/kg clinker with a 10 per cent kiln million. bypass, a seven per cent reduction from Project timeline : Cape Girardeau 100,000Mt clinker expansion pre-modification 8/97 9/97 10/97 11/9712/97 1/98 2/98 3/98 4/98 fuel consumption Month/Year levels. Additionally, kiln riser restrictors Letter of intent were installed to improve air flows Contract through the tertiary Pre-shutdown air duct in anticShutdown ipation of future production improve- Start-up ments.

Project implementation

In early August 1997, LSI issued a Letter of Intent (LOI) for the Cape Girardeau Clinker Expansion Project with the agreement that all equipment, electrical/ instrumentation and structural steel supply would be delivered to the site by the end of February 1998 at the latest. The contract signing followed in September 1997. The contract with Fuller covered the complete engineering, equipment supply and services. The construction and contractor responsibilities remained with Lone Star, however the supplier assisted with installation guidance. From the moment the LOI was issued, all efforts were focused in kicking off the manufacture of the long lead items such as the DC drives for the kiln and the AC variable frequency drive for the RAR classifier. Preparation of the contractor bid package including mechanical and structural steel scope of supply was also started. Both companies reviewed the basic electrical design and supply to iden5/98 tify critical needs upfront. Fabrication and delivery of items which could be installed prior to shutdown were singled out and intensively expedited. Due to the short lead time available, expediters were assigned to each of the major purchase orders to ensure that delivery commitments were met and to identify problems

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E X P A N S I O N
The workload during the construction period was intense for all parties, but the good working relationship between LSI, supplier and the erection contractors throughout this period enabled the project work to be completed successfully and as efficiently as possible within budget. Raw grinding and pyro-processing systems Baseline roller mill power consumption was 9.3kWh/t @ 75 per cent - 200 mesh. Mill power consumption was reduced to 7.9kWh/t @ 75 per cent - 200 mesh after final optimisation of the mill. This represents a 15 per cent decrease in motor power or a correspondent 15 per cent production increase, seen in Table 2. Table 3, on the other hand, indicates clinker production increased by 7.9 per cent with a corresponding decrease in fuel consumption of 6.4 per cent. The total cooler loss for this grate cooler is defined as the heat losses with the clinker, radiation, coal mill take-off air and vent air (reference= 0C). The standard cooler loss decreased by 18 per cent, from 189 to 155kcal/kg. The standard cooler loss defines these losses at 18C (ambient) and the amount of combustion air to be 1.15kg air /kg clk . Standard cooler loss allows the comparison of cooler performance from one type of kiln system to another.

early enough to allow corrective action. To help assure all erection problems were Dedicated trucks were utilised to assure quickly and economically taken care of with prompt delivery. Many pieces of process minimal disturbance to the schedule, erecmachinery were manufactured in Denmark, tion specialists and engineers were brought Germany and Mexico, which required close to the site in early February. Once the plant coordination in minimising shipping time, was shut down, there were enough personclearing customs, etc to maintain the nel on site to secure 24 hour supervision of schedule. all upgrade-related activities. The suppliers As normally the case for a plant upgrade, product engineers at the home office were the majority of work in replacing equipment or modifying ex- Figure 6: New alkali bypass spray tower isting process equipment could not be performed until the plant was shut down and the existing equipment removed. Minimising the amount of work to be performed during the short shutdown period (5 weeks) was a major consideration and the construction efforts were therefore divided into pre-shutdown and shutdown activities. Pre-shutdown activities were prioritised and put on a critical path. Modifications to the raw mill structure were planned so that the major scope of the structural changes could be done during plant operation prior to shutdown, a philosophy also extended to electrical/instrumentation work, normally one of the last items to be performed. Only tie-ins remained incomplete during the shutdown. Because all electrical equipment was being installed in existing electrical rooms (except the kiln drive), electrical components could be set in place immediately upon arrival at site. The electrical contractor was able to install most of the electrical equipment prior to the on standby 24 hours a day to technically shutdown. The electrical schematic assist the site engineers as needed. diagrams were supplied in a timely fashion Most pre-shutdown activities were to allow for wiring installation within accomplished by the late-February shutthe electrical rooms, control system and field down. After a kiln cool-down period, condevices before shutdown. struction efforts restarted with 24 hour, seven day week shift work. Construction activities continued non-stop for the next Erection Materials ready for installation started to five weeks, when final modifications to the arrive at the site by early January 1998, raw mill structure was completed, the new seven weeks prior to shutdown. During the RAR high efficiency classifier was pre-shutdown period, the new by-pass spray assembled and the new louvre ring and tower was supplied and erected along with replacement dam ring for the Raymond Mill portions of the duct work, excluding the were installed. The existing baghouse fan final tie-in. Also in the pyro-processing area, wheel was also replaced, a kiln riser varicooler fans were located in a new structure, able orifice installed, and the clinker cooler internal CFG piping was pre-fabri-cated and completely overhauled including refractory CFG grate plates were mounted on supports. work. After the checkout, the kiln was fired in early April (see table 2).

Condusion
This clinker expansion project was a complete success in terms of execution, operational performance and budgeting. The actual project cost was within 0.5 per cent of the budgeted and approved US$12.5 million; all in a nine month project. The simple return on investment for the entire project was 4.4 years, or 6.7 years after tax. The low incremental costs per ton of US$125/t, compared with US$150/t for a new plant in the USA, made it a logical choice for Lone Star to upgrade its Cape Girardeau plant.

Paper first presented at the IEEE/PCA Conference in Roanoke, Virginia, USA, in April of this year.

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