Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Rosy Wang,
GlobalSolutions Director
for Cement, Schneider
Electric, outlines how
production resource
optimisation can improve
efficiency, quality and
sustainability.
Production Resource
Optimisation
[May 12] Reprinted from worldcement.com
Average
Top 20%
(as target)
The
best
RF (reliability factor)
93%
98%
99.5%
68%
PF (performance factor)
92.5%
98.5%
120%
75%
1.51
1.69
75
84
9.2
276
6.1
Notes (assumptions)
Rated capacity of one clinker line
(tpd)
500
15
30
5000 x (365
- 15) x RF
x PF
50
ll
RF (reliability) = operation
hour / (opening hours - planned
shutdown hours - stoppage hours
due to circumstances) x 100%.
ll
ll
ll
The
worst
Benchmark
For well mastered cement plants, the
kiln RF can reach 99.5%; the annual
UF can reach 96%; MTBF can reach
30 days, with a longest record of
145 days continous running; PF
reaches 98 120%.
For average plants, the kiln RF is
about 90 93% (many companies do
not even measure this); the annual
UF is around 85%; MTBF stands at
5 days and PF at 92%.
For poorly managed plants,
the kiln RF averages 68%; the
annual UF is <80%; with MTBF of
2 3 days and PF of 75%.
Definitions
To begin with, the definitions for plant performance key
performance indicators (KPIs) must be consistent. The
following are standard KPI definitions:
ll UF (utilisation factor) = operation hours / opening
hours x 100%.
Example
Adelaide Brighton Cement Ltd, Australia, implemented
downtime management, the result of which is illustrated
in Figure 4.
The Adelaide Brighton example demonstrates how
a modern IT solution provides a tool for continuous
improvement. Not only did the implementation of
Ampla reduce downtime stoppages and slow running in
the year of implementation, it continued to facilitate y/y
continuous improvement.
Energy optimisation
Energy optimisation covers energy consumption
and energy costs. The typical energy cost structure is
illustrated in Figure 5.
Case study
Figure 4. Adelaide Brighton Cement Ltd, Australia, reduced kiln stoppage with
downtime management.2
Energy cost
Case study
WHR can make the most use of the heat from waste gas
from the preheater and cooler, to generate electricity
of 30 45 kWh/t clinker without additional coal. This
depends on the process and process mastery of the
plant. The payback period is usually within three years.
It mainly depends on the country location and its
electricity supply rate. If the rate is >US$80/MWh or
US$90/MWh, it will be profitable to build WHR. WHR
is a matured technology; approximately 1000 WHR
systems have been installed around the world. WHR
not only reduces energy costs, it also improves a plants
carbon footprint.
Quality mastery
What is good quality?
Good quality entails the strength to meet customer
needs and reduce energy consumption in a
sustainable manner. This includes:
ll The uniformity of cement (for example, the
standard deviation of strength). The lower the
deviation, the better the uniformity. The higher
the confidence when a concrete maker designs
his concrete, the less cement he has to use per
m3 of concrete and the lower his concrete cost.
Sustainable development
Cement, especially clinker manufacturing, is a
carbon-intensive transformation process:
ll 1 t of clinker production generates 0.81.1t
CO2.6 This depends on: MJ/t, kWh/t and loss
from (CaCO3 + MgCO3).
ll 1 t of cement production generates 0.51.0t
CO2. This depends on: C/K ratio and kWh/t for
finish grinding.
Conclusion
Production resource optimisation covers asset and
equipment efficiency, energy and quality optimisation
and sustainability.
l l By improving equipment efficiency (RF, PF, MTBF),
a company can increase revenue/profit and market
share in a growing market without huge investment
in new production lines, as well as being more
flexible with less risk to cope with market changes.
Online benchmarking helps corporations to
consolidate and enhance existing plant operations.
ll Energy cost is 40 70% of production cost, with
increases each year. Online energy management
systems, energy audits and process optimisation
can help reduce energy consumption/t. Energy
References
1. Key facts and figures, Cembureau (2011).
2. Aurora, V., Adelaide Brighton Cement Ltd Presentation (2011).
3. Wang Zhirong, R., Simulation of RSP Preheater/Precalciner
System, 4th International Cement Conference, Beijing (1998),
p. 32.
4. Conch Cement Energy Cost, Digital Cement (2008).
5. Stettler, D. Controlling the Burn, ICR, March (2010), p. 73.
6. Wang, R., Low Carbon Low Energy-Solutions from Schneider
Electric, Beijing International Cement Summit (2010).
7. CSI-GNR (Get the Number Right) Report (2011).