About Cement

Cement Chemistry
Cement is hydraulic material which develops
strength when it reacts with water.
It is inorganic material which consists of oxides
of calcium,silicon,iron,aluminum.
Phases in Cement
C3 S (Alite)
C2 S (Belite)

C3 A

C4 AF

C - CaO , S - SiO2 , A - Al2O3 , F - Fe2O3

 About Cement
Cement Reaction With Water
Portland cement when mixed with water undergoes the
process of Setting & Hardening

The initial stiffening or setting of PC pastes appears to

be the result of the rapid hydration taking place on the
surface of the cement particles. This rapid initial setting
is controlled by the presence of calcium sulfate and for
this reason a small proportion of gypsum is interground
with cement clinker to control the rate of initial setting.
Following this the principal reaction is the formation of
single calcium silicate hydrate(C-S-H) from the various
anhydrous calcium silicates present in the cement
particles.
 About Cement
Cement Reaction With Water

C3S + 3H --> C-S-H + 2C-H

rigid gel

C2S + 2H --> C-S-H + C-H

rigid gel

C3A , C4AF have less hydraulic properties but useful for liquid
formation in kiln.

C - CaO , H - H2O
 About Cement
Types of Cement
OPC - Ordinary Portland Cement
Clinker + Gypsum
33 grade , 44 grade ,53 grade

33 grade :- develop strength upto 330kg/cm2 after 28

days

PPC - Pozzolona Portland Cement

Clinker + Flyash + Gypsum

PSC - Slag Cement

Clinker + Slag + Gypsum
 Process Overview
Additives i.e.
Iron ore or
Clay

Mining & Raw Mill Raw Meal

Crushing Crushed Limestone Grinding Fine Raw Meal Homogenization
(120)Res. < 3%

Blaine 300-350 m2/kg

OR
(45) Res. <16% Lt. wt 1200-1350
Cement Final Clinker Pyro Processing
Packaging
Grinding Clinkerization
1) OPC
1) Gypsum
2) PPC
2) Flyash
3) Slag Cement
3) Pozzolona Coal Ash
4) Slag From Coal Fired
 Process Overview

Grinding
Limestone + Additives ------------>
o
Clinker
Heating 1500 C
in Kiln

Grinding
Clinker + Gypsum + Additives ------------> Cement
 Process Overview

Mining
First step in Cement Production

Drilling is used to drill deep holes in the soil

Blasting is done with the help of drilled holes &

explosives
Blasted Limestone is excavated with excavator

Unearthed Limestone is transported to Crusher

 Process Overview
Raw Meal Preparation
Crushing Limestone from Mines
Limestone from Quarry requires coarse size reduction as it
is in the form of big boulders.
Crushers are used in two or three steps for coarse size

reduction.
Types :Jaw Crusher , Hammer Crusher , Impact crusher.

Pre-homogenization of Limestone
Limestone ,excavated from different benches, has different
chemical composition.Hence homogenization is needed.
In this Crushed limestone is stacked onto stock pile in such
a way that inherent CaCO3 Inconsistency is evened out.
 Process Overview

Raw Meal Grinding

Pre-homogenized Raw Meal in addition with
with additives ,e.g. sandstone, iron oxide,clay
etc., is ground in Raw Mill.
Types : VRM , Closed Circuit Ball Mill
Hot air from Preheater is used for removing moisture

in Raw Meal.
Homogenization of powdered Raw Meal is done
in blending silo so that Chemical properties of
Raw Meal gets equalized w.r.t. time.
 Process Overview
Pyroprocessing
The homogenous raw meal is preheated in Preheater.

The material is then calcined upto 90% in Calciner.

The Calicined raw meal is sintered into clinker in a

rotary Kiln.
Fuel (Coal , Oil) is fired into Kiln to sinter the raw
meal.
Red hot Clinker is cooled in cooler.

The cooled clinker is crushed in Clinker breaker &

stored in silo or Gantry for finished grinding.
 Process Overview

Finished Grinding

Crushed Clinker is mixed with gypsum & fed

into Cement Mill for fine size reduction.
Gypsum is added to control setting time of cement.
Circuit Types : Open circuit Ball Mill , Closed circuit

Ball Mill , Roller Press with Ball Mill,VRM with Ball Mill
Depending on final Cement requirements
Flyash or Slag is added along with Crushed
Clinker.
 Process Overview
Different Type of Process
Wet Process
Raw feed fed to kiln contains 30-40% water by weight
Semi Wet Process / Semi Dry Process
Raw feed, prepared by either the wet or dry methods
according to the nature of the raw materials is formed into
pellets or modules, which are fed into the kiln by way of a
grate preheater in which the moving bed of nodulized
material is dried and brought upto calcining temperature by
heat from kiln.
Dry Process
Raw Material fed to kiln contains 2-4% water by weight
 Size Reduction in Cement Industry

Raw Meal Crushing

Jaw,Impact,Hammer,Gyratory Crusher

Raw Meal Grinding

Ball Mill , Vertical Roller Mill (VRM)

Clinker Crushing
Hammer Crusher

Final Grinding
Ball Mill , VRM , Roller Press, Hybrid
 Grinding in Cement Industry

Objectives
Size Reduction
Reduces feed size
increases reactivity

Drying
Grinding Efficiency improves due to moisture removal
Better thermal efficiency in kiln

Blending
Raw material with different property get mixed
Achieves better homogeneity
 Grinding in Cement Industry

Locations in Cement process

Size reduction and drying of Raw meal.

VRM , Ball Mill
Size reduction and drying of Coal.
VRM , Ball Mill , E-Mill
Size reduction of cement clinker.
VRM , Ball Mill , Roller Press
 Grinding in Cement Industry

Different Type of Grinding Equipment

Ball Mill

Vertical Roller Mill (VRM)

Roller Press
 Ball Mill
Dry Grinding
Open Circuit
Mill Product is Final Product
Closed Circuit
Mill Product is Fed to Air Separator & Coarse Material is fed
back to mill
Material from Mill to Separator is conveyed by Elevator

Air-Swept Operation
Material from Mill to Separator is conveyed by Air
Wet Grinding
Open Circuit

Closed Circuit
 Ball Mill

Operational philosophy

Grinding By Impact
Primary size reduction process in first chamber of mill.
Large diameter grinding media climbs along the mill

lining due to centrifugal force.

At the point when the weight of ball exceeds

centrifugal force the ball falls down.

The impact of the falling grinding charge with Mill
lining causes particles entrapped between the charge
& lining to fracture and undergo size reduction
 Ball Mill

Operational philosophy

Grinding By Attrition
Grinding action in the Fine grinding compartment is
generally by abrasion & shearing action
Small particles , which are in an agglomerated form

before grinding, are sheared off from the surface due

to rubbing between multiple large sized aggregates
and/or the grinding media.
 Air Separator

Operational philosophy
The performance of closed circuit mill very much
depends upon performance of separator that is
used. There are two broad categories of separator.
These are
Conventional Type Of separator (mechanical air
separator)
High Efficiency Separator (static separator)

Both types use Air for separation in which

centrifugal force of circulating air separates fines
from coarse.
 Mechanical Air Separator

Separation

In this type of Separator Due to drag force of air

separation of fines from coarse takes place. Fresh
feed is fed to distributing plate, which disperse
feed into air stream flowing up. Fines get
entrained in air stream & coarse hits the wall of
separator. After hitting the wall coarse gets
collected into cone.
 Mechanical Air Separator
Fineness Control

Circulating Air Volume in Separator is only MV that can

control Fineness. The less is the volume more is Fineness.
Auxiliary fan in separator can very the circulating air volume.

As Auxiliary fan rpm increases circulating air volume

decreases which intern decrease material dragged by air to
fines of separator. Thus Fineness can be increased.

Sp. Power requirement for such separator is around 6

kWh/ton.
 Mechanical Air Separator
Limitations

High Fineness of product is difficult or can be achieved with

high circulating load.

Mismatches between sizes of mill & separator

It is not possible to have selective size gradation (3-30

micron for cement.)

In case of conventional separator 50% of fine (below 30

micron) if returned to mill.
 High efficiency Static Air Separator
Separation
The Mill discharge material is fed on dispersion plate. The material
then cascade down to separating (classifying zone) where
tangential inlet air suspends feed particles against the opposing
centrifugal force of the rotor.

Intense shearing force breaks apart the particle agglomerates for

highly efficient classification.

Product size particles, controlled by rotor speed, pass through the

rotor blades to the cyclone. Rejects fall down to the collection
hopper & fed back to mill. An externally located fan sucks the fine.
Air is again recirculated to the separator. Small amount of
recirculated air is vented off.
 High efficiency Static Air Separator

Fineness Control

Fineness can be controlled by rotor speed & air volume in

separator.

By increasing rotor speed feed material requires more turn &

energy against centrifugal force to get through rotor blades.
Due to this fineness of product increases.

Also by decreasing air volume in separator increases

fineness of product.
 Ball Mill - Dry Grinding Close Circuit
Process
Fresh feed is fed to ball mill with Separator
rejects.
Ball mill product goes to Separator for
separation
Rejects is fed back to mill

Rejects Recirculating Load

Ball Mill Separator

Fresh Feed Mill Product Final Product
TPH Accum TPH RPM TPH
Mill kW Damper Blaine/Residue
 Ball Mill - Dry Grinding Close Circuit

MV-CV relation
 Ball Mill - Dry Grinding Close Circuit

Abnormal Conditions & there control

Sudden increase in Mill accumulation

Cause :
Feed Size increase
Moisture increase in feed
Hardness of Feed increase
Control:
Cut the fresh Feed
 Ball Mill - Dry Grinding Close Circuit

Abnormal Conditions & there control

Separator Resonance
Cause :
Mechanical structure natural frequency matches
with Separator at certain RPM
Control:
Prohibit RPM for resonance range
 Ball Mill - Dry Grinding Close Circuit

Malfunctions

Decrease in Mill Output

Cause :
Feed hardness & size
Worn out Mill charge
Blocked diaphragm
High moisture content
Fractured diaphragm
 Ball Mill - Dry Grinding Close Circuit

Malfunctions

Product too coarse

Cause :
Increased feed hardness
Grinding media too large
Too few grinding media
Diaphragm slots worn out
Mill feed overloading
Malfunction of separator
Mill fan damper jammed
 Ball Mill - Dry Grinding Close Circuit

Malfunctions

Mill inlet pressure low

Cause :
Low mill draught
Excessive wet feed
 Ball Mill v/s VRM/Roller press

Ball Mill VRM/Roller Press

Grinding-Impact/Attrition Grinding-Compressive stress

Lower fines Greater Fines

Higher kWh/ton Lower kWh/ton

Non flexible Flexible for different products

Easy to maintain Requires High skills

 Vertical Roller Mill

Operational philosophy

Grinding by Compressive force

Feed is ground between horizontal grinding table &

two or more rollers , which are pressed against the
grinding table under high pressure
 VRM - Typical Raw Mill
Process
VRM is widely used for Raw Meal Grinding.

Raw Material is fed to table . Raw Material get

grounded between table & roller.
Hot air with re-circulation air enters from
bottom of the mill through perforated plates.
Air carries ground material to separator inlet
which is integral part of Mill.
Separator reject falls back to grinding table &
fines are carried by air to cyclone.
 Vertical Roller Mill

Major Operating Parameters

Mill Vibration : Health of Mill

Bed Layer Thickness : Stability
Mill DP : Stability
Fan Power : Air Volume
Mill Outlet Temp. : Feed Moisture Drying
Residue/Blaine : Quality
 Vertical Roller Mill

MV - CV relation
 Vertical Roller Mill

Abnormal Conditions & there control

Vibration High
Cause :
Imbalance between Material DP & Air DP
Control:
Cut/Increase Feed
Increase Water Spray
 Vertical Roller Mill

Abnormal Conditions & there control

High increase rate in DP or High DP

Cause :
Inlet Material Property changes e.g. Moisture ,
Grindability
High Feed rate
Control:
Cut Feed
 Roller Press

Operational philosophy

Grinding by Compressive force

Feed is ground between horizontal grinding roll , one of

which is pressed against the another immovable roll under
high pressure
 Roller Press
Process
Roller Press is widely used for Finished Grinding in
hybrid mode of operation.
Raw Material is fed to overhead silo . Material bed is
always maintained above roller press.
Ground material is fed to separator by elevator.

Separator reject is fed to roller press & fines are

carried by air to cyclone.
Sometime ground material doesnt goto Separator.
Only divider divides ground product ,one part of
which goes back to Roller Press.
 Roller Press

Major Operating Parameters

Roller Gap - Health of mill

Back Pressure - Good grinding
Over head Silo level - Choke feed
Residue/Blaine
Returns
Mill Power
 Modes of Operation

Roller press & Ball mill for finished grinding can work in
following modes

One Pass Mode

Pre-grinding Mode
Hybrid Mode
 Clinkerization Overview

Main Aim of this section is to produce Clinker from Raw

meal in energy efficient manner

Kiln Operation can be in following mode

Wet Process : Kiln Feed Water 30 - 40%

Semi Dry/Wet process
Dry Process : Kiln Feed Water 2 - 3%
 Clinkerization Overview

The choice of the process to be used depends

upon a complex combination of different factors
This includes:

The nature of the raw materials.

The thermal efficiency of the different processes and
their variations
fuel and other energy prices
 Clinkerization Overview

Three sections in Dry Process

Preheater :
Preheat the Kiln feed Using Waste Heat Gas
Calcination Using Waste heat gas & Coal in Calciner

Kiln :
Clinker Formation from Calcined Kiln feed using Coal fuel.
Cooler :
Heat Recovery from Hot Clinker
Cooling Clinker rapidly to form reactive clinker
 Clinkerization Overview
Reactions - Heating
30 - 300
Evaporation of Water
400 - 900
Removal of structural water and OH group from clay minerals
Clacination

above 800
Formation of C2S , intermediate product , aluminate , ferrite
above 1250
Formation of liquid phase (aluminate & Ferrite melt)
Crystalization of Alite ,Belite I.e Completion of phase

formation
 Clinkerization Overview

Reactions - Cooling
1300 - 1240
Crystalization of liquid phase into mainly aluminate & ferrite
 Clinkerization Overview
Raw Meal

Preheater 30oC to 900oC

CaO
SiO2
Fe2O3
Removal Al2O3
Raw Meal Calcination
of
Preheating Oxide Formation
Water

30oC to 100oC 100oC to 300oC CaCO3 -> CaO + CO2

(CaO)2.SiO2 + CaO -> (CaO)3.SiO2 above 800oC

Cooling Liquid &

Crystalization Phase Belite formation
1350oC to formation Above 1200oC
1250oC
CaO + SiO2 -> CaO.SiO2
(CaO)3.(Al2O3) ----- C3A
Kiln (CaO)4.(Al2O3).Fe2O3--- C4AF
CaO.SiO2 + CaO -> (CaO)2.SiO2

Clinker
 Preheater
Different Type of Preheater System
4 , 5 , 6 stage ,One string - With or Without Calciner

4 , 5 stage ,Two String - Calciner String , Kiln String

4, 5 stage ,Two string - Both Calciner String

Typical : 5 stage , Two String - Calciner & Kiln String

More Stages gets added in Preheater String

More Heat Recovery from Waste Heat Gas

More Capital Cost

Less Temperature For Raw Mill Grinding

 Preheater
Aim
Maximum Heat Recovery from waste heat gas

Maximum Calcination without melting raw meal

Operational Philosophy
Heat exchange between Waste Heat Gas & Raw Meal
takes place through Direct Heat Exchange in Riser Duct
Separation of Raw Meal Solid from Gas is carried out in
Cyclone at each stage.
Maximum Calcination is carried out in Pre-Calciner by
burning Coal.
 Preheater
Process
Gas enters from bottom cyclone

Raw meal enters from top cyclone

Gas is sucked by induced draft fan from kiln

Fan is placed at Preheater Outlet

From Last but One cyclone raw meal goes to Pre-

Calciner where coal is fired
Tertiary air is sucked in Calciner from cooler

After Pre-Calciner Raw meal is carried to last cyclone

by air & Separated raw meal from this cyclone goes to
Kiln
 Preheater
Major Operating Parameter
PHOutlet Temp : Heat Recovery
PHOutlet CO : ESP security, Oxygen
Shortage
Calciner Outlet Temp : Completion of Calcination

Kiln inlet Material Temp : Material Fusion Temp

PHOutlet Draft / O2 : Excess Air , Leakage
Cyclone Cone Draft : Cyclone Jamming
Handles
PHOutlet Fan Damper /RPM : Air Quantity

Calciner Coal : Heat Quantity

 Preheater
MV-CV Relation
 Preheater
Abnormal Conditions & control
High PHOutlet CO
Cause:
Less Oxygen for Coal Combustion
High Calciner Coal Feed rate
Control:
Cut Calciner Coal
Increase PHFan RPM or Damper
 Preheater
Abnormal Conditions & control

High Kiln inlet material temp

Cause :
High Calciner Coal Feed rate
Less Raw Meal Rate
Secondary Burning of Coal in preheater
Control:
Cut Calciner Coal
 Preheater
Abnormal Conditions & control

High Calciner Outlet temp

Cause :
High Calciner Coal Feed rate
Less Raw Meal Rate
Control:
Cut Calciner Coal
 Preheater
Abnormal Conditions & control

Low Cyclone cone draft

Cause :
Less Air
Coating in cyclone
Brick lining failure , Flap damper Malfunction
Control:
Cut Raw Meal Feed Rate
 Kiln
Aim
Maintain Clinker Quality

Minimize Heat Consumption

Operational Philosophy
Heat is generated by Coal combustion

High residence time i.e. 20 min

High Temp 1500oC

Maximum Contact area of Hot air & Material by

circulatory motion (4 rpm)
 Kiln
Process
Kiln is cylindrical rotating furnace (60 m length) &
installed slightly slant (3-4degree) to carry the material
to lower end when rotating.
At Lower end is the burner where coal is fired through
using primary air for conveying.
Cooler Secondary air is sucked into Kiln which is at high
temp ( Due to heat recuperation from hot clinker ).
Secondary Air from Cooler & Primary Air gets heated by
combustion of coal.
This air travels opposite to material flow & Heat
Exchange between air & material takes place

Major Operating Parameter
Kiln Torque
Burning Zone Temp.
Clinker Lt..wt. & Free Lime
Kiln Hood Draft
Kiln inlet CO or O2
Handles
Kiln Feed
Kiln
: Clinker Quality
: Good Heat Content
: Clinker Quality
: Safety & Maintenance
: Oxygen Availability

Kiln RPM

Kiln Coal
 Kiln
Clinker Quality
Clinker Phase Requirement

C3 S (Alite) - 40 to 60% :Rapid Contribution to strength

C2 S (Belite) - 20 to 30% : Slow Contribution to strength
C3 A - 5 to 12% : Rapid Contribution to strength
C4 AF - 5 to 12% : V. Slow Contribution to strnth

Indirect/Direct Measurement of Good Clinker

Litre Weight (density) - Represent phase%

Free Lime (CaO) - Should be minimized
 Kiln
Clinker Quality

Affecting Parameters

Degree of Kiln feed mixing

Kiln Feed Granulometry

Burnability of kiln feed

Degree of heating

Retention time

Clinker Cooling Rate

 Kiln
MV-CV Relation
 Kiln
Abnormal Conditions & control

High Kiln inlet CO

Cause :
Less Air
More Kiln Coal
Control:
Cut Kiln Coal
Increase PH fan RPM / Open Damper
 Kiln
Abnormal Conditions & control

LOW kiln Torque/ Dusty Kiln

Cause :
Less Heat Content in Kiln
High Kiln filling
Control:
Reduce Kiln RPM & Increase Kiln Coal
Decrease Kiln Feed
 Kiln
Abnormal Conditions & there control

Red Spot
Cause :
Coating Deformation
Brick dislodging
Control:
Reduce Kiln RPM
Stop Kiln
 Cooler
Aim
Recuperate Maximum Heat from Clinker

Maintain Clinker Quality

Minimize Clinker Temperature

Operational Philosophy
Maximum Heat Recuperation in first few compartments
is achieved by keeping high bed height of Clinker
Lower Clinker temperature is achieved in last few
compartments by Low Clinker bed height & High Air
volume
 Cooler
Process
Types Of Cooler
Reciprocating Grate Cooler
Perforated Grates moving one over other creating forward
motion for clinker.
Air with high velocity flows vertically up 90 degree to Clinker
flow.

IKN Cooler
Grates Doesnt move. Forward motion for clinker is created by
Horizontal Air Jet with very high velocity.
Air with very high velocity flows parallel to Clinker flow & then
moves vertically up.
 Cooler
Major Operating Parameter
Under-Grate Pressure : Clinker Bed
Grate Drive Amps : Clinker Bed
Clinker Temperature : Clinker property , Safety
Secondary Air Temp. : Recuperation
Hood Draft : Safety
Cooler Vent Temperature : Heat Loss
Handles
Air Volume / Fan Damper / Fan RPM
Grate Drive Speed

Vent fan Damper / RPM

 Cooler
MV-CV Relation
 Cooler
Abnormal Conditions & control

Grate Drive Amps High

Cause :
High Clinker Bed Height
Lumps
Control:
Increase Grate Speed