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INDUSTRY PROFILE

PROFILE OF CEMENT INDUSTRY

The Indian Cement industry is the second largest cement producer in the world, with an installed capacity of 144 million tonnes. The industry has undergone rapid technological upgradation and vibrant growth during the last two decades, and some of the plants can be compared in every respect with the best operating plants in the world. The industry is highly energy intensive and the energy bill in some of the plants is as high as 60% of cement manufacturing cost. Although the newer plants are equipped with the latest state-of-the-art equipment, there exists substantial scope for reduction in energy consumption in many of the older plants adopting various energy conservation measures. The Indian cement industry is a mixture of mini and large capacity cement plants, ranging in unit capacity per kiln as low as 10 tpd to as high as 7500 tpd. Majority of the production of cement in the country (94% ) is by large plants, which are defined as plants having capacity of more than 600 tpd. At present there are 124 large rotary kiln plants in the country. The Ordinary Portland Cement (OPC) enjoys the major share (56%) of the total cement production in trend towards the increased use of blended cement can be seen with the share of India followed by Portland Pozzolana Cement (PPC) and Portland Slag Cement (PSC). A positive blended cement increasing to 43%. There is regional imbalance in cement production in India due to the limitations posed by raw material and fuel sources. Most of the cements plants in India are located in proximity to the raw material sources, exploiting the natural resources to the full extent. The southern region is the most cement rich region while other regions have almost same cement production capacity. The Indian cement industry is about 90 years old and its main sources of energy are thermal and electrical energy. The thermal energy is generally obtained from coal, and the electrical energy is obtained either from grid or captive power plants of the individual manufacturing units.

Salient features of Indian cement industry

1. Indian cement industry is the second largest in the world with an installed capacity of 135 MTPA. It accounts for nearly 6% of the world production. 2. There are 124 large plants and around 365 mini plants. The industry presents a mixed picture with many new plants that employ state-of-the-art dry process technology and a few old wet process plants having wet process kilns. 3. Production from large plants (with capacity above 1 MTPA) account for 85% of the total production. 4. The cement industry has achieved significant progress in terms of reducing the overall energy intensity. 5. Dry process plants that the weighted average thermal energy consumption was 734 kCal/kg clinkers, and weighted average electrical energy consumption was 89 kWh/tonne of cement. The best energy consumption is 692 kCal/kg. Clinker and 66 kWh/ton of cement. Quantitative details: The energy intensity of the all the dry process plants (cost of energy as percentage of total production cost of packed cement) varies from 29 to 61%. This is observed to vary with the vintage of the plant, the technology employed by the plants and the type of cement produced. Specific thermal and electrical energy consumption for the plants ranges between 692 879 kCal/kg. of clinker and 66 127 kWh/ton of cement produced (product mix) respectively. The specific electrical energy also includes the energy consumed in packing, plant utilities and plant lighting. The reasons for wide range in specific energy consumption can be mainly attributed to the differing equipment configuration employed in different sections of the plants by various cement plants. For example, plants employing ball mills for grinding have reported higher specific electrical energy consumption as compared to plants having vertical roller mills. In addition, other factors like the plant capacity, its capacity utilisation, vintage, product mix, process control system, maintenance aspects, raw material characteristics and above all the managements attitude and operational practices of plant personnel are also important. Besides, various external parameters like quality of coal, raw materials and power supply have their own repercussions. A large number of plants have put in vertical roller mills for raw meal section.

The balls mills are still operating in the clinker grinding and coal milling sections in some of the plants. Some of the newer plants have installed roller press and vertical roller mills in the clinker grinding section as well. Comparison of energy performance of Indian cement industry with other countries reveals that there exists scope for improving the energy performance of the Indian cement industry. The best reported (as per CMA data) energy performance figures in the world re 65 kWh/t of cement and 650 kCal/kg of clinker whereas the best in India is 69 kWh/t of cement and 665 kCal/kg of clinker. This clearly bring out the fact that although we have some of the best plants in the world in terms of energy performance, there are many plants where there exists scope for reducing energy consumption.

CEMENT INDUSTRY IN INDIA Cement Industry in India is on a roll at the moment. Driven by a booming real estate sector, global demand and increased activity in infrastructure development such as state and national highways, the cement industry has witnessed tremendous growth. Production capacity has gone up and top cement companies of the world are vying to enter the Indian market, thereby sparking off a spate of mergers and acquisitions. Indian cement industry is currently ranked second in the world. The origins of Indian cement industry can be traced back to 1914 when the first unit was set-up at Porbandar with a capacity of 1000 tonnes. Today cement industry comprises of 125 large cement plants and more than 300 mini cement plants. The Cement Corporation of India, which is a Central Public Sector Undertaking, has 10 units. There are 10 large cement plants owned by various State Governments. Cement industry in India has also made tremendous strides in technological upgradation and assimilation of latest technology. Presently, 93 per cent of the total capacity in the industry is based on modern and environment-friendly dry process technology. The induction of advanced technology has helped the industry immensely to conserve energy and fuel and to save materials substantially. Indian cement industry has also acquired technical capability to produce different types of cement like Ordinary Portland Cement (OPC), Portland Pozzolana Cement (PPC), Portland Blast Furnace Slag Cement (PBFS), Oil Well Cement, Rapid Hardening Portland Cement, Sulphate Resisting Portland Cement, White Cement etc. Some of the major clusters of cement industry in India are: Satna (Madhya Pradesh),

Chandrapur (Maharashtra), Gulbarga (Karnataka), Yerranguntla (Andhra Pradesh), Nalgonda (Andhra Pradesh), Bilaspur (Chattisgarh), and Chandoria (Rajasthan). Cement industry in India is currently going through a consolidation phase. Some examples of consolidation in the Indian cement industry are: Gujarat Ambuja taking a stake of 14 per cent in ACC, and taking over DLF Cements and Modi Cement; ACC taking over IDCOL; India Cement taking over Raasi Cement and Sri Vishnu Cement; and Grasim's acquisition of the cement business of L&T, Indian Rayon's cement division, and Sri Digvijay Cements. Foreign cement companies are also picking up stakes in large Indian cement companies. Swiss cement major Holcim has picked up 14.8 per cent of the promoters' stake in Gujarat Ambuja Cements (GACL). Holcim's acquisition has led to the emergence of two major groups in the Indian cement industry, the Holcim-ACC-Gujarat Ambuja Cements combine and the Aditya Birla group through Grasim Industries and Ultratech Cement. Lafarge, the French cement major has acquired the cement plants of Raymond and Tisco. Italy based Italcementi has acquired a stake in the K.K. Birla promoted Zuari Industries' cement plant in Andhra Pradesh, and German cement company Heidelberg Cement has entered into an equal joint-venture agreement with S P Lohia Group controlled Indo-Rama Cement. Issues concerning Cement Industry

High Transportation Cost is affecting the competitiveness of the cement industry. Freight accounts for 17% of the production cost. Road is the preferred mode for transportation for distances less than 250km. However, industry is heavily dependant on roads for longer distances too as the railway infrastructure is not adequate.

Cement industry is highly capital intensive industry and nearly 55-60% of the inputs are controlled by the government.

There is regional imbalance in the distribution of cement industry. Limestone availability in pockets has led to uneven capacity additions.

Coal availability and quality is also affecting the production.

Outlook Outlook for the cement industry looks quite bright. Given the sustained growth in the real estate sector, the government's emphasis on infrastructure and increased global demand, it looks as if the juggernaut of cement industry would continue to roll on the path of growth.

INDUSTRY VIEW The commercial printing industry in the US includes around 35,000 companies with $90 billion of annual revenue. Several giants like RR Donnelley and Canadian printer Quebecor World have multibillion revenues, but most printers considered "large" have annual revenues under $1 billion. The large majority of commercial printers are small or midsized businesses that operate one production plant, employ fewer than 20, and have annual revenue under $5 million.

COMPETATIVE LAND SCAPE Demand depends largely on the advertising and product needs of business customers. The profitability of individual companies is closely linked to the volume of business, because of the large amount of fixed costs. Large companies have advantages in purchasing materials like paper and ink, in serving large customers who have regional or national needs, and in making efficient use of expensive presses. But small companies can compete effectively by offering better local service. Despite continuing consolidation, the industry is highly fragmented; the largest 50 companies hold only about 30 percent of the market.

PRODUCTS, OPERATIONS AND TECHNOLOGY Commercial printers produce magazines, phone books, labels, advertising brochures, catalogs, newspaper inserts, direct mail marketing pieces, corporate reports and other financial printing, training manuals, promotional materials, and business forms. (Book publishers and newspaper publishers are not included in this industry.) The four distinct services that most commercial printers offer are design and other prepress services; actual printing; finishing (including folding, cutting and binding); and fulfillment, which includes packing, storing, and shipping (often on a "just-in-time" basis). Other services can include packaging, database management, web design, CD services, training, and consulting. A typical commercial printer has different presses and binding equipment available to work on various types of jobs. The main printing process used is offset lithography, using either individual sheets (sheet fed presses) or continuous rolls of paper (web presses). Sheet fed presses print up to 16 pages of letter sized product (a 16 page "signature") at a time, at speeds up to 15,000 impressions per hour. Web presses print 32 pages at a time at speeds over 40,000 impressions per hour, and are usually used for production runs of more than 50,000 copies.

usually print in one, two, four, or six colors; some presses can print eight. Digital presses are still used primarily in specialty applications. Paper is the biggest individual manufacturing cost, often amounting to 25 percent of revenues. Printing papers are often coated, and are bought in sheets or rolls from distributors. Some customers provide their own paper, but most is bought for customers, with a modest price markup. Paper prices can vary significantly from year to year. Commercial printers generally don't keep large inventories of paper as requirements change from job to job; they rely instead on regional distributors to provide the many varieties and grades. Inks, films, printing plates, and cleaning solvents are other major material costs. The solvents used to clean inks off the presses can be a major air quality problem. Major press manufacturers include Heidelberg, Komori, and Miller, for conventional presses, and Indigo, Xeikon, and Xerox for digital presses. Large ink manufacturers include Sun Chemical and Flint Ink. Printing technology is rapidly evolving. Virtually all prepress work is now done with computers. Digital presses are still expensive and used mainly for special types of work, but the movement to an alldigital printing environment is expected to be rapid. Small printers may be unable to make the investments in digital technology.

SALES AND MARKETING The largest single market for printing services is advertising, for newspaper inserts, magazines, and direct-mail materials. Although some work may be done regularly for large customers under long-term contracts (magazines, product catalogs, and phone books), most is on a project basis, often after a bidding process. Work may be episodic and many printers carry extra presses to meet anticipated peak demands. Marketing is usually by a traditional sales force calling on potential customers. Commercial printing is a local business. Small printers can compete effectively with large ones because the small size and high variability of most printing jobs means that few economies are achieved by having larger presses. The high degree of personal attention that most print jobs require, such as client approvals of proofs and "press checks" during actual printing, means that customers prefer to use a local printer. Price is often a secondary consideration to quality and timeliness. Some types of printing, such as magazines and catalogs with large print runs, are more effectively handled by large printers.

FINANCE AND REGULATION Commercial printers generally keep low material inventories and don't require inventory financing. Receivables are generally collected within 60 days, and are sometimes financed. Equipment is often financed, or is leased. Presses have become more expensive, though more versatile, because of computerized controls and enhancements. Some printers have difficulty maintaining adequate workplace air quality standards, and emit pollutants into the air, mainly because of solvents in ink and the solvents used to clean ink from printing plates. Some printers also generate toxic wastes because of inks and solvents. Workplace safety may also be a problem, although the illness and injury rate has decreased rapidly in the past decade.Workplace Regulations are enforced by OSHA and state agencies.

REGIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL ISSUES Large amounts of the paper used by commercial printers are imported from Canada. Total paper imports to the US total close to $10 billion per year; $7 billion of which is from Canada.

HUMAN RESOURCES Production workers in commercial printing plants have special skills in operating complicated machines, requiring wages above the national average. Fringe benefits are an additional 19 percent of wages. Although some printing jobs are directly concerned with presses, an increasing number are in prepress design and layout jobs that make greater use of computer skills. The number of people employed in Commercial printing has been declining in the last five years, as more of the work has become automated and demand for printing services has grown only slowly. Industry Employment Growth Bureau of Labor Statistics Average Hourly Earnings & Annual Wage Increase Bureau of Labor Statistics Printing Production Up Slightly

Printing production was relatively flat in first quarter 2005, rising only 0.9 percent over year-ago. March's monthly printing production fell 0.8 percent over prior year; however, the positive production growth rate for the quarter, although modest, may suggest the stirrings of an industry recovery after 3.2 and 3.5 percent losses in 2003 and 2004, respectively.

Offset Printing Faces New Challenges The constant demand for automation and systems' integration is the greatest challenge to the web offset printing industry, according to a keynote speaker at a major printing conference. Other industry challenges include a shrinking pool of skilled workers, the impact of alternative forms of communication, and environmental and regulatory restrictions. Offset printers need to reclaim more of the global print advertising market, estimated to be $163 billion in 2005 by Zenith Optimedia, according to the speaker.

Office Depot Almost Doubles Recycled Paper Use By using paper with a high 27 percent recycled content in its almost 1,000 copy and print centers, Office Depot increased its use of recycled paper significantly in 2004 over year-ago levels. Office Depot easily beat its 2006 goal for 20 percent post consumer waste (PCW) content; its current goal is 30 percent. Office Depot addressed the perception that recycled papers were inferior to traditional paper by developing EnviroCopy, paper that is brighter than virgin paper, and replaced many of its special purpose papers with those with high PCW content. HP Eyes Commercial Printing Market Hewlett-Packard (HP), in the midst of a massive restructuring of its businesses, intends to convince the commercial printing industry it needs to replace older printing presses with HPs faster digital Indigo printers. With a price tag of $350,000, HP hasn't yet succeeded in creating a cheaper digital press, but must to attract many of the small business owners who dominate the industry. However, in a $400 billion market that needs a technological upgrade, HP is betting that it can be a major player. RR Donnelly Acquires Astron Group North Americas largest printing company, RR Donnelly & Sons Co., will acquire Astron Group for $990 million in cash. Astron Group, based in the UK, provides document-based business process outsourcing (BPO). Its acquisition is in keeping with RR Donnelly's strategy to increase its document BPO services. The transaction should conclude in summer 2007, following regulatory approval.

CRITICAL ISSUES Dependence on Business Activity The volume of commercial printing is closely tied to the health of the US economy. While advertising is the mainstay of commercial printing, financial printing has also grown rapidly in the past decade. Both advertising and financial activity are sharply affected by the economy and stock market.l Gross domestic product increased at a 3.1 percent annual rate in first quarter 2007, a positive indicator for printing business. Fluctuating Paper Costs Printers feel the impact of cost fluctuations of paper and ink prices. Paper accounts for about 25 percent of printing costs. Paper price increases don't directly affect profits for many printers because they pass paper costs to customers, but lower prices encourage more volume. Environmental issues in paper manufacture may raise paper prices. Ink prices are affected by fluctuations in oil and resin prices. l Paper producers raised prices 7.8 percent in March 2007 from year-ago level, increasing printers' raw materials costs.

OTHERS BUSINESS CHALLENGES Reduced Use of Printed Material Information distribution via electronic means, such as the Internet and especially e-mail, will reduce demand for printed materials. Company annual reports and prospectuses are now available electronically over the Internet, electronic catalogs are supplanting print catalogs for orders placed over the Internet or via telephone, and electronic versions of documents that can be stored and viewed on portable devices will eventually supplant many printed magazines. Competition from In-House Printing Laser and color printers in corporations and small businesses now produce many jobs formerly handled by commercial printers. Even smaller companies can produce many documents on their own high-volume printers. According to Association for Suppliers of Printing and Publishing Technologies, the use of desktop color printers will grow by 10 percent annually. Copy shops have further taken business from traditional printers. Lower Entry Barriers The technological sophistication of modern presses, which require less expertise to operate than older "hot metal" printing processes, has lowered entry barriers and created an excess of printing capacity.

BUSINESS TRENDS Faster, Shorter Printing Jobs Customers are demanding faster and shorter runs, forcing printers to find ways to increase speed while maintaining profit margins. As cycle times shorten, incremental improvements may not by themselves shave enough time to meet ever-increasing customer demands for speed. By 2010, 30 percent of all printing will be turned around in one day or less, according to Printing Industries of America (PIA). Digital Image Storage Because of the increasing conversion of images to digital format before printing, some commercial printers now provide digital inventory services. Some printers, in an effort to expand services, are capitalizing on theirnewexpertiseinthetransfer, manipulation, and storage of digital images, especially in thefront-endCAD process, Internet web page design, CD production, and generally in document and information management and distribution. Mass Customization Commercial printing is moving toward imaging for "an audience of one." Selective binding capabilities are key to mass customization of printed Products. Already, three of the largest printing companies, RR Donnelley, Quad/Graphics, and Fry Communications, are benefiting from selective binderies. New Printing Technologies With the introduction of digital plate-making, the entire printing process can now be handled most effectively using digital technology. The traditional printing process relies on cameras and photographic film as an intermediate step in the photochemical production of the plates used in printing. New processes can make film from digital images without using a camera.

INDUSTRY OPPORTUNITIES Technology Broadening Geographic Market Areas Increased use of digital files and lowcost courier services, and the increased ability of modern presses to accurately reproduce digitally prescribed colors, allow printers to solicit and fulfill orders from distant customers using the Internet. Online print production management solutions can save money on reworks, late fees, and obsolete materials. Online print shops like Kinko's, Mimeo, and Now Docs specialize in printing and binding electronically prepared materials that can be delivered overnight. Commercial printers able to invest in this technology will supplant many traditional operations.

Value-Added Services Front-end design services and back-end inventory and distribution services are often as valuable as press operations. Electronic prepress, finishing, binding, packaging, database management, web design, CD services, training, and consulting are services that provide extra value for customers. Online Print Production Only 5 percent of commercial printers use the Web to allow clients to track jobs. Online print shops like Kinko's, Mimeo, and Now Docs specialize in printing and binding presentations that can be delivered overnight. New online services have transformed the printing industry, eliminating the costly and time-consuming prepress stage. Security Document Printing - Printers are busy developing innovative new products for tighter security demands for printed documents. Numerous types of inks, including UV and fluorescent; infrared (IR); thermo chromic, photo chromic and magnetic; can be used. Some industry experts believe that IR ink printing will be a growth area. New Inks, Equipment Technology New ink and equipment technology can improve commercial printing operations and reduce long-term costs. Interest in single-fluid inks has increased; single-fluid inks, which are waterless and water-washable, provide faster startups and wider temperature latitude, with no solvents required for cleanup. And a new, low-cost computer-to-plate (CTP) system targeting small commercial printers might save up to 50 percent in material costs by eliminating waste.

CONVERSATION STARTERS How does the company manage fluctuating demand for services? The volume of commercial printing is closely tied to the health of the US economy. How does the company mitigate increases in ink and paper costs? Printers feel the impact of cost fluctuations of paper and ink prices. Paper accounts for about 25 percent of printing costs. How has increased use of digital media affected the company's production volume and sales? Information distribution via electronic means, such as the Internet and especially e-mail, will reduce demand for printed materials. What plans does the company have to add new computer or digital technology to improve production and services?

Increased use of digital files and low-cost courier services, and the increased ability of modern presses to accurately reproduce digitally prescribed colors, allow printers to solicit and fulfill orders from distant customers using the Internet. What non-printing value-added services does the company offer, and to what benefit? Front-end design services and back-end inventory and distribution services are often as valuable as press operations. What impact has online print production management solutions had on the company's cost savings and processing speed? Only 5 percent of commercial printers use the Web to allow clients to track jobs.

QUARTERLY INDUSTRY UPDATE QUESTIONS For offset printers, how is the company dealing with the declining number of skilled workers? A key industry executive cited the smaller pool of skilled workers and the constant demand for automation and systems integration as some of the major challenges facing the offset printing industry. What percentage of recycled paper does the company use? Office Depot used an average of 26.9 percent post consumer waste content in the paper used its nearly 1,000 Copy & Print Centers, almost doubling 2005 levels. OPERATIONS, PRODUCTS AND FACILITIES QUESTIONS What types of work does the company specialize in? Some examples include magazines, phone books, labels, checks, coupons, advertising brochures and catalogs, newspaper inserts, direct mail marketing pieces, corporate reports and other financial printing, training manuals, or business forms. What types of presses does the company have? See "Industry Description" for definitions of sheet fed, web presses, two-, four-, six-, or eightcolor or digital presses. Larger, heavier-duty 40-inch presses open the door to packaging print jobs. Does the company use digital or film processing methods? Larger advertising agencies and publishers have gone to total digital processes.

Does the company use computer-to-plate (CTP) technology? Over 70,000 image setting machines and only 4,000 CTP units were in use in 1999, according to Graphics Art Monthly. Often, companies will back up modern CTP units with more familiar image setting units. How much prepress design work does the company do? Electronic prepress is the fastest-growing segment of the industry. Does the company buy paper from one or several sources? Most printers order papers for each printing job from wholesale distributors.

CUSTOMERS, MARKETING, PRICING, COMPETITION QUESTIONS What is the average size of a customer order? How many customers does the company serve? In what types of industries? Does the company specialize in a particular industry? Who are the company's competitors? The technological sophistication of modern presses, which require less expertise to operate than older "hot metal" printing processes, has lowered entry barriers and created an excess of printing capacity. Does the company have any long-term contracts? Contracts are unusual except for long-run printing of magazines, catalogs, and directories, because they require special investment in large presses. Such contracts typically are for three to five years. Most commercial printing work is on a project basis, often after submission of bids to the customer. How sensitive are customers to price? Some customers are more concerned about quality and timeliness than price. REGULATIONS, R&D, IMPORTS, AND EXPORTS QUESTIONS Does the company have any export business? This is unusual except for specialized products like banknotes. How has the company addressed ergonomics and safety in its business? Has the company experimented with new types of ink? Interest has increased in single-fluid inks, which are waterless and water-washable inks that provide faster startups and wider temperature latitude; their cleanup requires no solvents.

ORGANIZATION AND MANAGEMENT QUESTIONS Is the company a division of a larger corporation? Some local companies are operated semi-autonomously by consolidators. Has the company been able to recruit skilled personnel, especially for prepress services Because of the competitive demand for people with computer skills, printers have had difficulty finding enough skilled personnel. How big a sales force does the company have? Marketing is usually through a traditional sales force calling on potential customers. Technology has enabled many firms to branch geographically. How does the printer plan to mitigate higher medical insurance costs for employees? The largest increase in expenses is estimated to come from employee medical benefits. FINANCIAL ANALYSIS QUESTIONS Are revenue and cash flow seasonal? Printers with a lot of customers in advertising have their greatest work load in third and fourth quarters. When does the company project it will need new presses? How does the company typically Finance new presses? Presses are the largest single investment of a printer, often accounting for 40 percent of total assets. Does the company routinely pass the cost of paper to customers? Most printers put a small markup on paper. Some customers provide their own paper.

BUSINESS AND TECHNOLOGY STRATEGIES QUESTIONS Does the company plan to add non-printing value-added services? Front-end design services and back-end inventory and distribution services are becoming more valuable to customers. Packaging, electronic prepress, finishing, binding, database management, web design, CD services, training, and consulting are some of the services that printers offer. What computer or digital technology does the company use in equipment or processes? Digital prepress design, digital presses, Internet communications, and digital image inventory are some. Does the company plan to expand operations in the next few years?

Local markets may be growing, even though the overall outlook for printers is for only small growth. Does the company operate an Internet website? Some printers use Internet sites to receive digital files from customers; others use them for marketing. How does the company differentiate itself from competitors? Price, quality, fast service, and special services are some ways to compete.

COMPANY PROFILE Madras Cements Ltd (MCL) is the flag ship company of Ramco Group, a well-known business group of South India. It is based at Chennai. The main product of the company is Portland cement manufactured through the four advanced production facilities spread over South India. The manufacturing products are: Ordinary Portland Cement Portland Pozzolana Cement

The company is the sixth largest cement producer in the country and the second largest in South India. Ramco Super grade is the most popular cement brand in South India. The company also produces Ready Mix Concrete and Dry Mortar products. In addition, the company also operates one of the largest wind farms in the country. They are: Pioneer in Cement technology, Sixth largest Cement Producer in India, Single largest Cement Brand in South and Sophisticated R&D Centre in Chennai. It has been known for its penchant for technology that has kept the company ahead of competition.

MCL was the first to switch from the energyguzzling wet process to the dry process of for cement. costs

manufacture With

energy

continuously shooting up, it derived handsome

savings and also was the beneficiary of software developed by the group extensively for the entire gamut of operations from mining to the production of clinker and cement.

MCL is the first company to implement a full-fledged ERP system in the cement industry and one of the early adaptors among corporation in India. MCL is equipped with a modern computer based quality control system. Madras Cements Ltd is managed by a board of directors comprising of eminent personalities as its members. The chairman of the board is Shri P.R. Ramasubrahmaneya Rajha, under whose dynamic leadership the company has grown into a massive organization. The company board brings together a team of business, administrative, financial and cement technology professionals who provide guidance and direction to the company's operations in a competitive business environment. Madras Cements Ltd has been a pioneer in adopting its corporate governance practices comparable to the best in the country.

Factories location MCL operates four ultra-modern production factories with a total capacity of 6 million tons per annum (MTPA) and they are (i) R R Nagar, Tamil Nadu (1.2 MTPA) (ii) Jayanthipuram, Andhrapradesh (1.6 MTPA) (iii) Alathiyur, Tamil Nadu (3.0 MTPA) (iv) Mathod, Karnataka (0.2 MTPA)

MISSION

To continuously improve productivity through quality, technology renewal and customer focused operations.

To position ourselves in the cement business as a pace setter and grow in the same and related business.

To seek green field locations for growth on the basis of developed synergies of the existing operations.

To continuously seek quality enhancement in product, processes and responses to various stakeholders.

To update management practices on a continuous basis and maintain a culture of professional management.

To conserve, protect and enhance quality of life for our employees and community. To preserve the credence in our motto "our real resources are the human assets".

CORE VALUES AND BENEFITS:

Customers continued satisfaction and the sensitivity to their needs is our source of strength and security. If there is no customer, there is no business

We do not look at productivity as a game in numbers. We try to learn from others, be committed to quality and always stay ahead in terms of technology

RAMCO GROUP COMPANIES:

Madras cements limited Ramco industries limited Raja palayam mills limited Rajapalam, Tamilnadu Sri Ramco spinning mills limited Rajapalam, Tamilnadu Sundaram spinning mills limited Rajapalam, Tamilnadu Sri Vishnu sankar limited Rajapalam, Tamilnadu Ramaraju surgical cotton mills limited Ramco systems limited Ramco lanka (pvt) limited Harini textiles

Some corporate responsibilities of Ramco group Raja charity trust C. Rama Swamy Raja education charity trust P.A.C Rama Swamy Raja Poly technique P.A Chinnaih Raja memorial higher secondary school P.A.C.R Ammani animals higher secondary school Chinnaih vidyalaya P.A.C.R Raju matriculation higher secondary school S.S.R vidhya mandir

Plans are on to build a hospital in Rajapalam equipped with the most advanced medical facilities. The primary aim of this hospital would be to provide free medical to workers scheme society. In order to have impetus to ecology development a senior horticulturist is being appointed his services will be extended to the farmers of nearby villages to help them in going various fruit and vegetation using hybrid varieties. We are going ahead shortly for massive a forestation of ISO acres of our land located at the entrance of our factory premises.

AWARDS 4levels award-Center for science and environment National award for energy conservation-Confederation of India industries Best energy efficient unit-National council for Indian industries Corporate performance award-Economic times Best improvement in energy performance-International congress on chemistry of cement The analyst award-The institute of charted financial analysts of India Best all-round industrial award-Federation of AP chambers of commerce & industries Business excellence award -Industrial economist Export performance award-CAPEXIL State safety awards-Tamilnadu & Andhrapradesh Governments Good industrial relation award-Tamilnadu & Andhrapradesh Government

JAYANTHIPURAM UNIT In 1986 the company ventured into the second unit Jayanthipuram in Andhrapradesh 75 kilometers from Vijayawada towards Hyderabad with a investment of Rs 100 corers per manufacture of Rs 7.50 lakhs tones of cement per annum. This plant was commissioned in 1986 six months ahead of schedule plans Madras cements is a ramco group of most ambitious diversification had. It is a profitable company today. Two were process plans were setup in 1987with a capacity of 600 tones to produce Portland cements. In the 1970s totals with over was made to the dry process of manufacture. The single largest dry kiln in India at the time of establishment with a capacity of

1200 tones was installed at ramaswamy rajanagar in Tamilnadu, for the first time in India, over the years the plant has modified and updated with preclaciner technology. This has increased the capacity by 115% in 1993. Ramco group has setup its second and Indias most technological advances cement unit which started its production in 1987 Jayanthipuram Krishna district and Andhra Pradesh with 1.1 million tons per annum. This is the first factory in India to be totally computerized. It is one of the most sophisticate plants in India with full computer controlled special software of F.L smiths and fuzzy logical system from Denmark for kiln control. This flagship company of Ramco producer of market cements with brand Ramco. The kiln was gradually upgraded from 2300 TPD in 1986, 1994 and to 3200 TPD in1995. During this period raw material and coal mill were also upgraded from 220 to 240 TPH and 26 to 30 TPH respectively. Horizontal impact crusher (HIC), was installed in 1995 in cement mill circuit to increase the output from 125 TPH to 180 TPH and the cement mill was optimized in 1996.with this the capacity has been increased to 11lack tones per annum. The plant has electrostatic precipitators (ESP) and deducting bag houses to ensure clean and pollution free environment. MCL has an uncompromising attitude towards the prevention of anti-environmental pollution. The above up gradation of kiln and other mills was carried out with and investment of Rs 25 crores. 2004-2005 in this period they build one power grid. It carried out with an investment of Rs 10 crores.

EXPANSION Slag grinding unit Madras cements have always stayed in the forefront of the industry. Special task forces within the company keep track of the latest international development in cement technology and promote action to adopt the state of art technology. India generates about 70 million tones of Fly ash and 10 millions of slag annually. Disposal of Fly and slag problem to the environment. Concern for the environment and ecology is percolating very fast into customer awareness globally and there by a check on eco-hostile

products is becoming an imperative exercise. Both the central and state governments are strongly propagating to use these products in cement manufacture. A working group has been constituted by the government of Andhrapradesh to study the generation and disposal of Fly ash and BD slag. Based on the recommendations of the working group the government of Andhrapradesh issued a GO instructing all government departments for utilization of 100% Pozzolana/slag cement, with in a period of 5 years. In line with the policies of the government and our philosophy of using otherwise no usable materials like Fly ash and slag to produce value added blended cement and there by conserve limestone and other materials like coal etc, and also to save energy apart from being eco-friendly and creating clean atmosphere by reducing carbon dioxide emission proud of serving our nation by preserving minerals and maintaining clean atmosphere for our future generations. MCL is the first to bring the following technologies in South India's cement industry. 1. The FUZZY Logic Software System for process Controls 2. Pre-calciner technology 3. Most Modern Programmable Logic Controllers (PLC) 4. Surface Mining Technology 5. Vertical Mills for Cement Grinding 6. Latest and highly effective ESPs and Bag filters 7. Advanced X-Ray technology for Quality Control ISO certification Madras cements limited, Jayanthipuram unit also got ISO 9002 certification in may, 1998.

SILENT FEATURES OF MADRAS CEMENTS LIMITED JAYANTHIPURAM For the first time in India the very latest computerized control system are introduced in the Jayanthipuram unit for efficient operation on energy conservation. The silent features of Jayanthipuram plant is furnished below A stacker re-claimer for pre blending and continuous flow silo for below Vertical roller mills for grinding raw material and coal Five stage per heater for their mail efficiency per calcinatory for efficiency use of low grade coal A scanner connected to a computer for refractory monitoring

X ray analyzer for quality control on line process computerized control for consistent quality Fuzzy logical software for kiln control Electro static precipitator at 5 strategic points for pollution control Belt bucket elevators for energy conservations

DEPARTMENTS IN MCL The following are the departments in Madras Cements Ltd. 1. Personnel department 2. Accounts department 3. Mines 4. IT 5. Stores and Material department 6. Quality control lab 7. Process department 8. Engineering departments Electrical and Mechanical department Civil and Power plant Instrumentation

9. Cement dispatch section 10. Security liaison

DETAILS OF EMPLOYEES The total workforce of MCL at Jayanthipuram is 600 out of which permanent employees are 346 and remaining 254 are contract labors. The following illustrates the details of the employees in MCL at Jayanthipuram.

S.No. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Category Officers Officer prob-with grade Officer trainee Staff Staff worker Staff prob-with grade Staff trainee Voucher staff Voucher worker Workers

No. of employees 53 3 7 70 2 7 1 1 4 198

ORGANIZATIONAL CHART OF MADRAS CEMENTS LIMITED JAYANTHIPURAM

President Vice President Administration Works Vice President

Personnel

Materials

Package & Plant

Security

Accounts

IT

Assistant Mgr Personnel

HOD

Mgr Head

Mgr Head

Manager Head Land Officer Assistant

Assts Clerk Stores officer Officer Assistant Security Assistants Steno Clerk Assistants Supervisor Clerk Assistants Liaison officer

Mines Civil

Mechanical IE Dept

Instrumentation

Electrical

Process

QC

Dept

Dept

Dept

Dept Power DGM DGM plant Mgr Mgr Mgr Mgr Assistant

Mgr Head

Mgr

Assistant

Assistant

Assistant

Assistant

Supervisor assistant Assistant Supervisor Supervisor Worker Draughts me Worker Worker Operator Worker Supervisor

MANUFACTURING PROCESS OF CEMENT What is cement? In themost general sense of the word, a cement is a binder, a substance which sets and hardens independently, and can bind other materials together. The word "cement" traces to the Romans, who used the term "opus caementicium" to describe masonry which resembled concrete and was made from crushed rock with burnt lime as binder. The volcanic ash and pulverized brick additives which were added to the burnt lime to obtain a hydraulic binder were later referred to as cementum, cimentum, cment and cement. Cements used in construction are characterized as hydraulic or non-hydraulic. The most important use of cement is the production of mortar and concrete - the bonding of natural or artificial aggregates to form a strong building material which is durable in the face of normal environmental effects. Cement should not be confused with concrete as the term cement explicitly refers to the dry powder substance. Upon the addition of water and/or additives the cement mixture is referred to as concrete, especially if aggregates have been added.

History Early uses It is uncertain where it was first discovered that a combination of hydrated non-hydraulic lime and a pozzolan produces a hydraulic mixture (see also: Pozzolanic reaction), but concrete made from such mixtures was first used on a large scale by Roman engineers[1]. They used both natural pozzolans (trass or pumice) and artificial pozzolans (ground brick or pottery) in these concretes. Many excellent examples of structures made from these concretes are still standing, notably the huge monolithic dome of the Pantheon in Rome and the massive Baths of Caracalla.[2] The vast system of Roman aqueducts also made extensive use of hydraulic cement.[3] The use of structural concrete disappeared in medieval Europe, although weak pozzolanic concretes continued to be used as a core fill in stone walls and columns. MODERN CEMENT Modern hydraulic cements began to be developed from the start of the Industrial Revolution (around 1800), driven by three main needs:

Hydraulic renders for finishing brick buildings in wet climates Hydraulic mortars for masonry construction of harbor works etc, in contact with sea water.

Development of strong concretes.

In Britain particularly, good quality building stone became ever more expensive during a period of rapid growth, and it became a common practice to construct prestige buildings from the new industrial bricks, and to finish them with a stucco to imitate stone. Hydraulic limes were favored for this, but the need for a fast set time encouraged the development of new cements. Most famous among these was Parker's "Roman cement."[4] This was developed by James Parker in the 1780s, and finally patented in 1796. It was, in fact, nothing like any material used by the Romans, but was a "Natural cement" made by burning septaria - nodules that are found in certain clay deposits, and that contain both clay minerals and calcium carbonate. The burnt nodules were ground to a fine powder. This product, made into a mortar with sand, set in 5-15 minutes. The

success of "Roman Cement" led other manufacturers to develop rival products by burning artificial mixtures of clay and chalk. John Smeaton made an important contribution to the development of cements when he was planning the construction of the third Eddystone Lighthouse (1755-9) in the English Channel. He needed a hydraulic mortar that would set and develop some strength in the twelve hour period between successive high tides. He performed an exhaustive market research on the available hydraulic limes, visiting their production sites, and noted that the "hydraulicity" of the lime was directly related to the clay content of the limestone from which it was made. Smeaton was a civil engineer by profession, and took the idea no further. Apparently unaware of Smeaton's work, the same principle was identified by Louis Vicat in the first decade of the nineteenth century. Vicat went on to devise a method of combining chalk and clay into an intimate mixture, and, burning this, produced an "artificial cement" in 1817. James Frost,[5] working in Britain, produced what he called "British cement" in a similar manner around the same time, but did not obtain a patent until 1822. In 1824, Joseph Aspdin patented a similar material, which he called Portland cement, because the render made from it was in color similar to the prestigious Portland stone. All the above products could not compete with lime/pozzolan concretes because of fast-setting (giving insufficient time for placement) and low early strengths (requiring a delay of many weeks before formwork could be removed). Hydraulic limes, "natural" cements and "artificial" cements all rely upon their belite content for strength development. Belite develops strength slowly. Because they were burned at temperatures below 1250 C, they contained no alite, which is responsible for early strength in modern cements. The first cement to consistently contain alite was made by Joseph Aspdin's son William in the early 1840s. This was what we call today "modern" Portland cement. Because of the air of mystery with which William Aspdin surrounded his product, others (e.g. Vicat and I C Johnson) have claimed precedence in this invention, but recent analysis[6] of both his concrete and raw cement have shown that William Aspdin's product made at Northfleet, Kent was a true alite-based cement. However, Aspdin's methods were "rule-of-thumb": Vicat is responsible for establishing the chemical basis of these cements, and Johnson established the importance of sintering the mix in the kiln.

William Aspdin's innovation was counter-intuitive for manufacturers of "artificial cements", because they required more lime in the mix (a problem for his father), because they required a much higher kiln temperature (and therefore more fuel) and because the resulting clinker was very hard and rapidly wore down the millstones which were the only available grinding technology of the time. Manufacturing costs were therefore considerably higher, but the product set reasonably slowly and developed strength quickly, thus opening up a market for use in concrete. The use of concrete in construction grew rapidly from 1850 onwards, and was soon the dominant use for cements. Thus Portland cement began its predominant role TYPES OF CEMENT

The types of cement in India have increased over the years with the advancement in research, development, and technology. The Indian cement industry is witnessing a boom as a result of which the production of different kinds of cement in India has also increased.

By a fair estimate, there are around 11 different types of cement that are being produced in India. The production of all these cement varieties is according to the specifications of the BIS. In India, the different types of cement are manufactured using dry, semi-dry, and wet processes. In the production of Clinker Cement, a lot of energy is required. It is produced by using materials such as limestone, iron oxides, aluminum, and silicon oxides. Among the different kinds of cement produced in India, Portland Pozzolana Cement, Ordinary Portland Cement, and Portland Blast Furnace Slag Cement are the most important because they account for around 99% of the total cement production in India.

The Portland variety of cement is the most common one among the types of cement in India and is produced from gypsum and clinker. The Ordinary Portland cement and Portland Blast Furnace Slag Cement are used mostly in the construction of airports and bridges. The production of white cement in the country is very less for it is very expensive in comparison to grey cement. In India, while cement is usually utilized for decorative purposes, marble foundation work, and to fill up the gaps between tiles of ceramic and marble.

The different types of cement in India have registered an increase in production in the last few years. Efforts must be made by the cement industry in India and the government of India to ensure that the cement industry continues innovation and research to come up with more and more varieties in the near future..

Some of the various types of cement produced in India are

Clinker Cement Ordinary Portland Cement Portland Blast Furnace Slag Cement Portland Pozzolana Cement Rapid Hardening Portland Cement Oil Well Cement White Cement Sulphate Resisting Portland Cement

Raw Material Preparation Limestone of differing chemical composition is freely available in the quarries owned by CN. This limestone is carefully blended before being crushed. Red mineral is added to the limestone at the crushing stage to provide consistent chemical composition of the raw materials. Once these materials have been crushed and subjected to online chemical analysis they are blended in a homogenized stockpile. A bucket wheel reclaimer is used to recover and further blend this raw material mix before transfer to the raw material grinding mills. Raw Mill Transport belt conveyor transfers the blended raw materials to ball mills where it is ground. The chemical analysis is again checked to ensure excellent quality control of the product. The resulting ground and dried raw meal is sent to a homogenizing and storage silo for further blending before being burnt in the kilns.

Fuels The heat required to produce temperatures of 1,800C at the flame is supplied by ground and dried petroleum coke and/or fuel oil. The Petcoke is imported via the companies' internal wharf, stored and then ground in dedicated mills. Careful control of the mills ensures optimum fineness of the Petcoke and excellent combustion conditions within the kilns system. Burning The raw meal is fed into the top of a preheater tower equipped with four cyclone stages. As it falls, the meal is heated up by the rising hot gases and reaches 800C. At this temperature, the meal dehydrates and partially decarbonizes. The meal then enters a sloping rotary kiln, which is heated by a 1,800C flame, which completes the burning process of the meal. The meal is heated to a temperature of at least 1,450C. At this temperature the chemical changes required to produce cement clinker are achieved. The dry process kiln is shorter than the wet process kiln and is the most fuel-efficient method of cement production available. Cooler Units The clinker discharging from the kiln is cooled by air to a temperature of 70C above ambient temperature and heat is recovered for the process to improve fuel efficiency. Some of the air from the cooler is dedusted and supplied to the coal grinding Plant. The remaining air is used as preheated secondary air for the main combustion burner in the kiln. Clinker is analyzed to ensure consistent product quality as it leaves the cooler. Metal conveyors transport the clinker to closed storage areas. Filters Dedicated electrostatic precipitators dedust the air and gases used in the Clinker Production Line Process. In this way, 99.9% of the dust is collected before venting to the atmosphere. All dust collected is returned to the process.

CEMENT MANUFACTURING PROCESS

INTRODUCTION Cement manufacturing consists of raw meal grinding, blending, pre-calcining, clinker burning and cement grinding. In short, limestone and other materials containing calcium, silicon, aluminium and iron oxides are crushed and milled into a raw meal. This raw meal is blended and then heated in the pre-heating system (cyclones) to start the dissociation of calcium carbonate to oxide. The meal goes further into the kiln for heating and reaction between calcium oxide and other elements to form calcium silicates and aluminates at a temperature up to 1450 oC: socalled clinker burning. The cyclone system is attached to the rotary kiln by a riser duct. Secondary fuel is fed to the riser duct, the main fuel mixture, coal/petcoke, fires the kiln. Reaction products leave the kiln as a nodular material called clinker. The clinker will be interground with gypsum and other materials to cement

[1]. Figure 1 shows a simplified flowsheet presenting the cement manufacturing process. Figure 1. Cement manufacturing from the quarrying of limestone to the bagging of cement

Figure 1. Cement manufacturing from the quarrying of limestone to the bagging of cement The process model

compounds and reacotors. Incoming and out compound flows are studied to get the chemicalprocesses and their changes in the kiln system under better control [2]. At the same block to another, the in- and out- going flows are shown, as are also different time, the calcium silicate system typical for cement manufacture is studied more closely including alkali species, chlorides and heavy metals. One goal of the modelling work is to find out how well a certain type of reactor or separator can describe a certain function in the process. The final target is to be able to describe the behaviour of the kiln process in a realistic way, when the fuel is fully or partly replaced by an alternative fuel. The outcome could possibly be called quality control giving vital information about the chemical changes caused by the alternative fuel, the heat transmission in the kiln, and possibly also other parameters controlling the clinker burning

process. It is important to quantify how these affect the clinker composition. Figure 2 shows a flowheet chart of the process model. The material streamsfrom one reactor or (alternative) fuel feeding locations. The feed of alternative fuels is possible to both the rotary kilns burning zone and to the pre-heating system, in this case meaning the riser duct with the pre-calciner cyclones. Several fuel-blocks are attached to both pre-calciner and burning zone in order to make it easier to simulate different fuel mixes. Chemical analyses are needed both for the kiln feed and the fuels that are intended to be tested with this model. Figure 2. The visual view of a process flowsheet model showing the structure of the model and Streams to and from the "blocks" To be able to build a simulation model, detailed knowledge of the process is necessary and a lot of information on the design and operation of the cement plant at Parainen is used in the modelling work

Temperatures and pressures at various locations and the incoming mass streams The dimensions and operational parameters of the cyclones, defining their grade efficiency performance Chemical composition and heating values of the incoming raw meal, the primary and secondary fuel, with particle size distributions for all these materials Incoming mass flows of raw meal, primary and secondary fuel and combustion air several things could not be implemented straightforward into the model, as an example the calcinations of the raw meal taking place in the pre-heating system, cyclones In the heat exchange section, the cyclones act as separators in which also the calcinations reaction CaCO3(s) = CaO(s) + CO2 is taking place. This was modeled as a cyclone separator with a perfectly stirred reactor at the inlet in which the calcinations reaction can take place, depending on temperature and CO2 partial pressure, see Figure 3.

Figure 3. Modeling block for a cyclone in which separation as well as limestone calcinations Takes place. The blocks are chosen in such a way that the chemistry in the different parts of the process can be specified as realistic as possible (e.g., equilibrium or non-equilibrium reactors), in a user-friendly way. After having attached the various modelling blocks to eachother,

representing different pieces of equipment in the clinker manufacturing process, the model is rather much according to the flowsheet of the real process. One of the differences is the modelling block for the pre-calciner cyclones, as mentioned above. Also processes like separation or splitting of streams are modeled with specified blocks, while the flowsheet of the process only shows pipelines directing the flows to different pieces of equipment. All the participating components are specified and listed on the same data sheet. In addition, the particle size distribution must be defined for all streams where solids are involved. Proximate fuel analyses are listed, as well as the elemental analysis data for the fuels. Pieces of the summary

sheets with the input data and how the possible results may look are shown in Tables 1 and 2.Table 1. An example of the input data used in the simulation Table 2. Results from one of several calculations done to balance up the kiln system (results are not verified).

KILAN SYSTEM CHEMISTRY The chemical reactions that occur in the kiln are illustrated in Figure 4 [3]. Reading the picture from the left-hand side the temperature is increased when going from the meal feed to the burning zone in the rotary kiln. The most important oxides that participate in the reactions are CaCO3, SiO2, Al2O3 and Fe2O3. Up preheating section (700oxide and silica with lime takes place according to the Figure. However, due to the short residence time in the pre-calciner section (i.e. several seconds), this initial reaction does not occur, but compounds such as spurrite, 2(CaO)2*SiO2*CaCO3, and sulphate spurrite

forms, par promotes the reaction between belite and free lime to form alite, C3S(= 3CaO*SiO2). During the cooling stage the molten phase forms C3A, tri calcium aluminate (= 3CaO* Al2O3) and if the cooling is slow alite may dissolve back into the liquid phase and appear as secondary belite [5].

Figure 4.

Figure 4. A schematic view of the clinker formation reactions [5]. Clearly, it is important that the combustion process and the composition of the meals fed to the kiln system is well understood. Usually the production of clinker is done in such a way that one type of clinker allows the plant operators to manufacture several well-defined types of cement that comply with the physical demands as specified in the cement standards. Figure 4 does not show the effect of sulphur and alkali on the melt formation in the kiln, neither does it show the substitution reactions that will occur when alkali, sulphur or trace elements are interchanged with, for example, the elements Ca, Si or Al. Free lime is present as well as periclase (MgO) and anhydrite (CaSO4). The formation of these phases will be taken into account in the modelling work later.Also when it comes to the chemical components it was necessary to make several changes to beable to specify the reactions related to clinker formation [4,5]: Iron containing silicates, which are formed during clinker production (such as C4AF, i.e. 4CaO*Al2O3*Fe2O3) are not included in the standard databases of the modeling software. There fore a separate databank was created and used in the calculations,which contained C4AF, NAS6 (i.e. Na2O*Al2O3*6SiO2) and KAS6 (i.e.K2O*Al2O3*6SiO2) [6].There is still work to be done with the created inhouse data bank. Other chemical compounds related to clinker formation will be added, such as for spurrite, if thermodynamic data for these can be found. Below, results calculated with the modelling softwares standard database are compared with results calculated with the additional databank included. Results and Discussion Calculations were made to test how well simulation results compare with the clinker quality data were reported by the production team. In these calculations both the primary and the secondary fuels are coal. Calculations done with both the softwares own thermodynamic databank and incombination with an inhouse data bank. In Figure 5 we can see the alite values for different cases.

Figure 6 shows the belite content.

Figure 5. The content of alite in the clinker, process values compared with calculated results. The x- axis shows the amount of combustion air (secondary air) fed to the burning zone.It has to be noted that variations in the feed of combustion air (secondary air) changes the formation of clinker minerals, as also was expected. As the alite content goes down, the belite content grows rapidly. The balance can be found somewhere between the amounts 54000 and 55000 m3/h of secondary air.

Figure 6. The content of belite in the clinker, process values compared with calculated results. To be able to figure out what changes in the interval 54000-55000 m/h secondary air, also a graph for the oxygen content in the flue gases after the burning zone,was plotted. A notable increase in the oxygen amount can bee seen. If too large amounts of secondary air is fed to the burning zone it interrupts the clinker formation. The flame becomes unstable, the burning zone is cooled and a lot of dust is in circulation in the kiln and pre-calciner system. The variations in oxygen excess are shown in Figure 7.

Figure 7. The amount of excess air after burning zone plotted against the amount of secondary air.The demand of combustion air in the burning zone appears to have a large influence on the results. As mentioned earlier there is a clear connection between the use of alternative fuels and the behaviour of the kiln process. The required air amounts will change significantly when changing from a fossil fuel to an alternative fuel, which may require changes to the process equipment. The model described above will be a powerful tool when selecting an alternative fuel for a cement kiln [7].

Conclusions If there are doubts as to whether one should change fuels in the rotary kiln system of a cement plant it may be of use to simulate the possible cases beforehand and obtain information on how serious the resulting changes might be. This can also be used to check whether the equipment is suitable and flexible enough for the new fuel combinations.There are clear differences between the calculated values for clinker compositions and the production values. This is due to the changes in the "description" of the clinker chemistry, and because not all the participating elements are listed in the output of the simulations. Although the results are improved by using the inhouse data, further adjustment will be needed. It is also important to balance the fuel and air amounts against the kiln feed to optimise clinker quality.

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