KHD deal for Cimentos Liz
August 2011: KHD Humboldt Wedag International announced in late summer 2011 that its subsidiary Humboldt Wedag Inc received a major order from Brazilian cement firm Cimentos Liz SA.
The company will supply the Brazilian company with equipment as well as engineering and consulting services on site. It will also provide services for the commissioning of Liz's new facility, which will have a capacity of 5000t/day. The value of the order is in the region US$120m.
CSN launches into cement
Ongoing: Since the Brazilian steel-maker Companhia Siderúrgica Nacional (CSN) identified cement as a core business in
August 2010, the company has been preparing for the construction of three new lines at its cement plant near to Arcos in the state of Minas Gerais (see right).
CSN aims to secure around a 10% share of the Brazilian cement market by the 2015-2016 fiscal year. By that point the industry could be as large as 70Mt/yr.
FLSmidth signs deal with Cimpor Cimentos do Brasil
December 2011: Denmark's FLSmidth signed a contract for two cement projects worth a total of US$132m with Cimpor Cimentos do Brasil Ltda on 29 December 2011. The contract comprises equipment for the Caxitu project, a new greenfield cement plant in Paraiba State near the town of Joâo Pessoa and for a new kiln line project at the Cezarina cement plant located in Goias State, 130km from Goiania.
The scope of supply for the Caxitu project includes a circular limestone storage dome, a longitudinal storage and reclaimer system for raw materials and a similar system for additives, a longitudinal storage facility for petcoke, an Atox raw mill, a Tirax coal mill, an in-line calciner preheater system and a Rotax kiln and SF cooler.
The scope of supply for the Cezarina project comprises a complete pyro-processing line including an Atox raw mill, a CF silo, an in-line calciner preheater system, a Rotax kiln and an FLSmidth Cross-Bar cooler. FLSmidth will also supply air pollution control systems for the two projects, featuring the latest pyro-processing technology for using alternative fuels.
Aumund: Rebuild project and new scraper reclaimer for Cimento Itambé
Ongoing: Cimento Itambé has awarded Aumund do Brasil and Schade Lagertechnik GmbH a contract for the rebuilding of a limestone storage facility. Apart from the refurbishment of an existing scraper reclaimer, the supply of a new bridge reclaimer forms part of the scope of supply which is scheduled to be employed for homogenised reclaiming of the raw material. Whilst the refurbishment of the old unit was the first to be implemented, the new bridge reclaimer has been in service since the beginning of 2012.
As a first step, the Schade Lagertechnik specialists from Herne fitted the existing scraper with a second harrow sourced from a no-longer existent local supplier. Flexible utilisation of the recently separated longitudinal stockpiles is made possible in this way. Prior to the rebuild, the old scraper which was equipped with just one harrow, had been transported with the aid of a mobile platform to one of the two former (parallel) stockpiles. Owing to the extension of the raw material storage totalling four separate longitudinal stockpiles, an additional bridge scraper was necessary which runs on a 33m long track. The scraper achieves a reclaiming capacity of 500t/hr. It is employed in parallel with the refurbished older unit. The Schade installation and components were designed in such a way that a 10-fold and two-fold warranty have been given for the chain and gear systems respectively.
Cimento Itambé was founded in March 1968 as Itambé Mining Company Limited. In 1971 the company, which had in the meantime been transformed into a limited company, received permission for the construction of a clinker production plant with a capacity of 1050t/day. Through the construction of a third kiln the plant's cement production capacity was increased to around 1.3Mt/yr.
New plant for Cimpor
June 2011: Cimpor announced plans to build a US$273m integrated clinker and cement plant in the town of Cerrado Grande, in southern Brazil's Paraná State, in early June 2011.
The plant, which will have a production capacity of nearly 1.2Mt/yr, will be supplied by a Cimpor-owned limestone quarry. Construction is expected to start in early 2012 and production will start in early 2014.
New Fives FCB clinker line coming for Holcim
October 2011: On 31 October 2011 Fives FCB signed a contract with Holcim (Brasil) for the supply, erection and commissioning of a new 4500t/day clinker production line. This production line, one of the most modern in the world, will increase the production capacity of Holcim (Brasil) by 50% to reach 7.9Mt/yr of cement by 2014.
The new line will be installed near an existing line at the Barroso cement plant, in the state of Minas Gerais, 200km from Belo Horizonte and 300km from Rio de Janeiro. The new equipment installed upstream and downstream of the new kiln line will be common to the two lines. Some existing workshops will be retrofitted.
The project will cover the supply of a 4500t/day clinker production line, from raw materials crushing to clinker silo and cement silos. Fives FCB will supply the detailed engineering of the plant, as well as the civil design and the technical supervision during erection and commissioning. The company will also supply mechanical and electrical equipment, plate works and steel structures. Production of first clinker is expected in May 2014, 130 weeks after the signing of the contract. The main parts of the new plant to be supplied are:
- Primary crushing plant, 1400t/hr,
- Secondary crushing plant with two cone crushers and a sieve for production of 900t/hr,
- Additive and petcoke crushers.
- Fives FCB will also supply a raw meal grinder with a Horomill® 4400 and a TSV™ 7000 BF classifier to ensure a 420t/hr raw meal production. This is the largest ever Horomill.
- 10,000t homogenising silo,
- Kiln line with i) a five-stage single string preheater with low pressure drop cyclones, ii) a zero-NOx precalciner, ii) a kiln (72m in length and 5m diameter), iii) a clinker grate cooler (4.4 x 27m), iv) a petcoke grinding plant with ball mill (9.75m long by 3.8m diameter) and, v) TSV™ 3000 MF for 44t/hr production.
- Clinker storage with a 35,000t silo,
- Cement dispatching plant including, i) a 21,000t capacity multi-cell silo with five truck bulk loading spouts, ii) a 10,000t capacity silo with bulk loading system and distribution to existing packing system and iii) a palletising machine.
To ensure its strategic development in Brazil, the Holcim group renewed its confidence in Fives FCB. Technical challenges and delivery times will be important aspects for Fives FCB to attest once more its ability to design and supply complete cement plants all over the world.
Preventative maintenance pays off for InterCement at Ijaci plant
Ongoing: Built and equipped by FLSmidth between 2001 and 2003, InterCement's Ijaci plant was from the start beset by a weak market and declining demand. In response, the plant's management initiated production campaigns of 20 days interspersed with 30 days of stoppage, a plan that matched market demand but made it impossible to operate equipment optimally or fully test plant production limits.
In an effort to control operating costs, the company opted to cut production at two other facilities and increase production at Ijaci. This gave the opportunity to test the new plant's equipment under more normal conditions and to optimise operation.
Continual pressure to lower costs between 2003 and 2007 led to successful adoption of alternative fuels. However, the same cost pressure also resulted in a reduced maintenance schedule, which meant that when demand increased in 2007 the Ijaci plant was not in condition to reach increased production targets.
Work to improve the plant began in 2008, when demand began to pick up due to general economic improvement and construction for the 2014 FIFA World Cup and 2016 Summer Olympics. To meet the anticipated future demand, one possibility was to upgrade the line from 5000/day to 6000t/day. Ijaci turned to FLSmidth for assistance in developing a solution.
Through close collaboration, it was observed that an immediate upgrade was not possible at the plant. Instead, it was proposed that the plant's first priority should be to improve maintenance and operation to obtain higher productivity. This allows the treatment of root problems, rather than solutions.
Following careful implementation of the 'Plan-Do-Check-Act' (PDCA) business model, productivity of the plant has increased in recent years. In 2008 it turned out 1.8Mt/yr of cement. In 2009 it was 1.95Mt and in 2010 2.04Mt was produced. In late 2011 the company was forecasting that it would produce 2.1Mt of cement in 2011. Thanks to disciplined predictive maintenance, InterCement's Ijaci plant has a run factor of 91% and produces at 104% of projected capacity.
Close attention to predictive maintenance has now become a part of the culture at the factory. For every small or large deviation in the specified operation of the main equipment, an error report with an explanation of the problem and suggestions for improvement is drawn up. This procedure is now fully ingrained throughout the plant, from employees to management, and has resulted in steady and significant production increases.
"The specific details are always different, but we have one general rule that we encourage all our customers to apply, which is to anticipate potential problems to avoid breakdowns," said Ulrik Kolding Hartvig, FLSmidth's vice president of Global Customer Services. "This is a predictive maintenance philosophy shared by both InterCement and FLSmidth – one that we encourage many plants worldwide to follow in order to get optimum output from their FLSmidth equipment. The Ijaci plant is an excellent example of this philosophy in action: Ijaci's management implemented a plan to help everyone at the plant move from focusing on 'putting out fires' through short-term maintenance to 'preventing fires' through predictive maintenance."
Brennard exploits Nordeste
June 2011: Local business giant Ricardo Brennand will commission a cement plant in the Nordeste region of Brazil, an area that is growing faster than any other part of Brazil. The Pernambuco-based group will open the 1Mt/yr unit in Joao Pessoa in Paraiba.
Regional demand for cement has been advancing fast and producers have been taking up an ever bigger local stance of late. Nordeste was self-sufficient in terms of cement supply until 2009 but, of the 12.3Mt the region consumed in 2010, almost 9% had to be brought in from outside. At present, the region boasts 17 cement plants.
Votorantim to build new plants
January 2012: Votorantim Industrial, Brazil's largest diversified industrial conglomerate, intends to use proceeds from the sale of its stake in steelmaker Usiminas to expand its cement output.
Chief executive Raul Calfat announced that the US$1.34bn raised by Techint's purchase of Votorantim's 13.5% voting stake in Usiminas had boosted the group's cash holdings to US$6.5bn. This high level of cash will allow the company to avoid borrowing at a time when financial markets remain shut for all but the most credit-worthy companies, said Calfat. It also gives the company room for funding heavy investment plans with its own cash.
Calfat said that the group's cement unit, Brazil's largest producer of the building material, would get one-third of the Usiminas stake sale proceeds. He said that the money would go towards the construction of four factories by 2013.
Maerz contract in Minas Gerais
December 2011: Maerz Ofenbau AG has been awarded a contract by Indústria de Calcinação Ltda (ICAL) for the supply of a 600t/day Maerz PFR kiln at its Pains plant in Minas Gerais.
The Maerz lime kiln to be built will be of the type R4S, with a circular shaft cross-section and a capacity of 600t/day of quicklime. Petcoke and charcoal dust will be used as the fuels to process the limestone, which will be fed at a diameter of 50-120mm.
Maerz's scope of supply includes a firing system for solid fuels, special refractory materials and spare parts. It will also delegate experienced personnel to assist ICAL during erection and commissioning of the plant.
Haver & Boecker supply Votorantim Imbituba
Haver & Boecker Latinoamericana (HBL) recently supplied equipment to Votorantim's Imbituba plant in the state of Santa Catarina.This was the first project to be supplied by HBL featuring a compact concept and low installation cost. The installation included cement storage and a packaging and dispatch system. The scope of supply included:
- Conceptual and detailed design of the entire plant dispatch,
- A multi-chamber cement silo with four chambers,
- A truck loading system,
- A complete high capacity Roto-Packer line, model 12 RSE(U) with a capacity of 3600bags/hr for 50kg bags,
- A high-capacity Beumer palletiser,
- A complete automation system with control panel and supervisory software.
HBL is a Brazilian company founded in 1974 and is a subsidiary of Haver & Boecker Drahtweberei und Maschinenfabrik, headquartered in Oelde, Westphalia, Germany. It boasts a team of 140 specialists offering comprehensive and customised solutions designed to fulfil the specific needs of most markets. In 2004 the company was awarded ISO 9001:2000 certification.
An introduction to Magnesita SA - An international Brazilian company
Magnesita SA was created in 1939, after the discovery of magnesite deposits in Brumado in the state of Bahia. Its industrial activities started in 1944 in Contagem, State of Minas Gerais (MG), with the production of alumina and silica-alumina refractory products. Since 1948 it has also produced magnesia and magnesia-chrome products.
Starting from 1960, Magnesita acquired and founded companies for production of inputs for ingot teeming, refractory concrete production, and electro-cast grain production among other items. These companies use raw material obtained in
Brumado for production of basic refractory products. The 1960s also marked the opening of the company capital, with the trading of its shares in the São Paulo Stock Exchange.
In the 1990s, a terminal port was inaugurated in Aratu, Bahia, from which Magnesita now exports sintered magnesia. In the same period, the marketing department was restructured with the intention of opening up the cement industry. A new business model was started, particularly focusing on the iron and steel sector, transforming Magnesita into a solution supplier that operates very close to the customer, with customised products and services.
In September 2007, Rpar Holding SA acquired Magnesita and in February 2008, by means of the signature of a shareholders' agreement, a corporate restructuring was approved involving Rpar Holding, Partimag SA and Magnesita. The objective of the restructuring was to group the three companies into a single open company, with a simplified structure, aligning and consolidating the interests of all group shareholders. The new organization resulted in the creation of Magnesita Refratários SA and its listing in the New Market of the São Paulo Stock Exchange in April 2008.
On 25 April 2008, Magnesita signed a contract for acquisition of all representative shares of the corporate capital of Insider, Insumos Refratários para Siderurgia Ltda, a company producing high technology monolithic and pre-shaped refractory products, with its headquarters in Coronel Fabriciano, Minas Gerais. In November 2008, Magnesita Refratários acquired LWB Refractories, a German company that was the leader in the market of basic refractory and dolomitic products of high added value.
RHI begins construction of its first plant in Brazil
February 2012: RHI AG, the global refractory products leader for the steel, cement and glass sectors, has begun to build its first factory in Brazil, located in the Industrial District of Queimados, part of the Rio de Janeiro metropolitan region.
Investment for its first phase will be US$111m and the factory will create 200 direct and about 400 indirect jobs. The start of production is planned for the third quarter of 2013 and the plant will occupy 120,000m2.
It is expected that the new plant's production capacity will be 60,000t/yr. Of this total, more than half will be for the domestic market and the rest shipped throughout Latin America.
In 2010, 7% of RHI Group's sales were in South America and the intention is to increase this percentage significantly. The company also plans to expand its capacities in a second phase, also creating more jobs.
The image shows Franz Struzl, executive president at RHI AG.
Introducing FAI
Fundição de Aço Inox Ltda (FAI) is a metal-casting specialist located in the Arujá area of São Paulo in São Paulo State. It has a capacity for 2600t/yr and specialises in static and centrifugal castings for corrosion, abrasion and heat-resistant applications. Its products are sold as cast, rough machined or machined to print, assembled and tested.
For the cement industry FAI supplies cooler grids, cooler side plates, nose ring wear plates, cooler hammers, cooler discharge chutes, kiln tyres, rings and rollers, cyclone parts, conveyor parts, wear rings and nose rings. It has references from all major Brazilian cement producers, namely, Votorantim Cimentos, Lafarge, Holcim (Brasil),
Camargo Corrêa, Itaú, Tupi, Cimento Itambé, Cimpor do Brasil and Nassau. It has also supplied equipment to Juan Minetti and Loma Negra, both of which are located in Argentina.
Largest ever vertical roller mill for cement goes to Holcim Brasil
November 2011: In November 2011 Holcim (Brasil) SA awarded the Spanish engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) leader Cemengal a contract to supply a state-of-the-art cement grinding station to increase the capacity of its Barroso works in the Brazilian state of Minas Gerais. Acting as main contractor for this grinding project, Cemengal ordered an MVR 6700 C-6 roller mill from Gebr. Pfeiffer SE, which with a cement production capacity of up to 450t/hr, will be the world's largest cement mill.
This mill, the largest ever vertical roller mill (VRM) for cement will be used to grind various blended cement qualities with clinker portions of up to 90% and slag portions of up to 65%, to product fineness degrees of 4000-4800cm²/g according to Blaine. A MultiDrive® with six single drives, each of 1920kW, will be used to drive it. This innovative drive concept will have an available total drive power of 11,500kW. The individual drives will be synchronised by frequency converters, which will also allow the speed to be adapted according to the different product qualities. This amount of power cannot be implemented with conventional drive systems for vertical roller mills.
Apart from the complete VRM, this contract will see Gebr. Pfeiffer supply a hot gas generator, which is intended to provide heat when materials of high moisture content are ground and/or clinker cooler exhaust gases are not available. As main contractor for the project, Cemengal will be in charge of the design and supply of all mechanical, electrical and process control equipment, except for the VRM. Moreover, Cemengal's scope will include steel structures and process design as well as erection, supervision and commissioning. Overall planning will be done by Cemengal in close co-operation with Gebr. Pfeiffer and the customer. The mill is scheduled to be commissioned at Holcim (Brasil) SA in 2013.