Displaying items by tag: IKN
Innovation in Industrial Carbon Capture Conference 2020
29 January 2020If you needed a sign that the cement industry has become serious about carbon capture it was the presence of two organisations offering CO2 transport and storage capacity in northern Europe at last week’s Innovation in Industrial Carbon Capture Conference 2020 (IICCC). Both Norway’s Northern Lights and the Rotterdam CCUS (Project Porthos) were busy at their stands during the event’s exhibition. Meanwhile, Cembureau, the European Cement Association, said that it will work on finding other potential storage sites for CO2 and on identifying existing gas pipelines that could be converted. The industry is planning what to do about CO2 transport and storage.
As with the previous IICCC event in 2018 the heart of the programme was the Low Emissions Intensity Lime And Cement (LEILAC) project. Since then Calix’s 60m tall pilot Direct Separation Calciner unit has been built at the HeidelbergCement cement plant in Lixhe and has been tested since mid-2019. Early results look promising, with CO2 separation occurring, calcined material produced and the tube structure and mechanical expansion holding up. Problems with thermocouples failing, blockages and recarbonation at the base of the tube have been encountered but these are being tackled in the de-bottlenecking phase. Testing will continue well into 2020 and plans for the next demonstration project at another cement plant in Europe are already moving ahead. LEILAC 2 will see industry partners Cimpor, Lhoist, Port of Rotterdam and IKN join Calix, HeidelbergCement and other research partners to work together on a larger 0.1Mt/yr CO2 separation pilot scheduled for completion in 2025.
Alongside this HeidelbergCement presented a convincing vision of a carbon neutral future for the cement industry at the IICCC 2020. It may not be what actually happens but the building materials producer has a clear plan across the lifecycle chain of cement. It is researching and testing a variety of methods to capture CO2 process emissions, is looking at supply chains and storage sites for the CO2 and is working on recycling concrete as aggregates and cementations material via recarbonation. In terms of carbon capture technology, an amine-based industrial scale CCS unit looks likely to be built at Norcem’s Brevik plant in the early 2020s. HeidelbergCement’s other joint-research projects – direct separation and oxyfuel – are further behind, at the pilot and pre-pilot stages respectively. Each technology looks set to offer progressively better and cheaper CO2 capture as they come on line.
Or put another way, cement companies in Europe could build industrial scale amine-based carbon (CC) capture plants now. Yet the game appears to be to wait until the cost of CCS falls through new technology versus the rising emissions trading scheme (ETS) price of CO2. CC is expected to become economically feasible in a decade’s time, sometime in the 2030s. At which point there might be an upgrade boom as plants are retrofitted with CC units or new production lines are commissioned. Other ways of reducing the cement industry’s CO2 emissions, of course, are being explored by other companies such as further reducing the clinker factor through the use of calcined clays (LC3 and others), solar reactor or electric-powered kilns and more.
The usual problem of how the construction industry can cope with a higher cost of cement was acknowledged at IICCC 2020 but it is largely being worked around. Higher priced cement poses competitive issues for specifiers and construction companies but it is widely expected to result in price rises below 5% for most residential end users. In the short-term government policy such as requiring low carbon cement in state building projects could stimulate the market. The start of this process can be seen already with the use of slag cements in various infrastructure projects.
Hans Bergman, Head Unit ETS Policy Development at the Directorate-General for Climate Action (DG Clima) partly addressed the cost issue by talking about the EU Green Deal. The EU wants to meet its new targets but it also wants to let gross domestic product (GDP) rise whilst greenhouse emissions fall. The EU ETS is its principle vehicle for this but the commission is wary of changes, such as making modifications linked to CCS, in case it undermines the system. Discussions are ongoing as the work on the Green Deal continues.
IICCC was a wider forum beyond just what LEILAC is up to. To this extent the CC projects involve multiple partners, including those from other cement companies like Cemex and Tarmac (CRH) in LEILAC and Dyckerhoff (Buzzi Unicem), Schwenk Zement and Vicat in the oxyfuel project. The decarbonisation fair included representatives from Vicat’s FastCarb project and Polimi’s Cleanker. Speakers from the European Climate Foundation, Acatech, INEA, TCM, SINTEF and Lhoist were also present.
During one speaker discussion Calix was described as the 'Tesla' of industrial CC by one speaker, who said that, “…there is a genuine competitive opportunity for those bold enough to grasp it.” Calix’s managing director Phil Hodgson enjoyed the accolade but the point was that leading innovation or setting the agenda offers advantages. In the case of industrial CC for the cement industry, change feels a step closer.
Oman: Raysut Cement has signed an agreement with Ayoki Engineering for upgrading its clinker cooler line three at its Salalah plant. The local engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contractor will source the equipment from Germany’s IKN, according to the Muscat Daily newspaper.
The existing grate cooler at the unit will be replaced by a 4000t/day IKN Pendulum clinker cooler with a guaranteed capacity of 3500t/day clinker production. The project scope includes related civil works, supply and installation works of mechanical and electrical works. Sourcing and installation of the refractory will also be under the responsibility of Ayoki Engineering through IKN. Final installation of the project is planned for the fourth quarter of 2019.
Germany: IKN has revealed that first clinker was created on schedule at HeidelbergCement’s Burglengenfeld cement plant in April 2018 following an upgrade to one its kiln lines.
IKN was awarded a contract for engineering, supply and installation to upgrade the pyro-processing line to 4000t/day, from raw meal feeding to clinker discharge. The contract included integration engineering, supply and installation of add-on components for the raw meal grinding plant. The new production line comprises a two-string, five-stage preheater tower with inline calciner and Fire Bed Combustor for coarse refuse-derived fuel (RDF). IKN says that its most modern preheater and calciner design ensures minimum pressure drop at maximum performance and high efficiency. The kiln line has been designed for maximum use of a broad range of alternative fuels.
Hungary: Germany’s IKN has provided information on its role with an environmental upgrade to Duna-Dráva Cement’s Vác plant. The Euro22m project was commissioned in April 2018. The 2400t/day clinker production line was modified by IKN to handle a refuse-derived fuel (RDF) substitution rate of up to 100% in the calciner. The two lower cyclone stages were replaced, a complete new preheater tower with the inline calciner was erected, a new bypass system and a new static inlet in the clinker cooler were installed. IKN says that it completed the project in just less than two years on an engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) basis.
Denmark’s FLSmdith also worked on the project replacing the line’s bag filters with an electrostatic precipitator system. This part of the environmental upgrade cost Euro4.7m.
IKN places order for A TEC GRECO kiln burner
14 April 2016Germany: IKN has placed an order for a A TEC GRECO kiln burner for the HeidelbergCement’s cement plant at Burglengenfeld. The project will be completed by the end of 2016. It is part of a general upgrade being conducted at the plant by IKN.
The scope of A TEC GRECO’s supply includes the engineering, design and manufacturing of a tailor-made combustion system including the required peripheral systems for operation. The burner thermal power will be 75MW. The burner is intended use with lignite, sewage sludge, refuse-derived fuel (RDF), diesel and solvents.
A TEC GRECO is a subsidiary of A TEC specialising in burners for kilns and calciners.
HeidelbergCement’s Burglengenfeld cement plant to be upgraded
09 December 2015Germany: HeidelbergCement has decided to modernise its Burglengenfeld cement plant in Germany with parts and services from IKN and Gebr. Pfeiffer.
IKN won the contract for the engineering, supply and installation of a complete 4000t/day pyro line, from raw meal feeding to clinker discharge. Included in the scope of supply are integration engineering, supply and installation of add-on components for the raw meal grinding plant. The upgraded plant will feature state-of-the-art technology to comply with the targeted production level and future emission limits.
The new line will consist of a two-string, five-stage preheater tower with inline calciner. IKN's preheater and calciner design will ensure minimum pressure drop at maximum performance and high efficiency. The kiln line will be optimised to use of a variety of alternative fuels. Among several innovative features will be a tertiary air duct damper, which has proven successful in operation for more than three years with outstanding reliability and performance. Another essential component of the plant is IKN's Pendulum Cooler, which is highly reliable and has low maintenance and operational costs. Its design allows recirculating bypass gas into the recuperation zone to boost cooler efficiency.
As part of the modernisation of the kiln line, the four existing MPS vertical roller mills will be replaced after forty years of successful operation. HeidelbergCement has ordered two new Gebr. Pfeiffer MPS 4250 B roller mills as replacements. Each mill is designed to achieve a capacity of 200t/hr of cement raw material ground to a fineness of 12% R90µm. The drive power per mill is 2250kW. Gebr. Pfeiffer will also supply the complete equipment for the external material circulation system as well as the cyclone collectors and mill fans. The supply of the mechanical equipment will be completed by engineering services covering the plant layout and the integration of the process-related ductwork within the existing, complex plant. Raw mill 1 is scheduled to go on stream at the end of 2016 and raw mill 2 is scheduled to start operations in 2017.