A holistic approach

Vietnam is undergoing rapid industrialization and modernization. One of the results of this transformation has been a substantial increase in the country’s demand for cement. With a capacity of 12 500 t of clinker per day, the new production line at the Cong Thanh cement plant was built to help meet that demand. The increased capacity has made the plant one of the largest cement production facilities in Asia.

Siemens was contracted by the Cong Thanh Cement Joint Stock Company, a subsidiary of the Cong Thanh Group, to provide all the electrical and automation infrastructure for the plant’s new production line, including cabling for the medium- and low-voltage distribution systems, switchgear units, uninterrupt­ible power supply and battery systems, power factor compensation system, transformers, low-voltage dis­tribution panels with intelligent motor control centers, and variable-speed drives. The scope of supply also included the majority of the process instrumentation for the plant, along with the complete distributed con­trol system (DCS), which controls the various stages of the cement production process.

Single-source advantages

As is the case with any production facility, high uptime and reliability are critical to the operation of the Cong Thanh cement plant. The implementation of an Integrated Drive System (IDS) from Siemens has been fundamental in achieving these goals, as it provides a single point of contact for the entire drivetrain – which consists of motors for the mill, limestone crusher, and kiln, along with gear units, frequency converters, and control systems. In addition to allow­ing for rapid resolution of problems in the field, which effectively minimizes downtime, having a single pro­vider eliminates the finger-pointing that is often prev­alent in multi-vendor engagements.

“By having a single provider, we’ve been able to reduce interface losses, resonances, and wear by means of design, engineering, and optimally matched compo­nents,” says Le Than, project manager at Cong Thanh Group. “This translates into reduced operational and maintenance costs, outstanding availability, and higher energy efficiency. It also helps facilitate pur­chasing and lowers warranty costs, which is something many cement manufacturers don’t always take into consideration.”

Optimization through integration

At the heart of the plant’s automation system is Cemat, an integrated process control system from Siemens. Cemat has been installed at more than 800 facilities worldwide and is based on Simatic PCS 7. “Cemat offers many unique features that make operation of the cement plant simpler and more efficient, such as numerous blocks and modes for advanced control functionality,” explains Amos Todt, senior project manager at Siemens. “It also provides the capability to monitor all process components of the plant in real time, which allows operators to quickly diagnose prob­lems and evaluate the status of various areas of their facility.”

In addition to providing the framework for intercon­necting drives, belt conveyors, dampers, and measur­ing equipment, the scalability advantages offered by Cemat and Simatic PCS 7 were a major reason for the solution’s implementation at the plant. “We needed a highly innovative DCS that could help us stay competi­tive over the long term,” adds Than. “Cemat not only offers great compatibility with legacy systems, but it also gives us the ability to expand the plant if needed and integrate current infrastructure with future inno­vations.”

Maximum productivity

Sourcing from a single vendor allowed the Cong Thanh cement plant to leverage automation systems beyond the cost of their implementation, according to Le Tien Dung, deputy general director of the Cong Thanh Group. “Partnering with Siemens to implement the IDS met the needs of our facility,” he says. “We’ve benefited greatly from high energy efficiency, reliabil­ity, and reduced operational and maintenance costs – in simple terms, maximum productivity.”

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