Energy efficiency through transparency

1 Introduction

The manufacturing process of the world’s most widely used building material is very energy intensive. From the crushing of raw material to the grinding of what is known as clinker cement into the finished product, the individual production steps require significant amounts of fuels and electrical power. As Çimsa is one of the leading manufacturers in Turkey’s cement and ready-mix concrete industry, the company feels it has an obligation to the environment and therefore has invested a great deal in recent years to significantly reduce emissions, save energy and establish alternative fuels. Power monitoring systems were introduced to systematically reduce load peaks at all five of Çimsa’s Turkish production sites, that in 2010 had consumption figures of more than 500 GWh. The result: greater energy efficiency throughout the enterprise.

2 Identifying potential savings

Among the measures that Çimsa has taken to protect human health and the environment is the intro­duction of precise power monitoring systems in the company’s five Turkish cement plants. With such energy-intensive processes, it is important to document and evaluate energy consumption and load peaks, identify potential savings, and take appropriate measures to increase energy efficiency.

The Siemens power monitoring systems in use rely on 7KM PAC measuring devices, 3WL and 3VL communication-capable circuit breakers, and p­owermanager software. The energy experts developed an individual solution for each production facility.

Power monitoring is part of Siemens Totally Integrated Power (TIP). It is based on a comprehensive range of products, systems, and solutions for low and medium voltage, rounded out by Siemens support throughout the entire lifecycle – from planning with software tools to installation, operation and services. Smart interfaces allow linking to building or industrial automation, making it possible to fully exploit all the optimization potential of an integrated solution.

3 Comprehensive system

In 1975, Çimsa launched cement production at its first plant at the Mersin site. Today, gray and white cement as well as calcium aluminate cement are manufactured there on several production lines. After an extensive modernization in 2010, the production capacity of the largest on-site is about 4,000 tons of clinker per day. This makes the cement plant in Mersin the company’s most important production site, meaning that it also required the most complex power monitoring system – and first and foremost complete transparency in energy flows. The existing 218 measuring devices were not sufficient for this purpose. To detect all the loads and evaluate the information collected from the crusher plant, conveyor belts, rotary kilns, clinker coolers and storage silos, a significantly more comprehensive system was necessary.

4 Flexible architecture

In the newly developed and installed solution, measuring devices from the 7KM PAC series detect the required values. These digital meters are extremely robust and easy to install, thanks to front installation with IP65 sealing class and grid terminals. They also have interfaces for Modbus TCP, Modbus RTU, Profibus IO and Profinet DP, and they can be easily integrated into existing local networks. Thirteen of these measuring devices of type 7KM PAC4200 were already present in Mersin. The number was increased to 25 for the new solution, and they were connected to the Industrial Ethernet network via Modbus TCP and the existing Allen-Bradley PLC. Siemens also connected 206 additional 7KM PAC3100 measuring devices through 11 subordinate Modbus RTU networks to the Industrial Ethernet network via PLC.

The already installed measuring devices from another manufacturer could be integrated into the new solution thanks to the flexible system architecture. The powermanager software allows voltages, currents, power levels and outputs, as well as their variation over time, to be detected, archived and presented as curves. In addition, measured quantities such as power averages are monitored and fed to definable actions, such as signaling. The measured quantities can be derived from a variety of sources, from measuring devices and controllers via Modbus TCP or from more complex units or networks that have an OLE for Process Control (OPC) server interface. This possibility was used twice in this project. In addition, powermanager can be used to generate automated reports according to customer requirements, which are then transferred to an SAP system via File Transfer Protocol (FTP).

5 Keeping an eye on consumption

With the new power monitoring solution at the Mersin plant, the energy consumption of the production processes and the corresponding key performance indicators (KPIs) are documented on a daily basis – for example, the energy required for the production of a ton of cement. The powermanager power monitoring system is also being successfully used at the locations in Ankara, Eskisehir, Nigde and Kayseri.

Using the Distributed System option, distributed systems are connected across the five sites. The information from the local basic systems is thus available to the experts in the central system for further evaluation and higher-level reporting. This created the required enterprise-wide transparency, making it possible to take measures in each plant to increase energy efficiency or to reduce load peaks. This allows Çimsa to further lower energy consumption across the enterprise.

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