Flexible plant equipment geared for the future

On 23.04.2009, the official start-up of the first ever Roto ­Classic^® Packer [1–2] from Haver & Boecker took place at the Phoenix Cement Works Krogbeumker GmbH & Co. KG in Beckum/Germany (Fig. 1). This cement plant has been family owned since its founding in 1914 (Fig. 2). Value has always been placed on keeping the plant at the most modern technical levels. Cements ranging from CEM I to CEM III are produced, as are special cements and building material products. Stone coal is the primary source of energy used for processing. In addition other fuels like production-specific industrial waste and animal meal with substitution rates of up to 60  % are used. The plant’s main markets are predominantly Germany and the Benelux countries. “About 25  % of the cement leaves the Beckum plant packed in bags. Therefore it is crucial to have a high-performance packing system that has minimal downtime“, said Dr. Gustav Krogbeumker, managing director of Phoenix ­Cement. The raw material is extracted from a nearby quarry, and high grade limestone and an iron components are used as corrective components. The kiln consists of a 4-stage heat exchanger with DOPOL 90 cyclones, a rotary kiln (3.8 m x 56 m) and a double-layer grate cooler.

The cooperation between Haver & Boecker and Phoenix has a long tradition. Already in 1960 the first ROTO-PACKER^® built by Haver & Boecker was put into operation at Phoenix Cement [3]. Since then, this packing plant has been modernised and retooled on multiple occasions. Where the 6-spout packer once stood, the recent H&B 12 RSE 12-spout packer was replaced by a new HAVER ROTO CLASSIC^® 12 RCC. The packing speed is 4500 bags/hr for 25-kg bags. The packer is combined with a RADIMAT bag applicator that uses a roller system that provides the advantages of a double roller magazine. This allows uninterrupted packing operation and the appropriate bag quality to be quickly implemented whenever a product changeover occurs. The system also has the latest discharge line with a check-weigher for rejecting non-conforming filled bags. The assembly of the new packing line took place during a plant change-around in January 2009.

Modernisation in Beckum is always at the forefront. Since 2000, investments have been continuously made in new technology. Firstly the kiln was modernised and the DOPOL^® 90 preheahter made by Polysius was installed. And to keep pace with quality requirements, a POLAB ACT compact automated laboratory system from Polysius was installed in the plant laboratory in 2006. In 2007 a TEREX O&K RH 90 C heavy excavator was put in operation. Then in 2008, the evaporating cooler was refurbished and brought to the latest technical standards with regards to the injection nozzles. In the early spring of 2009, a new ROTAFLAM^® RV2 burner from Pillard was installed. Also scheduled for the near future is the modernisation of the cement mill sifter, a QDK sifter to be delivered by Christian Pfeiffer GmbH.

”We put a lot of emphasis on long-term and secure production planning“, said Kai Wagner, plant manager at Phoenix Cement. “Because of our high share of bagged goods, we need a packer with a high level of operational availability. Of course it also has to be possible to integrate the packer with its surroundings.“ The new generation of packers from H&B fits the bill here. Using a new design, the machine diameter when packing with a high number of filling spouts could be significantly reduced [2]. The new packer’s reduced energy consumption and minimal need for maintenance contribute further to profitability. “Also the packer’s modularity with regards to its filling units minimise stoppage times and enable maximum flexibility“, said ­Bernhard Pagenkemper of the Haver & Boecker Cement ­Business Unit during the machine start-up phase. With the new packer, ­Phoenix Cement has paved the way for flexible and efficient cement production that is able to respond easily and rapidly to changing market requirements.

Already the next innovation is set for delivery at Haver & Boecker. A 16-spout HAVER ROTOSEAL CLASSIC^® 16 RCC-U packer (Fig. 3) is about to be delivered to the Kharia Khangar plant of Grasim Birla White in India. The packer will fill white cement into paper and PP bags with valve closures.
It has a packing speed of 4000 bags/hr for 25-kg bags and
3200 bags/hr for 50-kg bags. The packer is scheduled to be installed in June 2009.

www.haverboecker.com ; www.phoenix-zement.de