The kiln is the beating heart of a cement plant, on which producers are totally reliant. Historically, however, the kiln has had just a few isolated sensors and has usually undergone a major inspection every two to three years.
Now FLSmidth has launched a 24/7 kiln condition monitoring service, offering plant managers the live insights they need to optimise performance and be proactive with kiln maintenance.
The cement industry is increasingly under pressure. Producers are facing unrelenting requirements to reduce production costs and improve efficiency as overcapacity becomes part of a new reality. Furthermore, while technological developments and increasing digitalisation across the flowsheet are enabling improvements, the journey to achieving maximum value from these investments requires precious time and specialist skills.
The new ‘Online condition monitoring services for kilns’ from FLSmidth enables producers to use existing and additional sensors to gather data from for critical equipment on a continuous basis. This data is sent to FLSmidth’s Global Remote Service Centre where it is analysed for early signs of failure by the industry’s best kiln experts. In real-time, recommendations and reports informing of any maintenance issues that need addressing are sent to the customer.
“Digitalisation enables us to help customers develop a data-led proactive maintenance approach, guided by our network of experts,” explains Mireia Fontarnau Vilaró, head of Service Commercial, FLSmidth. “With this service agreement, we are able to collect and analyse data that would not be normally available, giving our customers the opportunity to really get on top of maintenance, improve the life of kiln components and improve their overall reliability.”
The Online condition monitoring services for kilns keeps an eye on the kiln crank, kiln shell ovality and axial balance, helping customers avoid unplanned downtime through extensive root cause analysis.
“Many customers were already interested in remote services, but demand has exploded since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic and associated travel restrictions,” says Jacob Ryttergaard, Head of Product Line Pyro, FLSmidth. “The beauty of our Online condition monitoring services for kilns is our ability to gain a deep insight into a kiln’s performance and recommend improvements without having to visit the site. We can support customers on a continuous basis wherever they are.”
The service agreement is available in two packages, based on the customer’s monitoring requirements. With 24/7 monitoring, analysis and diagnosis, plants can expect to:
- increase availability and reliability and eliminate unplanned downtime
- gain a greater understanding of conditions in the kiln
- get ahead on maintenance tasks and reduce OPEX
“Better maintenance programme execution gives you better performance,” says Jacob. “It’s not just about reducing maintenance costs and increasing reliability. You are also improving efficiency and increasing the sustainability of your operation.”
The new service offering complements our existing portfolio of on-site kiln services – it will not replace them. It does, however, enable plant managers to better predict and schedule maintenance activities and ultimately maximise plant productivity.
