Production Equipment

PRODUCTION EQUIPMENT
Index
Mix Feed Hoppers 2
Mix Apron Feeders 3
Scraper Chains 8
Mix Crusher 9
Continuous or Cross Belt Analyzer 17
Mix Stacker and Bridge Reclaimer (CBS) 18
Gypsum and HG Limestone Crushing 30
Additive Stacker and Reclaimer (LBS) 31
Raw mill mixing station 40
Raw Mill 41
Raw Meal Separation and Silo 65
Preheater 73
Conditioning (cooling) Tower 78
Return Dust Bin 81
Rotary Kiln 82
Clinker Cooler 88
Clinker Silo 105
Cement Mill 1 + 2 105
Cement Silo and Silo Discharge 123
Packing Plant / Rotary Packers 124
Transport Equipment 132
Belt Conveyors 132
Belt Scales 146
Air-Slides 147
Drag Chains 148
Screw Conveyors 149
Pan Conveyor (Apron Conveyor) 151
Bucket Elevator 153
Air Lift (Pneumatic Transport) 159
Rotary Valves (Rotary Feeders) 159
Fans 161
1
EQUIPMENT: Mix Feed Hoppers CODE:
Capacity: 260m3 (Limestone); 200m3 (Marl/Shale) 111FY050/070
Function and Elements

The mix feed hopper is a rectangular trough with three tapered sides narrowing
towards the bottom, the apron feeder. The hopper is suspended in a concrete
base and clad with abrasion resistant steel sheets (armoured). This armour is
welded to the hopper structure. The front wall is vertical and has a port opening
in the centre for the feed to pass that is also steel armour clad. Heavy steel link
chains form a curtain between the crusher and the hopper chute to prevent
material to be thrown back out by the crusher. The hopper ends just on top of
the apron feeder in replaceable steel skirting to prevent spillage on the end and
the sides of the aprons.
Common Failures and Critical Points

Armour steel cladding wear may expose the metallic hopper structure beneath
resulting in quick damage. Badly welded armour plates can lift and warp
because of material backfill. They may even fall onto the apron feeder. If such a
plate is fed into the crusher, the damage will be extensive.
Spillage between the hopper and the apron feeder is usually due to worn or
missing skirting. Skirting that falls into the crusher may cause damage.
The chain curtains suffer from slow wear and strands can break off. Cracked or
broken links may be the cause. The chains may also detach entirely from their
locking pin on the structure roof. They can severely damage the crusher.
Preventive Maintenance
Part Position, Description Interval

In Operation:
Armour Integrity (controlled by the operator) Every Shift
Skirting Spillage (controlled by the operator) Every Shift
Chains Integrity (controlled by the operator) Every Shift
Stopped:
Armour Hopper armour sheets wear and integrity Weekly
Skirting Skirting wear and integrity Weekly
Chains Wear and integrity Monthly
Armour Thickness measurement (PM) 3 months
Mechanical Improvements
If the armour plate wear is too intense (fast), better steel may be employed or
hard-facing may be added (manganese steel arc welding) in the form of welding
circles 3 – 4cm wide some 5 – 10cm apart.
EQUIPMENT Mix Apron Feeders CODE:
2
Capacity: Marl/Shale: 87-869t/h; Limestone 217-2174t/h 111AF060/065
Apron feeders are used to charge stones and gravel from the quarry via the
feed hoppers into the crushers. They are steep angled transports consisting of
two heavy drive chains at the sides carrying overlapping steel aprons between
them, one bolted to each link. They are supported by several rows of rollers, the
ones on the outside mounted between the links and running on steel rails, the
centre rows mounted on shafts between steel girders. The rollers on the links
are hand-lubricated by grease, the ones in the centre are connected to an
automated grease pump. Segmented heavy chain sprockets are mounted on a
drive shaft that is supported by pillow block roller bearings driven directly by two
planetary gearmotors, one mounted on each side of the shaft. Mounting bracket
arms fix them to the structure. The tail shaft is similar but is supported by
bearings in special tensioning blocks and instead of drive motors features a
hydraulic tensioning unit.
3
Apron Feeder Central Support Rollers
Apron Feeder Roller Section
Apron feeders are usually sturdy equipments but may come to harm if
overloaded or if they accumulate spilled material in critical places. Overload and
jamming may break chain links or bend drive and tail shafts.
4
Aprons may bend if big stones fall directly on them or the feeder may jam if too
many big stones are fed at once.
Spilled or incrusted material may block the centre rollers and/or damage the
chain or skirting structure.
The chain itself may become difficult to bend and run into the hopper structure.
Adjustments
Apron Feeder Lub Pump
Pumping Element
 The distance (R) must be 21mm. That gives about ¾ of maximum pump
volume.
 Make sure to fit the point of the delivery piston into the groove on the
eccentric drive shaft in the pump.
 Torque the counternut to 12 Nm
 The pump should be 35 minutes on and then 60 minutes off.
 Never interchange either the delivery piston or the plunger between
individual pumping elements. If they are worn, replace the complete
element.
Apron feeder
 The hydraulic pressure on the tensioning unit should remain between 50-
60 bar.
 The bolts for the centre support rollers must be torqued to 550 Nm
 The horizontal apron bolts must be torqued to 400 Nm
 The two vertical apron bolts (hex socket head) must be torqued to 820
Nm
 The sprocket wheel segment bolts have to be torqued to 400 Nm
5
Apron feeder drive coupling (compression sleeve)
Mounting procedure:
 Clean the pressure ring and pressure taper, then lubricate both their
tapered surfaces and the taper bore with grease (for example Molicote
molybdene-bisulfide), including the bolts.
 Remove the air plug from the pressure sleeve
 Clean the shaft and the bore of the pressure sleeve but do not
lubricate! Both surfaces have to be dry and lubricant-free
 Mount the bolts and tighten by hand only
 Slide the pressure ring with the mounted pressure taper onto the
pressure sleeve until it reaches the air plug. They must not cover the air
plug.
 Mount the gearreducer onto the shaft. The trapped air will bleed out the
air hole
 Screw in the air breather plug
 Finish sliding the pressure ring and taper onto the pressure sleeve until it
hits the shoulder of the distance ring
 Tighten the bolts (in stages) until reaching the torque indicated in the
table.
6

In Operation:
Rollers Grease chain rollers Monthly
Check proper grease pump operation Every Shift
Check if rollers are moving Every Shift
Check for roller wear Weekly
Chain Check if it bends easily Every Shift
Check for wear and tear Weekly
Bearings Grease Monthly
Tail end Check the hydraulic pressure and inspect for leaks Weekly
Stopped:
Rails Check for wear Monthly
Chain Check for cracks Monthly
Bearings Check seals Monthly
Check for wear Monthly
Chain Check elongation 6 months
Faults; Causes and Solutions
FAULT CAUSE SOLUTION

Overload stop Jammed rocks Remove rocks
Apron deformation Big rocks fallen on the When the apron feeder is
aprons without damping started empty, a material
material bed bed of small material has to
dampen the rockfall
Spillage Skirting damage Repair/adjust skirts
Roller damage Lack of lubrication Repair roller, check
lubrication
Chain breakage Overload, worn chain Remove cause, replace
chain
Chain jumping Sprocket wear Replace sprockets
The centre rollers may be modified for maintenance free ball bearing support
and an easily removable design.
7
EQUIPMENT Scraper Chains CODE:
Capacity: n/a 111SX061/066
They remove material spilled from the apron feeders. Two gear-motors drive a
shaft with two special sprockets supported by lateral bearings hauling a chain
equipped with scraper blades ending over a tensionable tail shaft with
sprockets over the floor underneath the apron feeders. The lateral scraper
blade tips move in slots close to the floor to keep them from lifting, the returning
chain is fed back over horizontal angle irons. Spilled material is scraped off the
floor and transported to a drop chute (marl and shale to the limestone scraper
chain) that deposits it on 111BC200.
 Scraper blades can jam in the slots. Keep them lubricated with old oil in
order to keep the trapped material soft
 Overload stops result from too much friction, too much material or both.
Clean and try again
 Scraper blades wear out, bend or fail to reach the return rails.
 Excessive spillage at the tail end may not be picked up.
 Chain tension must be kept even. Return sag should be 3-5%
 The scraper chain locks should be torqued to 215 Nm

In Operation:
Chain Check tension Every Shift
Scrapers Check proper position (not fallen) Every Shift
Bearings Check for noise and visible wear, grease regularly 3 months
Tail end Check for material accumulation Every Shift
Stopped:
Sprockets Check for wear and breakage 3 months
Rails Check for wear Monthly
Floor Check SS Sheets for wear and welding integrity Weekly
Chain Check for wear and cracks Monthly
8

Overload stop Jammed scraper blades; Clean lower slots, lubricate
Warped flooring; excess more frequently,
material repair/replace flooring
Fallen scraper blades Beginning of rails worn Reconstruct, repair
or bent
Warped SS plates Worn plates, material Repair or replace as
flooring underfill, weld breakage needed
Twisted, that is, none- Chain jumped in one of Shift chain on sprocket,
perpendicular scraper the drive sprockets replace worn sprocket
blades (worn teeth)
SS sheet flooring has already been added. If it keeps on tripping on overload,

only a stronger version of scraper chain will help.
9
EQUIPMENT Mix Crusher CODE:
TYPE: Single roller hammer crusher 111HC100
Capacity: 2000t/h
10
Single rotor hammer crusher with a nominal capacity of 2000 t/h and
granulometry of 95% of product below 150mm with a maximum moisture
content of 8%. Mounted below the mix apron feeder, it starts with an armour
plated inlet hood and a chain curtain hanging from its roof to prevent material to
be thrown out of the crusher. After a slight drop follow two plain feed rollers that
should improve the uniformity of the crusher feed. They are driven by a single
3-phase AC motor (75 HP) a gearbox and united by an oil-lubricated chain
drive. The rotor runs in an armoured space and carries 6 rows of 12 heavy
hammers (135 Kg each) that rotate at a speed of 25m/s. They break the
material upon impact (95% of the crushing action) which is then thrown against
an armoured anvil plate (5% of the crushing). From there it falls down onto the
grizzly where it has to pass or is pushed through calibrated openings between
steel bars. All armour is made up of replazable abrasion resistant steel plates
bolted onto the crusher frame. The crushed material then falls onto a flat belt
conveyor.
The crusher hammers are mounted on easily removable hammer shafts

(hydraulic shaft extractor). The anvil wall (impact wall) is adjustable by shim
packs and has shear pins as a safety device. The crusher can be hydraulically
opened and the grizzly hydraulically adjusted and secured by shims. A mobile
hydraulic system takes care of that. Grizzly inspection can be done through a
front door.
11
The drive includes an air-cooled high tension (wound rotor) motor (11’000V,
2’500 KW, 993 rpm), coupling, one stage gear reducer with a ratio of 1 : 4.41,
oil intercooling and filtering, a disk coupling with torsion shaft and shear pins
followed by the roller-bearing-supported rotor drive shaft. The roller bearings
are self-aligning, grease-lubricated and mounted in big bearing pedestals.
Crusher Inlet Feed Roller Details
Hammer Crusher Rotor
12
Membrane Coupling and shear pins
13
Adjustments
Production adjustments are granulometry related. The anvil wall can be closed
to about 20mm from the hammers and opened to about 300mm. The grizzly
can be brought close to the hammers and lowered to about 200mm distance.
An open anvil wall means that bigger stones hit the grizzly and a grizzly that is
close to the hammers means smaller size stones leave the crusher.
 All bolts holding the armour plating have to be torqued down periodically
using a torque wrench (2200 Nm).
 Locking Assembly, also called retaining elements (see Pos. 1, drawing
above) must be torqued to 1200 Nm.
 Stay bars (see Pos. 2, drawing above) have to be torqued down using
the hydraulic pretension device set to 660 kN (970 bar). Use 3 steps:
400 bar, 700 bar, then 970 bar. Counter-nuts to be tightened manually.
 Nordlock Washers (see Pos. 3, drawing above) have to be mounted in
pairs with the coarse grooves pointing to each other, the fine grooves
have to point outward.
 Centring Measurement (see Pos. 4, drawing above). The rotor assembly
has to be centred as indicated by the dimensions.
 The rotor bearing bolts have to be torqued down using the hydraulic
pretension device set to 660 kN (970 bar). Use 3 steps: 400 bar, 700
bar, then 970 bar. Counter-nuts to be tightened manually.
 After the bearing pedestals are tight, the wedge bolts for the rotor
bearings have to be torqued down using the hydraulic pretension device
set to 300 kN (450 bar).
 Grizzly (grate) adjustment: Normal distance between hammer heads and
the grizzly top depends on the opening between the grates. For the
limestone crusher this would be 125mm. Adjustment:
o Just below the end of the anvil plate where the grizzly commences
(pos. A), the distance should be about 125mm (1 x grate opening)
o At the end of the grate (pos. C), the distance should be about
45mm (0.35 x grate opening)
o About 1/3 down from the grizzly start (pos. B), the distance should
be about 80mm (0.65 x grate opening)
o If measurement from the rotor disc is selected, add 220mm to the
above measurements.
o Distances have to be checked on both sides of the rotor and are
adjusted by adding or removing shims on the 4 grizzly adjustment
devices.
14
As the hammers wear, crusher through-put decreases. The hammers have to

be turned in time to get back to nominal capacity. Under normal circumstances,
turning is necessary if about 2/3 of the hammer head section has worn off
(when only the back-third of the hammer head is not yet worn)
Hammers can break and may damage the grizzly. They have to be inspected
as often as possible for cracks.
The grizzly may fall down when the crusher is blocked by sticky material. This
will be indicated by constant overload even at very low feed and loose retention
bolts on one or both sides of the crusher.
The feed rollers may overload. This is normally due to big stones trapped on
them which have to be removed by slings and the overhead crane.
Shear pins may break. On the coupling the transmission will be lost, on the
anvil plate, the latter will open fully and affect the crusher performance
negatively.
Armour plate bolts or the armour plates themselves may break. Bolt loss has to
be attended immediately while loose bolts may indicate a lost armour plate.
When changing hammers, they have to be weighed and installed in opposed
pairs that weigh the same.

In Operation:
Motor Lubricate bearings 3 months
Gearbox Main and Feed rollers: Check oil level Every Shift
Main: Check conditioning circuit for proper operation Every Shift
Rotor Shaft Check and lubricate bearings Monthly
Feed roller Check and lubricate bearings Monthly
shafts
Feed roller Check sag and oil level, check sprockets Monthly
chain drive:
Bolts Check for missing and/or loose ones Every shift
Crusher Listen for vibrations and nocking noises Every shift
Stopped:
Gearbox Main and Feed rollers: Change oil 6 months
Bolts Retorque to specified value Monthly
Crusher Inspect interior for blockage Every shift
Inspect armour plating for wear Weekly
Check anvil wall shear pins for integrity Every shift
Chain Check links for wear and cracks, check for missing Weekly
Curtain strands, check clevis support pins and cotter pins
15

Overload stop of the Crusher blocked, worn Clean, turn or change
crusher hammers hammers
Feed roller overload Big stones trapped Remove with crane
Start up failure Blocked crusher Clean
High vibrations Hammer loss Remove and replace
Noisy bearing Excessive radial Inspect, clean or replace as
clearance, wear, necessary
contaminated lubricant
Hot bearing No lubrication, Inspect, clean, replace or
misalignment, wear, realign as required
contamination
Grizzly deformation or Tramp iron or broken Avoid tramp iron (check
breakage hammer passage loading equipment regularly
for lost teeth), repair if
required
Broken armour plate Wrong torque, missing Use correct torque, add
bolts washer (no safety missing washer or safety
element) element
Hydraulic leaks Lose connectors, broken Tighten, renew or reseal as
or inappropriate seals, required
damaged hoses
The actual crusher is unsuited for handling the sticky and moist material coming
from the quarry. Hammers wear quickly and have to be replaced after crushing
less than 150’000 tons. A new parallel crusher system is planned.
16
EQUIPMENT Continuous or Cross Belt Analyzer CODE:
TYPE Gamma Ray Analyzer 841QC350
Purpose, Function, Considerations and Faults
The Gamma Ray Analyzer, a.k.a. CBA (Cross belt Analyzer) uses a technique
called PGNAA (prompt gamma neutron activation analysis) to report the actual
chemical material composition per weight unit that passes through it on the belt
conveyor. Neutron sources (radioactive isotopes like Californium 252 with a
half-life of 2.6 years placed under the BC in sealed blocks generate a constant
stream of neutrons. Some of them collide with atoms of the material they pass
through generating a gamma ray with characteristic energy depending on the
chemical element that generated it. An electronic detector on top of the BC
together with an external processing unit (requires AC) and a computer
integrate the signals once per minute in the form of a complete chemical
analysis showing the exact quantities in % of the total material flow.
Chemical elements like Calcium, silicon, iron, aluminium, magnesium,

manganese, potassium, sodium, sulphur and chloride are analyzed directly,
other important factors for cement production like the lime factor, silicon
module, the proportion between Al-Fe, CsS, C3S, C2F, C3A, C4AF, liquid portion,
combustibility factor and index, clinker factor (LOI) and humidity are calculated
by derivation.
The BC slides over 3 blocks. The outer inclined ones are coated with PE, the
central one is made of graphite for low friction and long life. Any mechanical
failure is restricted to this area and the BC. Anything else is electronic, electric,
calibration, interpretation and data transmission related.
Calibration is done by special sample blocks, dismissing the influence of the

belt and moisture. It is important for correct operation to have a uniform
material bed and a straight belt. Belt sway and overload may damage detection
elements and affect the measurement precision. A belt way-bridge takes
charge of the material stream count (material volume flow registration).
Attention: It is indispensable to neutralize the neutron source before any

maintenance is done on the analyzer itself!
17
EQUIPMENT Mix Stacker and Bridge Reclaimer (CBS) CODE:
TYPE Circular boom stacker / Scraper Chain Bridge 131ST200
Reclaimer 131RE300
Capacity Stacker 2200 t/h; Reclaimer 1200 t/h
A spherical dome holds the CBS (Circular Bed Silo) with a capacity of 54’800
tons. It is used as a buffer between the raw mill-kiln section and as a
prehomogenization site for the raw materials. In its centre stands the stacker, a
thick vertical steel column holding from up to down:
 A feed and discharge chute
 An inclinable stacker boom
 A slewable column where the bridge reclaimer is mounted in hinges
The bridge reclaimer runs on rails on the outer part of the CBS. A rake
scratches material off the circular pile and a scraper chain feeds it into a cone
chute under the column from where it is transported by a BC to the raw mill mix
station.
The Stacker
It is a boom or arm mounted in pivot points on the stacker/reclaimer column

holding a counterweight balanced BC. The boom can be pivoted (vertically
tilted, lifted and lowered) by a hydraulic cylinder in order to keep the material
discharge close to the circular pile to avoid dust and segregation. Its hydraulic
system is mounted on a platform attached to the column below the stacker
boom. The slewing mechanism consists of a gearmotor, a pinion and a girth
gear.
Material from the mix crusher is fed by BC 131BC100 through the stacker
column and a fall-dampening step at the end onto the stacker boom BC and
discharged at its tip. The BC is driven by two shaft-mounted gearmotors and is
adjustable (belt tension) on both ends. The material falls onto a circular pile that
is formed by slewing the stacker boom slowly around the central column. A
proximity detector continuously measures the distance between the pile and the
18
stacker boom tip. This information is fed into the proportional flow control valve
of the stacker boom hydraulic cylinder which then rises or lowers the boom up
or down the pile slope within a given but adjustable velocity range. The end
points of the vertical travel are guarded by proximity switches mounted onto the
pivot joints.
The hydraulic unit counts with an oil reconditioning circuit. The main pump
feeds the proportional control valve whose set point is feedback-controlled. Oil
is fed or bled from the cylinder as required by the program.
The stacker boom slewing mechanism is operated by a preset program to

either produce a continuous pile or a so-called cone pile. For the former, the
slewing motor drives the boom back and forth in a predefined limited arc until
the endpoint of the pile is as high as the boom can get. It then automatically
moves forward to a slightly more advanced arc and fills that one until it is
topped up. This is repeated until the CBS is full. This last information comes
from a limit switch and two curves that prevent the stacker boom from passing
over the bridge reclaimer in either direction. The stacker boom slewing sped
and its slewing angle are adjustable through the program.
Cone piles are made by slewing the stacker boom into a convenient position
letting it discharge until the cone is full (stacker tip distance detector to the pile
activated when the boom is at its highest position).
Stacker Boom Vertical Movement Hydraulic
Tank: The tank is equipped with a breather/filler filter (2), a sight glass,
temperature gauge (thermocouple and analogue), heating element and a level
indicator (1). Elements without number are not shown in the above schematic.
Conditioning Circuit: A gear pump (4) connected to the tank by a suction line
with ball valve (3), additional quick connector with filler filter for motorized tank
filling (6) feeds oil to an electrically actuated 4/2 way directional control valve
(7). As long as this valve is in neutral, the oil flows free, once it is actuated, the
oil has to pass through a constant throttle valve (6). A pressure gauge (9)
indicates the pump pressure. The oil flows through a filter with bypass and
obstruction indication (11) followed by a check valve (12) and al air-cooled
(ventilator) heat exchanger (14) with a 3 bar bypass check valve (13). From
there it flows back to the tank.
19
Stacker boom hydraulic: The main circuit starts with a suction strainer (15), a
position-controlled ball valve (16) and a pressure compensated (variable) axial
piston pump (17). The pressure compensating control valve (18) is additionally
connected to a shuttle valve (20) that constantly feeds it pressure information
from the hydraulic cylinder for load compensation. A visual flow meter (19)
indicates the amount of leakage coming from the pump for preventive
maintenance purposes. A pressure gauge (21) indicates the main circuit
pressure followed by a pressure filter (22) with obstruction indicator. A 3 way
pressure reduction valve (24) insures a constant pressure drop through the 4/2
way directly operated proportional direction control valve (25) with position
feedback (26). This proportional valve can be bypassed by opening the parallel
ball valve (23). The proportional valve has only one active outlet, the pressure
line (P). This line conducts to a spring-centred directly solenoid actuated 4/3
way spool type directional control valve (27) handling the feed to both the piston
and the rod chamber of the vertical boom movement hydraulic cylinder (30).
The afore-mentioned shuttle valve (20), conducting the load pressure to the
20
pump pressure compensation (18), is connected to the (A) and (B) lines after
the valve (27).
The hydraulic boom lifting cylinder (30) is reverse load protected (over-centre
load). This is accomplished by special pilot operated check valves (28) in the
(A) and (B) line, mounted directly on the hydraulic cylinder in order to get the
shortest possible piloting distances. These check valves operate like a double
piloted check valve in ordinary cylinder safety circuits but are dampened and
have additional emergency pressure relieve vales (29) to protect the hydraulic
cylinder from overpressure. The cylinder is mounted on the stacker structure
and the boom by swivel clevis joints.
Stacker Boom Swivel Mechanism
Central Column
Subdivided into 3 parts, it holds the raw material transport belt from the crusher
on top by a roller-suspended platform (2 x 2 rollers in two pivoting clevis joint
arrangements. This is necessary because of the BC heat expansion. This is
followed by the upper stacker boom radial ball bearing, the stacker boom, the
lower stacker boom bearing (crossed roller bearing) together with the slewing
gear and then the hinged bridge reclaimer and finally the lower reclaimer
bearing (ball bearing). These are special large diameter bearings, all of them
lubricated by an automatic greasing system. The grease pump is located on the
21
main stacker platform. The electrical energy is provided through the centre of
the column and distributed by a swivelling commuter located inside it.
22
Reclaimer
Called a bridge reclaimer, it consists of 4 main parts:

 Bridge
 Drive beam (Circular Rail Drive and Transmission)
 Transversal Car with Rake
 Scraper Chain
The bridge of the reclaimer is mounted on hinges on the central column by

clevis pins and set upon wheels and rails on its outer end. The bridge also
carries rails upon which travels the rake car. Below the bridge, the mounted
scraper chain carries the material being raked off the circular pile to the central
discharge chute. The bridge also holds the control cabin, compressor and tail
end hydraulic tensioning unit.
Reclaimer lateral Guide Wheel
The reclaimer pivots slowly around the central column, advancing against the
circular pile. It rides on a circular rail driven by two independent transmissions.
They consist of a variable speed motor running on the same shaft as the fast
transition AC motor and two gearboxes, the last big one mounted directly on the
drive wheel. The bridge and drives are mounted on two separate pivoting
beams. Each carries two flat wheels, one drive and one driven. 4 lateral; guide
rollers each hold the wheels on the rail. They also carry rail cleaners front and
back.
23
Reclaimer Bridge Drive Wheels
The transversal car running back and forth on the bridge carries a big triangular
rake. The car is driven by a 3-phase AC motor with electromagnetic brake by
way of a directly mounted gearbox and an array of 3 sprockets and a double
chain. A steel cable on a winch connected to the tip of the rake allows angular
adjustments. If the material pile is loose, this angle has to be lowered, if it is
sticky, it has to be raised. The rake car is running on two parallel rails supported
by 4 units of 2 pivot-mounted flat wheels each. 4 guide rollers on the rake side
hold the wheels over the rails. The rake is balanced by a counter weight.
24
Reclaimer Rake Car Chain Drive Sprockets
25
The scraper or drag chain runs in U-channel-like guides on the lower side and
on top (return) on a flat surface. It holds the scraper blades that carry the
material to the discharge chute. Several tungsten-carbide-tipped teeth soften
the material on the ground to avoid overloads. In the centre of each scraper
blade, a horizontal roller bearing is mounted. All of them run in a U channel on
the bottom as well as on the top side to keep the chains centred. The double
chain is driven by two 3-phase AC motors coupled to directly shaft-mounted
gearboxes. The drive shaft is supported by pillow block bearings and carries
two segmented sprockets. The tail end shaft also carries two sprockets and is
hydraulically tensioned. The chain links are lubricated by oil drip. A pneumatic
pump sitting on an oil barrel mounted on the side of the reclaimer presses oil
into plastic hoses. They pass through directional flow control valves to drip lines
above the roller chains.
The material falls into a central conical chute equipped with an air gun to avoid
clinging and blockages. A vibrating emergency hopper with pin gate is also
available. A belt weigh-bridge on 131BC400 completes the installation.
Adjustments
Stacker
 The skirts on the feed chute to the boom have to be adjusted or replaced as
required
 Tension the belt on the boom BC as required (hydraulic). Its correct tension
is important to avoid belt sway and spillage
 Adjust the cleaning scraper as necessary
Central Column
The big ball bearings have limits with respect to their levelness and
straightness. These limits should be reached only once per 180° angle. If the
riding surfaces should be wavy, they would have to be machined or evened by
a special raisin coating. It may happen that the column is tilting. The resulting
stress may damage the bearings. Levelling the column or the bearings will
become necessary.
The bearing races usually have an untempered spot marked with an “S”. If
there is a permanent static load difference, these spots must remain off these
zones.
26
Reclaimer
 If support wheels have to be repaired or changed, realignment may be

necessary.
 The scraper chain must remain tensioned. Sag at the top end just before the
chain passes into the tail sprockets should not be more than 25 mm. The
hydraulic tension pressure on the take up must not drop below 30 bar, this
will stop the reclaimer. Pressure range should remain between 40 and 70
bar.
 The electromagnetic brake on the drive motor for the rake car and the
stacker boom slewing must have a clearance of 0.2 to 0.6 mm between steel
disc and brake pad. If it exceeds this, it will have to be reduced to its
minimum (0.2 mm)
 The pneumatic pump pressure for the scraper chain lubrication should be set
to 2.1 bar. That should give a lubricant pressure of 100 bar.
 The tracks (rails) must be level within 1mm of geometric horizontal over the
whole circumference
Reclaimer Scraper Chain Tail End Tensioning Hydraulic
Selecting the parallel connection on the directional control valve (lever), the
chain will be tensioned, selecting the cross position, it will slacken.
27
 Stacker boom discharge chute skirting wear, decentralized material charge

on the BC, belt sway, belt tension
 Coupling failures
 Electromagnetic brake failure (rake car)
 Roller chain breakage (scraper chain and rake car)
 Scraper blade teeth and blade wear
 Scraper chain guide channel wear
 Scraper chain wear (elongation, rollers)
 Sprocket segments wear (scraper chain and rake car)
 Chain tension (value or hydraulic failure)
 Wheel and guide roller wear (reclaimer drive and rake car)
 Raker teeth wear
 Lubrication failures (empty deposits, hose breakage, pump failure)
Part, Description Period

Working:
Stacker boom belt sway Every Shift
Material accumulation on stacker boom BC rollers and idlers, frozen or noisy idlers Every Shift
Material accumulation in stacker vertical chute (on the feed step) Every Shift
Stacker slewing drive, temperature, mounting, noise, oil leaks Every Shift
Chain drives (reclaimer scraper and rake car): Temperatures, strange noises, Every Shift
vibrations, lose bolts
Scraper chain tail end; Tension, strange noises, bearing temperature, lose bolts Every Shift
Scraper chain lubrication, function, oil level in the barrel Every Shift
State of the belt on the stacker boom BC and belt tension Weekly
State of the skirting and seals, stacker boom feed chute Weekly
Pivot point suspension, stacker boom Weekly
Travelling noise, rake car Weekly
Compressor inspection Weekly
Reclaimer drive trains (2); noise, temperature, blockage by stones or dirty rail Weekly
Scraper chain in the guides; noise Weekly
Stopped:
Cleaning (don’t forget around the reclaimer discharge chute cover), removal of old Every shift
lubricant
Scraper chain blades: Wear of blades and teeth Weekly
Scraper chain guide slots and supports: Wear Monthly
Scraper chain links and rollers: Wear and elongation Monthly
Rake teeth and scraper wear Monthly
Stacker BC drive drums wear 3 months
Support wheel wear (reclaimer and rake car) 3 months
Electromagnetic coupling wear rake car and slewing drive 3 months
Rail wear and alignment Yearly
28

No stacker boom Motor break stuck, drive Repair/readjust the brake;
slewing motion damage, electrical fault inspect/repair the drive
Stacker boom BC Worn drums, dirt Clean or replace drums and
sway accumulation, not idlers as required, tension
enough belt tension, the belt correctly, align tail
uncentred material or drive drum, check feed
deposit, drum step for material
misalignment accumulation or wear
BC on stacker boom Belt swayed and Centre the belt (maybe
will not run touching limit switches, tensioning is required);
drive failure; incomplete inspect/repair drive, check
electric control loop out the control loop
Stacker boom sinks Hydraulic cylinder seals Check for external leaks, if
constantly leaking, leak in external none are visible, replace the
line hydraulic cylinder or change
its piston seals
Stacker boom does Hydraulic system failure, Inspect the hydraulic
not move up and electrical control loop system, repair if required;
down incomplete or faulty verify completion of the
control loop
Stacker boom does Drive failure, program Inspect drive, control
not slew loop failure, electrical program setting and loop,
failure, touching end limit trace electrical failure, wait
until reclaimer is out of the
way
Rake car does not Extreme lateral position, Put into manual and return
move rake stuck in material to normal, repair the cause
(overload), chain of the overshot, remove
breakage, drive failure reclaimer from pile and try
(electromagnetic brake, again, investigate the drive
motor, gearbox or problem, adjust the
sprocket damage) magnetic brake
Lubrication failure Missing signal, empty Investigate cause and
tank, valve failure, line attend to the fault
breakage or obstruction
Scraper chain Chain wear (elongation), Replace chain, correct
breakage overload, wrong tension tension, avoid overload
Sprocket wheel Badly installed segments Correct position or torque,
segment wear too (wriggle on hub), use correct bolt grade,
quickly incorrect bolt torque, replace worn chain
wrong parallel or coaxial
distance to chain,
misalignment, worn
chain
29
EQUIPMENT HG Limestone/Gypsum + Iron Ore/Additive CODE:
Hoppers 113FY050
133FY480
Capacity
See Mix and Marl-Shale Hoppers
EQUIPMENT HG Limestone/Gypsum Apron Feeder CODE:

Capacity HG: 280 – 845 t/h 113AF060
See Limestone and Marl/Shale Apron Feeders
EQUIPMENT Scraper Chain for HG Limestone Apron CODE:

Feeder
Capacity 113SX061
See Mix Apron Feeder Scraper Chain
EQUIPMENT HG Limestone and Gypsum Crusher CODE:

TYPE Single Roller Hammer Crusher 113HC100
Capacity 650 t/h
See Mix Crusher
30
EQUIPMENT Additive Stacker and Bridge Reclaimer (LBS) CODE:
TYPE Longitudinal boom stacker / Scraper Chain 133ST200
Boom Reclaimer 133RE300
Capacity Stacker 850 t/h; Reclaimer 470/565 t/h
Longitudinal Bed Silo (LBS) used for prehomogenization of raw materials
Stacker
The stacker moves over a pair of rails along the material piles and consists of
three parts: A trailer over four wheels elevating the belt conveyor 131BC300 to
the stacker discharge chute, a tractor over four wheels with 2 reversible drives
that hauls the trailer that carriers the stacker arm with its Belt Conveyor.
The stacker can produce any number of longitudinal material piles, either as
continuous or cone pile to a total of 24’000 tons (2000t additive, 2500t iron ore,
2 x 8400t HG (high grade) limestone, 2500t gypsum). It handles the limestone
additive and gypsum for the cement mills plus the HG limestone, iron ore and
eventually sand for the raw mill. The perpendicular recuperation by the
reclaimer produces material prehomogenization.
The stacker trailer is running on four wheels and guided by four lateral ones. It
is connected to the tractor by a hinged girder on the pile side. A counter-drum
31
above the beginning of the belt conveyor incline prevents the belt from lifting up
too high when not loaded. The trailer also holds the control cabin.
Stacker Drive Wheels
The stacker boom is hinged on pivots (see below), has a counterweight and is
lowered and raised by a hydraulic cylinder. A tank, vane pump, pressure relieve
valve, a 4/3 way directional control valve and a filter conform the drive unit;
double piloted check valves with over-centre valves (parallel pressure relieve
valves) mounted directly on the cylinder ports complete the unit. An electronic
position indicator constantly reports the boom inclination. A lower and an upper
limit switch guard the end tipping positions.
32
Stacker Boom Pivot Points
On the pile side of the trailer, the power and control cable reels are mounted.
An induction motor coupled to a gearbox by a magnetic disk coupling provides
a constant but speed-independent and adjustable torque to ensure a safe
winding in and out of the cables. Brush commutators conduct the electricity to
the machine.
The stacker has two drives on the pile side and a hinged support girder on the
other. Both have two support wheels and four guide wheels (see CBS
reclaimer). The drives are directly mounted on the drive wheel shafts and the
motors include an electromagnetic disc brake. Limit switching prevents
overshooting the rail end positions. Buffers prevent violent impacts against the
mechanical rail end stops.
The stacker boom Belt Conveyor has a shaft mounted motorreducer and can
be tensioned at the drive shaft with the assistance of a hydraulic cylinder that
may also serve as a tension indicator (pressure gauge).
33
Reclaimer
Riding on 3 wheels, two driven on the pile side and one outboard, it recovers
the materials from the individual piles using a scraper chain boom connected to
a winching cable and cable boom. The scraper chain blades recover the
material from the pile while the reclaimer moves lengthwise and the boom is
slowly lowered onto the pile. The material rises on a ramp over the discharge
Belt Conveyor and from there to the mixing silos.
The reclaimer is driven lengthwise by two motorreducers with electromagnetic

brakes mounted on the pile-side machine base and ending in pinions that drive
an open gear connected to the two drive wheels. Two pairs of side guiding
rollers keep the reclaimer on its rails. The reclaimer pile position is controlled by
proximity switches. End limit switches and curves guard the rail ends. Buffers
are also provided
34
Reclaimer Guide Wheels (symmetrical on both sides of the rail)
A boom is mounted on hinges on the pile side holding the scraper chain. Boom
end positions are controlled by a limit switch and stops. Chain and toothed
scraper blades are running in guide channels on the lower (material) side and
return on guide angles. The lower guide channels carry bolted interchangeable
wear plates on the lower side. A central channel formed by two opposed Tees
welded onto the structure prevents it from swaying. The chain is lubricated by
oil provided from a barrel by means of a pneumatic pump. The correspondent
piston compressor sits on the platform. Before the scraper chain enters the
ramp, two toothless sprockets (see below) hold it in place. It is driven by a
motor, a 3-stage angular gearbox directly mounted on the shaft and two
segmented sprockets. The shaft is supported by two self-aligning double row
roller bearings in pillow blocks.
Scraper Chain Bending Sprockets (Toothless)
35
Scraper Chain Tensioning Sprockets
The stacker boom is connected to a cable that runs in 2 sheaves (tackle) that
go to the winching boom and its retention girder holding the other end of the
tackle. One single cable reaches the winching drum sitting on the reclaimer
structure. It has a fast and an inching drive plus an electromagnetic brake and
unilateral coupling. The winch also carriers an end switching device.
Adjustments
Stacker
 The electromagnetic brake disks need periodic adjustments (double

drive). Gaps have to be maintained within the tolerances mentioned in
the instruction manual.
 The cable reel magnetic couplings may need periodic adjustments
because of weakening magnets.
 Stacker boom Belt tension has to be adjusted if belt sway occurs
 The tracks (rails) must be level within 1mm from geometric horizontal
over the whole length (also applies to the reclaimer)
36
Reclaimer
 The electromagnetic brake disks need periodic adjustments (double

drive and winch). Gaps have to be maintained within the tolerances
mentioned in the instruction manual.
 The cable reel magnetic couplings may need periodic adjustments
because of weakening magnets
Common faults and critical points
Stacker
 Rubbing of misaligned wheels on rails resulting in wear

 Stuck, worn or broken guide rollers
 Misadjusted or worn material deflectors in the chutes, decentralised belt
loading, top rubber skirts worn or stuck (movable stacker boom chute)
 Drop chute side and back skirting failure
 Belt sway and belt tension maladjustment
 Boom control failure (boom dropping because of leaky piston seals)
 Cable in-reeling faulty
 Hydraulic system failure
 Magnetic coupling failure (seized ball bearings, weak magnets)
Reclaimer
 Rubbing of misaligned wheels on rails resulting in wear

 Stuck, worn or broken guide rollers
 Worn scraper chain boom winching cable
 Worn scraper blades
 Worn or elongated chain
 Worn chain guide channel wear plates
 Broken chain
 Electromagnetic winch motor brake wear or maladjustment
 Chain lub. Failure
 Worn or stuck winching cable sleeves

Machine in operation:
Belt sway Every Shift
Material accumulation on drums and belt idlers Every Shift
Belt conveyor wear Weekly
Wheel and rail wear Monthly
Brake action Monthly
Cable reel-in Monthly
Belt scraper wear Monthly
Idler, roller and belt drum wear Monthly
37
Frozen and noisy idlers Monthly
Noise/high reducer and/or bearing temperature Monthly
Machine stopped:
BC Drum and idler wear 3 months
Stacker and Reclaimer wheel and guide roller wear 3 months
Brake disc control and adjustment on drives and winch 3 months
Stacker boom inclined position (stability) 3 months
Scraper chain elongation and wear 3 months
Sprocket wear 3 months
Hydraulic oil leaks 3 months
Reducer oil leaks 3 months
Reclaimer open drive gear wear 6 months
Skirting and flexible cover state and wear (stacker) 6 months
Buffer and rail cleaner state 6 months
Rail wear and firmness Yearly
Stacker truck – trailer connection Yearly
Pivot and hinge point state Yearly

Stacker or reclaimer don’t One or both electromagnetic Repair/readjust failing brakes;
move lengthwise brakes stuck; material or Clean rails and adjust/replace rail
trash forms a wedge on the cleaners; inspect/repair the gear-
rail in front of the machine; reducer
gear reducer stuck
Cable is not reeled in Reel drive failure; magnetic Inspect the drive for mechanical
coupling failure; gearbox faults; readjust the magnetic
failure coupling; inspect/repair the
gearbox
Stacker boom Belt Belt wear, elongation or Replace/retension the belt, clean
conveyor sways constantly accumulation of material on drums and idlers
drums and idlers
Stacker boom BC will not Belt swayed (detectors); drive Centre the belt (ev. Tension it);
start failure, belt overload; gearbox inspect the gearbox and its shaft
loose on shaft (pressure connection, repair/replace as
sleeve coupling damage) needed
Boom moves down or up Cylinder seals leaking; air in Replace the cylinder seals; purge
on its own the lines; check valves faulty the air from the system; clean the
system and change the oil;
replace the faulty valve
Stacker boom won’t budge Hydraulic system fault Check the elements of the
when needed (cylinder or pump); not hydraulic system; make sure
enough system pressure; position signal is present
missing electrical control on
the directional valve or burnt
solenoid; boom position signal
missing
38
EQUIPMENT Raw mill mixing station CODE:
Capacity Sand: 1.5 – 31 t/h; Iron Ore: 1.6 – 32 t/h; HG 113AF060
Limestone: 13 – 130 t/h; Mix: 58 – 567 t/h
The belt conveyors 131BC400 and 133BC500 deliver the raw materials from
the CBS and LBS respectively. 131BC400 has a weigh-bridge. The mix is
dumped directly into the 600m3 bin (311BI100), the iron ore and HG limestone
fall onto the reversible belt 133BC520 to feed either the HG limestone bin
(311BI200) or the iron ore and additive bins (311BI300/400). In the latter case,
a second reversible conveyor (133BC540) can feed either the iron ore bin
3 3
(160m ) or the HG limestone bin (320m ). The unused additive (sand) bin has a
capacity of 160m3.
The storage bins stand on 3 load cells each, distributed evenly around and
below their main support, one every 120°. This enables the weighing system to
function even if two of the load cells per bin should not work.
Each bin is equipped with a pin gate, the mix bin additionally with 6 air guns to
prevent blockage. Mix and high grade limestone are extracted onto horizontal
apron feeders (311AW150 and 311AW250) respectively; spillage is recovered
by scraper chains (no code). For details, refer to 111AF060/65 and
111SX061/66.
The iron ore and additives are fed onto weigh feeder belt conveyors
(311WF350 and 311WF450). Apron feeders and belt conveyors have built-in
weigh-bridges and variable feed capacity to compose the right mix and feed
load for the raw mill. The materials are deposited onto the reversible belt
conveyor 311BC600 which is equipped with a tramp iron trap (311MS601)
consisting of a powerful electro-magnet and a transverse belt conveyor feeding
the trapped iron into a hopper beside 311BC600. Trucks can be loaded with
this belt if it is reversed. The material is then dumped onto 311BC620 going to
the mill.
39
EQUIPMENT Raw Mill CODE:
TYPE: Vertical roller mill FLS ATOX 321RM100
Capacity: 480 t/h
Function
The mill capacity is good for producing 6000 tons of clinker per day with a
running time of 85%. The milling action is based mainly on compression and a
little on shearing. Three heavy rollers mounted on a central support and
maintained stationary by three tangential retention bars are hydraulically
pressed against a rotating milling table. A crushed raw material mix is fed into
the hermetically sealed mill body and falls via a chute onto the centre of the
milling table.
Hot combustion gas from the kiln (300 - 350°C) is introduced into the low part of
the mill on two spots 180° apart below the milling table. A stationary vane ring
(nose ring) mounted around the milling table distributes the gases around it in
an upward and spiral direction. This air stream dries and transports the raw
meal that can be suspended in the up-draft of 60 – 80 m/s towards the
integrated separator on top of the mill. The fines pass through the separator
while the coarse falls back to the table by way of a central cone and a
gravitational flap gate. The fines are separated from the now cooler gas stream
in 4 big high efficiency cyclones and what is left passes through the kiln
electrostatic precipitator. The finished raw meal is then air-lifted to the raw meal
silo.
40
The material on the milling table forms a bed about 40 to 80mm thick (1 – 2%
of the roller diameter). A dam ring around the table (about 3% of the table
diameter) retains most of the material and allows for some bed thickness
control. The centrifugal force carries the material towards the table board where
it contacts the hot kiln gases. Coarse material falls through the air vanes and is
extracted from the mill by scrapers. From there it is fed to a bucket elevator
(321BE220) by a vibratory feeder (321VC135) that transports it back to the mill
feed (external recirculation). This allows a mill operation with reduced air speed
and a favourable differential pressure. Fines are elevated towards the mill
separator.
The interior of the mill is armoured with chrome – nickel white cast iron alloy, in
particular the milling table and the rollers, all are segmented and bolted. The
table below the recirculation load scrapers is usually cast in Densit, an
abrasion-resistant mortar.
The control parameters can be manually chosen and adjusted or using a semi-
automatic control loop (fuzzy logic) individually adaptable to each mill. These
expert man - machine interfaces control are controlled by changing parameters
depending on the actual milling conditions. The mill is usually started and
brought up to its nominal run parameters; once the production is close to
optimum, the dedicated expert control system is set to automatic. The control
parameters are:
 Mill feed
 Milling pressure
 Dynamic separator speed
 Dynamic separator guide vane setting (manually adjusted)
 Water injection flow control valve
 Kiln ID fan damper setting and/or speed
 Mill ID fan damper setting and/or speed
 Exhaust fan damper setting and/or speed
Any of these set-points can be altered manually while the mill is on automatic
control. However, they will affect most of the others within a more or less
predictable range if the mill is stable. They influence the so-called controlled
parameters that report the milling process and have to be maintained within
certain pre-established limits. They are used by the expert control loop that
operates the mill. The controlled parameters are:
 Differential pressure through the mill
 Exhaust fan energy consumption (ESP)
 Material bed thickness on the mill table (indirect)
 Mill main motor energy consumption (reports the above)
 Mill vibrations
 Mill inlet gas temperature
 Mill outlet gas temperature
 Mill inlet pressure
Additional and auxiliary control and controlled parameters are:
41
 Raw material mix composition and tonnage
 Energy consumption of the dynamic separator and other auxiliaries
 Mill outlet pressure
 ESP gas temperature
Elements
Material feed
A short belt conveyor (321BC010) receives the material mix and the mill
recirculation return and passes them through a metal detector (321MT010). If
tramp iron is detected, a diverter gate (321DG050), pneumatically actuated by
two cylinders and a 5/3 way solenoid valve) separates the metal-containing
portion and dumps it into a parallel shed that can be emptied by Pay loader. A
huge rotary feeder (321RF090), with gearmotor and big worm gear drive)
receives the material mix and feeds it into the mill. This separates the ambient
from the mill gases and prevents false air.
Gas feed and management
While the mill is stopped, the kiln ID fan sends the hot gases to the conditioning
tower and from there to the separating cyclone and the Electrostatic Precipitator
(ESP). Before starting the mill, the guillotine gates 321SD415 / 321SD425 have
to be opened and the louvre damper 321LD430 adjusted for preheating the mill.
At the same time, the mill ID fan 321FN400 starts (11’000 volt high voltage AC
motor, 50 Hz, 4000 KW, 994 rpm) and the louvre damper (321LD420) is used
as a recirculation circuit flow control. An ambient air valve (321TV450) has
been foreseen but since it also produces false air, it is usually not opened. The
mill can also be heated using the auxiliary heater (321HG700) with air-injected
fuel and primary air fan (321FN710).
Note: Fans will be discussed in detail in the chapter (Transport equipment)
Mill drive
Power source is a wound rotor 11’000 volt high voltage AC motor with 2500 KW
of power coupled by a RENOLD rubber element flexible coupling (see below) to
a vertical gearreducer MAAG (see below) with a bevel gear as a first stage and
a planetary gear for the second. The inlet speed is 994 rpm, the output is 25
rpm. The first stage is supported by roller bearings, the planetary gear, output
shaft and vertical thrust is taken up by slide bearings. Splash lubrication is used
for the gears and radial bearings, the 12 vertical slide shoes additionally have
individual hydrostatic high pressure lubrication.
Atox Mill Drive Coupling
42
MAAG Mill Drive Gearbox
The lubricant is prepared in an external reconditioning circuit consisting of a big

oil tank, a low pressure screw (helical) pump, switchable double filter, 4 pass
water – oil heat exchanger, submerged high pressure pump (radial piston
pump) with 4 pressure lines that are subdivided into 3 lines each on the
gearbox to the 12 slide shoes. The cooling water flow is controlled by a
motorized flow control valve connected to a thermocouple on the heat
exchanger discharge; the filters are electrically controlled for blockage by way
of their differential pressure. Tank level control is provided both visually and
electrically and a control panel houses pressure gauges and oil thermometer,
both analogue and electronic for control loop feedback.
Gear Lubrication Schematic
43
Milling Table
The milling table is made of cast iron and hollow to reduce weight. On top, 20
wear segments are installed made of white cast iron heavily alloyed with
chrome and nickel. They are held in place by bolted tapered segments on the
inner table diameter that push then toward the outer diameter. On the outer
diameter, the nose ring (dam ring) is also installed (bolted in variable height
segments) to help control the material bed.
44
At the lower end of the milling table, two to four scraper blades are mounted for
discharging the material that falls between the air vanes. A hole connects the
space to the vibrating feeder.
The hot gas guiding vanes are installed in a circle around the rotating milling
table but are themselves stationary. Their job is to distribute the hot kiln gases
evenly around the mill interior and give them a slightly helical motion. The high
air speed between them lifts finished and half-finished product towards the
dynamic separator but lets big chunks fall to be recirculated.
Rollers
45
Atox Mill Grinding Rollers
3 rollers, each clad in 12 anti-wear segments bolted on the side produce the
milling action. They rotate around two internal roller bearings (one double row
spherical, the other cylindrical). They are mounted on a central heavy tripod
which in turn is held against rotation but not against vertical movement by
spring-loaded tangential retention shafts anchored in the mill shell. The central
mounting is done in such a way that no centrifugal forces and therefore no axial
load results. Double shaft seals prevent contamination and oil leaks. A sealing
air fan help to keep the seal area clean. All internal lines are armoured against
abrasion (air, lubrication, water).
46
Tensioning Assembly
A hydraulic system presses the rollers against the milling table with variable
force. It also raises them, keeps them up and lowers them during start-up and
shut-down of the mill. Swivel clevis mountings attached to the outer roller shafts
and threaded onto traction bars transmit the hydraulic force generated in 3
cylinders mounted outside the mill to the floor to the rollers to be converted into
milling force. A special seal prevents material leakage from the and false air to
the mill where the traction bars leave it.
The three tangential arms are also attached to the swivel clevis mountings but
horizontally. They are then attached to the mill wall by dampening elements as
a sort of tangential suspension system to equalize the changing milling forces.
This reduces vibrations and dynamic load on the mill shell.
47
Roller lubrication
An external recirculating and conditioning system maintains roller lubrication

and cooling. 3 gear pumps feed each roller with about 10 bar of pressure.
Another 3 pumps suck the oil back to the tank (negative pressure 0.25 - 0.45
bar). This is to maintain a fixed oil level in the rollers in order not to overtax the
seals. The feed pumps are geared for intermittent operation. If the return flow
falls below a certain level, meaning that the level in the rollers is getting lower,
the respective feed pump is switched on. The same way, if the return flow
volume reaches its maximum limit, the pump is switched off again. The tank is
equipped with a reconditioning circuit consisting of a gear pump, filter and heat
exchanger, level control, temperature control and oil heating elements. 3
additional empty lines going back to the tank serve as aeration and seal
protection. Since the mill is under constant negative pressure while in
operation, even if the seals should be leaking, there will be no internal
contamination of the rollers.
48
Milling Pressure
System description
3 tensioning rods mounted on the swivel clevis of the rollers leave the mill
interior at the height of the milling table through special seals and are threaded
onto the rods of the hydraulic cylinders which in turn are anchored on the mill
floor swivel clevis. The hydraulic pressure in the rod chambers (upper cylinder
part) delivers the milling pressure. The chambers are connected to 4
accumulators each for vibration dampening and keeping the milling pressure
even and within the set-points.
Circuit Description
An axial piston pump (8) with pressure compensation and 210 bar max.
pressure receives oil from a tank (1) through a closing valve (4) with electrical
position control (5) and a suction strainer (6). Its incorporated pressure relieve
valve must be adjusted to 190 bar. The main system pressure relieve valve with
electro-hydraulic pilot and disconnect (56, 57, 58) is to be found in the circuit
and adjusted to a pressure not to exceed 180 bar (normal is 160 bar). A
secondary relieve valve (61, 62) retains the line A pressure (usually around 80
bar) while lowering and lifting the rollers but not while milling is in progress. To
be able to get system pressure, the directional control valve (58) has to be
energized (otherwise it will disconnect the pilot pressure from the relieve valve
56, 57). If energized, it limits the system pressure to the prescribed value. The
system pump (8) has a leak line (13) with a visual flow indicator (14) that
signals pump deterioration. The pressure gauge (41) displays the pump
pressure.
The oil tank (1) is equipped with fluid level detectors (15, 16) drain valve (2),
sight glass (3), temperature control (17), heater (27, kicking in below 30°C),
filing spout and breather filter (29)
Conditioning Circuit
The circulation pump (22) sucks oil from the tank through the check valve (31)
and feeds it through a return filter (33) with bypass and electric obstruction
indicator. A pressure gauge (46) controls the line pressure and a thermometer
(45) indicates the tank oil temperature. A heat interchanger (37) cools the oil
and maintains a temperature of 50 to 55°C registered by a capillary gas capsule
(36) controlling the diaphragm valve (35) which in turn regulates the cooling
water flow. A water filter (34) completes the installation. The reconditioned oil
returns to the tank via the strainer (38).
49
Tank drain and refill
To drain the tank, use the connection (30). Switch on the pump (22) and drain
the oil into readied empty drums. To refill the tank, connect a hose to the tap
(26). The pump (22) feeds the oil through valve (20) to the tank.
Mill side schematic
50
Control block and tank
SYSTEM OPERATION
System in neutral
If the system is de-energized, the mill rollers will drop automatically (return
through line BX). Even if the valve (58) is de-energized, the roller will drop
slowly because the line (B) pressure is communicated through valves (78) and
(64) to the pilot pressure line for valves (81 and 82), holding the elements (74
and 77) closed. As long as there is no overpressure in line (A), line (B) will hold
the logic element (93) closed.
51
The pressure switches on the accumulators (and the pressure gauges) monitor
the nitrogen precharge when the hydraulic system is depressurized and the
milling pressure when in operation. They should generate alarm signals
whenever the pressure drops below 30 bar or rises above 250 bar.
Logic Element
Roller Lift
 4/2 way directional control valves 58, 81 and 82 are being energized
 Main Pump start (8)
 Valve 58 closes the pilot line (x) to the main system pressure relieve pilot
valve 57 adjusted to about 160 bar which controls the main relieve valve
56.
 Valve (81) closes the logic elements (72), (78) and (79) while (77) stays
open (it controls the pilot pressures (x).
 Valve (82) opens the logic element (74)
 The pump volume passes the check valves (logic elements (52 and 53)
to pass element (77) leading to line (B) and the piston chamber (lower
part) of the hydraulic cylinders. Since line (BX) is closed (logic element
(79) piloted by the pressure of line B), the volume has to pass the space
B of the logic element (93) and the throttle valve on it resulting in a
controlled roller lift.
 The rod chambers (upper part) of the hydraulic cylinders are precharged
together with the accumulators. The logic element (74) commutes the (A)
line pressure to the pressure relieve valve (61, 62), pilot and main line
separately.
52
 The pressure relieve valve (61, 62) is adjusted to 85 bar. Whenever the
line (A) pressure reaches this limit it is relieved through the throttle valve
(73) and the relieve valve (61) to the tank.
 Line (B) pressure usually remains between 90 and 100 bar during roller
lift
Rollers Up
 Proximity switches report final up roller position. When all three are
activated, the main pump (8) stops.
 Directional control valves (58), (81) and (82) remain energized (logic
elements (72), (78) and (79) remain closed, (74) and (77) open)
 Logic element (53) (check valve mode) blocks the line (B) but the B
pressure remains communicated by the logic element (77) for holding
the pilot pressure for the valves (81) and (82) since the pump pressure is
no longer available.
 The logic element (64) ensures that line (B) remains connected to the
main pressure relieve valve (56, 57) and the pilot pressure line for valves
(81, 82) but closes whenever the pump or the line (A) pressures are
higher than the line (B) pressure.
 Line A remains connected to the pressure relieve valve (61, 62) limiting
the precharge pressure to 78 bar. The line (B) pressure can be read on
the pressure gauge (43). It is composed of the roller weight and the
precharge pressure in line (A)).
Roller Drop
 The main pump (8) starts

 Valve (58) remains energized, the directional control valves (81) and (82)
are de-energized.
 The logic elements (72, 78 and 79) open but (74 and 77) are now closed.
 The pump delivers the volume through the check valve (52) and the logic
element to the line A. The pressure shows in the pressure gauge (42)
and must be the same as the pump pressure indicated by the pressure
gauge (41) for the main pump.
 The same pressure passes through the check valve (53) to the main
pressure relieve valve (56, 57) and offers the pilot pressure to the
directional control valves (81, 82) for closing the valves (62, 64, 74 and
77).
 Line (A) delivers its volume to the rod chamber of the 3 hydraulic
cylinders and their 12 accumulators.
 While the line A pressure does not exceed the relieve pressure of valve
(61, 62), the return of the oil from the piston cylinder chamber flows
throttled to the tank through the BX line (logic element (93) closed by the
(B) line pressure). The (B) line remains connected to the safety relieve
valve (61, 62). The latter only opens if the (A) line exceeds its pressure
limit of 85 bar (definite adjustment depends on mil pressure set point)
53
Milling
 A milling pressure range of 95 to 150 bar requires a nitrogen pressure of

65 bar and an adjustment of the pressure relieve valve (61) of 85 bar.
 As soon as the rollers hit the material on the milling table, the line A
pressure increases over the 78 bar limit of valve (61, 62). Valve (62)
opens as a result of the piloting pressure from A to the pilot valve (61).
The volume in the lower cylinder chamber can now escape to the tank
through line B and BX and the counter pressure to the milling pressure is
relieved.
 Once the set milling pressure is achieved, the main pump (8) stops. The
pressure gauge (41) will read zero and the check valve (52) closes. The
pressure transducer (44) registers the milling pressure.
Increase the Milling Pressure
 Small leaks in the spool valves and in the hydraulic cylinders lose oil and
the material bed thickness on the mill table varies. It becomes necessary
to keep the mill pressure close to the set point, usually within a range of
± 2 – 5 bar. The pressure transducer (44) monitors it and will advice the
main pump (8) to start and stop when required to keep it there.
Decreasing the Milling Pressure
 An increased material bed thickness on the mill table or a desired

change to a lower set point will demand a lower milling pressure. To do
this, some of the oil volume in line A has to be evacuated. The pressure
transducer will tell the directional control valve (82) to energize
temporarily. This action opens the logic element (74). Line A can now
drain through the throttle valve (73) and the relieve valve (61, 62) to the
tank until the pressure drop is completed. Valve (82) will then de-
energize again and close valve (74).
Accumulators
N2 pressure should be checked once a month and must remain at 65 bar as

long as the milling pressure is not below 95 bar and not above 150 bar. To
prevent oil from reaching the nitrogen side in case a bladder explodes it is
recommendable (if provided for) to close the needle valves of the accumulators
furthest away from the pressure gauge and the pressure switches. This leaves
one of them connected for monitoring. There is no need to equilibrate the
accumulator system in case one of the 12 bladders bursts. They are working as
a team and are communicated with each other through the line A.
54
It is recommended to acquire a mobile N2 charging unit (f. ex. HYDRAC, Bosch
Rexroth). This enables you to consume the pressure in the nitrogen gas
cylinder down to 20 bar residual pressure, therefore economizing on the supply
side. The unit is safe up to 350 bar.
Hydraulic cylinders
Cylinder rod seal deterioration will produce permanent external leaks that will at
first be fed back into the lower cylinder chamber but once the second seal also
leaks, oil will poor out on the top of the cylinder. Such leaks have to be
attended immediately because they will contaminate and then deteriorate the
concrete base below the cylinders.
Piston seal deterioration leads to loss of milling pressure during operation and
perhaps a slow fall of the rollers when in the up position, depending on which
seal is faulty. These seals usually need to be heated for renewal and a curing
period of up to 24 hours has to be observed before they are put back into
operation.
Logic elements
Failure is improbable but not unheard of. Contaminant particles from the
system might freeze them in the open or closed position or somewhere in
between.
The logic element (93), if stuck closed will hamper the free movement of its
correspondent milling pressure cylinder, drastically reducing the mill efficiency,
unbalance the milling force and cause vibrations.
If stuck open, the correspondent roller will move up and down uncontrollably
and perhaps hit the mechanical up-position stops hard. However, milling as
such will not be negatively affected.
Directional 4/2 way valve Pos. 58
This valve has to remain energized during mill operation. If it fails to do so, the
main pressure relieve valve will not function and mill pressure will be lost. All
logic elements will open and the pump will recirculate the oil to the tank. The
rollers will sit on the material but without pressure. If the milling pressure falls
below 60 bar, an alarm will be given; if it falls below 50 bar, the mill stops.
55
This valve has to be energized for the operations of roller lift and rollers up. If it
fails, the rollers will lower because the logic element (79) of line (BX) will open.
If the pump is running, oil will enter line (A) by the element (72) and to the line
(B) by way of elements (74) and (78). Both lines will be pressure limited by the
pressure relieve valve (61/62) giving both a pressure of 78 bar. Because of the
roller weight, the power of the cylinder rod chamber (line A) probably wins and
the rollers come down.
This valve has to be energized for lifting the rollers, keep them up and for
lowering the milling pressure. If it fails while the rollers are up, nothing will
happen because it will only provoke the closure of logic element (74), inactive
at this moment. If it fails while the rollers are being lifted, the 78 bar limit in line
A will be lost. The rollers will lift but the pressures in both line A and B will be
higher than usual although not above the system pressure limit or 160 bar.
If it fails while the milling pressure should be reduced, the logic element (74) will
not open and the pressure stays where it is. This may cause an eventual high
pressure alarm and vibrations.
Other logic elements
They don’t usually cause problems but the accompanying consequences and
symptoms must be analyzed according to the particular case.
Hydraulic pump Pos. 8
The pump leak line will indicate if there is any deterioration. Watch the sight
glass (14). If the internal leaks pass above a certain limit, a pump replacement
must be considered. Also, pump volume related changes in mill operation will
become sluggish.
Reconditioning circuit
The oil filter has a bypass and obstruction indicator. Frequent cartridge cleaning
/ replacement limits oil contamination and preserves the hydraulic elements.
The oil pressure given by the pressure gauge (46) must not rise above 5 bar.
Water flow to the heat exchanger must be assured. The water filter (34) has to
be inspected and cleaned regularly. The capillary valve has to be changed once
a year (it loses its gas pressure). The heat exchanger has to be cleaned
regularly to remove the eventual accumulation of silt, sand and mineral coating
(lime deposit). This prevents overheating the oil producing an alarm at 60°C
56
and a shut down at 65°C. While changing the oil, don’t forget to also clean the
internal strainers (38) and (49).
Water injection
Water can be injected in front of the rollers to stabilize the material bed and
also control the mill temperature. The injection circuit consists of a water tank
with mechanical floater level control, a water pump with parallel line, an
electronic flow control and a motorized flow throttle valve to handle the 3
injectors.
Dynamic Separator
A high efficiency dynamic separator is built into the upper part of the mill to
separate the coarse material from the fines. It is made up of an outer stationary
vane ring that is adjustable by manually loosen their fixing bolts and
counternuts that are mounted on the mill exterior. It unglomerates the material
and directs the gas stream towards the rotating vane impeller that moves
against the material and gas stream, thus separating the coarse material from
the fines. The fines pass the vane impeller in the direction of the separating
cyclones while directing the coarse material back to the mill by way of an
internal cone ending at its lower part in a gravitational flap gate to avoid the
introduction of false air into the separator.
The separator drive consists of an AC motor connected by a frequency

converter to make the separator speed adjustable, a tire coupling, angular gear
reducer with vertical output and flexible coupling to the separator shaft. A
thermocouple controls the reducer temperature. The gearbox has external oil
circulation with air cooling and a gravitational expansion tank.
The internal separator shaft bearings (a pair of self-aligning axial thrust roller
bearings installed back to back and a spherical double row roller bearing) are
greased by an automatic pump by two independent lines and a return line
helping to control the lubrication. An additional line connected to the ambient by
a breather filter protects the shaft seals. That is working because the mill
pressure is always negative while in operation creating a suction effect.
Adjustments
Thanks to the high automatization, not many mechanical adjustments are

needed. If the separator efficiency is a problem when the mill is new, outer
vane ring adjustment might be required. A line mark on the bolt heads shows
the current angular position of the individual vanes. Nut and counternut allow
adequate adjustment without having to access the mill interior.
If the mill is going to be run outside of the preset milling pressure range, two
additional adjustments have to be made:
57
 The nitrogen pressure in the accumulators has to be adjusted according
to the table. To do this, a nitrogen bottle is connected to the charging
unit and filling is conduced until the desired pressure has been reached.
The individual accumulator packages must maintain a pressure
tolerance of < 2bar between them.
 The system limit pressure has to be readjusted according to the table
(valve 61). To be able to do that, the pump must be running, the manual
closing valve 65 open and then the pressure can be read on the
pressure gauge (43). The counter-pressure can only be adjusted while
the rollers are lifted.
The big mill bolts can only be torqued down using a bolt pretension device.
According to the size of the bolt, the correct hydraulic pressure has to be used.
The Newton force of the table has to be converted into pressure using the
following formula:
Force in Newton
bar 
Jacking Area  10
Example: A pretension force of 80 KN is needed. The jack has an active area of

980mm². The formula will be:
80'000 N
Pressure   816 bar
9.8cm 2  10
If a thicker material bed is required, the dam ring can be extended upwards by
bolting on more circular segments.
If the milling table wear segments have to be changed, the radial retention ring
segments have to be shimmed to render a safe fixing of the wear segments.
The vertical retention doesn’t fix the segments, it only prevents them from lifting
off the table.
The counterweight of the flap gate on the coarse return cone below the
separator has to be adjusted in such a way as to allow material to fall but to
close if there is none.
The rotor height of the dynamic separator has to be adjusted in such a way as
to minimize the gap between its top and the mill structure above it, It should not
be less than 2 but also not be more than 8mm along the entire circumference.
58
Common Faults and Critical Points
Spill Scraper Shoes
The scraper shoes sending the spilled material to the vibrating feeder wear out,
can break or lose their fixing bolts. A steep mill feed at the beginning and mill
overcharge must be avoided to minimize the risks. If bolt breakage occurs, use
bigger bolts and/or higher bolt grades (10.9)
Vibrating Feeder
The flexible joints tend to harden and backfill with material. Frequent
replacement is the only cure to prevent spillage and false air.
Roller wear segments
They as well as the milling table segments have to be measured and inspected
for wear. Special instruments should have been furnished with the mill to that
purpose. Usually, about half their material thickness may be lost until
replacement is required. The useful life span depends on the abrasiveness of
the raw material, is measured by grams of weight loss per ton of raw meal
produced and they generally last between 8 months and 4 years. All mounting
bolts have to be re-torqued after 24 hours of operation if newly installed.
Wear elements in general
They have to be inspected regularly for wear. Some of them may be replazable
by Densit mortar
Water Injectors
The also suffer from wear because they are exposed to the dusty gas stream.
An additional armour may be placed on their exposed parts using abrasion
resistant steel or a Densit mortar shell.
Rollers
The most critical point is their seals. Although they are protected by a constant
air stream by the sealing fan, it is not the cleanest air because it comes from
the mill building. A consentiuos cleaning schedule of the fan filter is essential. If
the seals get damaged, roller lubrication will be lost and if the mill doesn’t stop
automatically (which it should if there is no oil return flow for some time), the
roller bearings get damaged and the roller will seize up.
59
Two greasing points are provided for each seal. The grease fills the space
between the double seal and has to be replenished or replaced occasionally.
The grease nipples are hidden below caps. When regreasing, it is a good idea
to turn the rollers slightly if that can be managed in order for the grease to be
distributed evenly over the whole seal circumference.
It is recommended to keep the lubrication system going even while the mill is
stopped. The synthetic oil used has a high viscosity and a mill start with low
temperature may cause problems. If the free return line (C) should ever carry
oil, it can be evacuated using compressed air. There is a tapped hole in the
central roller support for the purpose.
The lub lines inside the mill have to be protected against abrasion. Abrasion
resistant steel or Densit may be used. Rubbing between lub hoses has to be
avoided at all costs. If necessary, flexible protection elements have to be
installed.
Vibrations
Mill vibrations are caused by irregularities of the material bed on the milling
table (bed too thick or too thin, instability, high bow wave in front of the rollers
because of dry material, too many oversized stones present, advanced or
uneven armour segment wear). Eliminating the root cause is the only long term
solution.
Separator
Advanced wear may cause rotor unbalance or even shaft breakage. Frequent
inspection is essential. If a new or a repaired rotor is installed, it had best be
first statically balanced in the workshop and then dynamically on site if that
appears to be required. Note: many balancing instruments may not be capable
of doing that at the low speeds encountered.
The shaft bearings are low speed and have to be completely filled with grease.
Since lubrication is automatic, the return line must show some spillage. If it
doesn’t, it is due to a lubrication failure or damaged shaft seals and must be
attended immediately.
The gravitational flap gate at the end of the coarse return cone has to seal well.
Advanced wear will hamper its purpose. The same happens if the
counterweight is wrongly adjusted. It also has to be secured against falling off.
60
Rotary Valve
Sticky material may fill the valve, reducing its capacity or get it stuck. The level
control in the drop chute will provoke a mill shut down if that happens. Severe
wear will result in false air. This would affect the mill efficiency (slightly) and can
be noticed by the constant draft it would produce in the drop chute above it.
Part, Description, Activity Period

Mill Working:
Check for abnormal mill noise Every Shift
Check for abnormal separator noise Every Shift
Check for abnormal main drive noise Every Shift
Check for abnormal sealing air fan noise Every Shift
Check for spillage around the mill gear Every Shift
Check for spillage from the mill hydraulic rod seals Every Shift
Check for spillage around the spillage return transport equipment, Every Shift
(vibratory feeder, bucket elevator)
Check for spillage around the mill feed (BC, BE, Diverter gate, RV) Every Shift
Check the mill gear lubrication equipment for leaks Every Shift
Check the mill roller lubrication equipment for leaks Every Shift
Check the mill hydraulic equipment for leaks Every Shift
Control the oil sight glasses of the main gearbox Every Shift
Check / replace / clean the sealing air fan filter if it is dirty. Never let Every Shift
contaminated air enter!!!
Check the water lines for leaks Every Shift
Check the milling pressure cylinder protective harmonicas, report Every Shift
any oil leaks
Check if some grease returns from the return line of the separator Weekly
shaft bearings
Lubricate the sealing air fan shaft bearings Weekly
Check the vibrations/noise of the main motor bearings Monthly
Check the vibrations/noise of the main gearbox Monthly
Check the vibrations/noise of the separator drive (motor and Monthly
gearbox
Check the vibrations/noise of the sealing air fan bearings Monthly
Lubricate the rotary valve bearings Monthly
Check the vibrations/noise of the motors for the mill hydraulic and 3 months
lubrication equipment and the water pump
Mill stopped:
Clean the mill, its auxiliary equipment and surroundings, remove Weekly
scrap, trash, etc.
Inspect the wear protection of the water, sealing air and oil lines Weekly
inside the mill
Make sure the coarse return flap gate is sealing well Weekly
Inspect the scraper blades for the spillage for wear and breakage Weekly
61
Clean the sealing fan filter Weekly
Clean or replace the filter cartridges on the lubrication systems and Check
mill hydraulic that need it signals
Inspect the nitrogen pressure in the accumulators, replenish Weekly
according to table if needed
Inspect the mill rollers for oil leaks (seals). The lubrication system Weekly
must be working while doing that
Inspect all the flexible joints in the gas ducts Monthly
Inspect and report in the correspondent sheet the mill roller wear Monthly
segments material loss
Inspect and report in the correspondent sheet the milling table wear Monthly
segments material loss
Inspect the tension and wear of the sealing air fan V-belts Monthly
Inspect the mill wear plates in general for integrity and thickness Monthly
Lubricate the guillotine gates and louvre dampers in the gas ducts 3 months
Inspect the guiding vanes and fan blades of the mill separator 3 months
(wear)
Inspect the bearing seals of the separator rotor for grease leaks 3 months
Lubricate the mill roller seals. The rollers must be moved while filling 3 months
Grease the main mill motor bearings 3 months
Inspect the dampening elements on the tangential retention arms 3 months
Inspect the joints on the hydraulic tensioning rods 3 months
Inspect the bolts on the whole mill and auxiliaries (looseness, loss) 3 months
Inspect the rotary valve interior for wear and stuck material 3 months
Inspect the water tank float for wear and function 3 months
Inspect the mill body for integrity 6 months
Faults, Causes and Solutions
Since the system is very extensive, a comprehensive table would be very big.
Faults are usually due to operation outside of normal production parameters,
missing or faulty signals, faulty feedback to the control loops and operational
software, negligent operation, housekeeping and maintenance. Some rules that
might prevent disaster:
 Make sure the space where the spilled material scraper pass is reasonably
free of accumulations before the mill is started.
 Prevent advanced wear of all the elements exposed to the mill dust stream,
particularly those close to the nose ring around the milling table
 Clean or replace the filter cartridges when obstructed
 Handle only clean air with the sealing air fan for the seals of the mill rollers.
 Maintain the oil temperatures for lubrication and hydraulics below 60°C.
 Never move the mill with the lub systems off-line or in alarm stage
 Always block the mill rollers from lowering when working on them while lifted.
 Use the tools provided for any work related to control, revision, maintenance
and replacement.
62
 Maintain the sealing fan in operation up to 2 hours after mill stop. Also switch
it on whenever doing work inside the mill to prevent contamination.
 Maintain the roller lubrication working while not planning work on the system
 Prevent at all cost any advanced wear on armour elements
 Change the wear elements on the milling table and the rollers on time, as a
minimum when half the material is gone or uneven wear causes high mill
vibrations.
 Change the piston seals in the hydraulic cylinders once a year even if no
appreciable leaks appear. Read and follow the instruction manual for seal
installation.
 Perform all jobs on oil-containing elements preferably in a clean
environment. Never leave oil lines open!
 Closely follow the instruction given in the manuals for special jobs
 Use the indicated torques and tightening procedures. Check the bolts before
use to guaranty a correct torque.
 Protect the oil supply lines to the rollers with Densit

 Protect the water lines with wear resistant steel or Densit, particularly the
area above the gas distribution vane ring
 Use Densit to armour the mill interior and the separator
 Protect the swivel clevis joints to the rollers with armour plates ( FLS supplied
or design)
 Install a platform and manhole for easy spill scraper access
 Protect the armoured roller lubrication hoses on the support brackets with
rubber sleeves or other soft material and where they enter and leave the
protecting piping.
 Collect all special tools for the mill in a specific locker close to the mill
63
EQUIPMENT: Raw Meal Separation and Silo CODE:
TYPE: CFS (Continuous Flow Silo)
Capacity: 20’000 tons (20 x 54m) 341SI100
Raw meal separation and transport to silo
The now cooler (90 -110°C) kiln gases with the raw meal from the separator
suspended in it is fed into 4 high efficiency cyclones (> 95%) (321CN301/ 311/
321/ 331) for separation. The kiln gases pass to the mill ID fan (321FN400) and
from there are split up into two streams: One goes to the ESP for filtering and
the other is fed back into the mill to boost the gas speed and drying action. Two
guillotine gates (321SD425 from the preheater + 321SD415 to the ESP) permit
to isolate the mill system from the kiln system while the mill is shut down.
The separated material passes the rotary valves at the bottom of the cyclones
(321RF302/312/322/332) from where it is dumped into a succession of airslides
(321AS500/505/510/520) where it also passes an automatic sampling station
(841QC310). From there it is fed into the airlift (341AL050), lifted to the top of
the silo and separated from the transport air in a separation box followed by a
cyclone (341CN070) and a dust collector (341BF080). All their raw meal returns
are dumped into the airslide (341AS060) which deposits it into the silo feed
spider airslides (341AS090). An auxiliary Bag Filter (341BF410 with fan
341FN412) dedusts the feed system and the silo discharge air. The air for the
lifting system is generated by 4 blowers (341BL052/053/054/055).
Pneumatically operated valves (341BV062/063/064/065) connect these blowers
online including the standby blowers (341BL056 and 351BL347) selectable by
the pneumatic valves (351BV357/358).
64
Silo and Homogenization
Continuous flow silo means that the material fed to it is homogenized at the
same time as it is fed to the kiln, that is, both operations take place in the same
space.
Homogenization takes place by aerating the material by blowing compressed

air (341BL300/305/310) into the bottom of the silo, also alternating the supply
by switching the flow successively from 180 degree opposed quadrants to the
next pair. The ensuing stirring provides the material mix called homogenization.
Excess air is removed through a filter and fan (341BF420; 341FN425);
remaining pressure differences are equalized by suction and blow valves on top
of the silo. The material level is measured continuously by an automatic control.
65
Homogenization Bottom View
Silo Bottom
66
Homogenization Lungs and Discharge Airslides
The airslides are sensitive to blockages, more so when cold and humid material
is conveyed at start up. Air lift systems may also block if the bottom permeable
fabric gets clogged. Compressors and blowers may fail because of bearing
wear. Homogenising lungs and silo discharge aeration fabric tops can also clog,
specifically if the blowers or compressors feeding them intake dusty air.
67

Check airslides for leaks Every Shift
Check blowers for vibrations, noise and high temperature Weekly
Check compressor and blower oil levels Weekly
Check silo level measuring instrument for accuracy (calibrate) Monthly
Check pressure equalizing valves for free movement Monthly
Check the mechanical operation of the silo feed selector valve Monthly
EQUIPMENT: Silo Extraction and Kiln Feed System CODE:

TYPE: Guillotine gates 341SQ200
TYPE: Quick closing valves 341VA210
TYPE: Constant level Feed Bin 351BI100
Capacity: 439 – 505 t/h
TYPE: Air Lift (500 t/h) 351AL340
Guillotine Damper Drive
Louver Damper Drive Arm
68
Manual Slide Gate
Pneumatic Slide Gate (331 SG512)
Raw meal fluidized by the homogenizing process and the discharge lungs is fed
intermittently from different parts of the silo bottom through 7 manual guillotine
gates and the same number of pneumatically operated rotating quick closing
valves and by 6 airslides (341AS300) to a central collecting bin (341AE220).
Two additional pneumatically operated feed control gates (351BV050/051)
dump it into the constant level bin (351BI100). This is a silo sitting on 3 weigh
cells that allows for feed calibration.
69
The kiln feed system (351KF200) starts at the Constant level feed bin. The raw
meal can be fed alternatively through 2 pneumatically operated quick closing
valves and subsequent servo-motorized dosing valves into the airslide
(351AS300). The Constant Level Feed Bin and its discharge aggregates are
aerated by 2 blowers (351BL110). The airslide (351AS300) discharges the
dosed material into the airlift (351AL340). The air supply comes from the
blowers (351BL342/343/344/345/346) and the same standby blowers as used
for the silo airlift. For its operation see the chapter about transport equipment.
Two pneumatically operated guillotine gates allow for either selecting kiln feed
or recirculation into the raw meal silo.
Calibration using the constant level bin
The weigh feeder for the kiln feed may lose its calibration over time. If this is
suspected, recalibration can be done during operation. Steps to be taken:
 An additional amount of material is fed into the constant level bin from
the silo until it is filled
 After a period of calming, the bin weight is measured and recorded.
 The feed to the kiln is kept on unaltered for a precisely measured period
of time
 The bin weight is measured again
 The weight loss is compared to the accumulated feed signal.
 If there is a marked difference (>5%), the weigh feeder calibration is
altered accordingly (while maintaining the actual kiln feed)
 If possible or desirable, the kiln feed is then gradually adjusted to the
required set point
Airslide blockages and leaks are the most common and fastidious ones.
Blockages are caused by faulty mounting and sealing, moisture and lack of
maintenance (wear)
Obstructions in the fluidizing elements, particularly those for silo extraction can
block the outlets. The same occurs in the discharge valves due to aeration
failure and scrap retention, insufficient service air pressure, pneumatic system
or servo motor failures. Blockages also occur in the correspondent airslides,
constant level bin and its discharge elements.
Regular intake filter cleaning on the fans and blowers generating the fluidization
air prevents the impermeabilization of the airslide fabric bottom, the principal
reason for material blockages and life span reducer of all silo discharge and
material transport elements depending on fluidization. Correct maintenance of
bucket elevators, screw conveyors and rotary valves guaranties a trouble-free
and reliable feed rate.
70
If continuous weigh feeders are involved, their maintenance is crucial for
keeping a precise feed rate.
Fluidization and transport air introduced into the systems has to be dedusted. It
is imperative to try using the minimum amount possible to prevent overtaxing
the dedusting system resulting in spillage and dust emissions. But at the same
time, an adequate supply has to be available to prevent material flow
blockages.

On the running equipment:
Material spillage and leaks Every shift
Service air pressure ( 7 – 10 bar) Every shift
Check if system is under negative pressure (dedusting) Every shift
Check for air leaks Every shift
Check dosing valves operation Every shift
Check fans and blowers for noise and vibrations Every shift
Check bucket elevator for belt sway Weekly
Check equipment integrity (bolts, elements, welding seams, etc) Monthly
On the stopped equipment:
State of the mechanical elements of the equipment MAC
Preventive maintenance routines MAC

Material doesn’t flow Dosing valves did not Check the dosing valve
open, insufficient operation; check the
fluidization fluidizing equipment and
process (blowers, valves,
pressure, flow), check the
airslide fabric for integrity
and permeability
Feed rate is erratic Calibration failure; scrap Check calibration, load cell
in the dosing valves; signals, etc.; remove scrap
insufficient fluidization, from dosing equipment;
airslide bottom fabric check airslide bottom fabric
damaged or
impermeable
Feed rate varies very Mechanical weigh feeder Repair or recalibrate the
often failure; Calibration faulty equipment
instruments failure
Material spillage Insufficient dedusting; Revise, adjust or repair
and/or dust emissions Sealing failure dedusting filters; Repair
seals and joints
71
If fabric bottom impermeabilization on the airslides is frequent, improve the

fluidization air filtering. The best way to achieve this is adding a filtered
overpressure fan to the building where the fluidization air generating equipment
is.
If airslide bottom fabric wear is too frequent, especially on the feed points, the
installation of a fine abrasion resistant steel mesh might help.
72
EQUIPMENT: Preheater CODE:
TYPE: 5 Stage ILC Suspension Preheater with
100% Precalciner
CAPACITY: 500 t/h
The preheater consists of 5 huge cyclones connected in series by riser ducts

conducting the hot kiln gases and mixing it with the raw meal falling through.
The hot kiln gases repeatedly pass their heat content to the semi-suspended
raw material until in the last stage it reaches approximately 900°C.
Stage 1 Cyclone (one of two)
Precalcining takes place because of the high temperature and four additional
burners in the precalciner (421CI400), a large and long duct mounted between
cyclones four and five.
On top of the 100m high preheater tower, the first stage consists of twin
cyclones (421CN110) whose gas outlet is connected via expansion joints and
gas duct to the kiln ID fan (331FN110) and the conditioning tower (331CT200).
The riser ducts leading to them from cyclone stage 2 (421CN120) receive the
raw meal from the silo, transported to this point by the airlift described above. A
spill box spreads the raw meal into the riser duct where it is suspended by the
73
kiln gases and rushed into cyclone stage 1. There, the kiln gases are separated
from the preheated raw meal and leave towards the kiln ID fan. The preheated
raw meal falls to the cyclone outlet and a gravitational flap gate from where it is
fed again into the riser duct leading to cyclone stage 2. Cyclone stages 2 to 5
(Stage 3 421CN130; stage 4 (421CN140); stage 5 (421CN150) consist of only
one huge cyclone each because high efficiency here is no longer an issue. This
also means that the same preheating process is repeated once more in each of
the following stages.
Gravitational Flap Gate
The riser duct from the kiln is widened at the beginning to receive four
additional burners together with hot air from the clinker cooler front. This none-
combusted oxygen-rich air is fed to it by the tertiary air duct. The four additional
burners in the precalciner (421CI400) rise the gas temperature to 1100°C which
in turn heats the suspended raw meal to calcining temperature. This gas duct is
elongated and rises up to about the height of cyclone stage 2 from where the
gas duct bends down again and is fed into cyclone 5. From its outlet it finally
reaches the kiln inlet. The whole process takes less than 2 minutes.
Calciner Burner
74
A diverter gate (421DG180) below cyclone stage 4 allows the isolation of the
precalcination. Instead of feeding the raw meal from cyclone 4 to the
precalciner, it falls directly down into the kiln inlet.
The cyclones and gas ducts are equipped with thermocouples and pressure
transducers for monitoring. They also carry poking holes and access hatches in
strategic points. The flap gates below cyclone 4 and 5 have additional air
cannons (Big Blasters) on the end of the tapered section to prevent material
bridging and the dangerous and hard to remove cyclone blockages.
While the kin gas temperatures fall from some 1100°C to between 300 and 350
while rising, the raw meal temperature rises from around 90°C to about 850 -
950°C at the kiln inlet. Total pressure difference can be as high as 50 mbar.
The cyclones carry refractory bricks or mortar on the inside and the submerged
gas ducts in the hot part are usually made from segmented refractory cast
steel. All are separated by expansion joints due to the high thermal expansion
stresses experienced by the system. Some of the tapered section near the
cyclone discharge end carry compressed air ring lines to prevent material
bridging.
Air cannon are used to prevent material build-up on the walls in the high
temperature zones, particularly on the kiln inlet. They consist of an air tank fed
by plant service air (8 – 12 bar), a quick opening diaphragm valve at their
discharge end which is connected to a solenoid. A cast refractory steel nozzle
distributes the air in the accumulation zone. The intermittent air blast and shock
wave is supposed to keep the semi-liquid material from sticking to the walls.
Air Cannon (Big Blaster)
A total of 3 gas analyzers are provided: One in the gas duct to the kiln ID fan
(851AM810), one on the calcining gas duct (851AM815, currently switched off)
75
and one on the kiln inlet (851AM805). The one on the gas duct to the
conditioning tower checks the levels of CO, O2, NO and CH4. They control
combustion efficiency and alert/shut down the ESP if there should be explosive
mixtures, in general CO concentrations above 0.7% and O 2 levels around 2%.
 Material build-up (coating), material bridging in cyclone discharge cones and

on flap gates causing cyclone blockages
 Refractory: Wear, damage and loss
 Gravitational flap gates: Wear, seizing, false air introduction to cyclone
 Air injection systems: Low pressure and valve failure
 Cyclone immersion ducts: Wear and falling into the cyclone
 Expansion joints: Stiffening, backfilling with material, ruptures, wear, false
air
 Diverter gate: Failure, wear, seizing up, false air
 Air cannon: Diaphragm or solenoid valve failure (seizing, low pressure),
nozzle wear or loss
 Gas analyzer: Cooling water jacket failure, jacket wear and deformation,
sample taking nozzle blockage
 Pressure transducer nozzle blockage
 False air through access hatches, poke holes, expansion joints, cyclone
wear, broken welding seams

On the working equipment:
Spillages, material leaks Every shift
Service air pressure, air leaks Every shift
Air cannon performance and operation Every shift
False air intake spots Every shift
Diverter gate and flap gate operation Every shift
Equipment integrity (bolts, welding seams, joints, etc) Monthly
State of the machine elements, inside and outside MAC
76

Material Blockage Excessive coating, Prevention by periodic
bridging at the cyclone control and adequate
necks or flap gates; cleaning and preventive
fallen immersion tube; maintenance routines
seized flap gate
Air cannon don’t fire Seized diaphragm valve; Change air cannon; change
damaged solenoid or no solenoid; check
signal; no service air; compressor, lines and
program defect or valves; revise electrical
disconnected connections
Low cyclone Immersion duct fallen or Replace or repair
efficiency, little worn
separation and low
differential pressure
High rate of welding Expansion joints Revise/replace/repair
seam breakage on backfilled or stiff
cyclones and gas
ducts
If not in use, install segmented immersion ducts in the lower high temperature
cyclones made of cast refractory steel. They are easy to maintain and have a
long lifespan.
77
EQUIPMENT: Conditioning (cooling) Tower CODE:
TYPE: Water Atomization 331CT200
19 Water injectors lances are radially fit on top of a wide cylindrical gas duct (a
high vertical tower). Two high pressure 3-stage centrifugal pumps (331WI210)
deliver the water to the spray nozzles of the injectors where it is atomized by
compressed air. While the hot gases coming from the kiln (from the stage 1
preheater cyclones) pass through the tower, the atomized water interacts with
the gas, cooling it down while evaporating. This makes the gases fit to pass
through the ESP at a temperature not exceeding 110°C. Thermocouples at the
top and bottom of the conditioning tower ensure proper cooling. The cooling
tower is not in operation as long as the raw mill is running. In the tapered
section on the top of the cooling tower just above the water lances, a diverter
sheet with guiding vanes evenly distributes the kiln gases in the tower to
improve performance.
78
The precipitated dust at the bottom of the conditioning tower is collected by a
screw conveyor (331SC220) passes a rotary feeder (331RF240) from where it
can be transported either to the kiln feed or the raw meal airlift by way of the
screw conveyor (331SC490), the drag chain (331CV500) and the screw
conveyor (331SC510). If the pneumatically operated diverter gate (331SG513,
a blade valve) is open, the collected dust goes to the raw meal silo, if not, it
goes to the kiln. It is also possible to reverse the screw conveyor (331SC220)
and empty the dust through the motorized double flap gate (331FV230) into a
waiting truck.
Motorized Double Flap Gate
The water pressure must be above 25 bar. The amount of water flowing must
be adjustable from about 10 – 100% flow. This is achieved by a flow control
valve in the feed line. This valve is looped into the outlet temperature signal to
control the amount of water required to keep the temperature stable. Each
water lance can be isolated by ball valves for manual adjustment of the
maximum water flow and for maintenance. To avoid water drip from the
nozzles, an additional ball valve with remotely operated oscillating air motor
closes each lance when not in operation. Both air and water lines have
pressure gauges and pressure transducers with both digital visual readout and
electronic transduction. The air lines to the individual lances can be shut off by
indirectly operated solenoid valves.
Water preparation starts with a tank with feed line, overflow line, connecting line
to the pump and drain line. The feed line features both a manual and an
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automatic closing valve (the latter is oscillating air motor operated). The feed
line goes to the two pumps (331WI210), a pressure gauge indicates the suction
side pressure. The pressure lines feature a check valve, a pressure gauge and
pressure transducer and a manual globe valve. The water passes through a
switchable double filter of 200μm and obstruction indicator. A safety valve
follows and then the air-diaphragm operated flow control valve with bypass line
(3 manual globe valves). A feed line with pressure gauge leads the water to the
injector lances on the conditioning tower. The atomizing air also features
pressure gauges and a pressure transducer plus an air-diaphragm operated
flow control valve with bypass line. An additional service air line supplies the
control and actuating pressure for the three pneumatically operated valves. Its
pressure is also readable with a pressure gauge and reported by pressure
transducer.
Most critical is a good atomization and the absence of dripping when a lance is
closed to avoid muddying the tower bottom and cause screw conveyor
blockage and damage. Other faults and critical points are:
 Tank filling mechanism and operation (rudimentary in this case)

 Water filter blockage
 Water pump leaks
 Control valve failure
 Air and water leaks in tubing and instruments
 Compressor failure
 Temperature control failure (calibration)
 Mud formation on the tower bottom (insufficient atomization, dripping
 Injector lance nozzle wear
Parts, Description Period

On the running equipment:
Air and water leaks Every shift
Pressures Every shift
Temperatures Every shift
Noise and vibrations, compressors Every shift
Noise and vibrations, water pumps Every shift
Atomization Daily
Filtration Daily
State of the machine elements MAC
80
EQUIPMENT: Return Dust Bin CODE:
Capacity: 270 tons 331BI600
General Description
There are moments when returning raw meal from the conditioning tower and
the ESP cannot be fed into the kiln or if the system has to be switched to the
raw meal silo while there is still raw meal returning. It can also be used as a 30
minute buffer when a temporary airlift failure occurs. In other words, the return
dust bin helps to avoid shutting down the kiln and the raw mill while switch-over
is in progress.
A bucket elevator (331BE530) receives the raw meal from the screw conveyor
(331SC510) and lifts it to the screw conveyor 331SC550) From there it is fed
into the return dust bin. Extraction is done by pneumatic lungs (331AE601) in
the tapered lower section of the bin, a pneumatic quick closing slide gate
(331SG610) and a rotary feeder (331RF620) back to the screw conveyor
(331SC510).
81
EQUIPMENT: Rotary Kiln CODE:
TYPE: FLS,  5.0 x 80m, 3 roller stations 431KL100
Capacity: 6200 t/day
Kiln
The rotary kiln is essentially a long pipe welded together using differing external
pipe sections (the tube wall thickness changes from about 30mm on the none-
supported parts to 120mm below the kiln tires). It is supported by 3 roller
stations (431KB101/102/103) consisting of one free-moving tire around the
shell and two rollers, each of those supported by two slide bearings sitting in
pedestals with water jacket cooling. The kiln tires are supported on a set of
transversal steel plates called riding shoes carrying lateral retention blocks and
rings keeping the kiln tires in place. Since the kiln has an inclination of 4%, an
axial thrust roller with hydraulic cylinder pushing against the kiln tire No. 3
(uppermost) keeps the kiln in place (431XA120). A pinion – girth gear drive
provides the rotation, fan-cooled (431FN171/176) inlet and discharge seals
keep the kiln as free of false air as possible. Movable axial fans (431FN195)
are used to cool down specific kiln shell section should those get too hot. A
infrared scanner (841ES210) reports the shell temperature.
Kiln Support Roller Assembly
82
Kiln Roller Bearing
Kiln Roller Bearing Seals
KILN ROLLER BEARING FITS

BEARING
SHAFT TOLERANCE SIDE AVERAGE
SHAFT TOLERANCE (based on CLEARANCES CLEARANCE
Ø (h8) IT8)
0 +0.890 min. 0.395
500 -0.097 +0.790 max. 0.494
0.889
0 +1.000 min. 0.495

560 -0.110 +0.890 max. 0.555
1.050
0 +1.150 min. 0.502

630 -0.110 +1.040 max. 0.630
1.132
0 +1.310 min. 0.559

710 -0.125 +1.180 max. 0.718
1.377
83
Kiln Tire Shoe
The whole kiln is laid out with special refractory bricks. Between two and three
different brick compositions may be used to accommodate the different
chemical reactions and to adapt to the different temperature zones. The bricks
are held inside the tube by rings of so-called T-plates, one at each end of the
kiln. They are made of special refractory cast iron. The kiln burner (431BU500)
can use liquid and gaseous fuel. Flame control is done by the primary air fan
(431FN560) which is damper controlled, the cooler delivers preheated oxygen-
rich air called secondary air. The burner is installed in the kiln hood
(441KH050), a brick and mortar lined structure between the clinker cooler and
the kiln. The burner nozzle is additionally cooled by a fan (431FN570).
84
Kiln Discharge
Kiln Drive
The main drive (431MD140) consists of a 3-phase frequency converter

controlled AC motor of 1000 KW power and a 5 stage gear reducer (i = 36.1 :
1) with external lubricant reconditioning (431LO150). An inching drive
(431AD145) consisting of an 55 KW AC motor, automatic clutch (STEARNS
backstop with brake), auxiliary gearbox (2 stage parallel) with backstop for
idling the main drive are coupled to the high speed input shaft of the main
gearbox. The inching drive motor must be additionally connected to the
emergency generator. The low speed output shaft of the main gearbox is
coupled to a disc coupling with torsion shaft (extension shaft). From there, two
double row self-aligning roller bearings engage the pinion into the kiln girth
gear. The latter is spray-lubricated (431GS160). Both the main motor and the
main gearbox have vibration detectors.
The lubricant reconditioning unit for the main gearbox consists of two gear
pumps with integrated pressure limiting valve and checkvalve, a switchable
double oil filter, a water – oil heat exchanger, pressure control with transducer,
pressure gauge and analogue thermometer and a flow meter in the feed line.
85
Kiln Drive Membrane coupling (Disc Coupling)
Hydraulic Thrust Unit
The axial kiln thrust roller pushes against the uppermost tire on the kiln. It is
supported by a radial (upper) and an axial (lower) bearing, both sitting in a
cylindrical pedestal filled with oil. The pedestal has on either side two bored-
86
through wings that slide on two parallel shafts mounted on the thrust structure
(see above)
Axial Thrust Cylinder Details
Adjustments, Faults, Critical Points, Preventive Maintenance
Temperature difference over the width of the pinion and girth gear teeth must
not exceed 20°C. If this happens, the pinion bearings must be realigned by
shifting one of them horizontally (at an angle) by no more than 0,5mm towards
or away from the girth gear, dependent on the average root clearance or be
shimmed by no more than 0.2mm on the cool side.
For the rest, see separate information on rotary kiln information.
87
EQUIPMENT: Clinker Cooler CODE:
TYPE: Leakless Cross Bar Grate Cooler SF 4x6F 441CC100
Capacity: 260 – 420 t/h
Function
General Information
Provider: FLS: Foss Larsen Smidth, FLS Industries
The modern cross bar cooler has several advantages:

 High cooling efficiency
 Controlled heat recuperation
 Can generate tertiary air for precalcining and drying
 Cool clinker discharge
 Economic operation (heat transfer)
Unfortunately, there are also disadvantages such as high acquisition and

maintenance cost. The data of a modern cross bar cooler are as follows:
Thermal value of the clinker coming from the kiln: 397 Kcal/Kg clinker
Thermal value secondary air: 181 Kcal/Kg clinker
Thermal value tertiary air: 115 Kcal/Kg clinker
Thermal loss through insulation: 6 Kcal/Kg clinker
Thermal loss from heat remaining in discharged clinker: 15 Kcal/Kg clinker
Thermal loss because of excess air: 80 Kcal/Kg clinker
A cross bar cooler consists of rows of cross bars, one fixed row alternating with
a mobile one. Cold air is blown through liftable closing lids situated below the
cross bars by a series of fans from underneath which in turn cools the clinker.
The moving cross bar transport the hot clinker in a sealed housing slowly
towards a hammer crusher (441CR400) that reduces the bigger grains that
cannot fall through the grizzly. The hot clinker is distributed in the form of a bed
some 500mm deep and gradually cools while it advances. The housing is
refractory-lined.
Cross Bar Grate
It consists of 7 sections, 6 of them having individual hydraulic drives

(441MD140). The first section consists of 5 rows of 16 grates each that are
inclined and fixed, the others are horizontal. The next 6 sections are mounted
on 4 individual frames each, 24 in total. There are 4 grates to a frame row (16
total) crosswise and 14 columns lengthwise, 84 total. They are constructed in
such a way that the clinker grains cannot fall down and remain almost
suspended in a bed of air blown through their lid plates. The air coming from
external fans is evenly spread by automatic mechanical air distributors. If a
88
constant clinker bed of some 500mm thickness can be managed (limits 400 –
700mm), the heat loss may be as low as 95 - 100 Kcal/Kg of clinker.
Cooler Frame
The frames carry crossbeams, alternately 6 fixed against 6 mobile ones. The
fixed crossbeams are supported by the cooler structure, the mobile ones are
connected to longitudinal beams that slide on top of V-shaped slide bearings
having automatic grease lubrication (individually mounted adjustable feed
grease cartridges). The longitudinal moving beams are connected to 24
hydraulic cylinders (one per frame or 4 on each of the 6 grate sections). The
undergrate chambers are individually sealed and connected to the 9 variable
speed fans.
89
Cooler Movable Grate
Cooler Slide Rails
90
Cooler Stationary Grate with automatic air distributers
91
Automatic Air Regulators
The grate temperature is measured by thermocouples. Normal grate

temperature should remain between 65 and 100°C. Emergency signal should
be given at temperatures exceeding 300 to 400°C. This usually happens if
there is a hot clinker avalanche from the kiln. This alerts the CCR to allow the
kiln operators to lower temporarily the kiln speed. Upper temperature limit for
the grate plates is 600°C before permanent deformation occurs. Nonetheless,
quick cooling may result in cracks or breakage. Hot zone fans should be
additionally connected to the emergency generator.
If the clinker temperature discharged from the cooler is too high, additional
cooling can be had by switching on the water spray. 4 tubes with spray nozzles
are installed around the last third of the cooler structure above the clinker bed.
Solenoid valves control the water flow. Compressed air is added to atomize the
water evenly in the cooler.
Cooler Water Pump
The sum of the differential pressure signals from the cooling fans are used to
control the clinker bed thickness by varying the transport speed.
Hydraulic Cooler Drive
92
Maximum operational pressure is set to 200 bar, in emergencies it can be
raised to 250 bar (only manual adjustment possible by changing the spring
pressure in the valves (315E). This may become necessary if high permeability
of a thick clinker bed composed of large chunks has to be run. In these
conditions, the differential pressure signal is ignored and the cooler speed is
increased. The system is geared for 3 to 30 strokes per minute but a normal
rate is between 8 to 16 reciprocating strokes per minute. The lower grates
usually work faster than the upper ones.
The cylinder stroke is 200mm but since they don’t have end dampening, the
maximum cooler stroke must not exceed 180mm. Internal motion detectors
monitor the stroke ends and tell the hydraulic drive when to invert the strokes.
They should leave at least 10mm cylinder stroke free on both ends to prevent
the pistons from hitting the head and tail flanges of the hydraulic cylinders. The
cylinders are of the double rod type which permits equal velocity at equal
volumes for the push and the pull strokes. Cylinder data is: Piston Ø: 90mm;
Rod Ø 50mm; stroke length: 200mm; nominal pressure: 300 bar; maximum
working pressure: 225 bar.
Cooler Motion Sensor
Hydraulic Drive
4 individual closed circuit drive systems (pumps) power the 24 hydraulic

cylinders plus 1 pump on stand-by that can be switched manually to any of the
four grates. 4 independent circuits are run, one for each row of the cooler.
Below is one of the circuit schematics (slightly simplified for study). Whenever
you don’t find a number for a specific item, you can find it on the original
schematic. Some numbers have letters at the end for identifying elements that
are not listed separately on the original schematic:
Closed Circuit Hydraulic Drive: A bidirectional variable displacement axial piston

pump (315A) is connected in closed circuit to the drive cylinders (01). An
internal double rod cylinder (315C) serving as actuator is moving the swash
plate of the pump for generating the reciprocating drive strokes. This in turn is
guided by a spring centred 4/3 way servo valve (315D) directly driven by two
proportional solenoids. The actual actuator position is fed back into the drive
electronics. A software program is guiding the pilot solenoids; stroke ends and
range are reported by electronic movement transducers on the clinker cooler
93
grate, stroke rate is set by the program and might be guided either manually or
by the clinker cooler differential pressure. Stroke speed ramping (speed
increase and decrease curve) is done by the electronic card for the proportional
solenoids.
The control block consists of twin main pressure relieve valves (315E) set at
200 bar. Working like sequencing valves (connecting valves), whenever one is
relieving, the return flow is fed back via the parallel check valves into the return
line (either A or B) of the closed circuit. This happens because the pilot
pressure limiting valve (315F) is set to 35 bar while the return line pressure is
limited to only 16 bar (see valve 1130C). A shuttle valve (315H) connects line A
and B to the pressure cut-off valve (315G) set at 250 bar. The main pump leak
line, the eventual returns from the pressure relieve valves (315F/G), the main
pump pilot valve and actuator return to the tank by the Td point and the D line.
Cooler Drive Hydraulic Cylinder
94
Pilot and feed booster circuit: An integrated unidirectional fixed volume vane
pump (connected to the same drive shaft as the main pump) sucks oil from the
tank via the suction line (S) and the position-controlled ball valve (430/435/436)
delivering a maximum of 100 bar pressure. The oil passes through a pressure
filter with bypass and obstruction monitoring (450/451) and then a checkvalve
(160). From there, the flow reaches three groups of elements: First; The pilot
pressure relieve valve (315F) set in the main control block opening at 35 bar
and through the sequencing checkvalves of the twin pressure limiting valves
(315E) the main lines A or B, whichever at a given moment acts as return line
(the other would be the pressure line and keeps the correspondent checkvalve
closed). Second; the accumulator block (465) with the accumulator
(460/462/467/470), the pressure gauge (455) with closing valve (453) and the
pressure switch (490/491). Third; the pressure port of the main pump piloting
valve (315D).
Whenever the main pump (315A) is in the idle position (its swash plate is
perpendicular and no pilot pressure is applied), the vane pump (315B) supplies
its volume to the main lines A and B at the pressure set by the relieve valve
(315F). Whenever the cooler grate is in operation, the greater part of the vane
pump volume will go into the return line (A or B) of the closed circuit and from
there to the feed booster valve block (1130). Its hydraulically controlled 3/3 way
directional control valve (1130A) will either be in the left or the right hand
position meaning that the return line is connected to the fixed throttle valve
(1130B), an orifice of Ø 3.5mm, then to the pressure relieve valve (1130C) set
to 16 bar. From there it reaches the damper valve (1140), a 2/2 way directional
control valve piloted by the line pressure and electronic position control. This
valve smoothens out the switching pressure pulses. From there it reaches the
booster feed return lines (D) and passes through the ball valves (1135) and the
checkvalves (131/132) via the reconditioning circuit to the tank. Any eventual
excess volume will go through the pressure relieve valve (315F).
This circuit is called a forced feed or boosted feed circuit. The auxiliary pump
(315B) is forced to deliver a good part of its volume to the main circuit return
line, constantly replenishing the used oil in the closed circuit with cool and
filtered one. This is done by employing the pressure drop from 35 to 16 bar
adjusted in the valves (315F and 1130C). Since the former is in the main
control block close to the pump and the latter down in the cooler and
additionally pressure-pulse-dampened, together with the accumulator circuit, an
adequate pilot pressure is held.
95
Tank and Reconditioning Circuit: The tank (100) holds 1000 litres of oil. It is
equipped with a breather (115), a double low level indicator (125) for warning
and stop, a heater (195), a manual pump (691) with a lever-operated 2/2
directional valve (690), a sight glass (120), a thermocouple (130) and a drain
plug (108). (The last 6 items are not in the included schematic.)
A gear pump (200) is used to recirculate the oil through an external conditioning
circuit, to empty and charge the tank and to pre-pressurize the entire circuit with
low pressure of some 3 bar for bleeding and lubricating purposes. The circuit
control features a pressure gage (220) with closing valve (225), a maximum
pump pressure relieve valve of 40 bar (215), a switchable connecting valve of
25 bar (indirectly controlled pressure relieve valve 210 and 2/2 way directional
control valve 211) to be able to use the emptying and charging circuit, a spring-
loaded checkvalve (133) set at 3 bar, a pressure filter (165) with bypass and
obstruction monitoring (170), ball valves (311) and fixed throttle valves (312)
reaching each of the 5 pumps for bleeding and lubrication. The rest of the
circuit is separated by the checkvalve (133) by differential pressure.
The unused oil is passing the checkvalve (133) and joins the return lines (Td,
D) but not (T2). The whole volume passes through a water heat exchanger
(140/141) with water supply strainer (147) and flow switching valve (145). From
there it passes a switchable double filter (150/151) with bypass and differential
pressure monitoring (155) and flows back to the tank.
The tank emptying and filling is done by the elements right after the pump
(200). Quick connectors (185.1/2) are provided for attaching a hose (187) either
to the switchable conduit (3-way ball valve 190 with position monitor 191/192)
by way of the quick connector (185.2) before the pump (200) for tank filling or
the other quick connector (185.1) after the pump (200) for emptying. These
features are not shown in the attached simplified schematic.
Normal Operating pressures
 Main operating pressure (pump 315A): 100 – 150 bar

 Pilot Pressure (pump 315B): 25 – 30 bar
 Pre-filling and lubricating pressure (pump 200): 5 – 8 bar
System bleeding
Bleeding must be done whenever an element is being changed to remove the

air from the circuit. The 9 bleeding valves (1007) mounted on the top (on the
T’s of the main lines just above the pump and control block in the pump building
where the main lines go down to the grate cooler) should be used (see drawing
below):
96
Male hoses have to be connected to the bleeding valves (also called minimess
valves) to open their internal checkvalves. This can be done one by one or
several together depending on how many hoses are available. The hoses have
to be hanged into recipients and the recirculating pump (200) has to be started.
With the hose connected, wait until the air and the foam are bled, then remove
the hoses and replace the cap. Repeat the whole process until all 9 valves are
bled (one of the D-lines doesn’t have a bleeding valve at this spot)
The hydraulic cylinders must be bled separately. They have two bleeding valves
on top for the purpose, one for chamber A and one for chamber B. The process
is the same as for the main lines.
There are more minimess valves distributed in the system for pressure checks
on the running hydraulic.
Seal and guide strip Instalment
Piston seals should be heated to about 80°C to facilitate their instalment into
the groves. Piston rod seals should be pressed together until they form a kidney
shape without buckling, then pressed into the grove until they seat perfectly.
Make sure that the seal lip points into the direction of the pressure. Check that
the seal is not damaged.
Guide strips as well as seal mounting require strict cleanliness (parts, tools,
grease). Steps to follow:
 Assure the grove is completely clean

 Check the length and form of the guide strip. It must snugly fit into the
grove
 The end of the guide strip must be cut at an angel of 60°
 The piston or piston rod must easily pass through the guide strip. It must
never act as a seal! Make sure it is in complete contact with the grove
bottom.
Flushing of the Hydraulic Drive
97
The flushing filter (700) is to be found above the SP (standby pump 315.7)
where the grate 1 and grate 2 piping is connected by hoses (not shown in the
above schematic). At the end of the B-line and the closed filter outlet is one
checkvalve each (715 for the B line with end cap F3, 716 for the flushing filter
with end cap F1). Two pressure transducers (360.1/2) are also to be found
there, one for each of the lines A and B.
Remove the end caps F1 and F3 from the correspondent pipe stems. Remove
the pressure hoses (368 and 369) coming from the SP pump (standby pump
315.7) from their connecting points on the piping (F5 and F6). Connect the
hose (368) that went to F5 (line A) to the connecting point F1 (on the flushing
filter), then connect the hose (369) that went to F6 (line B) to the connecting
point F3 (the end of the B-line). Do not remove the hoses from the SP pump!
Put the end caps you removed from the pipe stems (F1 and F3) on the open
pipe ends on F5 and F6.
While flushing the pipe system, the hydraulic cylinders (01) have to be
bypassed by using one of the hoses (1034). Flushing directions is from line B
towards line A (line B in, line A out). Flushing of the pipe system is done using
the SP (standby pump 315.7). To do this, both its main pressure relieve valves
(315E) have to be moved to their lowest pressure setting (loosen the counternut
and screw out the adjustment bolts using an Allan Key on the left side of the
main pump block seen from the front; one is on top, the other on the bottom of
the block) until only a fractional spring pressure is felt. Switch on the pump on
local and increase the flow from 0 to 100% within a time span of no less than 2
minutes! Make sure the flow goes in the right direction, otherwise, the
checkvalves (715 and 716) won’t allow passage. The other pumps may also be
flushed one by one but for that it is best to leave their pressure setting at 200
bar (the circulation flow has to pass through the main pressure relieve valves of
the SP pump.
To be able to flush, spare filter cartridges must be available for the filter (700).
An obstruction indicator is on the filter housing. After flushing, reset the main
pressure relieve valves on the SP pump to their original setting (200 bar) and
reconnect the hoses and end caps as they were before (see drawing HS-036-
C004-3-B, page 2).
Cooling Air Supply
9 external fans (441FN300 – 350) are connected to 6 individual sealed

chambers below the grate (the first two have two fans because of the high
clinker temperature). They deliver a controlled atmospheric air volume to each
grate section by means of frequency converter driven AC motors. The correct
air volume must be selected by the operator according to temperature
conditions and thickness of the clinker bed on the grates. The way the grates
are designed lets the air flow through them but prevents the clinker from falling
into the undergrate compartments making a specific material spillage transport
unnecessary. Pressure gauges measure the chamber pressures and others
measure the suction pressure on the fan inlet cones. The latter gives a
98
feedback on the actual fan volume, the former is an indirect indication of the
clinker bed thickness. Together, they can be used for the semi-automatic
control of the grate speed.
Clinker Crusher
At the end of the clinker cooler, a hammer crusher (441CR400) covers the
whole width of the cooler housing. It consists of three rows of 23 hammers
each. It sits in an armoured housing and is separated from the cooler chamber
by a heavy chain curtain to prevent damage to its brick and mortar lining. The
chain curtain is hung upon the roof of the cooler housing. An adjustable bottom
plate can be used to size the crushed product. The crusher’s task is to break up
clinker lumps that are too big for transport and storage to pieces of between 25
and 30mm. The crusher drive consists of an AC motor, a V-Belt drive (14 belts
size 8V 213). The crusher shaft is supported by self-aligning roller bearings in
pedestals with labyrinth seals. Two cooling fans (441FN401) cover the shaft
seal area on both sides of the crusher keeping the dust in and the bearings
cool. Small and crushed clinker falls through a grizzly bar onto the pan (apron)
conveyor (471AC100) which transports it to the clinker silo (481SI100).
Use of the cooling air
Most of the cooling air is used in the process. Its bulk serves as preheated
oxidizer for the combustion process called secondary air. Another big part is
sent to the precalciner in the tertiary air duct for the same purpose. The excess
is sent to the cooler ESP (441EP550) for cleaning and escape to the
atmosphere through the process fan (441FN590) (both are described
separately). The collected clinker dust is sent back to the pan conveyor
(471AC100) by way of the drag chains (441CV551/553/600/610/620).
Lubrication
The following points need lubrication (transport equipment and ESP not
included):
 The V-slide shoes for the mobile cooler grates

 The clinker crusher bearings
 The cooling fan bearings
 The cooler drive cylinder swivel clevis joints
The V-slide bearings are lubricated by automated grease bottles directly

screwed on to the grease conducts. The amount of grease that is delivered is
adjustable.
The clinker crusher bearings have 3 grease points each, the central one is for
the bearings and the two outer ones are for the labyrinth seals. A central
lubrication pump handles all of them.
99
The cooling fan shaft bearings are pedestal bearings with one grease nipple
each.
The cooler cylinder swivel clevis should be lubricated once in a while by a few
drops of oil.
Adjustments
Clinker Crusher
Periodic adjustments of the gap between the hammer heads and the impact
plate have to be made. Special bolts are provided for a gradual move of the
impact plate towards the rotor.
In case the hammers have to be changed make sure they are distributed evenly
according to weight to avoid rotor unbalance. A weigh scale of some 100 kg
capacity with a tolerance of  0.2 kg is indispensable unless the new hammers
have their weight imprinted. If the bearings are to be changed make sure they
preserve their respective positions and that the loose bearing has space to
expand in the pedestal.
The correct V-Belt tension and alignment are other points of importance. Use
only matched sets of V-Belts.
Example of belt tensioning:

 Mount the belts lose
 Mark a distance of exactly 1000mm on the back of one of the belts
 Tension slowly while rotating the sheaves one in a while (if possible)
 Tension is o.k. as soon as the 1000mm marks are 1030mm apart (the
belt has grown by 3%)
 Retention again by 1% after 24 hours (if possible)
Cooler Fans
It is probable the fans will need balancing after a time. Before doing that make
sure the fan impellers are clean. Eventually, some coating has to be removed
prior to balancing. If fan impellers are renewed, make sure of the distance
(tolerance) between the lips of the rotor and the inlet cone.
Refractories, Cooler Roof
An integer refractory and mortar lining is indispensable. The top of the cooler
must be swiped occasionally of accumulated clinker dust to prevent overheating
and mechanical stress on the metallic structure.
100
To prevent the cracking of the mortar it is advisable to wrap the anchor rods
with a soft combustible material (masking tape) to allow for the heat expansion.
 Wear, breakage and loss of cooler grate parts

 Hammer, grizzly, impact plate and armour plate wear in the clinker crusher
 Loose, worn or lost V-belts on the clinker crusher drive
 Bearing temperature on the clinker crusher rotor shaft
 Chain curtain wear in front of the clinker crusher
 Worn seals on the clinker crusher rotor shaft
 V-slide bearing wear on the cooler grate
 Leaking hydraulic cylinders because of worn piston seals
 Hydraulic fluid leaks
 Air in the hydraulic lines and cylinders
 Hydraulic pump wear
 Failure of the cooler grate electronic positioning monitors
 Piston rod breakage
 Grease leaks (plugged lubrication conducts to the slide and roller bearings
 Empty automatic grease pots
 Refractory wear on the lower cooler parts
 Looseness/misalignment of the cooler frames
 Unbalance, coating, wear of the cooler fan impellers
 Wear, overheating of the cooler fan bearings
 Wear, misalignment of the cooler fan couplings
 Cracks and breakage of the clinker cooler metallic structure welding seams,
fatigue and deformation of the cooler housing due to overheat, red spots and
loss of internal refractory.
101

Working:
Inspection of the air chambers below the grates for material passage Shift
(cooler grate failure or loss)
Refractory inspection through the windows Shift
Inspection of the hydraulic cylinders (see if they move correctly and Shift
if they are mounted (danger of broken rods)
Housekeeping around the cooler daily
Inspect the hydraulic lines for leaks daily
Inspect the hydraulic pump station for leaks and strange (loud) noise daily
Inspect the lubrication lines for leaks daily
Inspect the cooler frame for hot spots, cracks and welding seam weekly
breakage
Inspect the cooler fan bearings for excessive heat, noise and weekly
vibrations
Inspect the clinker breaker bearings for excessive heat, noise and weekly
vibrations
Stopped:
Check the cooler grate for wear, corrosion, breakage, looseness, every stop
lost bolts; replace if warranted
Control the V-Bearings for wear every stop
Control the whole grate system for firmness (bolts) and correct every stop
alignment
Control the V-Belt tension on the clinker breaker every stop
Control the refractory for cracks and wear and tear every stop
Control the cooler frame for integrity (shape, state) every stop
Control the chamber partition seals for correct function every stop
Control thermocouples, calibrate every stop
Control the function of the pressure transducers for the fans every stop
Control the function of the clinker breaker bearing lub system every stop
Control if all hatches, windows and other accesses are properly every stop
sealed
Control the breaker plate (grizzly) of the clinker cooler breaker for every stop
wear, adjust if required
Control the wear plates of the clinker cooler breaker, replace if every stop
required
Control the wear on the clinker cooler breaker hammers, replace or every stop
turn around if required
Control the wear between shafts and hammers on the clinker cooler yearly
breaker
Control the wear and integrity of the chain curtain in front of the every stop
clinker breaker
Control the state of the clinker breaker bearings if previous inspection as required
suggests it
Control the fan impellers for wear and coating every stop
Inspect the state of the fan bearings if previous inspection suggests it as required
Control the water injection system for proper operation every stop
102
Grate not moving: Deformation of the grate Replace, repair, realign as
structure needed
Worn V-Bearings Replace, check lubrication
Broken hydraulic cylinder Replace cylinders
rods
Wrong movement control Investigate, correct if
calibration or software required
glitch
Hydraulic pump pressure Investigate, correct if
or volume loss required
Cooler overload Clean out the cooler
Irregular grate Air in the hydraulic Purge according to
movement system instructions above
Red spots on cooler Refractory failure Repair refractory
frame
Lub system failure Internal conduct Remove obstruction,
for V-Bearings obstruction; empty change grease pod
grease pod
High clinker breaker Advanced hammer wear, Replace, install balanced
vibrations loss of one or more set of hammers according
hammers, advanced to instructions above
hammer shaft wear,
unbalanced new hammer
installation, bearing wear
Clinker breaker Lost V-Belts, electrical (or Change V-Belts; remove
failure mechanical) overload overload condition, check
electrical circuit and drive
motor
Clinker lumps too big Hammer wear; grizzly Replace / readjust grizzly
(breaker plate) wrongly
adjusted (open)
High fan vibrations Coated or worn fan Clean, repair or replace
impeller, worn bearing, impeller (as needed);
loose bearing or bearing replace worn bearing or
housing, bent fan shaft shaft, tighten housing
Noisy fan bearing Worn bearing, lack of Replace, lubricate, clean
lubrication or
contamination
Hot fan bearing Lack or too much Regulate lubrication, check
lubrication, bearing worn bearing clearance
or too tight
Fan refuses to start Program glitch, electrical Find the fault, repair or
circuit fault, motor fault replace as required
EQUIPMENT: Clinker Silo CODE:

Capacity: 55’000 tons 481SI100
103
The apron conveyor (471AC100) discharges the clinker into a divider box
(471RG140) around the apron conveyor (471CV150) and from there to the silo.
A spillage hopper recovers clinker dust from beneath the apron conveyor
(471AC100) and feeds it into the silo through a gravitational flap valve
(471FV210). The central chute to the apron conveyor (471AC150 for off-
standard clinker) can be selected by sliding out the pins in the pin gate
(471RG140). This falls into a smaller silo (481SI400) of 2000 tons capacity.
The small silo can be emptied into trucks or fed back into the cement mill
system by way of a pin gate, vibration feeder (481VF420) and belt conveyor
(481BC605).
104
CODE:
Cement Mill 1 531BM100
EQUIPMENT:
Cement Mill 2 532BM100
Manufacturer: FLS UMS 50 x 15.5
Type: Closed Circuit Two chamber Ball Mills
Capacity: 175 t/h
Material Feed
Clinker can be fed to the cement mills (531/532BM100) from the clinker silo
(481SI100) by way of one of 7 pin gates and motorized sluice-valves
(481SE111-117), 2 of them each for belt conveyors (481BC150 and 170), 3 for
(481BC160), the auxiliary hopper (481FY500) and belt conveyor (481BC510,
the latter usually handling imported clinker from the open clinker storage or
directly from the trucks. Also, as mentioned above, it can be fed from the small
silo. The belt conveyors (481BC600/610) transport the clinker to the reversing
belt conveyor (481BC640) from where it falls into the clinker bins for mill 1 or 2
(511/512BI100). Additives such as gypsum and limestone arrive from the LBS
via the reclaimer (133RE300) and the belt conveyors (133BC410, 242BC500),
fed unto the reversing belt conveyors (242BC540, 242BC560 and 242BC580)
to be stored in the additive bins (511/512BI200 for gypsum) or (511/512BI300
for limestone).
The three component feed is metered to the cement mill inlets as follows:
Cement Mill 1 Cement Mill 2

Clinker: Weigh Belt Feeder 511WF150 Clinker: Weigh Belt Feeder 512WF150
Gypsum: Weigh Belt feeder 511WF250 Gypsum: Weigh Belt feeder 512WF250
Limestone: Weigh Apron Feeder 511AW350 Limestone: Weigh Apron Feeder 512AW350
Scraper Chain 511SX351 for spillage Scraper Chain 512SX351 for spillage
Belt Conveyor: 511BC600 Belt Conveyor: 512BC600
Grinding Aid (531GR197)
Grinding Aid is usually a silicon-based synthetic liquid added to the material

components designed to keep the steel balls in the mill from coating over with
fine cement, thus enhancing their milling capacity. From a tank, the prepared
aid is pumped by a piston pump equipped with a manual feed valve and a
parallel pressure relief valve into a flexible hose from where it drops onto the
belt conveyors (511/512BC600) just before the material is discharged (drops)
into the mill inlets.
Ball Mill
105
The two mills are identical. For this reason, only mill 1 will be discussed. They
work in what is called a closed circuit (the other alternative being an open circuit
or air-swept mill, see process). They consist of a cylinder lined on the inside
with abrasion-resistant steel plates. The mill cylinder is supported on two
circular sliding rings sitting on two slide-shoes. Two pinions integrated into the
main drive gearbox impulse a girth gear giving the mill rotation.
The mill interior is divided into two milling chambers, a coarse compartment
after the mill inlet fitted with normal step liners and a fine milling compartment
fitted with special liners to reduce the amount of bolts needed for fixing them to
the mill shell. The mill chambers are separated by a diaphragm wall fitted on
the coarse milling compartment side with slotted liners for material passage,
followed by lifters in the centre and blind liners on the fine milling chamber side.
The grinding chambers are filled to about 35% with steel balls; the coarse
grinding compartment with big ones with diameters between 60 and 90mm, the
fine grinding compartment with smaller balls with diameters between 20 and
50mm. These represent the bulk of the grinding action by butting against the
material particles, each other and the mill liners while the mill cylinder is
rotating. The grinding is done by shearing, impact and compression. A small
amount of Grinding Aid (a silicon based chemical) is added mixed with water to
keep the grinding balls from coating over with cement which would reduce their
milling capacity.
Material that is fine enough to pass through the slotted liners on the mill
diaphragm is lifted into the fine grinding chamber where the fine balls mill it to
the fine powder known as cement. The fineness varies according to product
quality and use, but for type 1 Portland cement, a blain of approximately
3900cm2/g is sufficient. Only about 13% of the drive power goes into milling, the
rest is lost as heat.
Coarse Milling Chamber
Fine Grinding Chamber
106
Fine Grinding Chamber Lining and Tool
107
Mill Diaphragm
108
Mill Liner Ends
Separation
The material leaves the mill in two streams: Coarse material falls from the mill
outlet into the airslide (531AS210) that feeds it into the bucket elevator
(531BE220). From there it is fed into the airslide (531AS230) equipped with a
metal trap for escaped small grinding media from where they can be extracted
occasionally through a rotary feeder (531RF236) and carted away from the
ground floor (2 ton bag). The airslide is split into 4 branches by Y-sections
(531DG233/234/235) and fed into the dynamic separator (531SR300) (its
mechanics will be discussed separately). Coarse material, also called the
recirculating load) is falling into the airslide (531AS400) from where it is fed
trough a flow meter (531FM420) and from there back to the mill inlet. Finished
product is swept out of the separator by the air stream created by the separator
fan (531FN380) which hauls them through the Bag House (531BF360) where
the finished product is collected and sent to the cement silos by the airslides
(531AS361/363), rotary feeders (531RF362/364), airslides (541AS120/150/
160) and the airlift (541AL210). A separating box drops most of the cement into
the airslide (541AS290) from where the diverter gates (541DG293/294/295/
296/297) decide into which cement silo (611/612/613SI100) it is delivered.
Cyclone (541CN240) and bag filter (541BF250) take care of the lifting air and
the collection of the remaining product which joins the product in the airslide
(541/54AS290).
The louver damper (531LD370) adjusts the separating air volume, the bypass
valve (531BV385) maintains the correct negative pressure and air speed in the
separator and the ambient air valve (531TV320) controls the product
temperature (a thermo-couple reads the product temperature going to the air lift
and activates the valve motor) as part of the cement cooling process. The
excess air coming from the ambient air valve (cleaned in the bag house
(531BF360)) is exhausted through the stack (531SK390)
Air sweep and Mill Cooling
109
The cement mill discharge is connected to a bag house (531BF500) by a huge
duct where the fines carried by the air stream are separated and sent via the
airslides (531AS501/503/510) to the airslide (541AS150) where it joins the
finished product from the separator. The air is pulled through the bag house by
the mill fan (531FN530) and sent to the stack (531SK540).
A water tank, pump and control valves (531WI130) prepare water mixed with air
for injection into the mill on both ends. The system is guided by the mill outlet
temperature which regulates the dosing valves and switches the pumps on and
off.
Mill Drive
Of the possible mill drives (ring motor, direct (central) drive and girth gear)
these mills have the third kind. They are called integrated drives because one
single gearbox coupled to an electric motor does it all (531MD140). A high
tension 11’000 V Wound Rotor Motor of 6550 KW power output and 995 RPM
110
with a Pin and Sleeve coupling is connected to a FLENDER parallel gearbox
with two vertically offset pinions of module 1” (25.4). The pinions are of the
floating type (they self-align themselves along the width of the gear) but are
mounted by the gearbox solidly in front of the girth gear. The girth gear is
mounted onto the mill by a flange and special flange bolts. Girth gear, pinions
and gearbox are lubricated by a high-viscosity oil supplied by an external
pumping and conditioning unit (531LO145) consisting of a tank, hydraulic low
pressure pumps, water cooler and double filters. Oil temperature, oil levels and
pressures are monitored.
The auxiliary or inching drive (531AD147) consists of a three-phase 440 V

electric motor, hydraulic coupling, V-belt drive, gearbox with backstop and a
drum brake on its HS shaft. The LS shaft is equipped with a mechanically
engaged jaw coupling connecting to its other half sitting on the HS shaft of the
main gearbox.
111
Girth Gear
Girth Gear Lubrication Swiper
112
Mill Drive Lubrication
Girth Gear Flange Bolts and Superbolt Jack-Bolts
Because of their special nature and task, great care has to be taken while
tightening those bolts. After alignment within given tolerances, the girth gear
flange bolts must allow the Girth Gear to move against the mill flange and at the
same time fit it securely against the mill body in order for it not to shift. Since
the girth gear flange is split into two halves and slotted at six places for allowing
heat expansion, the six mounting flanges have to be placed and bolted with the
specially supplied precision bolts (to be torqued to 1650 Nm). After alignment,
these flanges and bolts have to be removed and stored for future use. (See
adjustments for more info)
The Jack-Bolts for the Superbolts are a special design for joining the girth gear
halves together and must be tightened according to the table and instructions
below (see adjustments)
Mill Support
The 20m long ball mill cylinder is at its ends equipped with slide rings sitting on
two slide shoes each. The shoes are placed underneath the slide rings 60°
apart and lubricated by two separate external pumping and conditioning units
(531LO110/120). They consist of a recirculation gear pump responsible for
cooling and filtering (with separate tank), a high pressure radial piston pump
and a low pressure gear pump. Cooling is provided by a water-oil cooler and
filtering is done by a switchable double filter. Oil temperature, oil levels and
pressures are monitored.
Mill Slide Shoe
113
114
Slide Shoe Lubrication
Separator
The O-SEPA separator is of the high efficiency dynamic type with a capacity of
up to 240t/h. An external fan (on the ground floor) supplies air to the separator
by a long duct. The air is fed into the cylindrical part of the separator body by
spiral access where it hits a rotor from the outside. The rotor is driven by a
vertical shaft connected to a variable drive (three-phase induction motor with
frequency converter and vertical gearbox type FLENDER). It has an external
lubricant reconditioning circuit using the gearbox as tank, consisting of a gear-
pump, pressure relieve valve, air – oil cooler and filter with bypass.
The material coming from the mill by BE and AS is fed into the air stream on
four points 90° apart around the rotor. The latter is rotating with the air stream
but at a lower speed. The material hits the rotor blades, is stopped or slowed
down and starts to fall. The air stream will now pick up the fine grains and
sweep them upwards through the outlet duct towards the bag house where the
115
finished product will be separated from the air and sent to the cement silos. The
coarse material keeps falling and is returned to the mill inlet via the separator
cone.
The inside of the separator exposed to the air and cement powder stream is
lined with ceramic tiles.
O – SEPA Separator Body
116
O – SEAPA Separator Outlet Duct
O- SEPA Separator Cone
117
O – SEPA Separator Rotor
O – SEPA Separator Shaft
118
O – SEPA Separator Shaft Details
Adjustments
Mill Drive
Specific timing and alignment is required between the double pinions and the
mill girth gear. The timing is to be done with the help of a special program
offered by the supplier. 4 measuring shafts, 660mm long, Ø 85mm with a
tolerance of ± 0.02 are needed. After the timing is done, the gearbox is shoved
into the girth gear until no backlash is left. A very straight and stiff measuring
shaft for the alignment, 1500mm long and about Ø 40mm with a tolerance of ±
0.02 is needed. Then the gearbox is shifted backwards by a given amount
(4.5mm) according to the instruction manual.
Bolt Tightening
 Bolts must be checked for ease of movement (low friction)

 Threads to be lubricated, best with Molykote (mineral oil with
molybdenum-sulphide)
 All bolts that can be must be tightened using torque-spanners.
119
Torque Table
Bolt torques column 1: Tight fitting and special bolts for the assembly of main
components like: mill body, mill heads, transition sections, slide ring, girth gear
rim, scoop devices, etc.
Bolt torques column 2: Bolts on supporting structures of: diaphragm,
supporting plate, front plate, retaining ring. Bolts are to be hit by a hammer on
the head while tightening with a torque spanner. Nuts have to be tack-welded
since retightening is not possible after liner mounting. Bolts for grates and
diaphragm segments. Bolts are to be hit by a hammer on the head while
tightening. Retightening is required 2 hours after initial mill start-up (with ball
charge) and again every 12 hours until the torque remains constant. Do not
weld these nuts!
Bolt torques column 3: Bolts for liners, grates and plates for mill heads,
diaphragm, Danula rings, retaining rings and all parts where the nut is on the
outside of the mill. Bolts are to be hit by a hammer on the head while tightening
with a torque spanner. Retighten after 8 hours after initial start-up (with ball
charge) and again every 12 hours until the torque remains constant. Do not
weld these nuts!
Bolt torques column 4: Ordinary bolts and screws in inlet, outlet, bearings,
gear guard, etc. To be retightened until the torque remains constant. Recent
erection drawings have the bolts and screws marked according to column.
Bolt Size 1 2 3 Bolt Size 4
M24 x 2 270 Nm 350 Nm 220 Nm M10 14 Nm
M27 x 2 360 Nm 500 Nm 300 Nm M12 25 Nm
M30 x 2 540 Nm 700 Nm 450 Nm M16 50 Nm
M33 x 2 730 Nm 950 Nm 600 Nm M20 110 Nm
M36 x 2 850 Nm 1150 Nm 700 Nm M22 130 Nm
M39 x 2 1150 Nm 1500 Nm 950 Nm M24 180 Nm
M42 x 3 1450 Nm 1900 Nm 1200 Nm M27 240 Nm
M45 x 3 1800 Nm 2400 Nm 1500 Nm M30 340 Nm
M48 x 3 2200 Nm M33 430 Nm
M52 x 3 2800 Nm M36 600 Nm
M56 x 4 3400 Nm M39 670 Nm
M60 x 4 4200 Nm M42 850 Nm
M64 x 4 5200 Nm M45 1060 Nm
M68 x 4 6300 Nm M48 1320 Nm
M72 x 4 7500 Nm
M76 x 4 9000 Nm
M80 x 4 10500 Nm
120
Girth Gear Flange Bolt Torques
Gear Module Bolt Size

M30 x 2 M36 x 3 M42 x 3
18 890 Nm
22 1255 Nm 1485 Nm
25.4 2150 Nm 2680 Nm
Superbolt Jackbolt tightening
 Position the nut at 5mm from the machine surface

 Use enclosing tightening pattern (crosswise, evenly distributed)
 Tighten to 10% of final torque in the first pass
 Tighten to 50% of final torque in the second pass
 Tighten to 75% of final torque in the third pass
 Use a circular pattern to tighten to 110% of the final torque
 Torque to the final torque in a circular pattern until all bolts hold the final
torque
 To loosen: Slowly unscrew each bolt ½ turn in a circular pattern until all
are lose.
Superbolt Jack-Bolt Torque Table

Main Bolt Size Torque in Nm
M 42 72
M 48 127
M 56 153
M 64 375
Slide Shoes
The nominal clearance of the slide shoes is given a 1/1000 of the mill slide ring
diameter. This translates to a radial gap at both ends of the slide shoes of
between 0.05 and 0.1mm. Should the gap be below 0.05mm, scraping the first
20% of the surface on both ends will be required until the clearance value
exceeds the 0.05mm mark.
The required surface finish is given as 0.8 Ra.
121
 Never run the mill without material!

 Girth gear tooth flanks: Inspect for wear and pitting, record any irregularity in
machine history
 Slide shoe lubrication: The hydrodynamic lubrication (low pressure must
never fail. Make sure the flow meter is working and correctly calibrated.
 Periodic inspection of the slide shoe wear must be performed. Should the
clearance be below the lower limit, scraping will become necessary. For the
limit of the general wear see the instruction manual.
 The mill cylinder might crack. The notorious zones close to the inspection
ports and slide rings should be checked once a year for micro-cracks with
penetrating ink or ultrasound.
 The mil foundation anchor should be checked periodically. Special attention
should be given to anchors in steel pipes with nuts at the other end.
 Don’t wait too long with the inspection of the mill cylinder, mil diaphragm and
mill end flange liners. The loss of one of these can provoke grave damage
to the mill body in a very short time. Also, coarse grinding chamber balls
may escape to the fine grinding chamber.
 If the mill doesn’t want to start first check the lubricant flow, temperature and
pressure parameters. If these seem to be o.k., check the electronic, electric
and man-machine interface loops.
122
EQUIPMENT: Cement Silo and Silo Discharge CODES:
Capacity: 15’000 tons each (45’000 t) 611/612/613SI100
Only the Cement Silo 1 machine codes will be given. The others are equal, only
the first number changes from 611 to 612 and 613 respectively for silos 2 and
3.

Each silo has 8 extraction points fluidized by the two air blowers
(611AR315/325) consisting each of:
 A manual guillotine gate (611SQ200)
 An air motor operated discharge butterfly valve (611BV220)
 An airslide 611AS500 fluidized by fans (611FN501)
They discharge the cement into a central bin (611TK550) aerated by the blower
(611BL350) and kept at negative pressure by the bag filter (611BF560) and its
exhaust fan (611FN570).
Five airslides (611AS670/680) aerated by the fans (611FN671/681) lead from
the bin by way of guillotine gates and air-motorized butterfly valves
(611FG601/611/621/631/641) to the various discharge points.
Four of those go to the packing plant via long fan (611FN701/721/741/761 +
611FN702/722/742/762) aerated airslides (611AS700/720/740/760). Silos 2
and 3 also discharge into those airslides. They are kept at negative pressure by
the bag filters (611BF710/720730/750) and their fans (611FN712/732/752/
772). The remaining one reaches the airslides (621/622AS020) and is for the
bulk loading spouts under each silo (611BK100). One airslide is dropping from
silo 3 to silo 1, the other is reversed, dropping from silo 1 to silo 3. These
airslides are kept under negative pressure by the bag filters (621/622BF030)
and their fans (621/622FN032).
The airslides going to the packing plant discharge the cement into another four
airslides (611AS705/725/745/765) aerated by the fans (611FN706/726/746/
766) and kept under negative pressure by the bag filters (611BF715/735/755/
775) and their fans (611FN717/737/757/777). All the bag filters have rotary
valves and dump the collected cement back into the respective airslides. These
last airslides are mounted perpendicular to the 4 Rotary Packers in order to be
able to feed each one of them from any of the 4 airslides. This is accomplished
by 12 diverter gates built into the airslides (611DG707-709;727-729;747-
749;767-769). The last packer is fed from the end of the airslides (doesn’t need
diverter gates). 4 additional airslides (611AS810/820/830/840) feed the cement
to the packing machinery in ascending order of the airslide codes. They are
aerated by the fans (611FN811/821/831/841) and dedusted by the same bag
filters as the packing machines.
The respective transport and auxiliary equipment will be treated separately
123
EQUIPMENT: Packing Plant / Rotary Packers CODES:
Capacity: 2200 bags per hour (110t/h) 641/642/643/644PM100
Only the Packing Line 1 machine codes will be given. The others are equal,
only the first number changes from 641 to 644 to include the 4 packing lines.
Packing Lines
The cement from the silos is fed into a bucket elevator (641BE050) to be
transported into a vibrating screen (641VS060). Garbage, cement clumps and
the like are separated and sent to the ground floor where they can be picked
up, discarded or reutilized. The final product then falls into a constant level bin
(641BI070) to insure an even product density to avoid weighing problems and
sack breakage on the rotary packers. It also functions as a buffer in case of
temporary cement feed problems from the silos. A butterfly valve (quick closing
valve) and a rotary feeder (641RF075) dump the cement into the filling
compartments of the rotary packer (641PM100).
The rotary packers employed are of the model GEV with 8 filling spouts and
consist of the following main parts:
 Electro-mechanic timer
 Collector for electrical supply
 Variable drive
 Main shaft with bearings
 Filling cylinder (tank) with filling compartments (8)
 Turbines (8) with central lubrication pump
 Guillotines (8) with double pneumatic cylinder
 Filling spouts (8) with sack clamping device
 Electronic sack weighing device
 Sack saddles (8) with expulsion mechanism
 Inner spillage cone with quick discharge devise
 Outer spillage cone
 Pneumatic connector by swivel joint
 Sack evacuating belt (641BC110)
The filled bags are then passing a weigh-belt (641BL110), a bag cleaning
compartment (641BN120) operated by air jets and air extraction. Bags that are
broken or underweight are passing a tilting belt conveyor discarding them onto
a bag shredder and broken bag extractor. Recuperated cement is fed into a
screw conveyor (641SC130) and from there returns to the bucket elevator
(641BE050) to repeat the packing cycle.
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Accepted bags move onto a belt conveyor (641BC630). Diverter arms decide to
which loading bay the bags are to be sent. Packer 1 is connected to the first 2
truck loading belts (641LM200/210). The other packers feed lines 3 to 8.
An industrial vacuum cleaner (641VN690) can be used to mop up spilled

cement and feed it back into the bucket elevator (641BE050).
General View
125
Rotary Packer
Rotary Packer Pneumatics
126
Rotary Packer Drive, Control and Feed Details
Rotary Packer Bin
127
Rotary Packer Turbine and Guillotine
Rotary Packer Bag Saddle
128
Vibrating Screen
Sitting on a frame but separated by springs and connected by a flexible joint to

the bucket elevator discharge, it consists of a totally enclosed cover, a steel
mesh screening deck, a discards outlet and a discharge hopper. The vibrating
screen is driven by an electric motor connected by a V-belt drive to the vibrating
shaft.
Vibrating Screen
Vibrating Screen Details
Bag Diverter
129
Adjustments
Bag Diverter Adjustment
Rotary Packers require constant attention in the form of wear part renewal,
calibration and mechanical adjustments:
 Adjustments regarding the precise timing of fast filling, slow filling, end of
filling and full bag expulsion (instruments and operation)
 Adjustment of the aeration intensity of the turbine and filling spout
 Adjustment of the pneumatic cylinder response for the bag arrestor, the
filling and the expulsion of full bags
130
 Periodic calibration of the net and brut weight of the bag weighing
mechanism. This has also always to be done whenever the guillotine and
bag saddle receive maintenance.
 Periodic replacement and adjustment of the guillotine valve and plates
according to the above instructions.
One of the constant dangers is the general wear all elements exposed to
flowing cement (transport and handling) are subjected to. If they are not
replaced in good time, spillage will be a constant problem. The same goes for
blockages. Cold cement gets stuck sometimes and even worse are blockages
caused by agglomerated cement that can occur anywhere from the silo
discharge to the rotary packers:
 Flexible joints on the vibrating screens (leaks and breakage)

 Cement blockages in the airslides: Humidity, cold cement, lack of dedusting
(positive pressure), fabric wear, fabric tension, insufficient aeration (lack of
material fluidization).
 Cement levels in the rotary packer bins have to be kept as uniform as
possible so as not to alter the cement density. Too much aeration will
hamper the filling cycle or burst the bags, too little will cause blockage.
 The guillotine valve elements have to be replaced and/or readjusted
correctly frequently to minimize spillage and weighing problems.
 Bag saddles and their mechanical elements have to be kept correctly
adjusted, clean and functional to ensure a proper and swift bag expulsion.
 The service air must be clean and free of condensates at all times! An
adequate supply is required to avoid unscheduled stoppages of the bagging
process (pressure)
 The turbines must be periodically inspected for wear
 The cement aeration from the machine feed, in the turbine and the filling
spout must be uniform and correctly adjusted
 Make sure the lower rotary packer shaft bearing is well lubricated
131
TRANSPORT EQUIPMENT
EQUIPMENT: Belt Conveyors
TYPE: Standard equipment
1. General Description
Belt Conveyors are economic transport devices for bulk materials such as
powders, grains, gravel and solids to sizes of up to about 3 dm 3 over short and
long distances up to several Km. The only limitation are inclines, they may not
exceed an angle of 20°. Capacities depend on the width, the depth and the
speed of the belt and can go as high as 10’000 tons/hour. Important features
are:
 Belt widths (24 – 72”)

 Belt thickness
 Number of plies or size and number of steel wires
 Type of ply fabric or steel wire
 Type of synthetic rubber
 Cover ply and bottom ply thickness
 Carrying idler angle (15 - 45°)
 Belt length (up to 10’000m)
 Drum, pulley, idler and roller size, type of traction surface and form
 Distance between carrying idlers
 Distance between return rollers
 Relation between normal and self-aligning idlers and rollers
 Type of tensioning station
 Type of drive(s)
 Belt speed
 Installed cleaning elements (scrapers, ploughs, brushes, vibrators)
132
2. Belt Conveyor Types
They are usually made of synthetic rubber (neoprene or the like). Some are
heat resistant up to 400°C, others are abrasion resistant. Short and medium
length ones have between 2 and 5 reinforcement fabric sections (called plies)
usually made from some sort of synthetic fibre woven in such a way that they
are traction-resistant along the length of the belt but flexible perpendicular to it.
They are separated by plies of rubber. On top is a thick rubber cover ply, the
one that is in contact with the conveyed material, on the bottom is a thinner one
(bottom cover ply) making contact with the drums and rollers. Long belt
conveyors use steel cables as reinforcing elements since they give more
traction resistance and suffer less stretching.
Vulcanization
Belt joints are originally made by hot vulcanizing. To that end, the joints have to
be prepared to be able to apply synthetic rubber as glue and then join the ends
with precision for subsequent vulcanization between two plates adding heat and
compression. Important parameters for this task are:
 Vulcanizing temperature (range)

 Vulcanizing time
 Pressure (Bolt torque or air pressure in the pillow chambers)
These parameters are variable and depend on the type of rubber, the
vulcanizing materials and the type of vulcanizer used. If a steel cable reinforced
belt has to be joined, the individual cables have to be spliced beforehand or put
side by side in the overlap to a certain length. The splicing or overlap has then
to be filled with liquid rubber and then hot-vulcanized. The splicing has to be
done by a specialist. In fabric reinforced belts, the joints have to be prepared in
the following manner:
 Define the step length and/or overlap length (see appendix A). If no
information is available about belt strength and type, total overlap length
should be minimum the belt width and in some cases (for 4 and 5-ply belts)
up to twice that. For very wide flat belts, other rules apply.
 Trace a line across the width of the belt, inclined at an angle of 16 to 20
degrees at the beginning and end of the overlaps (see below)
 Cut the rubber top cover down to the first fabric layer using a carpet knife
(adjustable length blade) but don’t hurt the fabric layer. Yank off the surplus
lengths using pliers, grips and any other tool to facilitate the job. Motorized
chainfalls for pulling and automatic grips for engaging the belt section may
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be employed. It is advisable to additionally cut the top cover into lengthwise
strips 20 – 150mm wide depending on tools and belt resistance to ease their
removal.
 If the belt has rubber edges (the fabric plies cannot be seen on the side of
the belt), leave the correspondent edges uncut while stripping off the plies.
The edges can then be cut away level with the resulting step using a pallet
knife.
 Depending on the number of plies, repeat the pulling off, leaving specific
and evenly distributed steps between the plies until reaching the last (see
below)
 Repeat this task on the other end of the belt working at the reverse and in
such a way that a precise joint results (see below). Starting from the bottom
layer up, in this case, the fabric layers on each step have to come off also.
This is best done by bending the belt over.
 Some experts recommend to cut an additional 25mm wide strip off the cover
belt on top and below on both ends of the belt, then to be filled during
vulcanizing with a 50mm wide cover belt strip to fill the gap (see Appendix
A)
 Roughen the rubber surfaces with a rotating wire brush. Clean the edges
using emery cloth or a rasp. Remove all dust and debris with a brush or dry
compressed air. Do not brush too hard in order to leave the roughness (ply
surface must not shine)
 If necessary (if contaminated with petroleum products like oil, petrol or
grease, carefully clean the stepped surfaces using a solvent like benzene,
tri-chloro-ethane or thinner.
 Should the belt be wet, it has to be dried completely. If necessary, slide it
beneath slightly separated vulcanizer plates (leave a gap of 10 to 20mm
between plates and belt) and heat the vulcanizer to 100°C for as long as
vapour escapes. It may take several hours until the belt is completely dry!
 Cover the stepped surfaces on both belt ends with two coats of liquid rubber
and let them dry individually. Then add a precisely cut virgin rubber sheet of
0.3mm thickness (or the thickness of the original separating rubber between
plies) with its plastic cover on top of each step. Roll them down so no air
bubbles remain. Pinch the ones you cannot roll out. Add a second strip of
0.3mm virgin rubber to the belt step edges if there was no fabric on the
sides. This will ensure a well filled joint.
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 Removing the plastic covers, join the overlaps as precisely as possible and
as straight as you can lengthwise (to prevent belt sway). It is best practice to
roll one belt end on top of the other, gradually removing the plastic cover on
the virgin rubber sheets and roll the upper belt down with a steel roller.
 If 25mm gaps were left at the joint ends, fill them with a cement-rubber
smeared 50mm wide cover belt piece, one on top and one below.
 Mount the vulcanizing machine, tension it (to between 8 – 10kg/cm2),
connect it and vulcanize at the indicated temperature for the length of time
stipulated by the materials used (see appendix A)
 It is best practice to add metallic side strips 1.5mm less thick than the belt to
keep the edges of the belt even. If the vulcanizer is mounted and tensioned,
it must be possible to still move them. If no metal strips are available, same
thickness belt strips may be used.
 If the belt is less than half as wide as the vulcanizer, belt strips of equal
thickness have to be added on both sides to reduce the tension.
 If the vulcanizer is not big enough, vulcanizing can be completed in steps.
The vulcanizing overlap must not be less than 75mm. If the vulcanizer is not
wide enough, tensioning bolts may be replaced by weights.
 Remove the vulcanizing machine only after it has cooled to below 90°C.
Wait at least one hour before you remove the belt holding devices (the belt
has to cool down completely before tensioning).
 Remove any surplus material using a knife and/or emery paper
Under certain circumstances it is advisable to add a special joint pad over the
upper and lower end joints. This can be done during the vulcanizing process or
by using cold vulcanizing glue afterwards. This step is not required if 50mm
strips have been added.
Appendix A
Top Cover and ply removal method
Step Formation with 50mm End Strips
135
Hot vulcanizing installation
Roulunds Designation of EP-Plies Belt Cements
Belt type Rubber Rubber Sheet Cover Ply Rubber Filler

Cement (0.3mm) Sheet Cushion
(1mm)
AR J-2230 1179 211 1179
A J-2230 1179 211 1179
B J-2230 1179 211 1179
K J-2230 1179 210 1179
N J-0021 21 (0.6mm) 210 36
Grip 4 21021/ 21024 21022 21023 (2mm) 21023 (0.8mm)
136
Example of Belt Designation
The belt strength number 500/4 means that each ply has a strength of 125 (500
divided by 4). This is the value to be used for calculating the step length.
Length of the Side (a) for Cutting angles 16 and 20° (degrees)
 For the angle of 16°: Belt Width x 0.28675

 For the angle of 20°: Belt Width x 0.36397
See page 97
Step Length Calculation
If the belt type is known, particularly the ply-strength, the individual step length
can be calculated independent of the belt width according to the following
indications:
Belt Type Step Length RO-PLY Belts Step Length

EP-100 150 200/2 150
EP-125 150 250/2 150
EP-160 200 315/2 200
EP-200 250 400/2 200
EP-250 300 630/2 250
EP-315 350 GRIP 4 200
EP-400 350
EP-500 400
EP-630 400
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Vulcanizing Times and Temperatures
Belt Thickness (mm) Temperature (°C) Minimum Time (minutes)

<8 150 20
8 – 12 150 25
12 – 16 150 30
16 – 20 150 35
20 – 25 150 40
Lower vulcanizing temperatures need longer time:
Vulcanizing temperature of 145°C: Add 50% to minimum time above
Vulcanizing temperature of 140°C: Add 100% to minimum time above
Lower vulcanizing temperatures than 140°C must not be used unless so
instructed by the belt manufacturer.
Important: Use only the correct and fresh glues. They have to be kept cool and
dry. Storage times of all products for hot and cold vulcanizing are limited.
Usually, 6 months is the limit for glues, cement and virgin rubber sheets. If two-
component products are in use, workable times after mixing can be as low as 3
hours for hot vulcanizing, 30 minutes for cold vulcanizing. Once open, products
last only one month in storage.
Storage conditions must not exceed 25°C and 60% humidity! Refrigeration
is required if those cannot be guaranteed!
Some belts can be joined by mechanical fasteners. There are bolted and
riveted fasteners on the market; some are stiff and others are hinged. The
fasteners are generally applied crosswise to the belt at a right angle but to be
able to increase the number of fasteners, they can also be applied at an angle
or an acute “V” form.
Precaution: Fasteners should not be used for endless belts that pass over a
roller weigh bridge. Furthermore, they have a limited traction resistance and
cannot be used on drums with too small a diameter. In all cases, mechanical
fasteners should be regarded as temporary solutions.
Repairs on broken belts have to be done the same way on all long and
important belts. In some cases, the hot vulcanizing process may be replaced by
a cold gluing process. To this end, a two component glue is usually mixed
together (glue and hardener) and applied on the stepped surface of the overlap.
This then is pressed together until cured. Overlap fabrication and Step length
have to chosen as described above.
Belt Repairs
Damaged cover plies may be repaired using liquid rubber that can be cold
vulcanized. Application methods are similar to the ones used for cold
vulcanising described above. Thorough cleaning and roughening of the missing
138
cover ply are essential for the liquid rubber filling and cold curing process to
work.
If the hot vulcanising process is being used, particularly if the damage also
affects the reinforcement plies, the following steps have to be taken:
 Using a carpet knife, screw driver and pliers, remove a convenient piece
of the top cover of the belt in such a way that the borders are diagonal to
the belt axis. Use a template or at least write down the dimensions used.
Do not cut the canvas ply!
 Prepare a cover ply piece with the same template or dimensions

 Roughen the two surfaces to be joined with a wire brush. Remove all
dust and debris with a brush or compressed air.
 Dry the rubber belt if required using the vulcanizer at 100°C (see chapter
above).
 Apply rubber cement on both faces to be joined and let them dry until
they can be touched without smearing the finger tip. Place the cover ply
and roll down into the opening without leaving any air bubbles.
 Vulcanize at 140°C for 20 minutes. The spot must be covered with a
none-sticking sheet or talcum powder to prevent the rubber cement from
adhering to the vulcanizer plate.
 If the damage goes into the canvas ply section or even through the
whole belt, stepped sections have to be removed as shown below. Step
width must be at least 20mm. The different colours depict the steps
through the canvas plies.
139
 There must be at least a 20mm stripped section around the hole. The
bottom cover ply has to be stripped in the same way as shown below:
 After roughing and cleaning the stepped hole, apply rubber cement to
the whole and let dry. Apply rubber cement again to the lowest step and
let dry. Do the same to a prepared canvas ply that must fit exactly into
the last step. As soon as the rubber cement is no longer sticking to a
probing finger, join the two and roll out any air bubbles. You may clean
the finished steps using trichloroethane.
 Fill all the steps in the described manner until all the canvas plies have
been filled. Then add a prepared rubber cover sheet using rubber
cement (see below). Do the same on for the bottom sheet.
 Vulcanize the same way as you would an overlap to join a belt (see
chapter above)
Failures
Common belt damages:

 Separation of the joint overlap edge with danger of belt breakage
 Top cover wear due to the material transported, heat, rubbing against the
skirting, belt scrapers and cleaners, rubbing against the conveyor structure,
etc.
140
 Lengthwise cuts due to sharpened tramp iron edging into the belt. Seized
and worn rollers may also act in the same way, the same as damaged or
badly adjusted belt scrapers.
 Excessive belt sway occasioning lateral damage
 Bottom belt cover wear due to material accumulations rubbing against the
belt, coated idlers, drums and rollers; slippage.
 Excessive spillage causing belt wear (belt is running into the spillage)
3. Rollers
Carrying Idlers
They support the belt. Usually consisting of three steel cylinders supported by
sealed roller bearings that may need lubrication or are maintenance-free. If they
are provided for regreasing they may be joined by hoses allowing lubrication
from one side of all the rollers at once. The other extreme may contain a grease
valve to evacuate the old grease.
The carrying idlers are installed perpendicular to the belt. Some designs must
be installed in a definite way since they are built asymmetrically to follow the
direction of movement of the belt for alignment purposes. Long belts have self-
aligning idlers interspersed with the normal ones, usually in a proportion of
between every 30th to every 5th one. They swivel around a central pivot point
guided by vertical rollers mounted on the sides of the idler. If the belt sways, it
will touch one or the other of these guide-rollers which will shift the whole idler
from its normally perpendicular position. The resulting vector force will then
counteract the belt sway (see below):
During carrying idler installation, the longitudinal, horizontal and vertical

alignment has to be within the given tolerances. It is possible that the
perpendicularity has to be readjusted if belt sway occurs only in certain
sections.
If belt sway occurs on the drive drum, instead of readjusting the whole drive
(which is recommended on a new installation), loosen the last two carrying
idlers and move one of each sides a little bit forward and up so they form a
slight “V” between themselves. The up movement can be achieved using flat
washers or shims (3 – 5mm), the forward movement should not exceed 10mm.
141
If this is done correctly, the idlers will act as a sort of belt guide towards the
centre.
Impact Idlers
To be found under the belt on transfer points to dampen the material impact on
the belt. They are similar to the carrying idlers but instead of having a cylindrical
steel body, they are made of rubber rings. They are also usually mounted
closer to each other than the carrying idlers to increase the support and
decrease the spillage tendency. Some belt conveyors use antifriction plastic
liners mounted in a longitudinal direction instead of impact idlers. This provides
a more even support. Most are easily exchanged for new ones when worn.
Return Rollers
Usually mounted in the lower part of the belt conveyor frame. Can be made of
metal cylinders or rubber discs spaced along the width of a steel shaft, fixed or
self-aligning. Their execution is similar to the carrying idlers.
4. Drums and Pulleys
Drums (drive, tail, tensioning) and pulleys (snap, bent) can be of cylindrical or
convex execution. They can have a steel surface or be covered by a slick or
profiled rubber coating to increase traction. They can be vibratory or self-
cleaning. The vibratory consist of radial spokes mounted on a central double-
cone shaft holding transversal steel bars. The bars produce the vibration and
the cone shaft deviates the shaken lose material to the sides. The self-cleaning
ones usually have a cylindrical spiral steel bar arrangement capable of pushing
accumulated material to the sides by friction. Rubber coating (called lagging)
can be profiled for cleaning purposes or slick. It is usually to be found on the
drive drum but may also be used on other pulleys. Convex drums and pulleys
use the physics of belt traction to prevent or minimize belt sway. Any belt will
tend to run to the highest point. Convexity situates the latter on the centre of the
drums obliging the belt to seek it. Convexity is hardly visible, a few millimetres
at best.
Drums and pulley may be welded to the bearing-supported shafts, be mounted

by tapered bushings or bolted on. The shaft bearing types used are very divers,
depending on load and size of the belt conveyor. In most cases, they have to
be lubricated.
Snap pulleys are used to increase the traction angle on the drive drum to above
180°, helping to increase traction. Angles of up to 240° are possible.
142
5. Belt Tension
On short belt conveyors, the tail drum is mounted in special tensioning bearing
pedestals that can be moved between two steel beams by means of long
threaded bolts and nuts. Tensioning is limited to about 500mm.
Long belt conveyors use tensioning towers having two bent pulleys and a
tensioning drum from which a weight hangs. The weight is usually a recipient
that can be filled with diverse materials to get the correct weight. The belt
conveyor pictured at the beginning is one of those.
If there is insufficient space below the belt conveyor for the tensioning device, a
lateral tensioning tower has to be used, generally situated at the tail. Steel
cables and grooved pulleys are connected to a trolley on rails bearing the tail
drum, connecting it to the tensioning tower and its weight.
6. Drives, Controls and Accessories
The simplest drives consist of a motorreducer directly mounted on the drive

shaft. Individual drives can also be connected by V-belts, chain drive or flexible
couplings. If a smooth or retarded start up is required, a hydraulic coupling is
mounted on the drive high speed shaft. Inclined belt conveyors have to be
equipped with either a back stop or a disk or drum brake to prevent the belt
from running backwards, spilling the loaded material. They can be installed in
any convenient spot or be integrated in the drive.
A motion detector is usually found on the tail drum assuring that it moves as
soon as the drive is switched on. If the belt is stuck, overloaded, slipping or cut,
the drive switches off to prevent further damage.
Sway detectors assure the belt stays centred and doesn’t run against the
structure. Generally, four of them are installed, a pair close to the drive drum,
another one close to the tail. Most are able to work in both directions, meaning
that the belt can only be run if all of them are in the central position. In most
designs, this is automatic unless the belt is swayed and prevents it.
A lateral rip cord serves as emergency equipment to be able to switch off the
belt from any position along its length if necessary.
Belt cleaning is accomplished using many distinct devices:
 A spiral bar drum

 Plastic pretensioned belt scrapers, installed in front of the drive drum
 Pretensioned belt scrapers in the form of one or individual blades installed
just beneath and a little to the back of the drive drum inside the discharge
chute. They can be made of rubber, plastic, steel, hard metal or even
ceramic.
 Scrapers in V-form (ploughs) or inclined at a transversal angle in the belt
interior, usually just before the tail drum
143
 Vibratory drums with transversal steel bars
7. Chutes
Those are feed, discharge or transfer points handling the material between belt
conveyors, origin and destiny. They have to be sealed and assure that the
material ends up in the centre of the belt conveyor. Many have to be dedusted.
To keep them sealed, rubber skirting and negative pressure (dedusting) is
used. Skirts are best made of soft thick rubber but discarded belt can also be
used. They should be easily adjustable. If the chute is dedusted, it should have
an enclosed section along the belt conveyor at least 2 times as long as the belt
is wide. In front, a sectioned rubber skirt (strips) should hang over the material
bed but without touching it. The filter connection should be mounted on the last
third of this enclosed section (Se Dust Collection).
Chutes may be armoured by abrasion resistant materials. Most carry a rubber

patch hanging in front of the discharge material cascade to protect the chute
front.
The drums wear out, particularly those carrying rubber lagging. They can also
get lose from their shaft and shift sideways or even disintegrate. Partially lost
rubber lagging usually causes belt sway, the same as uneven material
accumulations on the drum surface. Careful with wet or muddy belts! A lot of
traction can be lost!
Drums can be responsible for belt sway. That is why most can be adjusted by
bolts pushed against their bearing pedestals. Losing the pedestals slightly, the
bolts can be used for repositioning. The direction of movement has to take into
account that the belt will go to the highest point according to the traction.
Mostly, one can follow the rule: Tension the side opposed to the belt sway!
If the belt sway cannot be corrected by drum and pulley adjustments and the
self-aligning idlers are ineffective, the carrying idlers or return rollers of the
corresponding sections can be shifted according to the belt sway. Always shift
several to spread the correction uniformly over the section, otherwise you invite
premature wear on the correspondent equipment.
If the belt sways only when loaded, a decentralized load is responsible. As long
as the material is not concentrated on the centre of the belt, the sway will
persist. This condition is usually responsible for most spillages and belt
damages because of sway. The only helpful correction is redirecting the
material in the feed chute by modifications or the correspondent adjustments of
internal guide flaps if provided.
144
If coating on drums, pulleys, rollers and idlers occurs, it has to be cleaned off as
soon as possible. As preventive measure, revise the belt scrapers to avoid or
minimize the condition.
Most belt scrapers are pretensioned. To guaranty optimum performance

(minimum wear and maximum cleaning action) they have to be maintained at
the pretension recommended by the manufacturer or the correct value arrived
at empirically.
In most cases, it is possible to change carrying idlers without having to remove

the belt tension, but to change drums and pulleys this is indispensable. Be
careful with the counterweights. They have to be assured against movement.
But they must be free to move while the belt is in operation.
145
EQUIPMENT: Belt Scales
TYPE: Weigh cell suspended roller belt weigh scales

Those are either short wide flat belt conveyors or weigh scales built into a
normal belt conveyor. The classic weigh belt has variable speed for feed
adjustment, the other is just equipped to indicate the trough-put and tote up the
tonnage handled within a given period.
The weighing mechanism consists of a conveying idler supported by a lever
mechanism mounted on the conveyor structure hung up on one or two lateral
weigh cells. This in turn transmutes the mechanical weight into an electronic
signal sent to a processor for indication and addition. The elements used are
ordinary belt conveyor parts.
The classic weigh belt with variable speed also mostly allows the generation of
a stable material bed, adjustable by a movable outlet gate. The belt is usually
endless and has to be installed using special methods or vulcanized in place.
The latter is often impossible because ordinary vulcanizing machines are not
wide enough.

Most weigh belts are slow moving, use cylindrical drums and sometimes don’t
even count with a self-aligning return roller. They are finicky to align and have to
be observed a long time after each adjustment to guaranty successful
alignment.
Alignment between the carrying idlers has to be more precise than in a normal
belt conveyor, at least close to the weighing idler. Respective tolerances are in
the neighbourhood of  0.5 mm in all directions. Whenever any maintenance,
mechanical adjustment or parts exchange is carried out, a complete
recalibration of the weighing mechanism has to be performed. If the weigh-belt
is inclined, its angle of inclination has to be considered with respect to the
calibration weight (P x cos )
The material bed weight should be held close to the calibration weight used. If
the difference between calibration speed and real speed differs greatly or if the
material bed is unstable, the weighing process gets proportionally less precise.
Make sure the weighing mechanism is free to move and as frictionless as
possible. If safety imitations are in use, the correct distance between the stops
and the weighing mechanism parts should be held between 1 and 2mm but
must never touch the weighing system.
Material accumulation on the carrying parts is damaging. They have to be kept
clean at all costs if one wants precision.
EQUIPMENT: Air-Slides CODE:
146
TYPE:
The principle of function of an air-slide is fluidization. Dust and some grainy

materials lose friction between them if suspended in an air current working
against gravity (from below). It works similar to the mythical quicksand.
If the slope of the Air-Slide is greater than the remaining material friction, the
latter starts to flow down the slope. Dense and coarse particles need a major
slope than fine and light dust.
The porous fabric lets the air fed into the lower casing pass through but
prevents the material from passing. Both casings are equipped with inspection
ports for revision and cleaning. The lower casing is connected to a fan or
blower supplying air. Manual closing valves are used to adjust the air supply in
order to get the required flow intensity. The upper casing is dedusted to retrieve
the supplied air and maintain negative pressure to avoid material leaks. If the
handled material is abrasive, a steel mesh can be installed over the fabric at
the feed end (impact zone).
In some Air-Slides the material can get stuck, particularly when it is cold or too
coarse, if the airslide is damaged or overtaxed. It is recommended not to hit the
airslide to create vibrations, it will deform and spring leaks. It is better to open a
convenient inspection port and introduce an air lance trying to blow the material
down.
In many cases, the fluidizing air coming from the fan contains dust because
there are no filters on the fan or blower or they are not adequate, badly
maintained or damaged. This dust in time blocks the fabric and it loses
efficiency in proportion to the degree of contamination. Sometimes, a wash of
clean and dry compressed air will help, at others, the fabric has to be changed.
147
If the fabric has to be changed it has to be tensioned lengthwise before
attaching it between the casings. This prevents it from turning convex during
operation avoiding lateral material concentration. For the same reason, Air-
Slides have to be level crosswise.
The joint between the casings has to be sealed using some liquid sealant to
prevent material and air leaks. Apply on both sides of the fabric on the inner
side of the bolt holes. It is not necessary to seal over the whole joint width.
If the fabric is made of artificial (plastic) fibres, a pointed heated steel round can
be used to melt the bolt holes once the fabric is tensioned over the lower
casing.
The eventual dedusting duct should have a cubic section just over the Air-
Slide’s upper casing as wide as the airslide itself to reduce draft. It should be
placed at around two thirds downslope of the feed chute. The negative internal
pressure should be between 5 – 7.5 mbar.
EQUIPMENT: Drag Chains CODE:
TYPE:
There are two basic models of this transport equipment, the open and the
closed version. The open version is also known as scraper chain and mainly
used for the recovery of spilled material under conveying devices such as apron
feeders (see page 7). The closed versions consist of a toothed drive and tail
drum. The drag chain itself consists of heavy hinged conveying segments
engaged in the drums either by a central chainlike device or if very large by two
lateral chains in double drums on each conveyor end. The chain drags on the
equipment floor that can either be made of concrete, abrasion resistant steel
plates or densit. Some installations with concrete floor also use evenly spaced
convex white cast iron shoes for support. The return section rides on return
rollers placed at convenient distances (500 to 3000mm apart) or on a steel rail.
Drag chains are used for handling dry and mostly abrasive materials like raw
meal, clinker, clinker dust and cement wherever a completely enclosed
conveying system is a must.
Drag chain tension:
If cold, the drag chain must describe an arch (slack) between return rollers or
riding shoes as described below. The percentage mentioned is with regard to
the distance between supports:
148
If a return rail is used, some slack should be provided to reduce friction and
wear.
The drum tensioning must be parallel to the drive axis and the drums must be
sideways parallel to each other. Specific tolerances may apply to chain wear,
chain elongation, hinge bolt wear, lateral clearance, etc. Study the instruction
manual for each case.
The main enemy is wear. Periodic inspection must be carried out on all
elements (chains, Drag links, hinge pins, drums, toothed wheels, return rollers,
rails, guides and supports (shoes).
The correct chain tension is usually given by the manufacturer. If no information

is available, the chain should sag between 15 and 25mm for every meter of
distance between supports in cold condition.
Some chains have a yoke after the drive wheel to prevent the chain links to
engage around the toothed drive gear in case there is too much slack. It must
be impossible for the chain to pass down between yoke and drive wheel.
It is of the utmost importance that the seals on the equipment are tight to
prevent spillage, dust emission and false air entry.
EQUIPMENT: Screw Conveyors CODE:
TYPE:
Screw Conveyors are closed fine material transport devices using a helix as
transport medium. They are used in short distance transport for dust and
grains, be it in a horizontal or upwards inclined direction, in rare cases even
vertical.
The casing is usually a closed U-shape and has port holes on the upper flat
part; if the screw conveyor is vertical, the casing is cylindrical. The helix or
screw is welded onto a central shaft or tube supported by external bearings at
both ends. If the screw is long, additional internal bearings may be provided
149
(Gudgeon bearings). These may be dry (white cast iron) or grease lubricated. In
this case, the helix tube is joined by shaft stubs where the bearings are placed.
The drive consists usually of a directly coupled gear-reducer or a chain drive.
The screw conveyor is usually sealed on both ends with shaft seals like felt
rings, mechanical seals or stuff boxes.
The wear of the internal elements has to be checked regularly (casing, screw,
bearings and seals. The screw helix may also be deformed by blockages or
bent.
Unless it is a reversible screw conveyor, the rotation direction has to be

checked after electrical maintenance to avoid blockage and severe damage.
Make sure the interior cannot be moistened during operation and maintenance
in case the screw conveyor handles only dry material.
If the internal bearings (ball or gudgeon) are lubricated, they have to receive a
small amount of grease every week.
Never connect the dedusting ducts closet to a feed or discharge point.
150
EQUIPMENT: Pan Conveyor (Apron Conveyor) CODE:
TYPE:
There are many models and sizes of this transport equipment. It serves the
same purpose as a belt conveyor but is used for abrasive and hot loads that
would damage a normal rubber belt. The length rarely passes the 100m mark.
These are the preferred transporters of hot clinker.
Plates, aprons, pans or buckets of different forms and sizes, thickness and
width are mounted between parallel chains with enormous pitch between 100
and 400mm. Shafts with two hubs carrying the drive and tail sprockets are
mounted at the head and tail. The hubs usually carry toothed segments. The
drive consists of three-phase electric induction motors, gear reducers and
couplings. Depending on the inclination, there may also be drum or disk brakes,
hydraulic couplings, backstopps or special clutches. The tail end serves always
as tensioning station, usually in the form of two huge threaded shafts with nuts
connected to the tail bearings mounted between two rails (Tensioning Support).
The tensioning station may also be spring-loaded, usually on short conveyors.
The tail sprockets may be toothed or plain disks. Every chain link (or every
second one) is equipped with runner wheels (also called outboard rollers)
running on lateral rails that support the conveyor on both the load and the
return run. Feed hoppers or chutes are made of steel. If back spillage is
expected because of inclination, a rubber skirt may be added crosswise at the
tail end.
Levelling, straightness, parallelism and the distance between rails are

important. The conveyor should not run on worn rails and runners; the runner’s
axles must be straight. Otherwise, derailment will be a constant threat.
The feed chute skirting must never touch any moving part but should end as
close as possible to the pans or aprons so as to avoid spillage and reduce dust
emissions. Because of that, if the chain links are getting stiff (lack of lubrication)
great damage might occur. The chains will lift and hit the chute skirting.
The chain must be inspected regularly for wear and elongation. See the
maintenance instruction manual for details.
Pans, plates, aprons or buckets must be inspected regularly for wear and
deformation. Both will cause spillage or may even overload the equipment or
brake the chains.
151
The correct chain tension is usually prescribed by the supplier and varies
according to equipment. If it is not, it will depend on the judgment of the
responsible. The chain must have some slack, it must never be completely
tense. Both sides must maintain the same tension.
The toothed drive sprockets will wear out. Together with the chain elongation,
the pitch will no longer fit and the chain may jump the sprocket which will
damage or even brake the chain and the sprocket. If the drive and tail sprocket
come segmented, make sure they fit perfectly on the hubs. The bolts holding
them must be of the correct grade and be tightened using a torque-wrench.
152
EQUIPMENT: Bucket Elevator CODE:
TYPE:
There are two basic types of bucket elevators, chain driven or belt driven. The
chain driven may have one central chain or two lateral parallel ones. The
buckets are bolted to the chain links or to the drive belt. The conveyor belt may
be of the fabric type reinforced or steel cable belt (see belt conveyors).
The drive drums for the belt driven models are rubber-lagged, the tail drums are
usually slightly convex steel cylinders but steel bar helixes or cylindrical
crossbars may be used to supply automatic cleaning like on some belt
conveyors. If the bucket elevator has a single central chain, the drive and tail
sprockets may be toothed or plain. Twin chain bucket elevators usually have
toothed drive sprockets. With few exceptions, the sprockets are segmented for
ease of replacement.
The tail drum or sprockets are connected to a counterweight assuring the

correct elevator tension and avoid slippage. The counterweight is to be found
on top of the tail end pushing down on the shaft. The tail shaft bearings may be
internal or external. If external, they are usually roller bearings mounted in
normal bearing housings. If internal, they mostly consist of an abrasion sleeve
on the shaft made of hardened steel and slide bearing halves made of white
cast iron. The elevator casing may be rectangular or square, but on big models
it usually consists of two rectangular casings, one housing the lift side, the other
the return side.
The feed chute sits some 2 metres above the tail end on the side of the up-
moving buckets. The load slides into the buckets along the feed chute bottom
inclination and is then carried to the top. Some spills onto the elevator bottom
but is continuously scooped up by the buckets passing over the tail end. The
discharge chute sits on what is called the bucket spill line meaning the material
in the buckets is thrown off at the same vector like if it were on a shovel. Some
models have a rubber strip added that almost touches the bucket rims to
reduce spillage.
The drive usually consists of an induction motor, a flexible coupling sometimes

combined with a hydraulic one, a backstop on the high speed or low speed
shaft, a gearbox, low speed coupling and a shaft with bearings carrying the
drive drum or drive sprocket(s). Felt or stuff boxes seal the shaft where it
passes the casing. An inching drive (auxiliary drive) is usually provided to aid
maintenance. It may be manually engaged, by centrifugal coupling or by
backstop.
153
Single Central Chain Bucket Elevator
154
Double Chain Bucket Elevator Tail End
155
Double Chain Bucket Elevator Drive Head
The bolts joining the buckets to the chain or belt have a tendency to break or
turn loose. Periodic inspection is indispensable. The buckets wear out or may
suffer deformation. If they have holes in the bottom, do not close them! They
are there to help with bucket loading.
The chains may break. The have to be checked regularly for cracks, wear and
elongation. The chain manufacturer will limit the maximum chain elongation. It
may vary between 4 – 7%. Cylindrical (ordinary) chain links are usually case-
hardened to about 0.1 times their diameter. The whole chain must be replaced
if the first links have worn off this outer layer. Wear is usually greatest on the
links engaged to the chain bows.
The sprockets suffer wear and may be misaligned hurting the chain links. To
change the toothed segments, please follow the procedure explained on page
150, last chapter on Pan Conveyors.
It is indispensable that bucket elevators count with a motion detector on the tail
end to avoid slippage causing chain or belt ruptures. It is very difficult and time-
consuming to repair a fallen bucket elevator.
Rubber belts have very special joints. These are critical and must be inspected
periodically, at least once a month. To renew them, the manufacturer’s
procedures have to be closely followed.
156
It is impossible to restart a bucket elevator that has been overloaded by an
avalanche at the bottom. The material has to be removed by hand first.
The dedusting has to be placed at a convenient spot with low turbulence. Good
placement offers the centre below the drive drum or the side of the casing with
the ascending buckets some distance below the discharge.
The low speed application will not allow for conventional drive bearing
monitoring. Visual inspection is indispensable.
The shaft seals require attention as well as the eventual rubber strip in the
discharge.
157
EQUIPMENT: Air Lift (Pneumatic Transport) CODE:
TYPE:
Air Lifts or Pneumatic Transport work with the Ventury principle. They can
handle dry dust and grains to transport them horizontally and vertically with the
same ease. Meal from a constant level bin or production equipment like a mill is
fed into the outer cylinder, vessel or feed bin. The bottom of the vessel acts like
an airslide because it is made of some porous fabric. The material is fluidized
and will flow towards any slope created. The feed bin is shot through by a
central pipe leaving a gap just above the vessel bottom. A nozzle directs
compressed air from below into the ascending pipe. The material present is
carried upwards by this air stream by the so-called Ventury action, in other
words, it is sucked into the upward air stream.
The air supply line describes a “U” with a minimum height equal to the top of
the airlift vessel. This is to prevent dust penetration into the compressor system
in case an emergency shutdown occurs and the butterfly valve is not closing.
This includes the fluidization air pipe. The fabric disk is stretched between the
lower vessel flange and the flange of the aeration chamber below.
158
The fabric will lose its permeability with time. Inspection, monitoring and timely
replacement are essential. There should be an inspection port on the aeration
chamber.
The piping carrying dust wears out. Periodic measurement with a thickness
tester is required to prevent leaks and enable timely repair or replacement.
The air going to the compressors must be clean and dry. If this is not the case,
the airlift fabric quickly loses its porosity, the fluidization ceases making the
material transport erratic. This is particularly dangerous on the kiln feed system.
The correct function of the butterfly valve must be checked from time to time.
Neglected solenoid valves will start to leak.
Instead of elbows and curves, the design below may come in handy. It reduces
wear and may even increase through-put.
EQUIPMENT: Rotary Valves (Rotary Feeders) CODE:
TYPE:
Rotary feeders are horizontal cylindrical casings containing a rotating cellular

wheel (see drawings below) used as a proportional feeder or as sealing
mechanism against false air. The cylindrical cellular wheel provides a very tight
fit forming enclosed cells containing the material, moving it from the top
entrance to the bottom discharge even against considerable differential
pressure.
Since the pair casing – cell walls is exposed to wear, some models have
adjustable cell wall tips. Those moving light dust may have flexible cell wall tips
made of thin brass or spring steel sheets trailing the edge against the cylindrical
casing reducing the internal leaks to almost cero. The side flanges may also be
adjustable to reduce clearance and false air. Stuff boxes usually seal the shaft
entry points. The drive may be a motorreducer or chain transmission.
159
Rotary Feeder Parts
The internal wear requires more or less frequent readjustments (if provided) or
replacement if a leak-free operation is intended. Much erratic feed behaviour
comes from internally leaking rotary valves. In the worst case, this may provoke
material avalanches choking process equipment and causing spills.
Rotary valves are susceptible to the passage of tramp iron and other solid
chunks, particularly large or long pieces catching between cell walls and
cylindrical casing. Prevention is the only solution.
160
Rotary feeders provided with internal clearance adjustment have to be set
according to the manufacturers recommendations. Before start-up, the rotary
movement has to be confirmed. If there is no information, the internal
clearances for mealy materials should be kept between 0.05 - 0.15mm,
respecting if required the fixed and the lose side (thermal expansion).
The shaft carries some sort of seals, mostly stuff boxes. Periodic inspection,
retightening and replacement are required to prevent material leaks and false
air.
If internal coating is a problem while handling sticky materials, motion detection

becomes a must. It is also recommendable using a quick fuse or breaker for the
electric motor. A less sticky surface may be a solution (plastic, SS, etc.)
EQUIPMENT: Fans
TYPES: All types (process fans, filter fans, small fans)
General Description
All fans consist of a drive connected to an impeller (fan wheel, rotor, impeller,
etc.) rotating within a spiral-shaped chamber (see below). One or two intake
cones funnel the gas to the open centre of the fan impeller from where it is
flung outward by the applied centrifugal force. The widening spiral shape of the
fan housing then directs the air stream toward the fan outlet.
161
The air volume, its pressure and velocity depend on the following factors:
 Fan size
 Fan speed
 Fan throttle devices
 Impeller diameter and width
 Impeller design
 Internal tolerances
 Inlet and discharge duct sizes
Narrow large diameter impellers are generally used for high pressure / low
volume purposes, wide smaller diameter impellers for low pressure / high
volumes. Fan direction and efficiency also hinges on the impeller blade design,
distribution, angle and shape:
162
FAN SHAPE FAN NAME USE /
EFFECTIVENESS
Open impeller with For gases loaded
straight radial blades densely with very
abrasive particles
Blades will be subjected

to heavy wear
Impeller with the lowest

efficiency
Noisy fan
Caged impeller with For high solid particle

straight radial blades concentrations in the
gas
Good abrasion
resistance
Can be used for very

high speed fans
Efficiency 60 – 70%
Noisy fan
Caged impeller with For medium solid
straight swept-back particle content in the
blades gas
Used on medium to
high speed fans.
Power consumption
higher for increased
sweep back
163
Caged impeller with For low solid particle
backward curved content in the gas
blades
Used on medium speed
fans.
Power consumption
higher for increased
backward curving
Efficiency 82%
Caged impeller with For very low solid

backward curved particle content in the
airfoil-shaped blades gas
Used on high power

and medium to high
speed fans
Low noise level
Caged impeller with For medium solid

forward curved radial particle content in the
tip blades gas
Self-cleaning capability
reduces wear; low
turbulence
Low noise level
As can be noted from the designs above, the left side impeller can move in both
directions. But, if it moves in the wrong direction in the fan housing, around 70%
of the fan capacity is lost because of the air moving around the wrong way in
the spirally shaped fan housing. If one of the other fan impellers (centre and
right) turns the wrong way around, fan volume will be even less.
The angle of inclination and curvature of the fan blades depend on the fan
speed. Curved blades are not only used because of their high efficiency, they
can also prevent some semi-liquid materials from sticking (for example the dust
in hot kiln exhaust gases).
164
Fan designs and drives
There are two basic fan designs: the centrifugal and the axial fan (see below).
Both can be executed either as cantilever or centred fan (see below). The
former has bearings on one side only, the latter has one on either side of the
impeller. The cantilever design is exclusively unilateral, meaning that the air
intake is on one side only (on the opposite side of the drive), the centred type
can be unilateral but usually is bilateral meaning it has two lateral air intakes
and a symmetric double impeller.
Drives can be:

 Rotor directly mounted on the motor shaft (small fans)
 Rotor mounted on bearing-supported shaft driven by a flexible coupling
and concentric motor
 Rotor mounted on bearing-supported shaft driven by a V-belt drive and
parallel motor on a special base allowing belt tensioning
 Same as above but with gearbox between motor and fan shaft
165
Internal Tolerances
As shown in the above schematic, the fan efficiency also hinges on some of the
internal tolerances, particularly those related with internal circulation. Air is
sucked in through the inlet cone and is then accelerated outward by the
impeller in radial fashion. Just after the fan outlet inner wall the fan housing is
as close to the impeller outer diameter as can be and then widens until the
spiral created reaches the outer wall or the same outlet providing an ever
greater volume to accommodate the increasing amount of air finally blown out
of the fan.
Important points:
 The shaft inlet has to be sealed
 The radial gap between the inlet cone and the inner impeller lip has to be
as small as possible. Normally, there is an overlap that has to be
constructed in such a way as to allow for heat expansion, the same as
the gap (see detail Z above).
 If the cantilever design is used, the fan impeller disk should be as close
as possible to the fan housing wall on the shaft inlet side.
 The edge of the fan housing closest to the fan impeller should be as
close as possible to the outer diameter of the fan impeller to avoid
recirculation of the generated air volume.
 A soft seal may be chosen to close the gap between inlet cone and
impeller to reduce internal circulation even further.
166

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PRODUCTION EQUIPMENT

Function and Elements

Common Failures and Critical Points

Part Position, Description Interval

Function and Elements

Apron Feeder Roller Section

Common Failures and Critical Points

Apron Feeder Lub Pump

Part Position, Description Interval

Faults; Causes and Solutions

FAULT CAUSE SOLUTION

Function and Elements

Common Failures and Critical Points

Part Position, Description Interval

FAULT CAUSE SOLUTION

SS sheet flooring has already been added. If it keeps on tripping on overload,

The crusher hammers are mounted on easily removable hammer shafts

Crusher Inlet Feed Roller Details

Hammer Crusher Rotor

As the hammers wear, crusher through-put decreases. The hammers have to

Part Position, Description Interval

FAULT CAUSE SOLUTION

Purpose, Function, Considerations and Faults

Chemical elements like Calcium, silicon, iron, aluminium, magnesium,

Calibration is done by special sample blocks, dismissing the influence of the

Attention: It is indispensable to neutralize the neutron source before any

Function and Elements

It is a boom or arm mounted in pivot points on the stacker/reclaimer column

The stacker boom slewing mechanism is operated by a preset program to

Stacker Boom Vertical Movement Hydraulic

Stacker Boom Swivel Mechanism

Called a bridge reclaimer, it consists of 4 main parts:

The bridge of the reclaimer is mounted on hinges on the central column by

Reclaimer lateral Guide Wheel

 If support wheels have to be repaired or changed, realignment may be

Reclaimer Scraper Chain Tail End Tensioning Hydraulic

 Stacker boom discharge chute skirting wear, decentralized material charge

Part, Description Period

FAULT CAUSE SOLUTION

See Mix and Marl-Shale Hoppers

EQUIPMENT HG Limestone/Gypsum Apron Feeder CODE:

See Limestone and Marl/Shale Apron Feeders

EQUIPMENT Scraper Chain for HG Limestone Apron CODE:

See Mix Apron Feeder Scraper Chain

EQUIPMENT HG Limestone and Gypsum Crusher CODE:

See Mix Crusher

Function and Elements

Longitudinal Bed Silo (LBS) used for prehomogenization of raw materials

Stacker Drive Wheels

The reclaimer is driven lengthwise by two motorreducers with electromagnetic

Scraper Chain Bending Sprockets (Toothless)

 The electromagnetic brake disks need periodic adjustments (double

 The electromagnetic brake disks need periodic adjustments (double

Common faults and critical points

 Rubbing of misaligned wheels on rails resulting in wear

 Rubbing of misaligned wheels on rails resulting in wear

Part, Description Period

Faults; Causes and Solutions

FAULT CAUSE SOLUTION

Gas feed and management

Note: Fans will be discussed in detail in the chapter (Transport equipment)

Atox Mill Drive Coupling

The lubricant is prepared in an external reconditioning circuit consisting of a big