The 6 Main Process Fans in Cement factory

Cement industry is one of the major markets for industrial fans. Fans in cement industry
are heavy duty and perform two basic functions i.e., supply of air or removal of exhaust
gases and material handling. There are many process fans that find applications in
cement industry such as raw mill fans, induced draft fans, cooling fans, raw mill exhaust
fans, coal mill fans and cooler exhaust fans.

Raw mill fans:

Raw mill fan in cement industry carries gas and raw meal. The pressure drop in raw mill
fan is very high. If a vertical roller mill is used for raw grinding in cement industry then a
large raw mill fan is installed. Usually cement industries use centrifugal fans to carry out
this process.

Induced draft fans:

Induced draft fans supply the necessary air for the combustion of fuel in the kiln of a
cement. It is considered as the ‘lung’ of the clinker burning system. Without the aid of
induced draft fan, the gas flow and combustion of the fuel are not possible, calciner
cannot happen, the gas from combustion and decomposition cannot be taken out of the
system, and the heat exchange between cold raw meal and hot gas cannot happen. Fans
for induced draft are radial, forward curved or backward inclined centrifugal fans. If the
induced fans are not properly manufactured and operated, it may effect the power
consumption of the cement industry.

Cooling fans:
Cement industry uses large number of cooling fans usually between 5 to 15 in one
clinker line based on the kiln capacity. Cooling fans are used to blow cold air to the
cooler and to cool the clinker from 1500oC to 100oC. Cooling kiln protects equipment
and facilitates quenching the clinker to ensure the important forms of minerals like C3S,
C2S, C3A, C4AF stay in it, so that proper clinker quality is maintained. Improper design of
cooling fans can lead to poor clinker quality, high power consumption and even damage
of the conveying system.

Raw mill exhaust fans:

Raw mill exhaust fans or stack fans are also called as de-dusting fans. In cement industry
raw mill exhaust fans handle 2.2 ton of exhaust gases for the production of 1 ton of
clinker. Raw mill exhaust fans are operated with very adverse situations because the fan
handles mainly gases such as CO2, N2, NOx and Sox along with some dust particles.
Coal mill fans:
In cement industry coal mill fans are used to supply required air for burning coal and
remove the exhaust gases produced after burning. These fans help in effective burning
of coal inside the mill. For a large clinker line there are usually 2 or 3 cement mills.

Cooler exhaust fans:

Cooler exhaust fans move 1.8 ton of exhaust air per 1 ton of clinker production. This
process is a part of air blown into the cooler by cooling fans that are not useful for fuel
combustion.

In addition to these key process fans, cement industry also has many non-process fans.
These fans work all together with bag filters, for the de-dusting of various conveying
systems.

==================================================================================

M. K. SEN (NCP, Officer)

==================================================================================
 M. K. SEN (NCP, Officer)

Factors affecting choice of cement:

Following factors govern choice of cement.

Durability Characteristics
> Functional requirement – Deflection, crack width etc.
> Design parameters- Strength, fineness, setting time requirement etc.
> Speed of construction- Time for construction etc.
> Environmental Conditions- Ground conditions, soluble salts, sulphates, Chemical
plants etc.

Suitability of various types of cement:

A. 43 grade OPC:
= It is the most widely used general purpose cement.
= For concrete grades up to M-30, precast elements.
=For marine structures but C3A should be between 5 – 8%.
B. 53 grade OPC:
= For concrete grade higher than M-30, PSC works, bridge, roads, multi-storeyed
buildings etc.
=for use in cold weather concreting.
=For marine structures but C3A should be between 5 – 8%.
C. Portland Slag Cement (PSC) i.e. OPC + granulated slag: It gives low
heat of hydration. The slag should be more than 50% and up to 70%. It is
used for;
=Marine and off shore structures- very high chloride and sulphate resistant.
=Sewage disposal treatments works
=Water treatment plants
=Constructions which are expected to be attacked by dissolved chlorides and sulphate
ions.
= Should be mainly used for all future structures.

D. Portland Pozzolana Cement: IS: 1489(part-I) – 1991 (using fly ash):

It gives low heat of hydration and reduces the leaching of calcium
hydroxide. This cement should be used only after proper evaluation. This
should be tested as per IS: 1489 (Pt I) – 1991. It is used for:
= hydraulic structures- dams, retaining walls
=Marine structures.
=Mass concrete works- like bridge footings
=under aggressive conditions
=Masonry mortar and plastering.

E. SRC- Sulphate Resisting Cement: (C3A < 5%)

=Sulphate Resisting Portland Cement is a type of Portland Cement in which the amount
of Tricalcium aluminate (C3A) is restricted to lower than 5% and 2C3A + C4AF lower than
25%. The SRC can be used for structural concrete wherever OPC or PPC or Slag Cement
is usable under normal conditions.
= The use of SRC is particularly beneficial in such conditions where the concrete is
exposed to the risk of deterioration due to sulphate attack, for example, in contact with
soils and ground waters containing excessive amounts of sulphates as well as for
concrete in sea water or exposed directly to sea coast. The IS 456 (revised draft code) has
made elaborate provisions for use of particular type of cement against different
percentages of soluble sulphate salts. These provisions are given in table 1.6 below:

The use of SRC is recommended for following applications:

=Foundations, piles.
=Basement and underground structures.
=Sewage and water treatment plants.
=Chemical factories.
= Suitable for underground works where Sulphate is present in the Soil and water.
Attention:
i) Sulphate resisting cement is not suitable where there is danger of chloride attack. This
will cause corrosion of rebar.
ii) If both Chlorides and Sulphates are present, Ordinary Portland Cement with C3A
between 5& 8 should be used.
Sulphate resistance of cements: Chemical resistance of various types of cement in
different environmental conditions is given in table 6.7.

G. Low heat Portland cement : Low Heat Portland Cement is particularly suited for
making concrete for dams and many other types of water retaining structures, bridge
abutments, massive retaining walls, piers and slabs etc. In mass concreting, there is often
considerable rise in temperature because of the heat produced as the cement sets and
hardens. The shrinkage which occurs on subsequent cooling sets up tensile stresses in
the concrete may result in cracking. The use of low heat cement is advantageous since it
evolves less heat than OPC. This cement is not available in the market on regular basis
and has to be obtained on specific orders.
H. Rapid hardening cement: The Rapid Hardening Cement is used for repair and
rehabilitation works and where speed of construction and early completion is required
due to limitations of time, space or other reasons. The cement is to be used in cold
weather concreting i.e.

temp < 5 0C. Rapid hardening cement is basically OPC but its fineness is 3250 cm2/gm
against 2250cm2/gm in case of OPC. The compressive strength after 1 day is 16 N/mm2
and that of 3 days 27N/mm2. These days higher grade OPC are available in the country
to meet these requirements and therefore, this cement is not being manufactured and
marketed on regular basis. The characteristics of this cement can be effectively met by
only good quality 53 grade OPC.

I. Special grade cement (43-S and 53-S): Special Grade Cement is manufactured as per
specification laid down by BIS IS 8112 & 12269. It is a very finely ground cement with
high C3S content designed to develop high early strength required for manufacture of
concrete sleeper for Indian Railways. This cement can also be used with advantage for
other applications where high strength concrete is required. This cement can be used for
pressurised concrete elements, high rise buildings, high strength concrete etc.

M. K. SEN ( OFFICER ) NCP

=========================================================