A REPORT

ON

(Compressed air study & its optimization for pre & post clinkerization)

BY

Ikshu Narang (2018B4AB0922P), BE Manufacturing

Hemang Pareek (2019A4PS0596P), BE Mechanical

Prepared in fulfillment of the

Practice School-I Course Nos.
BITS C221/BITS C231/BITS C241

AT

Balaji Cement Works- Mechanical,

Budawada

A Practice School-I Station of

BIRLA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY & SCIENCE, PILANI

(June, 2021)
 Acknowledgement

I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude to faculty incharge Prof. Dr. Kurra Suresh for his constant
guidance and support throughout the learning process. I would also like to thank my PS-Mentor: Mr
Neeraj K. Singh for his guidance throughout the project.
 BIRLA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY AND SCIENCE PILANI
(RAJASTHAN)
Practice School Division

Station: Balaji Cement Works- Mechanical Centre Budawada

Duration 2 Months Date of Start02/June/2021

Date of Submission : 23 July 2021

Title of the Project: Compressed air study & its optimization for pre & post

clinkerization

ID No./Name: 2018B4AB0922P/ Ikshu Narang

2019A4PS0596P/ Hemang Pareek
Discipline(s)/of the student(s) : Mechanical Engineering

Name(s) and designation(s) of the expert(s): Mr. Neeraj. K. Singh

Name(s) of the PS Faculty: Prof. Dr. Kurra Suresh

Key Words: Clinkerization, Compressed Air

Project Areas: Mechanical, Cement
Abstract:

Cement Manufacturing Process:

 The process of clinkerization signifies conversion of raw meal into clinker minerals mainly
consisting of C4AF(Aluminoferite), C3A(Aluminite), C2S(Belite) and C3S (Alite) phases along
with small percentage of free lime CaO, MgO, Alkalies, Sulphates etc. The conversion takes
place in the kiln system as raw meal is heated gradually to clinkerization temperature.There are
more than twenty types of cement used to make various specialty concrete, however the most
common is Portland cement.

Cement manufacturing is a complex process that begins with mining and then grinding raw
materials that include limestone and clay, to a fine powder, called raw meal, which is then
heated to a sintering temperature as high as 1450 °C in a cement kiln. In this process, the
chemical bonds of the raw materials are broken down and then they are recombined into new
compounds. The result is called clinker, which are rounded nodules between 1 mm and 25mm
across. The clinker is ground to a fine powder in a cement mill and mixed with gypsum to
create cement. The powdered cement is then mixed with water and aggregates to form
concrete that is used in construction.

Use of Compressed Air in Cement Industry:

Cement manufacture is an energy-intensive industry. On a modern dry-process cement plant 90 per

cent of the energy is consumed as fuel for firing the cement kiln. The remaining 10 per cent of the
energy is consumed as electricity to drive the crushers, mills, kilns and convey the materials between
the process stages. A modern, efficient cement factory will consume around 100kWh of electricity per
tonne of cement produced. An electricity supply of around 15MW will be required for each million
tonnes of annual capacity.

A plenty of low pressure compressed air is needed when manufacturing the cement. Air compressor
provides fuel and combustion air for kiln, either for pulverized coal combustion or oil combustion. The
cement clinker is quenched by a lot of compressed air, lowering the temperature from 2500 degree
fahrenheit to 150 degree fahrenheit to improve the quality of cement, heat recovery and lower the
temperature of cement clinker confirming to the temperature for grinding.

Compressed air is used in a cement factory as an aid or the means for moving material. It has many
advantages as a tool to assist in or be the means to move material in the cement-making process as
compressed air tools can withstand the dust, moisture and high temperatures of the process. This
makes it ideal for clearing build-ups and agglomerates. Obvious examples would be the build-ups in
the kiln preheater or materials hanging up in the feed bins to the mills. Compressed air tools such as
big blasters or air cannons might be fired at preset intervals to prevent the formation of build-ups
clogging the process. Compressed air lances might also be used intermittently by skilled operatives to
clear build-ups from areas of occasional build-up which are not provided with fixed air cannons.
 Cement Plant and Equipment

Compressed air is also used for actuation of valves and the movement of levers and probes. In these
applications the compressed air is being used to move equipment or components of equipment rather
than to move material itself.

Some of these applications are provided with dedicated air compressors. The kiln feed blending silo
will usually be provided with its own compressor room and compressors. Pneumatic conveying of raw
meal, kiln feed, finely-ground coal or cement will normally, but not always, have its own dedicated
compressor.
There will also usually be general service compressed air provided in the cement factory. This general
service compressed air will be provided by banks of air compressors in a compressor room with the air
being distributed around the cement factory by pipelines with outlet valves at strategic locations around
the plant.

So compressed air is a very useful tool in the cement manufacturing process. It is used to provide the
energy to move materials and items of equipment. However, it is a very expensive form of energy. The
air is almost always compressed by electrically-driven screw compressors. The typical volume
requirements of <1000m3/h and compression pressure <10bar mean that screw compressors are best.
As a cement factory has to have an electricity supply, diesel-driven compressors do not make sense
except as an emergency back-up in remote locations.

Unfortunately, only 10 per cent of the electrical energy input goes to producing useful mechanical work.
Some 90 per cent is lost as heat with compression and idling losses being the greatest. This is why
compressed air is such an expensive form of energy.

The expense of compressed air means that its use must be carefully controlled and not abused. It is all
too easy to connect a compressed air line to assist with keeping the material moving through the
cement process. Proliferation of the use of compressed air can soon lift the electricity consumption of a
cement factory by a few kWh/t of cement.

One problem is that cement manufacture is such an energy-intensive industry, both thermally and
electrically, that it is easy for a blasé attitude to energy consumption to develop. Because the grinding
mills consume so much electricity air compressors probably only amount to <5 per cent of the electrical
energy consumption of a cement factory or <5kWh/t of cement.

On the other hand, compressed air is an energy source which must be available when it is required.
That is no problem where dedicated compressors have been provided for a specific application, such
as blending silos or pneumatic conveying. More potentially problematic is the general service
compressed air. There must be redundancy designed into this general service compressed air as the
demand is not expected to be constant. Operational problems arise when the use of general service
compressed air rises and the redundancy provided within the system does not keep pace with the rise
in consumption.

The general service compressed air is provided by a bank of compressors. The base and peak
requirements need to be known to design the system and the controls correctly. Normally a high
capacity compressor(s) will run continuously to provide the base load of compressed air at the required
pressure. A second compressor(s) will run in idling mode and switch to full load when the compressed
air consumption rises to maintain the pressure in the system. As use of compressed air proliferates in a
cement factory the standby compressor(s) are running on full load for a greater proportion of the time.
The situation can be reached where the standby compressors are running all the time and there is no
reserve left in the system to cater for further increases in compressed air consumption.

It must also be remembered that compressors will need to be taken down for maintenance from time to
time. This will be when the shortage of compressed air becomes obvious. Eventually this can lead to
loss of production due to shortage of compressed air to respond to a build-up or blockage.

The response to the redundancy in general service compressed air system being used up can take two
forms: (i) an additional compressor is installed at significant capital cost, or (ii) the use of compressed
air is reviewed with the aim of reducing consumption and restoring the redundancy in the compressed
air system. Air lances permanently in place to move persistent build-ups, compressed air used for
cooling, or baghouses pulsing too frequently are all examples of where compressed air might be
saved.
Addition of an extra compressor might seem the easiest solution, but the capital cost is not the only
consideration. Electricity consumption will obviously rise with no associated increase in the output from
the cement factory. When a standby compressor is idling it will consume ~40 percent of the electricity it
would under full load. More redundancy in the compressed air system inevitably means more time with
compressors idling. Cement factory operators can make a contribution to minimising such wastage of
electricity. Where more than one standby compressors are idling then all but one compressor should
be switched off to save electricity. When consumption rises additional standby compressors should be
restarted as the one that is already running approaches 100 per cent running time.

There are then considerations of the design of the general service compressed air system. Different
applications require different compressed air pressures and qualities. Control applications for actuators
require ~7bar, while cleaning applications require ~10bar. Airslides only require low pressure and a
blower is much more efficient. Compressed air should not be used in airslides.

The pressure in the whole system should not be raised to the level required by the highest application.
There will be pressure losses and leaks in large compressed air systems. The application requiring the
highest pressure should not be located at the far extremities of the system. Compressors should be
located close to the applications requiring high pressure. Every 1bar increase in pressure increases
electricity consumption by ~7 per cent. It makes no sense to try to make up for too low-pressure at the
end of a distribution system by increasing the compression pressure. It is better to have a smaller
system with adequate pipe diameters. The system should also be circular.

Compressed air quality is measured by its maximum dust particle size, its water pressure dew point
and its residual oil content. Instrument air and baghouse pulsing needs cooled, dried, oil-free air. All the
processing to achieve a particular quality involves filtering which increases the pressure drop in the
system and therefore the electricity consumption to achieve a certain pressure at the consumers. The
compressed air should not be over-processed for applications like jack hammers and air lances that
don’t need it.
In general, pressure losses and leaks in large distribution systems are the biggest waste of
compressed air. It is better to have smaller, decentralised general service compressed air networks
serving each process section of the cement factory.

Clinkerization:

Cement clinker is a solid material produced in the manufacture of Portland cement as an intermediary
product. Clinker occurs as lumps or nodules, usually 3 millimetres (0.12 in) to 25 millimetres (0.98 in) in
diameter. It is produced by sintering (fusing together without melting to the point of liquefaction)
limestone and aluminosilicate materials such as clay during the cement kiln stage.

Causes of Reduced Efficiency:

1. Use of a Small Air Hose

Air hoses with small diameters limit the amount of pressurized air that can be delivered to the
connected tools or appliances. You improve efficiency when you use a larger diameter hose
that delivers produced pressure more immediately and in more ample quantities.

2. Use of a Dirty Filter

 A dirty filter on your air compressor will limit air supply and lead to lower quality air that is
delivered to the compressor. Old filters that haven't been changed on time and are dirty can
lead to air clogs.
You need to know how frequently air filter changes are necessary and keep up with the
schedule to ensure adequate airflow and maximize efficiency.

3. Inadequate Lubrication
Both your air compressor itself and any appliances or tools you connect to it must be
adequately lubricated for maximum efficiency. Lubricants reduce wear and tear on moving parts
while also ensuring that parts move with minimum friction.
For best results, use lubricants that contain additives known to prevent corrosion development.

4. Contaminated Air Supply

Air compressors rely on a supply of air that is compressed and then used to power equipment.
Contamination in the air, like dust or dirt, leads to residue buildup in air compressors over time.
Residue buildup needs to be cleaned out, and cleanings result in increased maintenance costs
and efforts. Residue also prematurely wears out air compressor components. You should
relocate your air compressor to any area with cleaner air or install an air filtration system in the
area to avoid inefficiencies caused by contaminated air.

5. Supply of Humid Air

Moisture in the air detracts from air compressor efficiency. Humid air reduces air compressor
efficiency because water has high specific heat. This high specific means that air that is
saturated with water — humid air — requires more energy to cool and compress.
In addition to requiring more energy to compress, humid air also damages the inside of an air
compressor over time because it increases the chance for rust development.
If you're using an air compressor in humid conditions, you may want to install a dehumidifier in
the location of your air compressor so that your air supply is drier.

6. Supply of Hot Air

Your air compressor expends more energy to compress hot air than it does to compress cold
air. Air needs to be cooled to be compressed. Therefore, your compressor needs to expend
additional energy to cool air before it can be compressed if it draws in hot air.
You should store your air compressor in a cool area and/or use air conditioning in the area
where your air compressor is stored. This way, your air compressor compresses air that it takes
in more quickly and efficiently.

7. Excessively High Operating Pressure Settings

You can adjust pressure settings on your air compressor. If your air compressor is set to
compress air to excessively high-pressure settings, it's not operating as efficiently as it could.
The higher the pressure setting on your compressor, the harder your compressor has to work.

8. Impure air: Air that contains dirt, dust or other impurities can cause gunk to accumulate inside
an air compressor. This build-up wears on parts and reduces internal volume, which can lead to
increased costs for repeated air compressor maintenance sessions.

Ways to increase efficiency of Compressor:

 1. Size the distribution system properly. The size and material used for the compressed air
distribution system can be critical to ensuring proper flow and pressure delivery to the most
remote point-of-use locations. Using a smooth, non-corroding material like Teseo’s Aluminum
Piping also helps assure proper flow and pressure delivery. If future expansion is anticipated,
over-sizing the distribution system upfront will save thousands of dollars later on.

2. Reduce bends and angles in the flow path. The presence of sharp turns increases the amount
of friction in the compressed air, causing it to heat up and wear on parts. This heat production
saps energy from the system and leads to higher pressure drops, which ultimately result in a
lower pressure upon delivery. By straightening the flow path, the system will waste less energy
and last longer.

3. Prevent heat waste with a recovery system. Air compressors operate at about 10 percent
efficiency — you lose most of the energy to heat. By using a heat recovery system, you can
recover nearly all of the lost power and use it for warming your workspace or other applications.

4. Lower the excess pressure in your system. Often, a system that only requires 60 psi to operate
will draw 100 psi from an air compressor. This extra air ultimately sits unused, as the regulator
keeps it from damaging the equipment, and gets discharged at the end of the usage period.
Match the pressure in your system to the pressure required by your devices.

Air Injection for Centrifugal Compressors

● The appearance of rotating stall in compressors is a sign of instability and performance

deterioration. Many studies were introduced to clarify the ambiguity of rotating stall and to
provide efficient ways to overcome it.
● One of the most successful methods in controlling stall is the air injection method where air is
injected with enough kinetic energy at specified angles near the shroud surface to correct the
flow path..
● Results showed that the injection of air opposite to the rotor rotational direction and tangentially
increased the operating range comparing to the case of injection in the same direction of
rotation.
● Recently, it was found that the macro injection has an advantage over micro injection as it
provides decreasing tip leakage flow and also changes the blade loading

Methodology/Literature review

Referred to the inputs given by our mentor, scientific articles and research papers to formulate an
abstract on the workings of an air compressor and how to increase its efficiency.
 References

● https://www.ashoka.cc/cement-plants.html
● https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/engineering/clinkerization#:~:text=In%20this%20pr
ocess%2C%20calcium%20oxide,other%20additives%20to%20reduce%20cement.
● http://www.greenspec.co.uk/building-design/cement-materials-and-manufacturing-proce
ss/
● https://compressedairmgmt.com/industries-we-serve/cement-industry/
● https://www.atlascopco.com/en-in/compressors/industry-solutions/cement