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Optimising plant utilisation

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Developments in pyro processing optimisation and technologies have made it possible to improve existing plants with high energy efficiencies and low emissions, while simultaneously reducing operating costs and preserving the environment and optimal use of fast depleting natural resources.

Kiln is said to be the heart of a cement plant, comparing the cement plant with that of human body. It is a continuous operation and the performance of a plant is judged by the number of days; the kiln runs without any stoppages. In the present economic scenario on an average, the plant utilisation is close to 70 per cent. For the operational function, it is much more challenging because if the production level further goes down for want of demand, then within no time, the plant operation runs into red. Therefore, it is extremely important to decide the equipment capacities precisely since it is a part of design. There is a tendency to go for higher capacity plants for the simple commercial considerations, but in the present situation, such plants in no time will turn into stressed asset if they are running below the bench mark level. Every unit knows its benchmark level to run it into profits. This is exactly the situation in few of the cement plants in the country as they were set up when there was a boom time for cement business which did last for few years but no further.

New approach
A few cement producers in the industry have been smart to decide on the capacities of the plant. Generally at design stage, while deciding on preheater it is preferred to have a single string of operation as a starting phase. Then after stabilisation and proper understanding of the market conditions, it is better to add another string. But then the kiln in the first phase must have been designed with sufficient margins. This has been the case with a few of plants in our country. The plant capacities have been enhanced over a period of time. Our design engineers along with FLSmidth, ThyssenKrupp, KHD Humboldt etc, have done wonderful jobs to add to the capacities of the plant in the country without diluting the performance of the kiln on any count like gaseous pollution or compromising on operational part. However, we strongly feel this has created tremendous load on the coolers and to some extent compromised its performance. The cooler as a hardware has limitations to enhance its capacity or either have modifications in the given space. In many cases, it has been noticed that it is the cooler which throttles the production and not the kiln or grinding.

Use of alternate fuels
Regarding the technology front, there is not much to say on the pyro process per se specifically that has happened in the last decade except more and more players in our country have been experimenting on alternate fuels or industrial waste which is encouraging. With more support coming from the government departments like Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) and State Pollution Control Boards, the number of usage is only going to grow. There are some changes required in the kiln burner design before the fuels are changed or replaced. Plant would prefer to have a common burner for conventional fuel like coal and for alternate fuels like industrial waste and petcoke. The plants need to address the issue of safety while using hazardous waste since our experience in doing jobs in a safe manner is far below expectations.

Waste Heat Recovery (WHR) can reduce the operating costs and improve EBITDA margins of cement factories by about 10-15 per cent. On average, electric power expenses account for up to 25 per cent of total operating costs of a cement factory. However, to realise the full potential of WHR as of now $1,400 million is required, which is too high.

The other major advantage for Indian cement industry is minuscule presence of volatile matters like sulphur, chlorine, potassium etc. Therefor a majority of plants in India do not have bypass system as a part of design whereas the plants in Gulf countries have this as an additional system. In future as more and more plants will go for alternate fuels in the country they may have to go for by pass system as additional feature.

Focus emission
In pyro processing, the area of focus has been, reduction of NOX and SO2 emissions, and increase of production throughput without compromising on energy consumption but with flexible options on fuel.

Safety in pyro processing is extremely important since coal is used as a fuel. Generally, it is pulvisised at the plant and then fed into the kiln through burner. The conditions in the coal mill area are extremely hazardous and need more attention to reduce the number of unsafe incidences. Inertisation of coal mill is yet to be executed in many plants. There is a lot of scope for improvement here in the industry. Considering the capabilities exhibited till date, we feel Indian cement industry will fulfill this aspiration as well.

Conclusion
According to Kumar, developments in pyro processing optimisation and technologies have made it possible to improve existing plants with high energy efficiencies and low emissions, while simultaneously reducing operating costs and preserving the environment and optimal use of fast depleting natural resources. Process optimisation and performance improvement has become inevitable in cement industry. "Although every situation must be analysed carefully to evaluate real gains that can be achieved, most cement plants can achieve improved performance by implementing suitable modifications," he concludes.

TECHNOLOGY TRENDS IN PYRO PROCESSING

Kilns

  • Redefinition of operating parameters – volumetric loadings up to 7.5 tpd/cu m
  • Thermal loadings up to 5.5 Gcal/ sq m/kg clinker
  • Filling % of 14-16 and kiln speeds up to 5.5 rpm
  • 2-pier installations with a drop in L/D ratios to 10-11
  • Low primary air, low NOx multi-channel burners

Pre-calciners

  • Degree of calcination up to 95 per cent
  • Calciner to kiln fuel ratio of 70:30
  • Increased residence time up to 5.5 sec to improve combustion efficiency specially in case of petcoke
  • Low NOx systems Pre-heater
  • 6-stage, twin string preheaters with clinkering capacities up to 10,000 tpd
  • Increased cyclone efficiency up to 96 per cent
  • Reduction in L/D ratio in cyclones resulting in a pressure drop reduction from 700 to 400 mm WG and a tower height reduction of 10-15 m
  • Reduction in the total sp. air requirement from 1.6 to 1.45 Nm3/kg clinker Improvement in fan efficiencies.

Coolers

  • New generation (eg, walking-floor) coolers resulting in increased cooler recuperating efficiency from 68-76 per cent resulting in increase of secondary/tertiary air temperature to 1,000oC
  • Drop in air requirement from 2.2 to 1.6 Nm3/ kg clinker
  • Increase in cooler loading up to 50 t/d/sq m

Bypass system
Raw materials and fuels used for the manufacture of clinker generally contain some volatile constituents. These are mainly the compounds of potassium, sodium, sulphur and chlorine. Volatiles may also originate from water, refractory and wearing parts of equipment. These volatile constituents generally have low melting points. Hence, condensation of the volatile matters takes place on raw meal particles and the surrounding walls in the colder zones of the kiln. This causes build-ups on the cyclone walls and riser ducts that lead to blockages in the passage areas in the cyclones. The bypass system allows a high proportion of volatiles to be removed through the kiln gas stream and improves the performance and product quality.

Fuel solutions
Alternative fuels such as lignite, petcoke, tyres, bagasse, rice husk, industrial wastes etc, are being in use for sometime now. Several plants are using/ investigating hospital refuse and municipal waste as workable alternatives. The current reported thermal substitution rates (TSR) in the Indian cement industry is about one per cent. However, TSR levels as high as 60 per cent have been achieved in some of the developed nations. Action plans are needed to overcome technical, financial and regulatory barriers to the growth of alternate fuel (AF) usage. Technical solutions are in place for storage, handling and dosing the AF to the system.

– Kamal Kumar, Chief General Manager, Holtec

Diagnosis
Based on process measurements conducted following observations were made:

  • The PH system is operating with about 28% leakage air. This is resulting in higher PH fan power consumption.
  • The cooler vent gas volume of 1.63 Nm3/kg clinker and temperature of 369oC.
  • High clinker temperature of 165oC value against the normal value of around 100oC.
  • The heat balance of the pyro processing system indicated that the total heat consumption works out to 888 kcal/kg clinker.
Implementations
Following suggestions were implemented:
Area 2,000 t/d
Kiln size 3.95 m dia x 56 m L
Preheater (PH) Single string 5-stage suspension preheater with in line calciner (ILC)
Kiln burner Duoflex
Fuel used Furnace oil
Preheater fan 7,000 m3/min at 900 mm WG, 320oC
Cooler vent fan 5,133 m3/min at 190 mm WG, 300oC
Clinker cooler Reciprocating grate cooler
Cooler effective area 52.8 m2
No. of grates 2
Specific heat consumption
(A mass and heat balance
conducted jointly)		 854 kcal/kg clinker
Implementations
Following suggestions were implemented:
Area Recommendations Result
Fuel firing Conversion of oil firing to coal firing in kiln and PC Reduction in operation cost
Preheater Reducing preheater exhaust gas quantity to 1.60 Nm3/kg clinker by arrest false air leakage, reduce the PH outlet draft Reduction in heat consumption
PC primary air fan volume reduced, smaller capacity fan motor installed Reduction in power consumption
Coal transport air quantity to PC was reduced in phases Reduction in heat consumption
Maintaining PC outlet temperature as 840oC.A PID loop was provided for the PC firing. Reduction in heat consumption
Kiln Increase the kiln speed from 3.0 to 3.3 rpm Increased kiln output
Coal transport air to quantity to kiln was reduced in phases Reduction in heat consumption
Position of the inner burner pipe was retracted by 30 mm and pressure at burner pipe was increased by 10 per cent Sharp and intense flame resulting in saving in heat consumption
Clinker cooler To reduce the cooler vent air temperature Reduction in heat consumption.
Optimisation of cooler operation, commissioning of water spray system. Reduction in clinker temperature
First grate of the cooler is to be modified with the new generation static grate plates/grate systems. Improved heat recuperation to handle
increased clinker production
Stable cooler operation

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Concrete

Adani’s Strategic Emergence in India’s Cement Landscape

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2 weeks ago

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September 16, 2025

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Milind Khangan, Marketing Head, Vertex Market Research, sheds light on Adani’s rapid cement consolidation under its ‘One Business, One Company’ strategy while positioning it to rival UltraTech, and thus, shaping a potential duopoly in India’s booming cement market.

India is the second-largest cement-producing country in the world, following China. This expansion is being driven by tremendous public investment in the housing and infrastructure sectors. The industry is accelerating, with a boost from schemes such as PM Gati Shakti, Bharatmala, and the Vande Bharat corridors. An upsurge in affordable housing under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY) further supports this expansion. In May 2025, local cement production increased about 9 per cent from last year to about 40 million metric tonnes for the month. The combined cement capacity in India was recorded at 670 million metric tonnes in the 2025 fiscal year, according to the Cement Manufacturers’ Association (CMA). For the financial year 2026, this is set to grow by another 9 per cent.
In spite of the growing demand, the Indian cement industry is highly competitive. UltraTech Cement (Aditya Birla Group) is still the market leader with domestic installed capacity of more than 186 MTPA as on 2025. It is targeted to achieve 200 MTPA. Adani Cement recently became a major player and is now India’s second-largest cement company. It did this through aggressive consolidation, operational synergies, and scale efficiencies. Indian players in the cement industry are increasingly valuing operational efficiency and sustainability. Some of the strategies with high impact are alternative fuels and materials (AFR) adoption, green cement expansion, and digital technology investments to offset changing regulatory pressure and increasing energy prices.

Building Adani Cement brand
Vertex Market Research explains that the Adani Group is executing a comprehensive reorganisation and consolidation of its cement business under the ‘One Business, One Company’ strategy. The plan is to integrate its diversified holdings into one consolidated corporate entity named Adani Cement. The focus is on operating integration, governance streamlining, and cost reduction in its expanding cement business.
Integration roadmap and key milestones:

  • September 2022: The consolidation process started with the $6.4 billion buyout of Holcim’s majority stakes in Ambuja Cements and ACC, with Ambuja becoming the focal point of the consolidation.
  • December 2023: Bought Sanghi Industries to strengthen the firm’s presence in western India.
  • August 2024: Added Penna Cement to the portfolio, improving penetration of the southern market of India.
  • April 2025: Further holding addition in Orient Cement to 46.66 per cent by purchasing the same from CK Birla Group, becoming the promoter with control.
  • Ambuja Cements amalgamated with Adani Cement: This was sanctioned by the NCLT on 18th July 2025 with effect from April 1, 2024. This amalgamation brings in limestone reserves and fresh assets into Ambuja.
  • Subject to Sanghi and Penna merger with Ambuja: Board approvals in December 2024 with the aim to finish between September to December 2025.
  • Ambuja-ACC future integration: The latter is being contemplated as the final step towards consolidation.
  • Orient Cement: It would serve as a principal manufacturing facility following the merger.

Scale, capacity expansion and market position
In financial year-2025, Adani Cement, including Ambuja, surpassed 100 MTPA. This makes it one of the world’s top ten cement companies. Along with ACC’s operations, it is now firmly placed as India’s second-largest cement company. In FY25, the Adani group’s sales volume per annum clocked 65 million metric tonnes. Adani Group claims that it now supplies close to 30 per cent of the cement consumed in India’s homes and infrastructure as of June 2025.
The organisation is pursuing aggressive brownfield expansion:

  • By FY 2026: Reach 118 MTPA
  • By FY 2028: Target 140 MTPA

These goals will be driven by commissioning new clinker and grinding units at key sites, with civil and mechanical works underway.
As of 2024, Adani Cement had its market share pegged at around 14 to 15 per cent, with an ambition to scale this up to 20 per cent by FY?2028, emerging as a potent competitor to UltraTech’s 192?MTPA capacity (186 domestic and overseas).

Strategic advantages and competitive benefits
The consolidation simplifies decision-making by reducing legal entities, centralising oversight, and removing redundant functions. This drives compliance efficiency and transparent reporting. Using procurement power for raw materials and energy lowers costs per ton. Integrated logistics with Adani Ports and freight infrastructure has resulted in an estimated 6 per cent savings in logistics. The group aims for additional savings of INR 500 to 550 per tonne by FY 2028 by integrating green energy, using alternative fuel resources, and improving sourcing methods.

Market coverage and brand consistency
Brand integration under one strategy will provide uniform product quality and easier distribution networks. Integration with Orient Cement’s dealer base, 60 per cent of which already distributes Ambuja/ACC products, enhances outreach and responsiveness.
By having captive limestone reserves at Lakhpat (approximately 275 million tonnes) and proposed new manufacturing facilities in Raigad, Maharashtra, Adani Cement derives cost advantage, raw material security, and long-term operational robustness.

Strategic implications and risks
Consolidation at Adani Cement makes it not just a capacity leader but also an operationally agile competitor with the ability to reap digital and sustainability benefits. Its vertically integrated platform enables cost leadership, market responsiveness, and scalability.

Challenges potentially include:

  • Integration challenges across systems, corporate cultures, and plant operations
  • Regulatory sanctions for pending mergers and new capacity additions
  • Environmental clearances in environmentally sensitive areas and debt management with input price volatility

When materialised, this revolution would create a formidable Adani–UltraTech duopoly, redefining Indian cement on the basis of scale, innovation, and sustainability. India’s leading four cement players such as Adani (ACC and Ambuja), Dalmia Cement, Shree Cement, and UltraTech are expected to dominate the cement market.

Conclusion
Adani’s aggressive consolidation under the ‘One Business, One Company’ strategy signals a decisive shift in the Indian cement industry, positioning the group as a formidable challenger to UltraTech and setting the stage for a potential duopoly that could dominate the sector for years to come. By unifying operations, leveraging economies of scale, and securing vertical integration—from raw material reserves to distribution networks—Adani Cement is building both capacity and resilience, with clear advantages in cost efficiency, market reach, and sustainability. While integration complexities, regulatory hurdles, and environmental approvals remain key challenges, the scale and strategic alignment of this consolidation promise to redefine competition, pricing dynamics, and operational benchmarks in one of the world’s fastest-growing cement markets.

About the author:
Milind Khangan is the Marketing Head at Vertex Market Research and comes with over five years of experience in market research, lead generation and team management.

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Concrete

Precision in Motion: A Deep Dive into PowerBuild’s Core Gear Series

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1 month ago

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August 16, 2025

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PowerBuild’s flagship Series M, C, F, and K geared motors deliver robust, efficient, and versatile power transmission solutions for industries worldwide.

Products – M, C, F, K: At the heart of every high-performance industrial system lies the need for robust, reliable, and efficient power transmission. PowerBuild answers this need with its flagship geared motor series: M, C, F, and K. Each series is meticulously engineered to serve specific operational demands while maintaining the universal promise of durability, efficiency, and performance.
Series M – Helical Inline Geared Motors: Compact and powerful, the Series M delivers exceptional drive solutions for a broad range of applications. With power handling up to 160kW and torque capacity reaching 20,000 Nm, it is the trusted solution for industries requiring quiet operation, high efficiency, and space-saving design. Series M is available with multiple mounting and motor options, making it a versatile choice for manufacturers and OEMs globally.
Series C – Right Angled Heli-Worm Geared Motors: Combining the benefits of helical and worm gearing, the Series C is designed for right-angled power transmission. With gear ratios of up to 16,000:1 and torque capacities of up to 10,000 Nm, this series is optimal for applications demanding precision in compact spaces. Industries looking for a smooth, low-noise operation with maximum torque efficiency rely on Series C for dependable performance.
Series F – Parallel Shaft Mounted Geared Motors: Built for endurance in the most demanding environments, Series F is widely adopted in steel plants, hoists, cranes, and heavy-duty conveyors. Offering torque up to 10,000 Nm and high gear ratios up to 20,000:1, this product features an integral torque arm and diverse output configurations to meet industry-specific challenges head-on.
Series K – Right Angle Helical Bevel Geared Motors: For industries seeking high efficiency and torque-heavy performance, Series K is the answer. This right-angled geared motor series delivers torque up to 50,000 Nm, making it a preferred choice in core infrastructure sectors such as cement, power, mining, and material handling. Its flexibility in mounting and broad motor options offer engineers’ freedom in design and reliability in execution.
Together, these four series reflect PowerBuild’s commitment to excellence in mechanical power transmission. From compact inline designs to robust right-angle drives, each geared motor is a result of decades of engineering innovation, customer-focused design, and field-tested reliability. Whether the requirement is speed control, torque multiplication, or space efficiency, Radicon’s Series M, C, F, and K stand as trusted powerhouses for global industries.

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Concrete

Driving Measurable Gains

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1 month ago

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August 16, 2025

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Klüber Lubrication India’s Klübersynth GEM 4-320 N upgrades synthetic gear oil for energy efficiency.

Klüber Lubrication India has introduced a strategic upgrade for the tyre manufacturing industry by retrofitting its high-performance synthetic gear oil, Klübersynth GEM 4-320 N, into Barrel Cold Feed Extruder gearboxes. This smart substitution, requiring no hardware changes, delivered energy savings of 4-6 per cent, as validated by an internationally recognised energy audit firm under IPMVP – Option B protocols, aligned with
ISO 50015 standards.

Beyond energy efficiency, the retrofit significantly improved operational parameters:

  • Lower thermal stress on equipment
  • Extended lubricant drain intervals
  • Reduction in CO2 emissions and operational costs

These benefits position Klübersynth GEM 4-320 N as a powerful enabler of sustainability goals in line with India’s Business Responsibility and Sustainability Reporting (BRSR) guidelines and global Net Zero commitments.

Verified sustainability, zero compromise
This retrofit case illustrates that meaningful environmental impact doesn’t always require capital-intensive overhauls. Klübersynth GEM 4-320 N demonstrated high performance in demanding operating environments, offering:

  • Enhanced component protection
  • Extended oil life under high loads
  • Stable performance across fluctuating temperatures

By enabling quick wins in efficiency and sustainability without disrupting operations, Klüber reinforces its role as a trusted partner in India’s evolving industrial landscape.

Klüber wins EcoVadis Gold again
Further affirming its global leadership in responsible business practices, Klüber Lubrication has been awarded the EcoVadis Gold certification for the fourth consecutive year in 2025. This recognition places it in the top three per cent
of over 150,000 companies worldwide evaluated for environmental, ethical and sustainable procurement practices.
Klüber’s ongoing investments in R&D and product innovation reflect its commitment to providing data-backed, application-specific lubrication solutions that exceed industry expectations and support long-term sustainability goals.

A trusted industrial ally
Backed by 90+ years of tribology expertise and a global support network, Klüber Lubrication is helping customers transition toward a greener tomorrow. With Klübersynth GEM 4-320 N, tyre manufacturers can take measurable, low-risk steps to boost energy efficiency and regulatory alignment—proving that even the smallest change can spark a significant transformation.

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