Concrete

SPECTRAFLOW, now in India

Published

5 years ago

July 1, 2021

admin

Cross belt analysers have been gaining popularity over years especially for the raw material analysis that goes for raw meal preparations. This leads to consistency of raw meal before clinkerisation takes place.

Ramco Cements, an independent Indian group, ordered a Crossbelt and Airslide analyzer from SpectraFlow analytics, for their new integrated plant at Kalvatala, to optimize the stability of their raw meal.

Ramco Cements Limited, founded in 1961, is a reputed cement manufacturer in India, headquartered in Chennai. Ramco Cements produces superior quality cement at their state-of-the art facilities including integrated cement plants and grinding units. The company is the fifth largest cement manufacturer in India and also produces Ready Mix Concrete and Dry Mortar products and operates one of the largest wind farms in the country.

About Ramco Cements Limited, Kalvatala plant:

Greenfield integrated cement plant is being setup at Kalvatala, Kolimigundla Mandal, Kurnool District. The foundation stone was laid in December 2018 and the plant shall be operational in first quarter of 2021. The project will include a Waste Heat Recovery System and a Thermal Power Plant.

FLS was chosen as the main equipment supplier and Ramco Project Team looked after specialized components themselves and choose SpectraFlow Analytics Crossbelt Analyzer for their stockpile and pre-blending management and SpectraFlow Airslide Analyzer for the raw meal optimization of their two raw mills.

SpectraFlow Installation for Quarry/Stockpile Optimization:

The SpectraFlow Crossbelt Analyzer is the online analyzer to be able to measure raw materials on belt conveyors. As raw materials from the quarry are processed through a crusher the raw material on the conveyor belt is statistically homogeneous and therefore the analytical results of the SpectraFlow Crossbelt Analyzer are accurate.

By using SpectraFlow Crossbelt analyzer and a site specific blending strategy at Kavalatala the high variation in the local raw materials shall be balanced out to increase consistency of the stockpile quality.

Summarized benefits are:

– No need of sampling. Sampling from conveyor belts is unrepresentative and slow for process optimization. Additionally, sampling is very work intensive regarding operation and maintenance.

– The analyzer together with a Pre-Blending control software from RAMCO SYSTEMS is fully automating the feed from the hoppers. The analyzer delivers the analytical results and according the setpoint the software is adjusting the feeders into the mixing stage

– The analyzer together with a Pre-Blending control software is informing the quarry/crusher operators of the current composition of the stockpile and accordingly the trucks can be coordinated to reach the setpoint of the stockpile.

– Stockpile quality will be homogeneous and on setpoint. That results in stable and low additive consumption at the raw mill.

– Stable feed from the stockpile leads to stable raw mill operation and fine raw meal/clinker quality.

SpectraFlow Installation for Raw Mill Optimization:

The SpectraFlow Airslide Analyzer is the online analyzer to be able to measure raw materials in airslides. As raw materials in airslides are very homogeneous and dry the analytical results of the SpectraFlow Airslide Analyzer are very accurate and based on these accurate results the raw mix control software can optimize the weight feeders before the raw mill in real time every minute. This results in very low LSF STDEV without the need of extensive sampling and laboratory efforts.

Kalvatala operates 2 Roller Press raw. The raw meal will feed to a joint airslide where the SpectraFlow Airslide analyzer will measure.

For the control of the weight feeders at the 2 raw mills Ramco will use control software from RAMCO SYSTEMS.

By using SpectraFlow an increase in the raw meal homogeneity will be achieved.

Summarized benefits are:

– Two raw mills can be controlled by one online analyzer.

– No need of intensive sampling. No automated sample transport system, no automated laboratory required.

– High cost reduction due to reduced laboratory usage (CAPEX, OPEX, man power,??

– The analyzer together with the control software is fully automating the raw material grinding. The analyzer delivers the analytical results and according the setpoint the software is adjusting the weight feeders of the additive bins.

– Adjustment of the weight feeders in real time every minute. No time delay due to sampling, sample preparation, ??/p>

– Lower LSF STDEV/better and more consistent raw mill quality

RAMCO SYSTEMS

SpectraFlow order

This SpectraFlow order is the 39^th order for the Cement Industry and the 1^st installation in India. This order raises the installed based in India to 2 analyzers (1 Crossbelt & 1 Airslide) and worldwide to 56 analyzers (31 Crossbelt & 25 Airslide).

SpectraFlow Analytics Ltd. Switzerland are the experts in providing online analysis for the cement and minerals industry without any radioactive sources nor neutron generators. The NIR technology used for the SpectraFlow Analyzers is not requiring any permits or licenses and there are no restrictions in buying, importing or maintaining the analyzers. This results in very low operating costs and high availability of the analyzers combined with highly accurate measurement results.

For further information, contact: Vijay Kumar Vemuri, Managing Partner, SPV Engineers, 2242, BHEL MIG,

Phase-I, Serilingampally, Hyderabad – 502032

M no. +91 8885744161, Email:vk.vemuri@spvengineers.com

Concrete

UltraTech Cement FY26 PAT Crosses Rs 80 bn

Company reports record sales, profit and 200 MTPA capacity milestone

Published

1 day ago

April 29, 2026

admin

UltraTech Cement reported record financial performance for Q4 and FY26, supported by strong volumes, higher profitability and improved cost efficiency. Consolidated net sales for Q4 FY26 rose 12 per cent year-on-year to Rs 254.67 billion, while PBIDT increased 20 per cent to Rs 56.88 billion. PAT, excluding exceptional items, grew 21 per cent to Rs 30.11 billion.

For FY26, consolidated net sales stood at Rs 873.84 billion, up 17 per cent from Rs 749.36 billion in FY25. PBIDT rose 32 per cent to Rs 175.98 billion, while PAT increased 36 per cent to Rs 83.05 billion, crossing the Rs 80 billion mark for the first time.

India grey cement volumes reached 42.41 million tonnes in Q4 FY26, up 9.3 per cent year-on-year, with capacity utilisation at 89 per cent. Full-year India grey cement volumes stood at 145 million tonnes. Energy costs declined 3 per cent, aided by a higher green power mix of 43 per cent in Q4.

The company’s domestic grey cement capacity has crossed 200 MTPA, reaching 200.1 MTPA, while global capacity stands at 205.5 MTPA. UltraTech also recommended a special dividend of Rs 2.40 billion per share value basis equivalent to Rs 240.

Concrete

Towards Mega Batching

Optimised batching can drive overall efficiencies in large projects.

Published

2 days ago

April 28, 2026

admin

India’s pace of infrastructure development is pushing the construction sector to work at a significantly higher scale than previously. Tight deadlines necessitate eliminating concreting delays, especially in large and mega projects, which, in turn, imply installing the right batching plant and ensuring batching is efficient. CW explores these steps as well as the gaps in India’s batching plant market.

Choose well

Large-scale infrastructure and building projects typically involve concrete consumption exceeding 30,000-50,000 cum per annum or demand continuous, high-volume pours within compressed timelines, according to Rahul R Wadhai, DGM – Quality, Tata Projects.

Considering the daily need for concrete, “large-scale concreting involves pouring more than 1,000–2,000 cum per day while mega projects involve more than 3,000 cum per day,” says Satish R Vachhani, Advanced Concrete & Construction Consultant…

To read the full article Click Here

Concrete

Andhra Offers Discom Licences To Private Firms Outside Power Sector

Policy allows firms over 300 MW to seek distribution licences

Published

3 days ago

April 27, 2026

admin

The Andhra Pradesh government will allow private firms that require more than 300 megawatt (MW) of power to apply for distribution licences, making the state the first to extend such licences beyond the power sector. The policy targets information technology, pharmaceuticals, steel and data centres and aims to reduce reliance on state utilities as demand rises for artificial intelligence infrastructure.

Approved applicants will be able to procure electricity directly from generators through power purchase agreements, a change officials said will create more competitive tariffs and reduce supply risk. Licence holders will use the Andhra Pradesh Transmission Company (APTRANSCO) network on payment of charges and will not need a separate distribution network initially.

Licences will be granted under the Electricity Act, 2003 framework, with the Central and State electricity regulators retaining authority over terms and approvals. The recent Electricity (Amendment) Bill, 2025 sought to lower entry barriers, enable network sharing and encourage competition, while the state commission will set floor and ceiling tariffs where multiple discoms operate.

Industry players and original equipment manufacturers welcomed the policy, saying competitive supply is vital for large data centre investments. Major projects and partnerships such as those involving Adani and Google, Brookfield and Reliance, and Meta and Sify Technologies are expected to benefit as capacity expands in the state.

Analysts noted India’s data centre capacity is forecast to reach 10 gigawatts (GW) by 2030 and cited International Energy Agency estimates that global data centre electricity consumption could approach 945 terawatt hours by the same year. A one GW data centre needs an equivalent power allocation and one point five times the water, which authorities equated to 150 billion litres (150 bn litres).

Advisers warned that distribution licences will require close regulation and monitoring to prevent misuse and to ensure tariffs and supply obligations are met. Officials said the policy aims to balance investor requirements with regulatory oversight and could serve as a model for other states.