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Economy & Market

Cooler Market Heats Up!

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Cement being a continuous industry, the pyro section that runs 24/7 is the process part which is a non-stop operation. Though the cooler appears to be fairly simple but the operational part is more difficult when the capacity of a plant goes up.

It is a common practice in the industry to enhance the capacity of the kiln after a certain period of time when the plant stabilises. The problem arises when the engineers try to augment the capacity of a cooler with that of enhanced capacity of a kiln. The job becomes even more difficult when the space is limited. However with the support from cooler suppliers and after the selection of a right consultant, the job can be done. Retrofitting of cooler is quite often undertaken at a number of plants. (Refer to the article by ERCOM Engineers in this feature) Few leading manufacturers of coolers are FLSmidth, IKN (Ingenieurbnro Knhlerbau Neustadt), CemProTec, Claudius Peters, KHD Humboldt Wedag, ThyssenKrupp Polysius AG and FONS Technology. Major differences lie in the manner in which material is conveyed over the grates, the mode of aeration and the solid-gas heat exchange, the type and presence of self-regulating valves for airflow and the hydraulic system for moving parts.

Jayant Saha, a consultant having a vast experience with coolers, says, "The clinker cooler becomes a major bottleneck to support capacity upgradation. Almost all capacity upgradation projects involve increment in the capacity of existing coolers. Even with some extent of compromise with clinker temperature increase at cooler outlet, extra grate area requirement comes out to approximately 50-60 per cent for upgradation in existing calciner kiln system. For upgradation of older SP plants, the cooler grate area increment goes to even 150 per cent. Grate area can be increased only if free area is available within the cooler itself or by extending cooler longitudinally or by both methods. In most of the cases, the existing layout limits the cooler expansion and thus limits the upgradation scope. It is always advisable to keep a provision in the layout for cooler expansion, by keeping a little longer horizontal length for clinker pan conveyor."

Saha further says that though there are many types of coolers for cooling the clinker, the state-of-the-art coolers are either grate coolers or cross bar coolers. As cooling is a heat-transmission process, cooling efficiency is greatly dependent on the temperature difference between the two media, i.e., air and clinker.

In the course of rapid development in coolers in recent years, new generations of grate coolers have come into the market. In fact, it is little difficult to keep a track of the current cooler generation. However, little improvements have been made with regards to cooler efficiency and the cooling principle. At the same time, the grate load has typically been increased from approximately 40 to 50 t/d clinker per m2, considering the same clinker temperature, though the widely accepted value is about 45.

However good choice you make to erect a good cooler, the way in which it is operated is equally important. Here a process engineer plays a very important role. Snow man, Red River and jamming are some of the problems faced in cooler operation. These are process-related issues for which a good process engineering knowledge is necessary. The raw meal design has its impact on cooler operation.

Cooler optimisation can be carried out by maintaining:
-Maximum possible clinker residence time in the cooler to achieve the best possible distribution of clinker and cooling air. The clinker retention time in the cooler is determined by the grate surface loading and clinker bed depth;
-Proper cooling air flow distribution;
-Proper tuned PID controller (grate speed vis-a-vis under grate pressure) plays an important role.

Suchismita of ERCOM says that the efficiency of the cooler depends on its ability to recover the heat from the clinker entering the cooler, and cooling the clinker. The cooler also fulfills the key role of transporting the clinker away from the kiln in a reliable manner.

Saha writes, the cooler also provides hot air to be used in waste heat recovery system (WHRS). The steam turbine-based waste heat recovery boilers (WHRB) are placed between the cooler and the de-dusting system. Depending on situations/requirements, various configurations are considered. If no modification is made to the cooler and the excess gas is ducted from the cooler exit to the WHRB, then the vent fan should have enough margins to take care of the pressure drop in the heat recovery boiler.

The upgradation of cooler is a purely an engineering job requiring correct inputs about the existing status and the expected results.

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Economy & Market

Hindalco Buys US Speciality Alumina Firm for $125 Million

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This strategic acquisition marks a significant investment in speciality alumina, a key step by Aditya Birla Group’s metals flagship towards becoming future-ready by scaling its high-value, technology-led materials portfolio.

Hindalco Industries, the world’s largest aluminium company by revenue and the metals flagship of the $28 billion Aditya Birla Group, has announced the acquisition of a 100 per cent equity stake in US-based AluChem Companies—a prominent manufacturer of speciality alumina—for an enterprise value of $125 million. The transaction will be executed through Aditya Holdings, a wholly owned subsidiary.

This acquisition represents a pivotal investment in speciality alumina and advances Hindalco’s strategy to expand its high-value, technology-led materials portfolio.

Hindalco’s speciality alumina business, a key pillar of its value-added strategy, has delivered consistent double-digit growth in recent years. It has emerged as a high-growth, high-margin vertical within the company’s portfolio. As speciality alumina finds expanding applications across electric mobility, semiconductors, and precision ceramics, the deal positions Hindalco further up the innovation curve, enabling next-generation alumina solutions and value-accretive growth.

Kumar Mangalam Birla, Chairman of Aditya Birla Group, called the acquisition an important step in their global strategy to build a leadership position in value-added, high-tech materials.

“Our strategic foray into the speciality alumina space will not only accelerate the development of future-ready, sustainable solutions but also open new pathways to pursue high-impact growth opportunities. By integrating advanced technologies into our value chain, we are reinforcing our commitment to self-reliance, import substitution, and building scale in innovation-led businesses.”

Ronald P Zapletal, Founder, AluChem Companies, said the partnership with Hindalco would provide AluChem the ability and capital to scale up faster and build scale in North America.

“AluChem will benefit from their world-class sustainability and safety standards and practices, access to integrated operations and a consistent, reliable raw material supply chain. Their ability to leverage R&D capabilities and a talented workforce adds tremendous value to our innovation pipeline, helping drive market expansion beyond North America.”

An Eye on the Future

The global speciality alumina market is projected to grow significantly, with rising demand for tailored solutions in sectors such as ceramics, electronics, aerospace, and medical applications. Hindalco currently operates 500,000 tonnes of speciality alumina capacity and aims to scale this up to 1 million tonnes by FY2030.

Commenting on the development, Satish Pai, Managing Director, Hindalco Industries, said the deal reinforced their commitment to innovation and global expansion.

“As alumina gains increasing relevance in critical and clean-tech sectors, AluChem’s advanced chemistry capabilities will significantly enhance our ability to serve these fast-evolving markets. Importantly, it deepens our high-value-added portfolio with differentiated products that drive profitability and strengthen our global competitiveness.”

AluChem adds a strong North American presence to Hindalco’s portfolio, with an annual capacity of 60,000 tonnes across three advanced manufacturing facilities in Ohio and Arkansas. The company is a long-standing supplier of ultra-low soda calcined and tabular alumina, materials prized for their thermal and mechanical stability and widely used in precision engineering and high-performance refractories.

Saurabh Khedekar, CEO of the Alumina Business at Hindalco Industries, said the acquisition unlocked immediate synergies, including market access and portfolio diversification.

“Hindalco plans to work with AluChem’s high performance technology solutions and scale up production of ultra-low soda alumina products to drive a larger global market share.”

The transaction is expected to close in the upcoming quarter, subject to customary closing conditions and regulatory approvals.

 

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Concrete

Shree Cement reports 2025 financial year results

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Shree Cement posted revenue of US$2.38 billion for FY2025, marking a 5.5 per cent decline year-on-year. Operating costs rose 2.9 per cent to US$2.17 billion, resulting in an EBITDA of US$528 million—down 12 per cent from the previous year. Net profit fell 50 per cent to US$141 million. The company reported cement sales of 9.84Mt in Q4 FY2025, a 3.3 per cent increase from 9.53Mt in Q4 FY2024, with premium products making up 16 per cent of total sales.

Image source:https://newsmantra.in/

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Concrete

Rekha Onteddu to become director at Sagar Cements

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Sagar Cements has announced the appointment of Rekha Onteddu as a non-executive independent director, effective 30 June 2025. According to People in Business News, Rekha Onteddu is currently serving in a similar capacity at Andhra Cements, the parent company of Sagar Cements.

Image source:https://sagarcements.in/

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