Justus Von Wedel, Managing Director, IKN Engineering, discusses clinker handling and clinker cooling systems that are avenues for innovation in terms of sustainability.

I KN Engineering have had a big impact on the cost and quality of the clinker that discharges from the kiln and is then being quenched in the coolers. They also have lower electric power consumption as they are operating with an activated stratified layer of clinker bed, a unique feature of their clinker cooler. The drive for the most part can be hydraulic but for the smaller units is electronic, so there they transfer electrical energy in forward motion most efficiently.
Their impact in the cement industry, in terms of sustainability, has been very large. From the company’s perspective, they continue to work on maximum efficiency and recuperation. The clinker cooler is the recuperator for the most and they cool the clinker in the most effective and sustainable manner making them more competitive in the market.
The kiln situation has an impact on the kiln operation and that has an impact on the cooler operation. So, the cooler can look very good if the kiln is producing a homogenous clinker and the cooler can look challenged if the kiln is producing a high fraction of boulders and fines from the kiln.
For the most part, granulised clinker is needed. When alternative fuels like petcoke with a higher sulphur content are used or there are raw materials used, which are not conducive to producing well granulised clinker. The fines are the most critical and challenging for any cooler manufacturer to deal with. However, because of the resistance and integrity of IKN Engineering, they are suitable to handle a larger proportion of fine clinkers than competition.

Fine clinker is the most challenging to handle for clinker coolers.

Overcoming and Adapting
The most challenging part of handling clinker is the one with the highest fraction of fines. Fine clinker is the biggest challenge as it is harder to handle, to distribute and to classify and it is more abrasive to corrosion. It is definitely more difficult to control a pile of sand than a well granulised clinker.
However, generalisation is not possible. We see that the fraction of fine clinker of cement is increasing globally because of the alternative fuel situation. Cement producers are also using raw materials that are cost effective and this is something that’s needed to look at on a cooler to cooler basis.
With regards to pyrolines adapting to green cement, IKN Engineering operates in a competitive environment, not just locally but globally, too. It pushes them to find a window of opportunity and the basis for anyone to compete in this playing field is to have a solid base of technology.
They strive for efficiency. They like complications. They make sure that what is produced in the kiln is a competitive and quality product. This requires their preheater, calciner, alternative fuel perspective meets technical expectations of no pressure drop, complete combustion, low emission and everything else. In this window, they have to adapt their technology and are constantly doing so. Project and product cycles in the cement industry are very long. Feedback loops take a long time; however, a solid technological basis and human factor allows them to be competitive in the market and deliver a quality product.

Technological Advancements
It is all about availability and optimisation.
The keyword is big data and providing the hardware and software environment to digest the enormous amount of data that one can collect and to superimpose the algorithm to sort through the data and project a trend, which is relevant for decision makers.
It is going to be another playing field that the company is going to put more resources in.
The technology is there for the most part it is meant to be. It is required that the company finds a cost-effective solution that will help them improve efficiency and availability. It can help their customers make better decisions.
We live in a globalised world and benefit from one another. India can teach the world to focus on efficiency and the will to succeed and produce and take millions out of poverty. Where India can perhaps benefit from other parts of the world is the alternative fuel. It is a huge gate they need to walk through because it would require infrastructure and policy changes. It has no quick fix and will be addressed case by case. The Indian cement industry will develop the sourcing of the alternative fuels in a manner that is applicable to technology providers as well, so that they can bring in their ideas and approach and handle a higher substitution rate. It will depend on how you define alternative fuels, but 100 per cent of alternative fuel substitution is within the reach. We have the technology and just need better focus on the infrastructure side to achieve this.