The manufacture of cement is energy-intensive and to cement manufacturers energy efficiency is very important. In order to ensure an economical and sustainable operation, the Denizli Çimento Sanayii plant of the Turkish cement manufacturer OYAK Group opted for alternative fuels and raw materials to ignite the preheater, the calciner and the main burner.

Denizli Çimento, located in West Anatolia on the Aegean, decided to invest in an individual system from the alternative fuels and raw materials (AFR) segment of BEUMER Group, which stores, mixes, and conveys differently composed materials, such as shredded waste tires. The core of this solution is represented by two pipe conveyors. These completely enclosed conveying systems ensure an environmentally safe, dust-free, and low-energy transport of fuels and raw materials requiring—importantly—a minimum of personnel. This AFR system has been running for a year and has proved to be an efficient and economical solution.

The Turkish cement market is booming. From a third international airport in Istanbul, to the motorway between Istanbul and Izmir and many other large infrastructure, urban redevelopment, and residential construction projects, the need for this building material is immense and is expected to grow continuously in the years to come. Manufacturers like the OYAK Group will obviously have a large share in implementing these infrastructure projects.

Secondary instead of primary fuels

For the successful production of cement, the manufacturer puts a particular focus on the cost effectiveness of the process. “Our industry has always been energy-intensive,” said Berkan Fidan, deputy factory manager at OYAK Denizli Çimento Sanayii. “But it is also a factor that can be adjusted.”

In 2015, company officials came together and decided to produce more efficiently and sustainably in order to minimize the use of expensive primary fuels such as coal, gas, and oil. The aim was to gain a large part of the necessary energy needed from alternative fuels.

The operation’s existing plants had not been designed for this. “We needed a partner who supplies and installs a single-source solution,” said Güngör Aydin, project manager at Denizli.

“We evaluated different variants of mechanical transport systems,” said Fidan. In the end, OYAK Denizli opted for a single-source solution from BEUMER Group based on the innovative pipe conveyor technology. In May 2016, CTN MAKİNA, a supplier approved by BEUMER, manufactured all of the steel components for the system and started assembling both the imported components and those manufactured on site.

BEUMER Group installed two conveyors, 206 and 190 meters long, as well as the corresponding equipment for the two lines. Each pipe conveyor reaches a capacity of 15 tons per hour. “This conveying technology is not only eco-friendly but requires low maintenance,” said Michal Hrala, Managing Director at BEUMER Group Czech Republic. “Its enclosed type of construction protects the environment safely from material falling down and from emissions. Another advantage is the lack of dust development on the running line.”

With its ability to navigate horizontal and vertical curves, the Pipe Conveyor can be optimally adapted to the terrain. In comparison to other belt conveyors, the number of required transfer towers is considerably lower. This allows for substantial capital cost savings for the customer and BEUMER Group can customize the system to the individual routing.

The specialists from BEUMER Group also took care of the project planning of the storehouse and the required equipment as well as numerous conveyors and supply lines. BEUMER also handled the supply of mechanical equipment and the steel structure, the assembly and commissioning. BEUMER Group also oinstalled two containers with discharge devices in front of each Pipe Conveyor ensuring an optimum mixture of the fuels. A container for distribution is also installed at the end of each conveyor.

Efficient single-source system

The delivery of the RDF material is carried out in moving-floor trailers. The alternative fuels are unloaded and stored at the receiving station. All four containers for arriving material are fed with material from the storehouse by a grab crane. The different fuels are then burned in the calciner and the main burner of the kiln.

“During the constructive dimensioning of this system we were faced with a particular challenge,” said Hrala. “Since the cement plant is located in an earthquake-prone area, we had to develop the system accordingly.” That meant designing of the pipe conveyor to ensure that the conveyors withstand not only the dynamic load of an earthquake but also the aftershocks. The existing preheater towers represented another hurdle. As they offered little space, the BEUMER Group employees adapted the required equipment to the narrow conditions.

The contract was signed only one month after BEUMER Group had received the customer’s inquiry in October 2015.

Ideal solution for each case

In order to support producers of cement in the alternative fuels and raw materials field, BEUMER Group has developed a complete business segment dedicated to AFR systems. “Our know-how and our tailor-made systems permit us to offer optimum support to our customers,” said Hrala. “We have years of experience and we always consider our customers’ specifications”. As a system provider, you have to be able to supply and install the entire chain from acceptance and unloading of the delivery vehicle, to the storing, conveying and feeding process of the solid alternative fuels for the specific user. A single source can supply the entire system to the end customer who therefore only needs one contact like BEUMER.

In October 2016, barely one year after the contract was signed, the system was commissioned. ” Not only do we save costs by requiring a smaller amount of expensive primary fuels, we also work much more energy-efficiently,” said Aydin. “This means that our capital costs will have paid for themselves in a short amount of time.”