EUROPE Croatia The Tvornica Cementa Koromacno plant in Croatia will invest US$2.7 million in installing equipment that will allow used car tires to be burnt in a move the company claims will reduce its fuel bill by as much as 15%. Koramacno also is investigating the possibility of burning used motor oil, which is widely available in the country.

Among the plant's changes will be a recently ordered retrofit of its cooler in November 1997. IKN will add a clinker inlet distribution system to the kiln, increasing its capacity to 1,500 mtpd.

An order covering six clinker conveyors with discharge units was placed by Nasice Cement in Nasice. The new conveyors, supplied by Aumund Fordertechnik, will complement the existing ones and serve for transporting the clinker from the kiln to the new clinker silo and on to the 50,000-mtpy cement plant. The conveyors are said to offer dust-free, quiet discharge of clinker. Delivery for these conveyors will be made by mid-1998.

Denmark Stringent new EU demands on the cleaning of flue gas have led to a contract between Kommunekemi a/s and FLS Miljo a/s for a US$13 million deal to supply two complete plants to cope with flue gas emissions from Kommunekemi's two kilns in Nyborg, Denmark, used for incinerating hazardous waste. The supply includes wet scrubbers, waste water treatment plants, and fabric filters, as well as construction and erection work.

In December 1997, Dansk Leca A/S had IKN improve the efficiency of its existing 300-m3-per-day Leca cooler by adding a clinker inlet distribution system to the company's Hinge kiln #3.

France Ciments Lafarge's La Couronne plant had a 2,700-mtpd cooler retrofit with an IKN clinker inlet distriubtion system in January 1997.

Germany In February 1997, a Krupp Polysius 3,200-mtpd cooler configuration with new static grate including jet stream plates was installed at the Karlstadt factory of E. Schwenk Zementwerke.

Teutonia Zement AG installed a new IKN 2,500-mtpd Pendulum cooler at its Hannover plant in March 1997.

Greece Heracles General Cement Co.'s Olympos Volos #5 kiln had a 3,200-mtpd cooler with heat shield retrofit with an IKN clinker inlet distribution system in April 1997. A similar retrofit was ordered in February 1998 for the plant's #1 kiln, increading the cooler's capacity to 5,100 mtpd.

Ireland Towards the end of 1997, the Sean Quinn Group signed a contract with F.L. Smidth's cement project division for a new production line at its Irish Republic plant, a few hundred meters from its existing facility in Northern Ireland. The contract covers everything from quarry equipment to clinker silos and includes ATOX vertical coal and raw grinding mills, a ROTAX-2, twin-support kiln with tangential suspension and ILC, low-NOx calciner system, a COOLAX CFG grate cooler, and UMS cement-grinding installation. The contract also includes FLS Automation control systems and FLS Miljo electrostatic precipitators, designed to keep emissions below 30 mg per Nm3 to prepare the plant for more stringent environmental controls than the current 50 mg per Nm3 limit.

Italy Italcementi SpA's Samatzai plant ordered a retrofit of its cooler in February 1998. IKN will add a clinker inlet distribution system to the kiln, increasing its capacity to 2,200 mtpd.

Poland One of the country's largest producers, Cementownia Ozarow S.A., signed a contract with F.L.Smidth & Co. A/S for a large-scale expansion and modernization of its plant at Ozarow, 180 km south of Warsaw.

The capacity will be expanded from 3,500 to 8,000 mtpd, making it one of the largest kilns in Europe. The contract covers the supply of the rotary kiln, a preheater tower, a calciner, a grate cooler, plus an electrostatic precipitator from FLS Miljo a/s and quality control system and a Coolscanner from FLS Automation.

Also included are the conversions of two existing silos and an existing precipitator, as well as spare parts for two years. Commissioning is scheduled for late 1999.

Swedish company Scancem has just completed a US$5 million loading terminal in the country's Baltic sea port of Gdynia. The computerized terminal handles 200 mtph, mainly from plants in Estonia.

Romania ROMCIF S.A.'s Fieni plant ordered a retrofit of its cooler in March 1997. IKN added a clinker inlet distribution system to the #7 kiln, increasing its capacity to 3,800 mtpd.

Spain S.A. Tudelaveguin's La Robia plant ordered a retrofit of its cooler in April 1997. IKN added a clinker inlet distribution system to the #2 kiln, increasing its capacity to 966 mtpd.

Cementos Alfa's Mataporquera plant ordered a retrofit of its cooler in February 1997. IKN added a clinker inlet distribution system to the kiln, increasing its capacity to 1,500 mtpd.

Cementos del Mar SpA's Alcanar plant ordered a retrofit of its cooler in August 1997. IKN added a clinker inlet distribution system to the #1 kiln, increasing its capacity to 1,400 mtpd.

Asian S.A.'s Montcada plant ordered a retrofit of its cooler in November 1997. IKN added a clinker inlet distribution system to the kiln, increasing its capacity to 2,200 mtpd.

Turkey Late in 1997, Eskisehir Cimento Fabrikasl T.A.S. commissioned Krupp Polysius to apply conversion measures to increase the capacity of an existing line from 1,500 to 1,950 mtpd of clinker. The main works included the modification of the existing 4-stage, 2-string Dopol '90 cyclone preheater; redimensioning of the calciner to include integration of new calciner burners; installation of a tertiary air duct; and reconfiguration of the kiln hood. Krupp also replaced the ball mill's static separator with a Sepol high-efficiency separator, which increased throughput from 130 to 145 mtph.

Van Cemento's Van plant ordered a retrofit of its cooler in September 1997. IKN added a clinker inlet distribution system to the kiln, increasing its capacity to 700 mtpd.

United Kingdom 1998 will see construction works progressing apace on Rugby Cement's US$196 million upgrade of its Lawford Road works in the heart of England. The major elements of the project will be construction of a new kiln and pre-heater tower, replacement of clinker stores with one 120,000-mt silo, new offices, workshops and control room, fuel and materials storage, and a refurbished and extended cement milling facility (two existing and one new mill).

Krupp Polysius is supplying the replacement equipment based around a 3,800-mtpd semi-wet process kiln line at the heart of which is a Polro twin-support kiln, 4.6-meter-diam (y) 62-meter-long. The complete automation and electrification of the new line is being carried out by FLS Automation, and includes an ACE control system with ECS operator workstations and Allen-Bradley PLCs. The project is being managed by AMEC Design and Engineering under an Alliance Contract and is due for commissioning in mid-1999.

The largest producer in the UK, Blue Circle Cement will construct the new Medway Works on a greenfield site southeast of London. The US$293 million new plant is only going ahead following in-depth studies of the predicted environmental effects of the proposed plant and an 18-month campaign of proactive public consultation. No decisions have been made yet on the equipment suppliers for the plant, but discussions with the major players are believed to have been going on for some time.

FLS Automation has recently delivered a full ECS/OpStation control system with Siemens PLCs together with ECS/CemScanner shell temperature systems to Blue Circle's Aberthaw plant in Wales.

Blue Circle also had a retrofit of a clinker inlet distribution system installed at its Hope plant's #2 kiln, increasing the cooler's capacity to 2,200 mtpd. IKN was the supplier. An identical retrofit for the plant's #1 kiln was ordered in January 1998.

Redland Aggregates's Whitwell plant ordered a retrofit of its cooler in November 1997. IKN will add a clinker inlet distribution system to the #1 kiln, increasing its capacity to 520 mtpd.

MIDDLE EAST & AFRICA Algeria

South Korea's Daewoo Corp. is reported to be negotiating to set up a cement plant in joint venture with a local Algerian building materials company. The plant's capacity is likely to be 1 million to 1.5 million mtpy, and the plant will probably be located in Bejaia. It is thought that the joint venture partner will be Holding Batiment & Materiaux de Construction. In 1997, IKN made several improvements to coolers at E.C.D.E. plants. The Ech-Cheliff's #1 and #2 kilns had clinker inlet distribution systems added to them in May and June, respectively. Both now have 4,000-mtpd Kawasaki coolers. At the company's Ain El Kebira plant, a retrofit was made in April to the CPAG cooler, expanding its capacity to 3,600 mtpd.

Dubai

Technip CLE, based in France, is the main contractor for a new production facility in Dubai to be financed jointly by the German bank Bayerische Landesbanke and the National Bank of Ras Al Khaimah.

Lafarge will manage the new plant and be responsible for marketing and production. Construction at the plant near Saqr Port is expected to start early in 1998.

Egypt

Following its first order for the construction of new production line with a capacity of 4,300 mtpd from Polysius S.A. in September 1996, the Egyptian Cement Co. (ECC) has placed a second order with the French subsidiary of Krupp Polysius AG for an identical plant.

Currently, the first plant is under construction with commissioning due at the end of 1998; the second line is due to start production at the end of 1999.

Each order includes a circular blending bed with a storage capacity of 50,000 mt and a ball mill with a raw material throughput of 350 mtph coupled with a high-performance separator and a homogenizing silo with a storage capacity of 16,000 mt of raw meal.

A 5-stage, single-strand cyclone heater with calcining system, a 79-meter rotary tube kiln and reciprocating grate cooler also are part of the package. In addition, it will include a 50,000-mt clinker storage facility and two ball mills, each with a throughput capacity of 110 mtph. The order is finished off by cement-loading and roto-packing stations, as well as the semi-automatic Polab laboratory system

Assuit Cement Co. has entrusted the job of revamping four stackers and two reclaimers to MVT at its site in Assuit. The revamp is due to the difficult raw material situation at the site.

Ethiopia

Civil work for the project implementation management and consultancy services for the 600,000-mt cement project for MBMPSC at Mekele in Ethiopia is in progress. Mechanical erection started in December 1997, and the project is expected to be commissioned in April 1999.

Iran

The inauguration of Iran's, Tehran-based, ILAM Cement Co.'s new plant in Ilam took place recently, engineered and supplied by ABB's Building Material, Mining and Mineral Industries business unit (ABB BMI).

The plant features a single 2,000-mtpd production line. The contract includes comprehensive electrical engineering and equipment supply, as well as process control for the new line. The process control system is designed for two operators and features four workstations, nine process controllers, and two operator display systems. Optimization packages for raw mix proportioning and kiln shell scanning will strengthen the system.

A Krupp Polysius roller mill including a Sepol high-efficiency separator for grinding 300-mtph of raw material was commissioned at the Hormozgan Cement Co. in April 1997.

Israel

For part of Nesher-Israel Cement Enterprises Ltd.'s new Ramla Dryline 2 project, MVT supplied a complete circular mixbed for wet and sticky cement raw material. The mixbed will be operated as an integrated mixbed for chalk, limestone, and clay feed controlled by PGNA-Analyzer. The raw materials have a moisture content of as high as 20%.

Lebanon

Societe des Ciments installed a new IKN 5,800-mtpd Pendulum cooler at its Chekka plant's #7 kiln in November 1997. In addition, the plant ordered five new 4.8-meter-wide roller crusher installations from IKN.

Nigeria

Westafrican Portland Cement/Blue Circle Industries' Ewekoro plant ordered a retrofit of its cooler in May 1997. IKN added a clinker inlet distribution system to the #1 kiln, increasing its capacity to 1,100 mtpd.

Pakistan

The end of 1997 saw the inauguration of a new 3,000-mtpd plant in Rawalpindi set up by the Fauji Foundation in collaboration with F.L.Smidth & Co of Denmark. Situated some 50 km from Islamabad, the plant was completed in four years with financial assistance from several leading international financial institutions such as the Commonwealth Development Corp. (CDC), and the International Finance Corp. (IFC)

The Thatta Cement Co. is believed to be in negotiations with the Islamic Development Bank for a US$32.8 million loan to build a new 1,500-mtpd plant in the region.

In the first quarter of 1997, Fuller produced, and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries shipped, equipment for a 5-meter-diam (y) 16-meter-long, 5,700-kW ball mill and an N-4000 0-Separator for Bestway Cement. Erection is currently in progress, and start-up is expected in mid-1998.

Saudi Arabia

The new line at the Rabigh Plant owned and operated by the Arabian Cement Co. (ACC) features a Dispatch Automation System supplied by ABB Industrie AG, as part of an automation package, which covers one new and four existing lines.

Fuller has supplied a CFG section for each of two 3,500-mtpd clinker coolers at Southern Province's Gizan plant. Modifications consist of the conversion of 18 rows of existing coolers to CFG-style grates and the addition of three new fans. The first of the two coolers was modified in the second quarter of 1997, and modification of the second unit will occur in the latter part of the year.

United Arab Emirates

Gulf Cement Co.'s Ras Al Khaimah plant ordered a retrofit of its cooler in June 1997. IKN added a clinker inlet distribution system to the kiln, increasing its capacity to 3,800 mtpd.

Yemen Lafarge signed an agreement with the government of Yemen and a group of local businesses, led by the Hadhramaut Business Association, to carry out a feasibility study for a new cement plant in the country. Lafarge is financing the study, which is expected to be complete in the second half of 1998.

ASIA & THE PACIFIC Australia The latest 4,900-mtpd cement clinker production line at Queensland Cement started production in December 1997. Integrated in the line is equipment from Krupp Polysius, including a roller mill for a raw material throughput of 400 mtph; a blending silo; a Polro 2-support kiln; a 5-stage, 2-string Dopol '90 cyclone preheater with Prepol -AS calciner system; a 30-mtph coal throughput roller mill; and two Poldos feed-rate control systems, each designed for a coal dust throughput of 17 mtph.

Queensland also installed a new IKN 1,905-mtpd Pendulum cooler at its Gladstone plant's #2 kiln in December 1997.

Australian Cement's Kandos plant ordered a retrofit of its cooler in February 1998. IKN will add a clinker inlet distribution system to the #6 kiln, increasin g its capacity to 775 mtpd.

Bangladesh

Lafarge Surma Cement Ltd. will construct what is though to be Bangladesh's largest cement plant located near the Indian border with the aid of a US$40 million loan from the Asian Development Bank.

The 1.2 million-mtpy project, with an expected cost of around US$225, will be completed by 2001.

China, People's Republic of Jiangxi Ya-Dong Cement Corp. Ltd. has placed an order with KHD Humboldt Wedag AG for a new 4,200-mtpd line for its plant in the Jiangxi province in China. The client is a joint venture in which Asia Cement Corp. (ACC), Taipei/Taiwan hold the majority share. The order amounts to around US$13.9 million.

The contract covers a raw meal grinding system with a 350-mtph, roller press, a 5-stage cyclone pre-heater and a 4.8-meter-diam, 52-meter-long kiln. The order also covers a clinker grinding system with roller press and V separator, which will be operated in closed circuit as semi-finish grinding facility.

A 4.2-meter-diam, 13-meter-long tube mill with slide-shoe bearing assembly and integral drive, as well as a dynamic separator, will be installed downstream of the clinker grinding equipment. Commissioning of the new facility is scheduled for December 1999. In addition, the installation of a second line has been catered for in the design of the first.

Bituminous coal grinding will be carried out using a Loesche Type LM 23.2 D mill, also designed to grind anthracite. Dedusting will occur by way of a pressure shock resisting cyclone and an electrostatic precipitator with fan assembly.

June 1997 saw the start-up of a 7,200-mtpd line at the Daewoo (Shandong) Cement Co., barely 30 months after the groundbreaking ceremony. Krupp Polysius was involved in supplying equipment for all stages of the production process from limestone crushers and blending beds through roller mills, a rotary kiln with Dopol '90 cyclone preheater and Prepol AS-CC calciner to a full process control system and the Polab laboratory automation system coupled to an IMS information management system.

Nihon/Marubeni China Cement Project installed a new IKN 4,000-mtpd Pendulum cooler at its Qinhuangdao Asano plant in April 1997.

India

Krupp Polysius equipment was instrumental in the commissioning of a new 2,000-mtpd line at Kesoram Industries Ltd., including a new roller mill, a rotary kiln, and a 5-stage Dopol '90 cyclone preheater and a Repol -RS reciprocating grate cooler. Also supplied were a Polycom high-pressure grinding roll, a ball mill, two Sepol high-efficiency separators, and a coal grinding plant.

The 1.75 million-mt project for Larsen and Toubro at Tadipatri in Andhra Pradesh is scheduled to be commissioned in March 1998. Holtec-India have provided the requisite detailed geological investigation services for the project. The company also is involved in a 1 million-mt slag cement project for Indo Rama Cement at Raigad in Maharashtra State, which is expected to be commissioned in October 1998, and a new 2.6 million-mt, port-based plant for Sanghi Industries Ltd.

Modification work took place in 1997 on the Chettinad Cement plant in Tamil Nadu State and involved an upgrade of the first drive of the existing cooler system. Fuller and Fuller India Ltd. of Chennar (Madras) supplied the equipment. An OK 33.40 mill also was supplied by Fuller and Fuller to the Sendurai plant owned by Madras Cement. The vertical mill will be used for clinker grinding and is designed to produce 145 mtph at 3,000 blaine. Fuller also supplied a precalciner with 5-stage preheater and a variety of kiln components to the project.

Manikgrah Cement's plant ordered a retrofit of its cooler in November 1997. IKN will add a clinker inlet distribution system to the kiln, increasing its capacity to 3,900 mtpd.

Indonesia

The Fuller Co. is the prime contractor for the construction of the 5,500-mtpd plant for P.T. Semen Bosowa Maros, South Sulawesi, which is being constructed on Sulawesi Island. Fuller is supplying all mechanical equipment, including a 16.5- (y) 22.5-meter primary gyratory crusher, an FLS stacker/reclaimer, a 5,000-kW roller mill to produce 500 mtph of raw meal, a 5-stage preheater/precalciner, and a 1490CFG clinker cooler. Site work is currently under way by Daewoo with project start-up scheduled for the third quarter of 1998.

P.T. Semen Andalas Indonesia's Andalas #1 kiln ordered a retrofit of its 3,360-mtpd cooler in February 1997. A clinker inlet disbution system was added to the line by IKN.

Korea

SsangYong Cement Ind. Co. Ltd. installed a new IKN 5,000-mtpd Pendulum cooler at its Donghae plant's #6 kiln in April 1997. In addition, the plant ordered four new 4.4-meter-wide roller crusher installations.

Japan

At Dai-Ichi Cement, a retrofit was ordered of the plant's #6 kiln in January 1997. IKN retrofit a clinker inlet distribution system to the cooler, increasing its capacity to 1,100 mtpd.

Aso Cement's Tagawa plant ordered a retrofit of its cooler in June 1997. IKN added a clinker inlet distribution system to the #5 kiln, increasing its capacity to 4,370 mtpd.

Denki Kagaku Kogyo's Omi plant ordered a retrofit of its cooler in February 1997. IKN added a clinker inlet distribution system to the #3 kiln, increasing its capacity to 3,800 mtpd.

Isa Cement's Isa plant ordered a retrofit of its cooler in February 1998. IKN will add a clinker inlet distribution system to the #1 kiln, increasing its capacity to 5,880 mtpd.

Laos

Work will start in 1998 on a new plant in Vang Veng in Laos with Chinese experts constructing, managing, and equipping the works. Lao engineers will work alongside Chinese cement specialists.

Malaysia

Fuller is providing process and plant design engineering for a new 5,000-mtpd clinker production line for Perak Hanjoong Simen in Perak State. Equipment includes primary and secondary crushers, a stacker/reclaimer for limestone, clay and coal and a roller mill designed to produce 435 mtph of raw mill. As well as the associated kiln equipment, Fuller also will supply two 4.6-meter-diam (y) 15-meter-long UMS grinding mills driven by 4,400-kW motors.

Tasek Cement Berhad's Tasek plant ordered a retrofit of its cooler in April 1997. IKN added a clinker inlet distribution system to the #1 kiln, increasing its capacity to 700 mtpd.

Philippines

ABB Industrie AG has supplied the Hi Cement Corp. with its AutoLab system for automation of sampling and analysis at its new 5,000-mtpd production line number two, 60 km northeast of Manila. Hi Cement is claimed to be the first multi-line, multi-kiln cement operation in the Philippines, and the current expansion to 7,000 mtpd will more than triple its current capacity.

The installation is part of a larger automation and optimization contract between ABB and Hi Cement supplied as part of the Advant Cement System with Cement Information Management Solutions (CIMS), plus an advanced product for closed-loop optimization of raw meal proportioning to produce kiln feed with constant chemical composition.

In September 1997, a 5,500-mtpd line was commissioned at the Apo Cement Corp. Krupp Polysius delivered the plant engineering and equipment, which included an 1,800-mtph limestone crusher, roller mills, kiln and two-string preheater, as well as a reciprocating grate cooler, two 2-chamber separator mills, and a process control system.

Sri Lanka The Puttalam Cement Co. is undertaking the modernization/expansion of its two 200,000-mtpy plants at Puttalam. The civil and structural engineering services are being provided by Holtec-India. Holderbank Management and Consulting Ltd. Switzerland are the major project consultants.

Taiwan

In November 1997, the MV Ken Ho was delivered to a shipyard in South Korea. Supplied by H.W. Carlsen, the Ken Ho was converted at the yard of Hyundai Mipo Dockyard (HMD), to a cement self-unloader and then delivered to Ta-Ho Maritime of Taiwan.

Ta-Ho was established in 1979 by the Taiwan Cement Corp. and the Taiwan Transport and Storage Corp. It now owns six self-unloaders and is primarily engaged in bulk cement carriage.

The ship features the double reloader system (DR) consisting of two reloader tanks, each of which holds 45 mt of cement. The systems are designed to unload at 500 mtph each. For loading, the two integrated systems comprise a gravity-loading set-up with air-slides and screw conveyors, as well as a pneumatic set-up, which differs slightly in that the cement is loaded via two pipelines connected to the receiving hopper/cyclone. The vessel also incorporates a fluidization system featuring a diamond-shaped configuration. As a result, the fluidization is inclined in both longitudinal and transverse directions.

Thailand Siam City Cement Co. Ltd.'s Tabkwang plant ordered the retrofitting of two of its coolers in 1997. IKN added clinker inlet distribution systems to the #1 and #5 kilns, increasing their capacities to 4,400 and 700 mtpd, respectively.

In April 1997, Siam Cement Public Co. Ltd. ordered six new IKN 4.8-meter-wide roller crusher installations for its ThungSong plant's 8,500-mtpd #6 kiln.

Vietnam The Morning Star Cement plant in Vietnam recently signed a contract with German manufacturer MVT for a second continuous ship unloader. The machine, to be delivered to Westport (Klang), Malaysia, will be part of a new bulk terminal to be constructed by ABB Industrial and Building Systems Sdn Bhd. for client Klang Multi Terminal Sdn Bhd. (KMT). The terminal should be operational by August 1998.

Japan's Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd. was chosen as the main supplier of equipment for the US$347 million Nghi Son cement plant joint venture between Nihon Cement Corp., Mitsubishi Material Co., and Vietnam Cement Corp. Vietnam's Machine Installation Corp. (Lilama) won the US$20 million contract to install and manufacture equipment for the venture.

Construction on the new plant started earlier this year at Hai Thuong in the coastal province of Thanh Hoa. Production at its 2.2 million mt annual capacity will begin in February 2000.

According to the Vietnamese News Agency, the authorities in the country's Thai Binh province, in cooperation with local or foreign companies, are planning to invest US$36 million in a 300,000-mtpy plant due to be in operation by 2000.

NORTH AMERICA The Bim Som plant in the Thanh Hoa province will increase production as much as 50% when new dry-process technology is installed in the next two years. Negotiations with suppliers are believed to be under way.

Following the award of the contract to modernize the Thu Duc cement plant in 1997, the Vietnamese authorities have now awarded a contract to France's FCB to supply the Nghe An Cement Co. with a greenfield, 1.4 million-mtpy plant at Hoang Mai, close to Vinh City in the Nghe An province.

Raw meal at the new US$120 million plant will be homogenized and stored in a 20,000-mt reinforced concrete silo before feeding the pyroprocessing section using 100% Vietnamese anthracite coal. Equipment will include an FCB 5-stage, 2-string preheater with low pressure drop cyclones; a low-NOx precalciner specially designed for low-quality fuel; and a 4,000-mtpd kiln, which will consume less than 730 kcal per kg.

United States

Phoenix Cement Co. awarded an engineering and design contract for its Clarksdale, Arizona, cement plant. Fuller Co. will evaluate plans to increase production capacity to 1.1 million tpy.

Lone Star Industries in Olgelsby, Illinois, will install an on-line closed-loop expert system to improve production and productivity of its kiln. The system is expected to increase clinker production 4%, produce a more consistent product quality, reduce specific fuel consumption and stack emissions, standardize operating procedures, and stabilize kiln operation. Comdale Technologies (Canada) was awarded the contract and will develop the turn-key system application with plant-specific operating criteria supplied by Lone Star.

Lone Star's New Orleans plant is receiving a capacity boost through a contract awarded to Fuller Co. This project will convert an existing 12-ft-diam (y) 36-ft-long (3.65-meter-diam (y) 11-meter-long) cement raw mill to slag grinding and includes a new blending system to produce blended products. Equipment was slated for delivery in late 1997. New high-efficiency separators are being supplied for this mill, as well as another 3,000-hp (2,237-kW) mill, which was previously converted to slag grinding.

Florida Rock Industries' Newberry, Florida, cement plant is scheduled to be on stream in the second quarter of 1999. The 2,000-tpd facility will be the first completely new cement plant built in the United States in the last 10 years and is being supplied by Krupp Polysius AG. The main items being supplied are a roller mill for 175 tons of raw material per hour and a kiln line consisting of a two-support kiln, including a 4-stage preheater complete with calcining system and reciprocating grate cooler. The kiln is 48 meters long and 4 meters in diameter. A ball mill for grinding with a 4,850-kW drive system will be used along with a high-efficiency separator. The 14.3-meter-long ball mill is running in a sliding shoe bearing arrangement, has a diameter of 4.8 meters, and has a capacity of 125 tph.

In Cleburne, Texas, the 380,000-ft2 (410-m2), US$58 million fibre cement plant operated by James Hardie Building Products was completed. The plant was constructed within a 12-month time frame with a James Hardie team providing process designs and Casey Industrial, Inc. providing construction and engineering services. The plant includes two production lines. The first was said to be operational during the first quarter of 1997, while the second was up and running in time for the 1998 season.

Rinker Material Corp. of Miami, Florida, awarded a contract to Maschinen- und Verfahrenstechnik (MVT) for an integrated longitudinal blending bed plant for its new plant in Florida. This blending bed has a storage capacity of 2 (y) 16,000 tons and is part of a new clinker production line.

Medusa Cement Co. placed on order with Loesche GmbH for a LM-type mill for the company's works in Clinchfield, Georgia, near Macon. Raw meal production capacity will be increased to 240 mtpd. The mill will include air locking for the feed and a prededusting system. A six-gate feeder, gearbox, classifier, and four dust cyclones also are part of the contract. The mill is scheduled for delivery in October 1998.

The Clinchfield plant also has ordered additional control equipment from FLS Automation. Additional PLCs will be added to the existing ECS control system. A proportioner system, interfaced to an cross belt analyzer, including laboratory information management software, will be supplied and incorporated into the overall control of the plant.

Medusa's Wampum, Pa., facility ordered a PlantGuide archiving and management support software package from FLS Automation.

Dacotah Cement ordered a laboratory automation system from Krupp Polysius for one of its operations.

Blue Circle awarded a contract for a roller mill for its Harleyville, South Carolina plant as part of a plant upgrade project. The Fuller Co. mill is rated 235 tph with a feed moisture of 21%, and is capable of producing 200 tph with 23% moisture feed material. The drive is a 2,250-hp (1,700-kW) planetary gearbox. Commissioning was expected in late 1997.

A 1,500-tpd Fuller flash precalciner line installed in the early 1980s will be upgraded to 2,000 tpd at Capitol Cement's San Antonio, Texas facility. Commissioning is planned for the first quarter of 1998. The expected improvements include a heat rate reduction from about 3.6 million Btu per ton to 2.95 million Btu per ton at the rated 35% bypass. The project includes includes increasing the capacity of a Fuller roller mill from 140 to 160 tpd by installing a high-efficiency separator, a new air ring, a new 1,000-hp (750-kW) gearbox and drive motor, and enlarging the bypass/recycle duct. A new roller mill fan and 2,000-hp (1,495-kW) drive also will be provided. The baghouse will be upgraded with membrane filter bags, and the main baghouse fan will be replaced.

A dust return scoop system, designed to return 18 tph of dust into Dragon Cement's 4.34-meter-diam kiln system was supplied by Fuller and installed in the first half of 1997 at the company's Thomaston, Maine operation.Fuller su pplied two vertical cement coolers for Holnam Inc.'s Devil's Slide, Utah facility. Equipment for the project was delivered in the first quarter of 1997 for start-up later in the year. An air-to-air heat exchanger for the plant's cooler vent system also was supplied.

An air-to-air heat exchanger was ordered to upgrade the cooler vent system at Lehigh Portland Cement's Leeds, Alabama plant. The single module unit designed for 206,260 acfm at 1,000degreesF (538degreesC) inlet temperature under upset conditions was shipped in late 1996 and commissioned in April 1997. Fuller was the supplier.

Fuller also provided a 5,500-hp (4,100-kW) finish mill for Southdown's plant at Fairborn, Ohio. The system replaced all the company's existing finish mills with the single unit. Major equipment includes a 15-ft-diam (y) 44-ft-long (4.6-meter-diam (y) 13.5-meter-long) ball mill, central drive, and high-efficiency separator. The grinding system produces 135 tph of Type 1 cement at 3,600 Blaine fineness. Start-up took place in the second quarter of 1997.

Fuller started engineering work in October 1996 to upgrade Ash Grove Cement's Durkee, Oregon plant from 1,500 to 2,700 tpd and reduce the heat rate. The confirming contract was signed in March 1997. A new roller mill with 1,750-hp (1,300-kW) drive will produce 210 tpd of raw meal. The milling system will include two product cyclones vented by two fans to a Fuller-Kovako baghouse. The present 4-stage preheater tower and kiln will remain intact. A new 4-stage preheater tower with low pressure drop cyclones and a new 16-ft 5-in.-diam (y) 55-ft 9-in.-long (5-meter-diam (y) 17-meter-long) calciner will be installed parallel to the existing line. The present raw grinding mill will be converted to a finish grinding mill with a new separator, cement cooler, and baghouse. Commissioning is planned for April 1998.

Allentown Portland Cement's Blandon, Pennsylvania plant recently installed a static inlet module for the inlet of its 1,500-tpd grate cooler. The new module consists of individual aeration beams, which are connected to form a single unit that may be used as a stand-alone unit or combined with alternating movable/stationary rows of grates. The cooler was installed by Fuller in March 1997.

Mitsubishi Cement's Lucerne Valley, Calif. plant ordered an ECS control system from FLS Automation to replace its existing system. The project includes multiple operator stations, PlantGuide archiving and management support software, interface of the existing CemScanner, and upgrading of the existing expert/fuzzy logic system. Start-up is scheduled for spring 1998.

Mitsubishi's Cushenbury plant ordered a retrofit of its cooler in February 1997. IKN added a clinker inlet distribution system to the #1 kiln, increasing its capacity to 5,200 mtpd.

RMC Lonestar ordered an ECS control system to replace the existing system at its Davenport, Calif. plant. The project includes multiple operator stations, Plant Guide archiving and management support software, interface of the existing CemScanner, and upgrading of the existing expert/fuzzy logic system, the supply of new PLCs for all plant operators, and a new control room console. Start-up was scheduled for February 1998. FLS Automation was the supplier.

California Portland Cement ordered an automatic sample handling and analysis system from FLS Automation for its Mojave, Calif. operation. Included is a pneumatic transport system, particle size analyzer, XRF and XRD Spectrometer, sample mill, and sample press. A robot controls the movement of samples between the units and is interfaced to the QCX laboratory information management software. Start-up of the system is scheduled for spring 1998.

Holnam Inc. installed a new IKN 1,905-mtpd Pendulum cooler at its Devil's Slide, Utah plant in November 1997. The plant also put into place three new 3-meter-wide roller crusher installations from IKN.

Canada A 17-row hybrid cooler modification was supplied for CBR-Inland Cement's plant in Edmonton, Alberta, to help support modifications being made to the preheater to increase capacity from 2,500 to 3,200 mtpd. The hybrid cooler's movable rows are fitted with Fuller grates, which receive air in the conventional manner while the stationary rows are fitted with grates provided with air-beam aeration. A new heat exchanger and baghouse also were supplied. The cooler started up in April 1997.

Lafarge's wet-process plant in Richmond, British Columbia, will be converted to a dry-process plant rated at 3,000 mtpd. The contract with Fuller includes a roller mill with 1,700-kW drive to produce 230 mtph of raw meal, a random-flow homogenizing silo, a 5-stage preheater/precalciner system, and a 4.55-meter-diam (y) 52-meter-long two-support kiln with tangential suspension system. The plant is expected to start up in mid-1999.

CENTRAL AMERICA Costa Rica In a two-phase project, Cementos del Pacifico (CEMPASA)'s Colorado de Abangares plant is upgrading an existing kiln line. The scope of the work includes the installation of a low NOx preheater/calciner, a preheater ID fan, a calciner burner, and a clinker bucket conveyor. Modifications are being made by Fuller International to the kiln, conditioning tower, storage silo discharge, and kiln feed area.

El Salvador Cementos de El Salvador ordered ECS control systems for three cement production lines. The first system will replace aging controls at the company's Maya plant. A second system will be installed as part of a major plant expansion at the El Ronco plant. A third will be installed at a new production line and will be expanded to control existing production equipment. All systems include new PLC hardware distributed throughout the process lines that are connected via a high-speed network to operator stations in the central control room. The supplier for all three projects is FLS Automation.

Guatemala A single-module, three-fan, air-to-air heat exchanger was supplied for Cementos Progreso's 3,000-tpd expansion project at its San Miguel plant. The unit is expected to reduce cooler vent gases from 500degrees to 200degrees C and was shipped in the first quarter of 1997. Fuller International was the supplier.

Jamaica

Caribbean Cement's Kingston plant ordered an ECS control system to replace aging push-buttom and relay control logic. The project includes installation a new PLC hardware in each plant department, which is integrated through a high-speed data highway to operator stations in the central control room. The existing laboratory control system also will be upgraded and integrated into the system. FLS Automation was the supplier.

Mexico Cementos y Concretos Nacionales S.A. de C.V. commissioned Krupp Polysius with the erection of a 3,000-mtpd cement production line. The line is special because integrated into the production line are a two-support kiln; a dual-pass cooler; two roller mills, each for finish-grinding 85 mtph of cement; a laboratory automation system; and a process control system.

Since May 1997, the new 2,400-mtpd kiln line-comprising a rotary kiln, a cyclone preheater with calciner system, and a reciprocating grate cooler-has been operating at Cementos Portland Moctezuma S.A. Krupp Polysius was the supplier.

Cementos de Chihuahua ordered its second ECS control system to replace aging controls at the Chihuahua plant. The order follows the purchase of a similar system that has been in service for several years at the company's new plant in Samalayuca, Mexico. The new system includes PLCs in all major plant departments that are connected to operator stations in the central control room via a high-speed network. The project also will include upgrading and integrating the existing quality control system that exists at the plant. FLS Automation is the supplier.

Cementos Mexicano (CEMEX), S.A. de C.V's Barrientos plant ordered a retrofit of its cooler in November 1997. IKN added a clinker inlet distribution system to the #9 kiln, increasing its capacity to 2,200 mtpd. CEMEX's CPN plant ordered a retrofit of its cooler in September 1997. IKN added a clinker inlet distribution system to the #2 kiln, increasing its capacity to 3,060 mtpd.

CEMEX's Tamuin plant ordered a retrofit of its cooler in February 1998. IKN added a clinker inlet distribution system to the #1 kiln, increasing its capacity to 1,886 mtpd.

CEMEX's Torreon plant ordered a retrofit of its cooler in November 1997. IKN added a clinker inlet distribution system to the #4 kiln, increasing its capacity to 3,000 mtpd.

CEMEX's Zepotiltic plant ordered a retrofit of its cooler in September 1997. IKN added a clinker inlet distribution system to the kiln, increasing its capacity to 1,950 mtpd.

SOUTH AMERICA

Puerto Rico At Puerto Rican Cement Co.'s Ponce plant, Fuller has engineered and supplied equipment and technical services for the conversion of an existing clinker cooler by converting the first 18 rows of inlet section to CFG technology. Major equipment included grate plates, a hydraulic drive, and pressurizing fans with motors. The cooler was installed in the fall of 1997.

Bolivia Engineering and equipment for a limestone crushing plant and preblending system was supplied to Cooperativa Boliviana de Cemento (COBOCE) of Coachabamba on a split-supply basis. COBOCE is responsible for local fabrications and machine erection. Major equipment supply from Fuller International included a 400-tph impact hammer crusher, a longitudinal stacker, and a bridge reclaimer with two stockpiles with a capacity of 15,000 tons each. Other equipment included a vibrating feeder, double-deck screen, dust collector and fan, 40-ton crane, and diverter gate. Commissioning took place in the second half of 1997.

Soboce ordered an ECS control system for its La Paz plant as part of a major plant expansion. The project includes installation of new PLC hardware in each plant department, which is integrated to operator stations in the central control room. A quality control system also is included to manage the chemical laboratory and perform raw mix and cement proportioning control. The quality control system will be integrated into the existing production line. FLS Automation was the supplier.

Brazil Cimento Planalto S/A installed a new IKN 2,500-mtpd Pendulum cooler at its Rodovia plant in March 1997.

Cimento Santa Rita S.A./Pirapora/Votorantim installed a new IKN 5,000-mtpd Pendulum cooler at its Salto de Pirapora plant in April 1997.

Krupp Polysius has supplied several cement operations in this nation. Among its recent contracts are:

* Ciplan Cimento Planalto S.A., which ordered a ball mill for grinding in April 1997. The order included a high-efficiency separator with a 120-mtph throughput.

* Votorantim S.A. In October 1997, a high-pressure grinding roll with deglomerator and high-efficiency separator went into operation at the company's Santa Helena plant. The system operated with an existing ball mill as a combi-grinding system with 200-mtph throughput.

* Cimento Tocantins S.A., which ordered a ball mill for grinding, including a drive unit and high-efficiency separator with a 110-mtph throughput.

* Cia. de Cimento Portland Rio Branco, which ordered a ball mill for grinding including a drive unit and high-efficiency separator with a 125-mtph throughput.

* Paul Wurth do Brasil Ltda. In May 1997, this company ordered a 20-mtph roller mill to grind coal.

* Grupo Brennand/Joao Pessao, which commissioned a 2,000-mtpd cement production line in July 1997. Krupp Polysius modified the 62-mtph grinding system and installed a two-chamber separator mill designed for a throughput of 150 mtph of raw material.

* Samarco Mineracao S.A., which ordered a roller mill in September 1997 for a 20-mtph throughput of coal, including a conveyor system.

Chile Cemento Melon S.A. placed an order for a ball mill for grinding cement including a drive unit and high-efficiency separator with a throughput of 130 mtph of pozzolon cement. Krupp Polysius is the supplier.

Colombia Cementos del Valle S.A.'s plant in Cali has commissioned a major conventional rebuild of its existing cooler in order to modernize and upgrade it. This included new internalsupport wheels for the new moving frame, new grate support beam and guide rollers, partition walls and seals, floor plates, and tipping valves. The first drive was converted to grates. A new separator and auxiliary equipment for cement mill #8 also was supplied to achieve about a 20% capacity increase. Fuller International supplied engineering, equipment, and field services.

Fuller International also is supplying a separator plus auxiliaries for the new 4,600-kW mill being installed by Cementos del Caribe at its Barranquilla plant. The equipment was expected to start up in the fourth quarter of 1997.

Ecuador One of the largest cement manufacturers in Ecuador, Cementos Rocafuerte in Guayaquil placed an order with MVT for the modernization of the circular mix-bed with a rail diameter of 104 meters, which was supplied in 1980. The 17-year-old reclaimer will be equipped with a new system.

Peru In April 1997, Cementos Lima S.A. ordered three high-pressure grinding rolls, three deglomerators, and three high-efficiency separators. Two of the grinding rolls are destined to take care of the raw-material finish grinding at 275 mtph. The other grinding roll is destined for combination with an existing ball mill to produce cement at 230 mtph. Krupp Polysius was the supplier.

Krupp also received an order from ARPL Tecnologia Industrial S.A., the technical consultants of Cemento Andino S.A., for the delivery of a high-pressure grinding roll including a deglomerator and high-efficiency separator for finish grinding at 58 mtph.

Equipment and engineering services were supplied to Cementos Norte Pacasmayo S.A. of Pacasmayo to increase the kiln capacity of its existing clinker line in two phases. Fuller International modified the existing pyro system by changing the size of the burner, adding a fifth stage to the preheater tower, and converting the clinker cooler to CFG technology to produce 2,340 tpd. Commissioning was completed and the capacity was increased to 2,545 tpd, exceeding the original goal. The second phase is designed to further increase capacity about 6%. Fuller also supplied the plant with a high-efficiency separator and a Fuller-Kovako dust collector. Commissioning this new equipment is under way.

Cemento Andino SA is increasing the capacity of the second clinker production line at its Condorcocha plant. The engineering work is being carried out by consultants ARPL Tecnologia Industrial S.A. The majority of equipment is being supplied by KHD Humboldt Wedag AG.

The plant, which was originally built by KHD in 1962, is located at an altitude of 3,950 meters and has a current capacity of 450 mtpd, which is due to be increased to 1,450 mtpd. Start-up for the modified facility in the world's highest cement plant is expected to take place at the beginning of 1999.

Venezuela Venezolana de Cementos's Pertigalete plant ordered a retrofit of its cooler in August 1997. IKN added a clinker inlet distribution system to the #6 kiln, increasing its capacity to 3,000 mtpd.