PLANT TOUR: Martinsburg

Derek and I originally toured the Martinsburg plant in November 2012 in order to write the preview piece that featured in the conference supplement last year. I mentioned in that article that the plant underwent an expansion in 2008/2009, which increased capacity to 1.8 million t of cement. In terms of the economy, it was a difficult time to invest such a large sum of money in the US cement industry. Now that things are turning around – awful winter weather notwithstanding – the plant will be well-placed to meet increasing demand. A table of equipment is included within this article, but the basic plant layout is as follows.

Raw material is crushed in the onsite quarry using a 3-phase Hazemag stationary impact crusher type PMH 2025E/GSK at a rate of 1200 tph. The crushed product is transported to CST Covers’ Temcor raw material aluminium

storage dome via a 405 m long belt conveyor from ONT. Iron ore, bottom ash and silica are brought in by truck. The material is stacked and then blended by the Bedeschi circular blending stacker reclaimer. Four feeding silos feed the raw material to a 6200 hp vertical roller mill from Loesche, type LM 60.6. The preheater tower is a sight to see at 420 ft tall and required special permission due to its proximity to the Eastern West Virginia regional airport. The 5-stage preheater/precalciner and 62 m long kiln were supplied by FLSmidth, as was the Duoflex burner pipe. A kiln scanner and thermal imaging system from Thermoteknix keeps an eye on the burner flame and kiln temperature. The SF 4 x 6 crossbar cooler is also from FLSmidth. Clinker is stored in two separate silos according to type – approximately 35% of the plant’s output is low-alkali cement. The plant uses two 5400 hp

Loesche LM 53.3+3 VRMs for finish grinding before the material is moved to the silo storage system via two 180 tph FLUIDCON pneumatic transfer lines. The FLUIDCON system is a state-of-the-art pneumatic transfer system from Claudius Peters that can achieve savings in operating costs (depending on the routing of the pipe) of more than 50%. The cement silos were also supplied by Claudius Peters and include a 10 000 t cement silo that came with the plant expansion when modifications were also made to the existing east and central bank silos. The plant is equipped with an 8-spout HAVER Roto Packer type RSE and an automatic bag placer type Radimat. The packing machine has eight individual filling stations, each with a filling spout controlled by the electronic weighing system MEC III. The net machine output for filling of cement with up to 4000 Blaine is 2360 bags/h into 94-pound bags. The palletiser was supplied by Beumer. The majority of Martinsburg’s product is distributed in bulk to markets including nearby Washington, DC and Baltimore, as well as further afield to Ohio.

I ask Derek how things have changed since I last visited the plant. “We have some new things coming up,” he says. “Our rail service is picking up so we’ll be getting a new rail loadout put in this year, which might be ongoing during the tour. It was always in the plan to have a larger system, but we scaled it back (during the initial plant

Table 1. Equipment and suppliers

Equipment Supplier, capacity, useful notes, etc.

Quarry

Crushing 3-phase Hazemag stationary impact crusher type PMH 2025E/GSK, 1400 kW drive, 1200 tph cap.

Transport from quarry 405 m long belt conveyor supplied by O.N.T.

Quarry online analyser Thermo Fisher, OMNI, coupled with FLSmidth Automation QCX control software

Stone preblending/dosing

Raw material storage CST Covers’ Temcor dome

Stacker/reclaimer Bedeschi circular stacker and reclaimer, stacker 1320 tph cap., reclaimer 450 tph cap.

Additives silos Metal bins: iron 1472 t, sand 1178 t, bottom ash 2000 t (x2)

Additives and feeding Iron, sand, bottom ash, via Schenck Process belt weight feeders to RM feeding belt

Raw mill online analyser Thermo Fisher, CBX, coupled with FLSmidth Automation QCX control software

Grinding

Raw material grinding Loesche LM 60.6, 6200 hp drive, 420 tph cap., LSKS classifier

Coal grinding Loesche LM 23.2 D, 750 hp, LSKS classifier, variable speed table

Pyroprocessing

Preheater/precalciner 5-stage, single string with inline low NOX calciner

Pollution controls

Main raw mill/kiln filter Redecam, single compartment – Evonik Fibers P-84 filter bags

CEM ABB

SNCR Lechler atomised lances in calciner exit, 20 000 gallon tank for 19% aqueous ammonia

Scrubber Turbosonic semi-dry/hydrated lime slurry, dry lime silo, slurry mixing and pumping – integrated with Turbosonic gas conditioning tower

\ Reprinted from World Cement IEEE-IAS/PCA Conference

expansion) because of the economic conditions at the time. In the end we decided to advance the output once demand was up, and that’s increased so we’re ready to put the expansion in place now.”

The plant has traditionally been coal-fired, but has scheduled construction of an alternative fuels system to begin in the second quarter of 2014. I ask if that is related to NESHAP compliance, or just something the plant wanted to do. “It helps when it comes to NESHAP, but it’s not being done for NESHAP, ” Derek explains. “It reduces the mercury content, but obviously we’re doing it for other environmental reasons – to utilise less fossil fuels. We have a supplier in mind, which is currently building an operation about a mile and half away from our plant.”

With that being said, I ask the obvious question: is the Martinsburg plant ready to meet the NESHAP compliance deadline? Derek’s answer is confident: “We’re ready for NESHAP. We’ve done all of our testing, so we know what we have to do. We don’t think we’ll have to put any additional money into the plant at this point, though that always remains as a potential and we’re prepared for that.”

Turning to the conference itself, we talk about what delegates can expect from the plant tour. “I’m looking forward to people seeing the plant in general,” says Derek. “The entire plant is quite interesting.” For health and safety reasons, delegates will be bussed around the plant, but with the option to get off and spend time at specific points of interest. Another bonus is that vendors have been invited to exhibit in front of their equipment. “It’s a good way for them to promote their equipment, as well as to promote what we have in Martinsburg,” Derek says. “The best person to talk about the equipment is the vendor themselves and we’ll also have Essroc personnel there to talk about the successes and some of the issues that we’ve had. The goal is to make this more of an informational transfer. Not just a walk around the plant, but also some educational technical transfer.”

From my own experience with Italcementi, this seems to be a fundamental philosophy of the entire group. Derek agrees: “Yes, internally we’re very big at sharing knowledge. We try and share knowledge into the industry where it’s appropriate. In

general, it’s a very open company – that’s why we’re part of the Cement Industry Committee. We’re trying to push ourselves to be leaders in the industry in terms of technical knowhow and passing on information.”

That has obviously influenced Derek’s role as Local Chair because he has added to the educational offerings of the conference.

“One of the things I wanted to do was to try and come up with some ways to lure the operators back into the conference, and one of the ways to do this was to introduce this new professional training, which is primarily focused on new professionals in the industry. This training is more practical in nature, focusing on troubleshooting and equipment and some of the basics in the cement industry. It gives managers a way to gauge what their staff get out of this, which can be very tough. Offering this training allows that.” This spawned the ‘two ideas’ tag you might have seen on the adverts. Derek explains: “When they send a new professional to this training they can say, I want you to come back with at least two ideas that you can implement in the plant, and this gives them the opportunity for follow up.”

Celebrating 150 years!Essroc’s parent company the Italcementi Group is celebrating its 150th anniversary this year. Established in 1864, today the group has an annual capacity of 65 million t across 53 cement plants worldwide and is the world’s fifth largest cement producer.

Following the takeover of Ciment Français in 1992, Italcementi diversified geographically through acquisitions in emerging markets and operations in North America. In the subsequent years, the group has further strengthened its presence in Asia and the Middle East.

Italcementi is a member of the World Business Council for Sustainable Development and has signed the Cement Sustainability Initiative’s Agenda for Action. In addition, the group adheres to the UN Global Compact, a strategic initiative promoted by the United Nations to align companies’ operations and plans with universally accepted principles in the areas of human rights, labour, environment and ethics.

Reprinted from World Cement / IEEE-IAS/PCA Conference

expansion) because of the economic conditions at the time. In the end we decided to advance the output once demand was up, and that’s increased so we’re ready to put the expansion in place now.”

The plant has traditionally been coal-fired, but has scheduled construction of an alternative fuels system to begin in the second quarter of 2014. I ask if that is related to NESHAP compliance, or just something the plant wanted to do. “It helps when it comes to NESHAP, but it’s not being done for NESHAP, ” Derek explains. “It reduces the mercury content, but obviously we’re doing it for other environmental reasons – to utilise less fossil fuels. We have a supplier in mind, which is currently building an operation about a mile and half away from our plant.”

With that being said, I ask the obvious question: is the Martinsburg plant ready to meet the NESHAP compliance deadline? Derek’s answer is confident: “We’re ready for NESHAP. We’ve done all of our testing, so we know what we have to do. We don’t think we’ll have to put any additional money into the plant at this point, though that always remains as a potential and we’re prepared for that.”

Turning to the conference itself, we talk about what delegates can expect from the plant tour. “I’m looking forward to people seeing the plant in general,” says Derek. “The entire plant is quite interesting.” For health and safety reasons, delegates will be bussed around the plant, but with the option to get off and spend time at specific points of interest. Another bonus is that vendors have been invited to exhibit in front of their equipment. “It’s a good way for them to promote their equipment, as well as to promote what we have in Martinsburg,” Derek says. “The best person to talk about the equipment is the vendor themselves and we’ll also have Essroc personnel there to talk about the successes and some of the issues that we’ve had. The goal is to make this more of an informational transfer. Not just a walk around the plant, but also some educational technical transfer.”

From my own experience with Italcementi, this seems to be a fundamental philosophy of the entire group. Derek agrees: “Yes, internally we’re very big at sharing knowledge. We try and share knowledge into the industry where it’s appropriate. In

general, it’s a very open company – that’s why we’re part of the Cement Industry Committee. We’re trying to push ourselves to be leaders in the industry in terms of technical knowhow and passing on information.”

That has obviously influenced Derek’s role as Local Chair because he has added to the educational offerings of the conference.

“One of the things I wanted to do was to try and come up with some ways to lure the operators back into the conference, and one of the ways to do this was to introduce this new professional training, which is primarily focused on new professionals in the industry. This training is more practical in nature, focusing on troubleshooting and equipment and some of the basics in the cement industry. It gives managers a way to gauge what their staff get out of this, which can be very tough. Offering this training allows that.” This spawned the ‘two ideas’ tag you might have seen on the adverts. Derek explains: “When they send a new professional to this training they can say, I want you to come back with at least two ideas that you can implement in the plant, and this gives them the opportunity for follow up.”

Celebrating 150 years!Essroc’s parent company the Italcementi Group is celebrating its 150th anniversary this year. Established in 1864, today the group has an annual capacity of 65 million t across 53 cement plants worldwide and is the world’s fifth largest cement producer.

Following the takeover of Ciment Français in 1992, Italcementi diversified geographically through acquisitions in emerging markets and operations in North America. In the subsequent years, the group has further strengthened its presence in Asia and the Middle East.

Italcementi is a member of the World Business Council for Sustainable Development and has signed the Cement Sustainability Initiative’s Agenda for Action. In addition, the group adheres to the UN Global Compact, a strategic initiative promoted by the United Nations to align companies’ operations and plans with universally accepted principles in the areas of human rights, labour, environment and ethics.

Reprinted from World Cement / IEEE-IAS/PCA Conference

Another option that Derek has implemented is offering free rooms to producer procurement departments because, as Derek points out, “What better place for procurement to come than where all the vendors are?” Whether or not that will work out this year, given the timing of the conference, is an unknown but, Derek says, “We won’t know unless we try”. Letting people know that the option is there may mean there is more pick-up next year and the year after until it’s fixed in the calendar as the best time to talk contracts.

Finally, I ask Derek how he has enjoyed his time as chair. “It’s been a learning experience,” he grins. “It’s a huge time commitment. People tell you that, but you don’t really realise what that entails until you do it. There have been considerable hours put into getting this done. We try and have fun while we do it – we’re volunteers, so you have to do it because you like it and because it’s fun. The people on the committee make it enjoyable.”

Table 1. Equipment and suppliers (continued)

Rotary kiln

Type/Size FLSmidth Rotax, 5.25 m dia. x 62 m

Supports 2 support, tangential tyre suspension, self-aligning roller support

Drives 1100 hp friction drive with mechanical reducer

Kiln scanner Thermoteknix

Refractories 100% Refratechnik supply on initial project

Burner FLSmidth Duoflex

Fuels

Coal/petcoke/oil/gas 2 qualities of coal with #2 oil for preheating

Clinker cooler

Type FLSmidth Crossbar Cooler, 4 modules wide by 6 modules long

Linings Initial 100% Refratechnik supply – cast in place monolithic

Clinker crushing FLSmidth HRB 4-roll crusher/breaker

Dedusting Twin cyclones, no-bag filter, cooler gases transported to raw mill

Free lime analyser Iteca Socadei

Clinker transport 2 x Beumer pan conveyors for transport to two clinker product silos

Clinker storage 1 x 90 000 t silo for normal alkali and 1 x 45 000 t silo for low alkali clinker

Clinker grinding/cement storage

Cement mills 2 x 5400 hp Loesche, LM 53.3+3 VRM, LSKS dynamic classifier, 130 tph Portland cap.

Cement storage Claudius Peters multi-cell single silo, 10 000 t cap., modernised existing storage consisting of 16 x 1400 t silos

Cement packaging and shipping

Packaging/bulk/mode Bulk 95 – 96%, packaged 4 – 5%/mode: 58% truck, 42% rail

Packer type 8-spout Haver & Boecker Roto Packer type RSE and a Radimat automatic bag placer

Palletiser Beumer

Bulk loading 4 new truck lanes – Claudius Peters / 2 existing lanes. Two spouts for railcar loading + one spout in construction for 3 x simultaneous loading

Control systems and power distribution

Control system Honeywell DCS

Power/electrical installation Eaton

Laboratory

Online cement lab

Iteca Socadei – sampling and handling

Carbon/sulfur analyser – Eltra CS-800

PSD analyser – Malvern Insitec

XRD – FCT-ACTECH COSMA C351

Main laboratory XRF - PANalytical AXIOS Cement PW440

\ Reprinted from World Cement IEEE-IAS/PCA Conference

Katherine Guenioui previews the 2014 IEEE-IAS/PCA Cement Industry Technical Conference host plant and talks to Local Chair Derek Nicholls.

Derek Nicholls has had a lot on his plate over the last couple of years. In addition to the expansion at the Essroc Martinsburg plant and his responsibilities as Senior Vice President

– Technical Director at Essroc – Italcementi Group, he has also held the position of Local Chair on the 2014 IEEE-IAS/PCA Technical Conference committee. We talked about these responsibilities and what delegates can expect to see at the plant when we met late last year.

The Essroc Martinsburg cement plant.

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