cementing a new · the plant had installed air cannons supplied by 3 different vendors to fight...
TRANSCRIPT
CASE STUDY
CEMENTING A NEW STANDARD OF CLEANING IN A STICKY SITUATION
PROBLEM
Sticky material fell into the chute in large chunks, blocking the chute. Oftentimes,
the plant was forced to stop production and clean this chute every 5 hours. An average of 900 tons of production was lost per day
equating to a $54,000 daily loss.
SOLUTION
As a result of the IGS Big Blue Air Cannon installation, manual cleaning was no longer
necessary. The plant is now evaluating further areas, where build up is a problem, for
additional air cannon upgrades.
Problem | The Failed TrioA cement plant in the Caribbean was experiencing issues in
their raw material chute. Buildup occurred in the entire chute,
but the principal problem was near the top. Sticky material fell
into the chute in large chunks, blocking the chute.
The plant had installed air cannons supplied by 3 different
vendors to fight this problem. Unfortunately, the air cannons
were unable to shift the buildup, requiring manual clean-up.
Oftentimes, the plant was forced to stop production and clean
this chute every 5 hours. An average of 900 tons of production
was lost per day equating to a $54,000 daily loss.
Evaluating AlternativesJeff Shelton, IGS air cannon innovations pioneer, has
commented: “Little has changed in the air cannon market over
the last two decades, in terms of design of the cannon and its
components. All the while, cement industry has continued to
innovate, creating new maintenance challenges. It was time that
the air cannon technology caught up with the industry.”
The plant was made aware of the IGS Big Blue air cannons.
Widespread in the Power industry, yet relatively new to Cement.
IGS have performed several improvements to the conventional
air cannon component designs and cleaning power.
integratedglobal.com
Problem Area The Failed Trio Smooth Solution
Cementing a New Standard of Cleaning in a Sticky Situation | CASE STUDY
Smooth SolutionFollowing a through evaluation and multiple consultations with
IGS technical experts, a solution was identified and installed. A
three-port multiplier with high velocity nozzles was fitted.
The high velocity nozzle produces a high energy ball of air,
moving material better than a wide thin blast of air from a
fan jet nozzle. Increased air tank volume would now make the
sticky material easier to move. New discharge locations have
now made it possible to push the material downward, at the
angle of the chute, instead of across the chute. Any working
cannons were relocated.
The IGS Multiplier coupled with a larger 300L air cannon
combined the initial power of the Blaster with the large moving
mass of the Pusher to effectively clean this chute where other
cannons had been ineffective. IGS is the only company that can
offer cannon systems with this mix of blast types allowing to
not only break up hardened buildup, but then shove it out of
the way.
As a result of the IGS Big Blue Air Cannon installation, manual
cleaning was no longer necessary. The plant is now evaluating
further areas, where build up is a problem, for additional air
cannon upgrades.
Cementing a New Standard of Cleaning Efficiency and innovation are major drivers in the current
climate. Cement plant managers, therefore, look for vendors
who are able to fortify their resources by taking traditional
systems and enhancing them for better performance.
Eventually, what may now be considered “new” will become a
new standard of cleaning.
The success of this installation allowed this plant to elect to
purchase 75 additional IGS Big Blue air cannons to install on
their preheat tower. The air cannons are part of a project to
switch fuels. The plant is moving away from the expensive low-
sulfur coal to a high-sulfur pet coke.
It is established this change will create significant buildup
in the preheat tower. The plant worked with IGS to best
determine the location of auxiliary air cannons. Each air cannon
is being supplied with the High Velocity Nozzles.
IGS have unmatched experience in air cannon installations, for
more information contact: [email protected]
Let the Power of Blue work for you!
EXPERT OPINION
Chris Landers, IGS air cannon expert, has commented: “For air cannons to solve buildup issues they must be applied correctly. The air cannons in this application were not applied correctly in our opinion. We felt there were issues with the following; location of nozzle, type of nozzle and the cleaning energy provided by each cannon.”
integratedglobal.com
Sticky material fell into the chute in large chunks, blocking the chute.
The air cannons were unable to shift the buildup, requiring manual clean-up.
IGS Big Blue Air Cannon installation - manual cleaning is no longer necessary.