with 1.25 million tonnes of clinker capacity per year . Kiln 5 is a four-stage pre-heater kiln and is highly energy efficient compared to the earlier wet process kilns . While this kiln has now been operating for over 30 years , Meyer explains that a number of upgrades have been carried out over this period .
“ One of the reasons we have managed to improve our energy consumption by 30 % since 2000 is that we have invested a lot of capital in improving and modernising this kiln . This is not an original model ; it is actually closer to the modern kilns than people think ,” explains Meyer .
The upgrades include installation of a raw mill separator , which improves both energy efficiency and production rates , as well as upgrades of the cascade fan and clinker cooler , which also contribute to efficiency and improve capacity . The packers and palletisers have also been replaced through the years , and bag filter added to reduce kiln dust emissions .
Recently , a separator was installed on one of the plant ’ s two cement mills , which further reduces energy consumption and improves capacity . Currently , the plant can produce 4 000 tonnes of clinker and 7 000 tonnes of cement per day . Further planned upgrades will increase daily clinker production capacity by an additional 750 tonnes , to 4 750 tonnes per day .
The original plant was demolished a few years ago and the area rehabilitated .
Key milestones
1934 |
Anglovaal Cement Company founded and listed on the JSE |
1936 |
Union Lime Company ( Ulco ) established to produce lime |
1937 |
Merger with Atlas Cement ; name changed to Anglo-Alpha Cement |
1949 |
Cement production starts at Ulco – Kilns 1 & 2 ( wet process kilns ): 250 000tpa |
1964 |
Commissioning of Cement Kilns 3 & 4 ( wet process kilns ): 350 000tpa |
1984 |
Commissioning of Cement Kiln 5 ( pre-calciner dry process ): 1 250 000tpa |
1984 – 2017
Capacity and efficiency upgrades , including :
• Raw mill separator
• Kiln cascade fan
• Kiln clinker cooler
• Packers and palletisers
• Bag filter
• Cement Mill 6 separator
2013 Ulco receives Clean Air Award from National Association for Clean Air ( NACA ).
1
Reduced energy consumption
Energy is one of the largest cost drivers in South Africa ’ s cement industry , with Eskom ’ s tariffs having risen by over 300 % from 2007 to 2015 . According to Meyer , energy accounts for almost 40 % of all cash costs related to the manufacturing of AfriSam ’ s products . “ Electricity used to be a relatively insignificant cost , but over the past 10 years it has become the single most expensive cash cost item to manufacture cement ,” he says .
This is why AfriSam has been focusing on decreasing its energy consumption since 2000 . Not only do the company ’ s energy efficiency initiatives reduce its carbon footprint , they also make good business sense . “ AfriSam is currently one of the ‘ greenest ’ cement companies in South Africa , not only because we want to be known as the green company , but because it helps us to reduce our energy consumption and thus our costs ,” Meyer explains .
2
1 . AfriSam ’ s Ulco cement plant can produce over 7 000 tonnes of cement per day .
2 . Ulco ’ s Kiln 5 has an annual production capacity of 1 250 000 tonnes .
16 _ QUARRY SA | NOVEMBER 2017