IND-08Heavy industry

Cement & Heavy Industry Instrumentation & Automation

Measurement, gas analysis and control for kilns, preheaters, mills and material handling — specified for heat, dust and vibration.

Typical measurement points, Cement & Heavy Industry, in process orderREF IND-08 · illustrative
  1. 01Raw mill & material handling

    • PDT-101, differential pressure transmitter
    • WT-102, weight transmitter
    • LT-103, level transmitter
  2. 02Preheater & calciner

    • TT-201, temperature transmitter
    • PT-202, pressure transmitter
    • AT-203, analyzer transmitter (O₂)
  3. 03Kiln & kiln inlet

    • AT-301, analyzer transmitter (O₂)
    • AT-302, analyzer transmitter (CO)
    • TT-303, temperature transmitter
  4. 04Clinker cooler

    • PT-401, pressure transmitter
    • FT-402, flow transmitter
    • TT-403, temperature transmitter
  5. 05Cement mill & dispatch

    • PDT-501, differential pressure transmitter
    • LT-502, level transmitter
    • WT-503, weight transmitter
  6. 06Stack & emissions

    • AT-601, analyzer transmitter (Dust)
    • AT-602, analyzer transmitter (NOx)
    • FT-603, flow transmitter

01Process context

The process environment

Cement production runs as a continuous chain: raw material preparation and grinding, preheating and calcination, clinker burning in the kiln, cooling, and finish grinding. Kiln and preheater conditions — temperatures, draft and gas composition — govern clinker quality, fuel consumption and refractory life.

The environment is hard on instruments: high temperature, abrasive dust, heavy vibration and large electrical drives. Gas sampling at the kiln inlet has to cope with extreme dust load and heat, and many measurements depend on robust mounting, purging and protective installation rather than on the sensor alone.

02Measurement & control points

Typical measurement and control points

General practice across cement & heavy industry facilities, in process order: what is measured, the technology commonly used and how it reaches control. Illustrative — every plant differs.

  1. 01

    Raw mill & material handling

    • PDT-101
    • WT-102
    • LT-103
    Parameters
    • Mill differential pressure
    • Feed rate
    • Bin and silo level
    Typical technology
    • DP transmitters
    • Weighfeeders
    • Radar level for solids
    Integration
    Mill load and feeder ratio control in PLC.
  2. 02

    Preheater & calciner

    • TT-201
    • PT-202
    • AT-203O₂
    Parameters
    • Cyclone gas temperatures
    • Draft pressure
    • Oxygen and CO
    Typical technology
    • Thermocouples
    • Pressure transmitters with purging
    • Gas analyzers
    Integration
    Temperature and draft monitoring with blockage alarms.
  3. 03

    Kiln & kiln inlet

    • AT-301O₂
    • AT-302CO
    • TT-303
    Parameters
    • Kiln-inlet O₂, CO and NOx
    • Burning-zone temperature
    • Kiln shell temperature
    Typical technology
    • Extractive analyzers with water-cooled probes
    • Pyrometers
    • Shell scanners
    Integration
    Combustion and kiln control, with analyzer status and probe-cleaning cycles.
  4. 04

    Clinker cooler

    • PT-401
    • FT-402
    • TT-403
    Parameters
    • Grate pressure
    • Cooling-air flow
    • Clinker temperature
    Typical technology
    • Pressure transmitters
    • Air-flow measurement
    • Thermocouples or pyrometers
    Integration
    Grate speed and cooling-air control.
  5. 05

    Cement mill & dispatch

    • PDT-501
    • LT-502
    • WT-503
    Parameters
    • Mill differential pressure
    • Silo level
    • Packing weight
    Typical technology
    • DP transmitters
    • Radar level for solids
    • Weighing systems
    Integration
    Mill control and silo inventory to SCADA.
  6. 06

    Stack & emissions

    • AT-601Dust
    • AT-602NOx
    • FT-603
    Parameters
    • Dust
    • SO₂ and NOx
    • Flue-gas flow
    Typical technology
    • Dust monitors
    • In-situ or extractive gas analyzers
    • Stack flow measurement
    Integration
    Continuous emissions data retained for reporting.

Tag key · ISA 5.1

PDT
Differential pressure transmitter
WT
Weight transmitter
LT
Level transmitter
TT
Temperature transmitter
PT
Pressure transmitter
AT
Analyzer transmitter
FT
Flow transmitter

Loop numbers follow the process area — 1xx for area 01, 2xx for area 02 — as on a plant P&ID. The points are typical of the industry, not taken from a specific plant.

03Engineering considerations

What makes cement & heavy industry facilities demanding

The conditions that shape instrument selection, installation and control design in this environment.

  • Heat and dust

    Housings, cooling or purge arrangements and cable routing protect measurements near kilns, coolers and mills.

  • Vibration

    Mounting, remote electronics and robust connections reduce failures caused by mill, fan and crusher vibration.

  • Gas sampling at the kiln inlet

    Probe design, automatic cleaning and sample conditioning decide analyzer availability far more than the analyzer itself.

  • Electrical noise

    Large drives and long cable runs call for careful earthing, shielding and segregation of signal cables from power.

Cement & Heavy Industry enquiry

Dealing with a hard-to-keep measurement near the kiln or mill?

Share the location, the conditions and what keeps failing. An engineer can help work through the measuring principle, installation and sampling approach.