Industry thought leader

Ziel des Forschungsvorhabens war es, den Einfluss von Nebenoxiden aus Brennstoffaschen auf die Bildungstemperaturen der Klinkerschmelze und auf die damit verbundene Klinkermineralogie herauszuarbeiten. Ebenso sollten die Auswirkungen der verringerten Prozesstemperatur und der veränderten Eigenschaften der Klinkerschmelze auf die notwendige Bildung von Coatingschichten sowie die Feuerfestkorrosion und damit auf die Haltbarkeit der feuerfesten Zustellung in der Sinterzone des Drehrohrofens aufgeklärt werden.

Ziel des IGF-Vorhabens 19276 N war es, grundlegende Erkenntnisse zur bedarfsgerechten Verdichtung von leicht zu verarbeitenden Betonen in Abhängigkeit der Frischbetoneigenschaften zu gewinnen. Die Untersuchungen sollten dabei den gesamten möglichen Bereich der Frischbetoneigenschaften von LVB abdecken.

EN 197-5 defined the clinker-efficient cements CEM II/C and CEM VI. Technical approvals for the application of CEM II/C cements have been issued. For a widespread application, it is important that all parties involved develop confidence in the new products. With new findings on fresh concrete properties, hardening behaviour and durability two research projects of the VDZ Concrete Technology Department will provide an important basis for application of these cements in concrete for the construction industry.

EN 197-5 defined the clinker-efficient cements CEM II/C and CEM VI. Technical approvals for the application of CEM II/C cements have been issued. For a wide application, all parties involved have to develop confidence in the new products. With new findings on fresh concrete properties, hardening behaviour and durability two research projects of the VDZ Concrete Technology Department will provide an important basis for the application of these cements in the construction industry.

The replacement of primary fuels by alternative fuels is of great economic and ecological importance for the cement industry and is to be increased in the future. The fuel ashes are used as raw material in the cement clinker and influence its properties as well as the coating formation on the refractory lining in the kiln. Exact knowledge of these effects is indispensable for the further increase of the alternative fuel rate and the simultaneous optimisation of the kiln operation as well as for the maintenance of the clinker quality and the service life of the refractory lining.

The SIMULEX® cement plant simulator for training plant supervisors, foremen, production personnel, control room operators and young engineers was developed by KHD Humboldt Wedag AG in cooperation with VDZ. For over ten years VDZ has been using the simulator within the framework of training courses and has been continually supporting the further development of the system with practical input from the industry. As a result, the simulator provides a realistic reconstruction of a cement plant with a state-of-the-art supervisory control and data acquisition system (SCADA).

The cement industry provides excellent job opportunities for young engineers and scientists. Training schemes introduce these new employees to cement technology, taking their different professional backgrounds into account. This online course provides a one-week in-depth training session which covers all relevant aspects of cement technology including chemistry, mineralogy and environmental aspects. Quality control as well as cement performance in mortar and concrete will also be covered.

The SIMULEX® cement plant simulator for training plant supervisors, foremen, production personnel, control room operators and young engineers was developed by KHD Humboldt Wedag AG in cooperation with VDZ. For over ten years VDZ has been using the simulator within the framework of training courses and has been continually supporting the further development of the system with practical input from the industry. As a result, the simulator provides a realistic reconstruction of a production plant with a state-of-the-art supervisory control and data acquisition system (SCADA).

Climate protection and digitisation are key challenges for the cement industry: More than 600 representatives from the international cement industry and associated suppliers, as well as from scientific and research institutes around the world, gathered at the International VDZ Congress 2018 in Duesseldorf at the end of September. Steeped in tradition, the VDZ Congress is one of the world's most important events in the industry. The 40 talks held at this year's congress focused on particularly pressing topics such as climate protection and digitisation. The participants also discussed current technical challenges and the general situation with regard to cement production. A further highlight was an evening ceremony at which the winners of the VDZ Industrial Safety Prize 2017 received their awards.