VDZ news

VDZ Technical Training Programme 2020/2021 published

Thu, 09 Jan 2020 11:32:00 +0100

The new VDZ Technical Training Programme 2020/2021 is now available for download. VDZ has been offering its training programme for more than 60 years. Based on the positive experiences and the feedback from the many companies who have sent their experts to VDZ or for whom VDZ has provided customised courses, the current training portfolio has been further developed into a comprehensive programme covering all aspects of cement production. The programme is offered in English and the courses can be booked individually. In addition, all courses can also be customised on request for a company‘s own employees exclusively and held at any location.

The training programme contains varied seminars and courses for newcomers and experts in the cement industry. As classroom teaching units these are held at VDZ in Duesseldorf, allowing participants to profit from our facilities during practical exercises, when these are foreseen. To facilitate individual, continual learning, VDZ also offers online courses, which are designed to train employees in the cement industry through computer-based learning methods. These web-based courses are accessible at any time. They combine different elements to make learning easier and more efficient, such as animations, focussed explanations, questions and tests. Trainees can learn at their own pace. In addition, companies can provide tutors to offer plant and company-specific support.

VDZ is delighted to provide the following seminars and courses:

Process Technology of Cement Production (3 – 14 February 2020)
This course consists of two modules: "Raw Material Preparation and Grinding Technology"
(Module 1) as well as "Clinker Production and Material Technology" (Module 2). Each module has a duration of one week. The course gives a deep insight into cement production technology, covering topics from quarry operation to cement grinding. Further Details

Crash Course Process Control (2 – 4 March 2020)
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). Further Details

Seminar Wear of Refractory Materials (24 March 2020)
The refractory lining of a cement plant is subject to wear, which can be typical to abnormal depending on the process conditions. A premature wear of the refractory lining usually results in an unexpected loss of production, which is associated with high costs. In order to be able to better assess the reasons for the wear that has occurred, the course gives an overview of the types of wear in the cement plant and their interpretation. In addition, details are shown how the wear behaviour of the refractory lining in the cement plant changes as a result of the use of alternative fuels. Further Details

Seminar Installation of Refractory Materials (25 – 26 March 2020)
For good lifetimes of the refractory materials in the clinker production line, a faultless installation is an important prerequisite. Even though the installation is carried out in most companies by external companies, supervision should be done by trained employees. This seminar should help the participants to be able to better evaluate the refractory installation and thereby recognize deficits at an early stage. Further Details

Plant Maintenance and Refractories Course (22 – 26 June 2020)
Our Plant Maintenance and Refractories Course covers all topics concerning the high efficiency and availability of a cement plant’s key machinery. Measurement of rotary kilns and ball mills as well as independent expertise in mechanical maintenance and inspections are also among the major aspects. We provide an extensive know-how transfer on high quality refractory kiln brick lining materials and installation including their relation to mechanical failure. Further Details

Energy Balances and Efficiency (5 – 9 October 2020)
Learn how to conduct and evaluate cement kiln trials and mill trials. Kiln and mill examinations are carried out in order to gather data on the performance and to validate warranty performance data such as the output, the energy consumption, input/output ratio or the efficiency. They also provide a reliable foundation for the optimisation of individual operational system components, the cement quality, the reduction of emissions levels and for assessment of material cycles and coating formations. Further Details

Crash Course for Young Engineers (14 – 18 June 2021)
The cement industry provides excellent job opportunities for young engineers or scientists. Training schemes introduce these new employees to cement technology, taking their different professional backgrounds into account. This training 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. Further Details

Customised Training Courses, Seminars and Workshops (by arrangement)
Besides our open training courses we offer a wide range of customised training courses, seminars and workshops. During over 60 years’ teaching activity we have conducted numerous tailor-made training courses and seminars for cement producers and national or international organisations around the globe. The biggest advantage of this kind of training is that the topics, duration and the level of difficulty can be tailored to fit the customer’s needs to provide maximum practical benefit. Further Details

VDZ Online Courses (flexible starting dates)
VDZ Online Courses are designed to train industrial employees in the cement industry through innovative, highly flexible online learning methods. The courses can be used either for self-paced learning, as a supplement to classroom training or as a knowledge base. VDZ Online Courses provide the latest knowledge on cement production in an industry-proven, easily understandable format. Thanks to web-based technologies, high quality animations, self-tests and certification, employees can learn cost-efficiently anywhere and anytime they have access to the Internet. Further Details

All courses are conducted by experienced engineers and researchers who have gained their expertise and practical experience working in cement production, in different international projects with regard to process and product optimisation, energy efficiency and emissions reduction, and in various practice-oriented research projects.

All seminars and courses can be found in the VDZ Technical Training Programme 2020/2021. The courses can be booked online via the VDZ Education and Training Website.

Perspectives of CO₂ infrastructure in North Rhine-Westphalia

Fri, 23 Aug 2019 10:21:00 +0200

The workshop took findings from various disciplines and the perspectives of different societal stakeholders into account. It dealt with the following focal areas: CO₂ reduction technologies in cement and steel production, and regional and international prospects for CO₂ management in NRW were presented in the “CO₂ sources and sinks” subject module. This was followed by a subject module on experience with “CO₂ storage and transport/infrastructure” in Germany and “Planning and legal framework conditions”. The fourth subject module of “Societal awareness and prerequisites” then dealt with the important question of the societal acceptance of CO₂ transport and CO₂ storage.

The European Cement Research Academy (ECRA) and VDZ have been carrying out research for the cement industry for over ten years on suitable technologies for CO₂ capture. The sector is also currently involved in various so-called power-to-X projects in which the capture of CO₂ and its use in the form of fuel is to be tested over the coming years.

IN4climate.NRW is a platform for industry, science and politics in NRW that is working to develop strategies for climate-neutral industry. It was initiated by Ministry of Economic Affairs, Innovation, Digitalisation and Energy (MWIDE) of the state of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. VDZ is supporting the IN4climate.NRW initiative as a link to the cement industry and is also a partner in the initiatives scientific competence centre SCI4climate.NRW.

Further information on the workshop is available in German at https://vdz.info/8leq0.

34^th Anthology of Concrete Technology Reports published

Tue, 06 Aug 2019 15:21:00 +0200

In particular, these topics include various aspects of the production and use of clinker-efficient cements and of the use of recycled aggregates in the form of crushed sand in cement. The articles on the performance and composition of air-entrained concretes and high-performance concretes, on the properties of hardened cement pastes and their effects in the case of fire, and on the avoiding of harmful alkali-silica reactions also address issues relating to the future of concrete construction as a construction method.

VDZ has been publishing the results of its work on current issues relating to concrete technology and chemical mineralogy in its Concrete Technology Reports since 1960. There are now 34 Anthologies in this series that serve as a comprehensive, reliable reference work for researchers.

This publication, which has only been published online since the 2016-2018 period under review, is available immediately using the free VDZ eBook app. To obtain the app for iOS and Android, scan the QR code shown on the right or enter the URL address https://ebooks.vdz-online.de/getapp. Alongside the app, you can also find an alternative view for your desktop browser here.

Further information on the anthology and individual articles can be found here.

Workshop on innovative carbon capture technologies in the cement industry held in Brussels

Tue, 23 Oct 2018 10:34:00 +0200

The workshop discussed the technological and economic framework for the application of carbon capture technologies in the cement industry. It highlighted the results of the three dedicated research projects:

ECRA’s carbon capture project, which proposes the demonstration of oxyfuel carbon capture technology in two cement plants
Conclusions from CEMCAP’s experiments and techno-economic assessment
The first year results and engineering of the CLEANKER project

Further presentations at the workshop encompassed options for direct separation capture technology and carbon capture and storage/utilisation (CCS, CCU). The workshop included a poster session and gave the floor to discussing the portfolio of technologies for carbon capture and their perspective for demonstration in the cement industry at industrial scale.

The workshop was followed on 18 October 2018 by a presentation of the CEMBUREAU Low Carbon Economy Roadmap in the European Parliament. It highlighted the importance of carbon capture in the cement industry and of its demonstration as breakthrough technology for achieving CO₂ emission reduction targets according to the Paris Climate Agreement.

The CEMCAP project is funded from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme as part of grant agreement number 641185. CEMCAP pursues establishment of the conditions necessary for using carbon capture and storage technologies in the European cement industry.

CLEANKER is a project that started 2017, also funded by EU’s Horizon 2020 programme. It addresses CO₂ capture from cement production by demonstrating calcium looping (CaL) technology in the cement plant (TRL 7).

VDZ's CEMCAP Project Website
VDZ's CLEANKER Project Website

Participants of the workshop on innovative carbon capture technologies in the cement industry held in Brussels

VDZ Congress 2018: Climate protection and digitisation are key challenges for the cement industry

Thu, 04 Oct 2018 11:55:00 +0200

In his opening address, VDZ President Christian Knell stressed the significance of the congress as a unique platform for shaping future aspects of cement production. With particular reference to the subject of climate protection, appropriate policy decisions would also be required to avoid jeopardising the competitiveness of the cement manufacturers. This includes research policy backing for investments in progressive technologies and the associated demonstration projects, for instance.

VDZ President Christian Knell opening the congress

VDZ Activity Report 2015 - 2018 published

Tue, 02 Oct 2018 13:55:00 +0200

For more than 140 years VDZ has been contributing to a competitive and ecological cement production and high-quality concrete construction methods. VDZ has always stood for highest quality throughout - in pre-competitive and application-oriented collective research, in a wide range of services and in representing the interests of the industry in Germany and the EU.

VDZ presents its work to the public in a concise activity report periodically. The current report in German and English focuses in particular on collective work at VDZ, the latest developments in the German cement industry, the extensive range of services VDZ provides for members and customers worldwide, and new findings obtained by VDZ from numerous scientific research projects.

The new VDZ Activity Report

New VDZ endowed professorship at Hochschule Duesseldorf, University of Applied Sciences (HSD)

Fri, 24 Aug 2018 14:32:00 +0200

For many years now, HSD and VDZ have actively shared their expertise on a whole range of topics in the areas of mechanical, environmental and process engineering. As an internationally renowned research centre for the cement industry, VDZ combines basic research with practical technical applications. In the words of VDZ Chief Executive Dr Martin Schneider: "Since VDZ was established over 140 years ago, application-oriented research has formed the foundation of its activities with the aim of achieving innovative, competitive and ecological cement production as well as high-quality concrete construction. We are very much looking forward to further consolidating our close relationship with HSD in the form of this new endowed professorship and to helping young people gain the qualifications they require for the wide range of jobs in our industry."

Particular focal points of the professorship will include lectures to be held as part of the "Environmental and process engineering" Bachelor course and the "Simulation and experimental technology" Masters course. The professorship will also be involved in research work in the area of process engineering/ cement production. This closer working relationship will definitely benefit from the fact that VDZ will be moving to new premises in the Toulouser Allee close to the HSD campus in 2019.

From left to right: Dean Prof Walter Mueller (HSD Department of Mechanical and Process Engineering), HSD President Prof Brigitte Grass, Dr Philipp Fleiger and Dr Martin Schneider (both VDZ)

Workshop on carbon capture technologies in the cement industry on 17 October 2018 and new CEMCAP film

Mon, 16 Apr 2018 16:22:00 +0200

The CEMCAP film now released details the project’s goals and background and documents a number of project stages. It is available for download here.

The CLEANKER project, brought to life in 2017, is also funded from the EU’s Horizon 2020 programme (grant agreement number 764816). CLEANKER is engaged in testing carbon capture by calcium looping at industrial scale.

By using CO₂ capture technologies, Europe’s cement industry could contribute substantially to climate protection, particularly in respect to future reductions of process-related CO₂-emissions. For more details about CEMCAP and CLEANKER, including on who the project partners are, visit VDZ’s websites:

VDZ's CEMCAP Project Website

The CEMCAP film

Cement industry presents innovative research projects for CO₂ abatement at 23^rd global climate conference (COP23)

Mon, 27 Nov 2017 15:15:00 +0100

German cement manufacturers are already contributing significantly to the reduction of CO₂ emissions by optimising their plants, using alternative fuels and developing clin-ker-efficient cements. Any efforts to reduce CO₂ in cement production meet their limits, however, as the raw materials’ properties produce process emissions during limestone decarbonation. Current technologies are not capable of reducing these. For this reason the cement industry has for many years now been conducting extensive research on novel CO₂ abatement methods. One promising approach is what is referred to as carbon capture, which enables the extraction of CO₂ in the stacks of the rotary kilns of cement plants and its subsequent storage over long periods (carbon capture and storage – CCS), or its utilisation elsewhere (carbon capture and utilisation – CCU).

Under the aegies of the European Cement Research Academy (ECRA) and in collaboration with German cement manufacturers and VDZ, this research has succeeded in advancing what is known as oxyfuel technology to a level which now allows this process to be tested at industrial scale in the cement industry in two locations in Europe. However, the industry is now in search of additional external funding. With no suitable existing scheme in place, cement manufacturers are now turning their hopes towards the EU innovation fund, which is to be set up by 2019 or 2020. Introducing this kind of ‘breakthrough’ technology at a wider scale throughout the industry will also require the establishment of an international regulatory framework. Otherwise it could jeopardise the competitiveness of domestic cement manufacturers or lead to undesirable carbon leakage effects in the long term.

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Quality and innovation from the word go – VDZ Annual Cement Conference 2017 commemorates VDZ’s 140-year anniversary

Wed, 20 Sep 2017 14:54:00 +0200

VDZ President Christian Knell kicked off the annual confe-
rence with a review of VDZ’s 140-year history. “We would not be here today if we had not formed VDZ to commit together to advancing the industry.” VDZ had contributed a significant share to the development of today’s standards, which ensured safe and durable constructions. Thanks also to VDZ joint research efforts, the German cement industry was today acting as a global pioneer with respect to environmental protection and the use of secondary fuels. “We have thus demonstrated that we actively push advances in environmental protection and the ongoing development of the state of the art. We in the cement industry are prepared to continue researching and implementing of innovative and pioneering technologies. It is our deepest conviction that our efforts in this regard are acknowledged and that they in no way impair our competitiveness,” Knell stressed.

The conference agenda continued with experts speaking on a broad range of different subjects, for instance long-term developments and impact of the energy transition and innovative options for storing energy. Opportunities and threats of the continuing digitalisation were discussed, for example relating to energy efficiency and plant availability in the cement industry or how big data can optimise processes in the basic materials industries. In the afternoon, the conference visitors were also invited to attend Panel discussions on process engineering or concrete technology to learn about the latest in plant technology and engineering or catch up with what is new regarding concretes and their raw materials.