Discover energy saving solutions in the cement industry

Optimizing your compressed air system

The first issue is having inefficient compressed air systems. This is often the biggest area of savings in the cement industry.  Sometimes compressed air has to travel much further through the factory than needed. Optimizing the pipelines, including proper pipe sizing and minimizing unnecessary bends, reduces pressure drop and energy loss. Regular preventive maintenance, such as cleaning or replacing filters, inspecting valves, and ensuring proper lubrication, enables peak performance and minimizes downtime. Another area of inefficiency are the dryers. When dryers are not installed properly, they can become so polluted with oil that there is almost zero result of its use. Adjusting your compressed air system and the location of the dryer will help it work far more effectively, the air will actually get cleaned and the insides of the dryers will stay free of dirt and oil, resulting in up to $100,000 of savings!

Detect your leaks

A second saving opportunity is the most well known, leaks. Production facilities often have leaking pipes, valves, filters, etc. These air leaks can be detected by measuring air flow throughout the system. Proper leak detection and repair can lead to substantial energy savings and directly impact the overall production costs. Although leakage is not the biggest area of saving for the cement industry, it is still well worth mentioning.

Finding the right compressor

The third common problem is not having the right compressor for the facility. Especially after optimizing the compressed air system, factories often have compressors that are too large for their needs. After measuring the needs of your production facility, manufacturers are often able to have one (or more) of their compressors turned off, or as a back up. Matching air pressure requirements with the specific needs of equipment and processes can significantly lower energy consumption. Being able to turn off one of your compressors results in immediate cost savings! 

This article was made possible with special thanks to Paul Edwards. Read more about his user cases in this article.

Make use of our products and expertise

Given the complexity of compressed air systems, and its compressors and dryers, involving experts plays a crucial role in unlocking savings within the cement industry. At VPInstruments it is our mission to provide our customers with the best help in implementing our products in order to use them to their full capacity. We offer a wide range of local partners, to help you on site with your measurement project or turn key installation. In case something does go wrong, we offer quick and dedicated support with inhouse support engineers.  Learn more about the different products and services we can offer you. Ready to take the next step in energy savings? Contact us now!

Thanks to their modular concept, you can start small and easily expand over time. Our exchangeable VPSensorCartridge system ensures effortless servicing without disrupting production, exchanging a flow meter is just a matter of minutes. The VPFlowScope flow meters feature an intuitive interface and they seamlessly integrate with any BMS or energy management system, simplifying data integration and analysis. Installation is easy, particularly for our insertion type flow meters, which can be inserted and removed using a ball valve without the need to halt production.