Limestone crushing plant load management

Typical cement processing plants process raw material, referred to as ore which mainly consist of limestone, to produce cement products. The ore is collected by large trucks from a quarry and delivered to a crushing plant. Crushed ore is stored on a stock pile from which it is fed to the processing plant to produce cement. These crushing plants are typically operated only according to production requirements and existing stock levels. Studies have shown that the electrical energy usage of the plant can be made more efficient and an optimised operating schedule can be established that will reduce operating costs. This paper is focused on the development and evaluation of a process optimisation system which will propose optimised schedules according to which the quarries and crusher plants should be operated. The system optimises energy usage, while making provision for maintenance, production requirements and plant availability. Stock level projections are also included in this system. Results show that when the proposed schedules are followed, the stock level predictions are accurate and significant electrical energy savings can be realised. Personnel on site reported that the accurate stock level projections made a positive contribution towards a more efficient and cost effective operation.