Challenge
The CEMEX plant located in Rüdersdorf, Germany, already utilizing ABB’s Expert Optimizer on their RMP, mills and kiln, approached ABB to improve their emissions control system. The ultimate challenge was to reduce deviation around the operating target for daily SO2 emission.
Solution
This was achieved with ABB Ability™ Expert Optimizer, utilizing established advanced process control techniques to reduce emission variability. This allowed the plant to run closer to targets and constraints, ensuring zero emission violations while decreasing unnecessary hydrate overdosing and consumption.
The controller reduced operator workload by automatically optimizing the short-term exhaust SO2 target based on the current daily average. There are two optimization modes that allow the operator to select either normal or aggressive optimization, based on whether to target the daily average below the limit at the end of the day or within the next 30 minutes. ABB Ability™ Expert Optimizer automatically adjusts the multiple feeder points of lime hydrate to ensure the SO2 and HCL targets are stringently met.
Results
After one year of operation, ABB Ability™ Expert Optimizer not only minimized standard deviation but significantly reduced the deviation around the operating target for daily SO2 emission. ABB Ability™ Expert Optimizer has also helped reduce overall hydrate consumption in the plant by 11%.