Nordkalk achieves considerable energy savings at cement plant in Sweden through ABB Ability™ Expert Optimizer

ABB Ability™ Expert Optimizer at Nordkalk’s Köping limestone plant in Sweden results in improved process stability and energy efficiency

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With the goal of reducing the kiln energy consumption, improving product quality by reducing the standard deviation of the lime reactivity, and efficiently manage the consumption of alternative fuels for emission control, Nordkalk implemented ABB Ability™ Expert Optimizer at its limestone plant in Köping and achieved all targeted objectives.

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Key facts

 Customer: 

Nordkalk Corporation

 Country: 

Sweden

Customer need: 

Reducing kiln energy consumption and increasing product quality

ABB solution:
Customer benefits:

Significant cost savings and increased environmental sustainability from plant operations

Year2010

A leading producer of limestone-based products

Nordkalk is the leading producer of high quality limestone-based products in Northern Europe. The products are used mainly in the paper, steel and building material industries as well as in environmental care and agriculture. 

Committed to both the quality it is known for and for its commitment to environmental sustainability, Nordkalk corporation commissioned the installation of ABB Ability™ Expert Optimizer to gain the advantage of digital technologies for its plant at Köping, Sweden. 

The solution was installed on the rotary lime kiln and grate cooler at the plant in June 2010; and secondary commissioning was completed in October 2010.
Supporting Nordkalk's objective of quality enhancement and environmental commitments

Building responsiveness to support extensive changes in kiln use

Nordkalk's Köping plant has to change the limestone feed type on a daily basis, to meet market demands for various products. 

ABB Ability™ Expert Optimizer was successful in quickly stabilizing the kiln after each type change. The emissions control module controlled the addition of dust, lime and waste oil to limit the emissions of HF, HCl, SO2 and Nox. This area of control, along with efficient alternative fuel consumption, proved to be very useful for the kiln operators. The grate cooler control improved bed depth stability, which led to increased heat recovery and lower product temperatures.

A wide range of benefits including reduced energy consumption and increased production rate

ABB Ability™ Expert Optimizer ensures that the kiln is operated under optimum conditions according to the customer’s goals. At Köping, the system always tries to increase production whenever kiln conditions allow.

Optimizing kiln conditions was challenging because the stone types had different properties. ABB Ability™ Expert Optimizer helped find the best operating conditions to maximize output and minimize fuel consumption for each feed stone.

As early as the time the solution was commissioned, ABB Ability™ Expert Optimizer had reduced energy consumption by over 3%, which was the guarantee target. An added bonus was the increased production rate of the kiln, which was in excess of 5%.
Lars Sunnebo, Production Manager for Nordkalk Köping

“We are very pleased with the performance of Expert Optimizer. The commissioning was completed as per schedule, and the performance guarantee was exceeded, with improved quality. Furthermore the emissions control and alternative fuels compensation have stopped the need for frequent operator interventions.”

Learn more

Advanced Process Control (APC) and analytics for cement kiln optimization
ABB Ability™ Expert Optimizer software for cement
ABB Ability™ Performance Optimization services for cement plants
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