ABB helps CEMEX improve cement plant sulfur dioxide emission control

According to CEMEX, limestone has been mined and processed into building materials in Germany’s Rüdersdorf region for more than 750 years. The first lime kilns were built there as early as the 16th century, while cement production began in 1885. 

ABB Ability Expert Optimizer is an advanced process control application that uses model predictive control, fuzzy logic and neural networks to optimize cement plant operations. CEMEX uses ABB Ability Expert Optimizer at its Rüdersdorf plant to minimize the effects of variability in its feed and fuel sources, making it simple to establish the advanced process control techniques required to reduce SO2 emission variability.

CEMEX uses ABB Ability Expert Optimizer to automatically optimize the short-term exhaust SO2 target based on the current daily average. Two optimization modes 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.