New materials and process developments for preventative maintenance and repair in cement plants

In recent years, the cement industry has been under increasing pressure to not only reduce operating costs but also increase operational output and efficiency. The maintenance department can play a critical role (and become a profit centre) by reducing unplanned down-time and inventory and in selecting longer-lasting components to extend outage intervals. Component repair rather than replacement produces immediate cost saving and negates expensive down time waiting for part delivery. Further, the refurbished part may have its life extended if a wear resistant coating is applied. Welding repair and surface coating have been the traditional routes for maintenance against wear and corrosion. However, new developments in materials and coating processes have recently demonstrated successful and cost saving applications in the cement industry. One key to this success has been the correct analysis and interpretation of the observed wear and matching of material and process to wear type. Advanced surface engineering technologies such as high velocity thermal spraying, plasma transferred arc welding and vacuum-fused coatings are also proving beneficial. With so many solution options, a computer-based maintenance application system has been developed to aid in wear analysis, solution diagnostic, cost-benefit and procedure.