Application and selection criteria evaluation of cement kiln drives

In modern manufacturing, the kiln in the cement plant is among the most critical processes in terms of maintaining continuous plant output and quality. The kiln drive selection is, therefore, a critically important decision that must be made by considering not only the application characteristics but also the extreme need for system reliability. As technical alternatives for drive selection evolve, it is important to base decisions on the technology's "fit" to the application while understanding the risks and benefits these new choices offer. This paper profiles the application requirement and the available technologies. A selection criterion has been established that has been used to gauge the relative importance of the criteria and to assign a score for each attribute of each technology. A weighted sum score can be derived to analytically compare the available technologies versus the selection criteria. The analytical method will then be contrasted to more traditional selection methods to compare and correlate to the processes.