Digitalization, Control and Optimization for Cement Plants

In this paper, we present digitalization, control and optimization for entire cement plants based on model predictive control (MPC) technologies. We provide an overview of the employed MPC technologies and report statistics from several industrial implementations. This demonstrates that MPC technology can simultaneously increase the production by 5-10%, reduce the fuel consumption for the cement kiln by 2-4%, reduce the power consumption by 3-8%, and significantly improve the consistency and uniformity of the final cement powder. The cement production industry contributes approximately 8% of the global CO2 emissions. We outline oxy fuel combustion and carbon capture technologies for cement plants operated along with water electrolysis plants and other power-2-X facilities. These technologies can decarbonize the cement production completely and rely on MPC technologies for their coordinated and optimized operation.