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Cement Plant Improves Output With New Flender Unit

Castle Cement's Ketton plant near Stamford produces 1.4 million tonnes of cement per year. The plant's kiln 8 was using a Flender Redurex SDN 200 gear unit that had been successfully performing since 1986, when the kiln was first built.

The drive was used on a drag chain conveyor, which carries clinker grits from under the grate cooler to the clinker transport system. It had been operating at about 4 rpm, 24 hours a day - except for during the plant's two annual scheduled maintenance shutdowns - and formed a critical part of the production process.

The Redurex came in to Flender for a major overhaul towards the end of 2002. It featured a chain drive running from the gear unit output shaft to the conveyor, and a motor mounted in piggyback style on top of the Redurex unit, operated via a V-drive. Flender's service specialists Gary Husband and team looked at the options available to Castle Cement and recommended a new FZG B4HH10 unit with motor lantern and mechanical torque limiter housed within the motor lantern. The torque limiter was needed to prevent any overloads occurring on the belt that could damage this critically important part of the plant.

This gear unit was mounted straight onto the conveyor headshaft, which eliminated the need for chain drive. The new unit was also able to have the motor flanged direct to the gearbox, obviating the need for belt drive.

Castle Cement engineering manager Peter Buchan confirmed a number of Flender units had been installed in kiln 8 back in 1986, of which the Redurex product was one:

"This unit was critically important to the production process, and we could not afford to have any problems affecting production output. So, when Flender assessed the unit and came up with a new solution, we were naturally interested. We were impressed by the speed with which a new unit was supplied by Flender Service, and are pleased to report that the FZG is performing to expectations."

Versatility has always been the key to Flender's FZG helical and bevel helical gearboxes. This outstanding range is available in parallel shaft or right angle configuration, with vertical or horizontal mounting, a torque capacity in excess of 850,000 Nm and ratios from 1.25:1 up to 462:1. Used in applications as diverse as cranes, power stations, wind turbines, excavators and materials handling, and found in the world's most formidable environments, the FZG is the ultimate rugged gear unit, combining high power capacity with great reliability.

More information on Flender Service is available from Gary Husband or Allen Muffett on +44 (0)1274 657700.

ENDS

For further media information and photo please contact Bridget Summers, Footprint, PO Box 4, Colton, Leeds LS15 8WX. Tel: +00 44 (0)113 251 5697. Fax: +00 44 (0)113 251 5351. E-mail: bridget@fim.org.uk bridget@fim.org.uk .