Cement, Energy and Environment

+ fulfil the safety requirements specifi ed in the European Machinery Directive + inh·oduce process calculations in SI units (metric system) instead of English units + fmd a more flexible solution fo r the design of the inlet (new side inlet) + make it possible, in extreme cases, to reduce noise emission for the large cooling fans su spended from the heat exchanger to less than 85 dB(A). Over the past seven months a task force assisted by flow and design experts from F. L. Smidth 's state-of-the-art Solid Works 30 computer-aided design program. The next s tage in developing the 30 model, w hich forms the basis of all the machine documen ta tion, is to incorporate e lectrica l design including cable tra ys, instruments, calculation of cable lengths and process control. Besides, the design will be modified to allow the layout specialists g rea ter freedom in optimising the way inwhich the heat exchanger is configured to specific plant project. Courtesy: Highlights Apr. 2002, P 9, Fax: +4536301820, E-mail: info@flsmidth.com Web: www. flsmidth.com INDIAN STANDARD FOR CEMENT TO BE BENCHMARKED WITH EUROPE'S The commerce ministry has decided to align the Indian standard of cement with the European standard. The Cement Manufacturers' Associa tion (CMA) has, however, expressed concern over alignment of the two s tandards, which is expected to take place in a year. Till now, the two standa rds had different grades and specifications in terms of chemical analysis and physical requirements like strength and test methods. The a li gnm en t wou ld lead to uniformity in standards. A.V.Srin ivasan, secretary general, CMA, said: "It is not practica l to align the Indian s tandard with any other standard . We have a unique climatic condition w hich is mostly hot and humid and the cement produced here can withstand these conditions. It is not possible to align our standard with others, because they will have a different standard based on their requirements and clima te." Also, it is understood that the cost of production may go up after the alignment, which could lead to a decline in production for some time. According to the CMA, the industry has state– of-the-art plants in the country that produce high grade cement. It said the government has to ensure that the new benchmark is suitable for the Indian market and weather conditions. Insiders say that the move is expected to inv ite more international players, lead ing to a large scale consolidation and competition . " The international players are looking at China and India because these two are the fastest growing markets. The western markets are by and large stagnating due to population decline," pointed out Srinivasan. Currently in India, there are about 52 cement companies with 120 plants. At the same time, this initiative would lead to a newbranding system in industry. Most existing cement brands would cease to ex ist, the branding will be more in line with the international system.