Cement, Energy and Environment

I ~ Steen Tokkesdal Pedersen Global Product Manager QCX Systems FLSmidth-Copenhagen Introduction FLSmidth's 'Centaurus' automatic sample preparation machine combines laboratory mill and press functions in a compact, easy-to– operate unit. The 2nd generation product has now passed prototype testing and will be delivered to the first projects during 2014. Excellent sample preparation performance, unique 'grind only' or 'press only' functions, high flexibility for use in manual, semi– automatic and fully automatic applications are some of the features maintained from the 1 51 generation product, of which approximately 50 units have been sold. New features for the 2 nd generation version product are enhanced design for linear configurations, revised manual/automatic operation modes, air cooled grinding vessel and integrated operator panel. Together with the introduction of new generation product, FLSmidth will start applying the Centaurus in at-line X-ray analysis solutions for raw meal analysis. This is the newest version of at-line XRF products introduced to the market by FLSmidth some 20 years ago. Centaurus' optimal powder sample preparation capability adds best practice preparation & analytical performance to this well-proven at-line analysis concept. Another benefit is higher flexibility in the selection of X - ray unit applied, and now XRF or XRD or XRF+XRD analysis may be applied at-line with fast cycle time from sampling to analysis. Connected to a QCX computer with QCX/BiendExpert-Mi/1™ software, the set-up offers best-in-class raw mix control, and this without radiation safety issues and source delivery bureaucracy as experienced with nuclear based analysis alternatives. Global growing demands for automated sample preparation Quality control and process optimization plays already a very important role in the cement industry, but linked to global economy driven focus on cost efficient solutions. product qual ity and lower energy consumption , the cement industry strives for a higher degree. of automation especially in the field of samplmg By Roger Meier Sales Director FLSmidth-Wuppertal and sample preparation technology. This to increase the amount of process relevant analytical results with higher frequency, which facilitates the cement manufacturing process by maintaining consistent high quality of the intermediate and final products. The growing demand for automation is only linked to the obvious reduction of the involved labor costs. Equally important drivers are fast, reliable, reproducible and operator independent generation of process and quality relevant analytical results. Backed by its + 130 year role as global market leader of cement plant equipment, FLSmidth has delivered an unsurpassed range of automated quality control systems. The number of projects including fully automated sample preparation is climbing towards 200, and these are mostly based on robotics technology in form of the QCX/Robolab concept. A flagship product for the production of pressed powder samples mainly intended for XRF and XRD analysis was been introduced to the market in 2008. This advanced Centaurus "product" is used for fully automatic processing of test material tablets made from grainy materials such as cement, raw meal, lime stone , clinker etc. for the x-ray analysis. Applying sample type specific parameterisation Centaurus is designed for optimal sample preparation for both XRF and XRD analysis. As to the XRD objective , it is relevant to mention that the Centaurus offers "soft" grinding, by which sample material may be prepared and analyzed with minimum de-watering of gypsum phases . Industry trend towards compact automation FLSmidth's 'Centaurus' automatic sample preparation machine combines laboratory mill and press functions in a compact, easy-to– operate uni t. The industry demand for a small foot print and user-friendly operation was the strong drivers to combine the earlier standalone version of the automatic mill and press into one instrument. Centaurus consists of an automatic fine grinding mill and an 7