Sawan Jasoliya

Kiln Back-End Temperature: The Heartbeat of Clinker Quality and Kiln Efficiency Having visited several cement plants across India and abroad, I’ve consistently observed that precise control of kiln back-end temperature, ideally at 1050°C, is the heartbeat of clinker quality and stable kiln operation. A fluctuation of just ±30°C can disrupt the entire pyroprocessing line. When this temperature drops below 1020°C, calcination falls under 90%, leading to unburnt raw meal, high free lime (>1.5%), reduced C₃S (<60%), and a 5–10 MPa drop in cement strength.  It also causes sticky deposits, chokes cyclones, and leads to unscheduled stoppages. On the other hand, temperatures above 1080°C promote alkali volatilization, ring formation, unstable O₂ levels, and higher CO emissions. Refractory linings suffer micro-cracking, shortening their life by up to 20%. Recent technological advances offer solutions. In 2025, leading plants are using hybrid AI systems with physics-informed neural net...

Unplanned stoppages are bad.  But shutdowns can be a big opportunity — A really big opportunity… IF ONLY WE ARE PREPARED, our job-lists are ready. There are two types of job-lists for any shutdown: 1. Standard Job-List This is the list of jobs that we perform as part of our standard inspection and maintenance routines (mostly preventive maintenance). Process Department: checks refractory conditions in cooler, kiln, and preheater; dip tube, feedpipe, flap valve condition, etc., and carries out the necessary maintenance. Mechanical Department: checks DPC, cooler, kiln supporting roller bearings, drive, HTD, bucket elevator, blowers, process fans, mill internals, screw conveyors, etc., and performs the required maintenance. Electrical Department: checks HT/LT panels, circuit breakers, cable terminations, MCCs, motors, lighting systems, earthing, and ensures functionality of interlocks and protection systems. Instrument Department: calibrates and maintains field instr...

Everyone Talks About Efficiency, But What Is It Really? Everyone wants efficiency. Everyone talks about efficiency. But if you ask ten people what efficiency really means, you’ll probably get ten different answers. For me, the definition is simple: Efficiency = Output ÷ Input It’s as basic as that. If the formula is so simple, then why do we often make efficiency improvement exercises so complicated? They don’t need to be. If you think as a layman and ask yourself: "How do I make something more efficient?" the answer is straightforward: 1️⃣ Remove existing inefficiencies. 2️⃣ Don’t allow new inefficiencies to enter your system. That’s it. Do these two things, and the major part of efficiency improvement is done. Where Do Inefficiencies Come From? Now, ask yourself: Why were these inefficiencies in your plant or systems in the first place? How did they enter? How did they build up over time? Do a basic root cause analysis , and you’ll find the answers. You...