Final Public Report for ESA-077, Holcim (US) Inc.

Introduction: Holcim (US) Inc. is a portland cement manufacturing company with one of its fourteen manufacturing plants located in Morgan UT. Cement is made from gypsum, shale or clay, and limestone. Portland cement, when mixed with sand, gravel, and water, makes concrete, which is an essential element of the construction industry. Portland cement accounts for more than 95% of all cement produced. To make portland cement, clay, shale and limestone is ground to a powder and baked in a kiln. The baked mixture forms clods (clinkers), which are then ground up and mixed with gypsum. Most of the raw materials are mined in open pits. There are three fundamental stages in the production of portland cement: 1. Preparation of the raw mixture 2. Production of the clinker 3. Preparation of the cement In cement production, minerals from a quarry (typically located near the plant) are ground to fine powder, then blended to the exact proportions needed for the final cement product. Raw materials are processed in a kiln, which is a rotating, gigantic and sloped cylindrical furnace. Materials enter the kiln at the elevated end and are slowly moved via the kilns rotations to the low end, which is the hottest part of the kiln. At this point, an 1870 C flame heats the raw materials to about 1480 C. Under this intense heat, a series of chemical reactions converts the partially molten raw material to pellets called clinker. After exiting the kiln, the clinker is conveyed to roller mills where, with the addition of a small amount of gypsum, it is ground to an extremely fine gray powder. It is now considered portland cement - ready for shipment to concrete producers and then to construction sites. The temperature is regulated so that the product contains sintered but not fused lumps. Too low a temperature causes insufficient sintering, but too high a temperature results in a molten mass or glass. In the lower-temperature part of the kiln, calcium carbonate (limestone) turns into calcium oxide (lime) and carbon dioxide. In the high-temperature part, calcium oxides and silicates react to form dicalcium and tricalcium silicates (C2S C3S). Small amounts of tricalcium aluminate (C3A) and tetracalcium aluminoferrite (C4AF) are also formed. The resulting material is clinker, and can be stored for a number of years before use. Prolonged exposure to water decreases the reactivity of cement produced from weathered clinker. Objective of ESA: The objective of this Process-Heating assessment was to provide the tools for supporting the plant goals of improving production and reducing fuel-fired consumption. Focus of Assessment: The assessment focused on improving the kiln performance to produce clinker by decreasing oxygen content in the flue gas, and by oxygen enrichment. Additional analysis was performed for proper insulation and maintenance of kiln and cyclones. Approach for ESA: The Plant Lead and the DOE-expert had a walk-through of the plant and specific EAS targets were identified. Prior to the ESA, the Plant Lead collected all the necessary data, thence, during the assessment, the DOE-expert and the Plant Lead entered the plant/equipment data in the PHAST program and a furnace analysis was performed. While performing the heat balance, the DOE-expert made suggestions for improving the furnace performance. These suggestions were discussed with the Plant Lead who made observations about their feasibility of implementation. The results from the discussion yielded in a list of potential opportunities for energy savings, described next. During the third day of the audit, the Plant Lead presented the results during the closeout meeting to the plant management. Observations during the three-day audit included potential opportunities for reducing the oxygen content of flue-gas, eliminating excess unburned CO, reducing SOx, using oxygen for combustion, and proper insulation and maintenance of furnace structure or parts. were observed. It was preliminarily determined that approximately 15% of total coal costs could be saved as a result of the ESA.

ESA-077_Final Public

General Observations of Potential Opportunities: - A total of 78,147 metric tons of coal is used per year at a rate of $62/ton, thence the total cost of coal is approximately $4,845,114/year. The company would like to increase production by 10%, which under current conditions, would yield 7.7% increase in fuel consumption (total fuel cost of $5,197,229/yr) The following is a list of potential opportunities found during the assessment, as discussed with plant personnel. Heat recovery from hot products: it would be advisable to preheat the air that is being injected into the kiln using recovery from the clinker (medium term) Reduce oxygen content of flue gases: The oxygen content in the flue gas is approximately 2.6%. At the end of the kiln, there are regions of high/low content of oxygen, unburned CO and SOx, This prevents the reduction of O2 content in the flue gas. It was discussed during the ESA that installing stirrers at the end of the kiln would likely create better mixing, thereby allowing for the reduction of Sox, reducing the amount of CO and unburned products (medium term) Use of oxygen for combustion: During the ESA, the use of oxygen for combustion was discussed. It was expected that an increase of 10% production would justify the purchase (or plant production) of oxygen. The oxygen content would increase from 21% to 25.5%, yielding fuel savings of 21.34%. This equates to fuel savings of $1,109,088/yr with an initial cost of installation O2 of $1,600,000/yr. The approximate cost of O2: $3,700,000/yr.

100% of plant coal savings are estimated from medium term opportunities. The PHAST analysis was based on the aforementioned assumptions. Management Support and Comments: Outside non-biased opinion has been helpful in supporting the plant goals (helping to secure approvals to get the issues resolved with oxygen, SOx, etc)

DOE Contact at Plant/Company: Ryan Skidmore, 6055 E. Croydon Rd., Morgan UT, 84050. (801) 829-2161. ryan.skidmore@holcim.com

ESA-077_Final Public