Motion Control & Drives


Energy efficient solutions from Siemens

September 2013 Motion Control & Drives

The Siemens Drive Technologies Division has developed a new drive system for a cement mill as part of a joint project with Gebr. Pfeiffer SE, a company with a long tradition in the manufacture of processing systems for the cement, lime, gypsum and ceramics industries. Siemens will supply six drive modules with an overall power rating of 11 520 kW to enable the mill to produce 450 metric tons of cement per hour, the most powerful of its kind in the world today. The mill will be operated by the Brazilian cement producer Holcim, which will commission the plant as part of a project to expand the capacity of its Barroso works in the Brazilian state of Minas Gerais.

The multi-drive solution meets the demands of the cement industry for availability, reliability and performance power. The modular and redundant drive system consists of six identical 1920 kW drive modules that drive the grinding table of the cement mill. Siemens is also supplying all components of the drive train: gear unit, coupling and oil supply system, as well as electric motors and frequency converters. A decisive advantage of this concept is that the drive units are mounted on carriages, thus enabling them to be replaced quickly whenever maintenance is required and ensuring the fastest possible resumption of mill operation. The radial arrangement of the drive units around the grinding table bearings protects the drives against grinding forces. The frequency converter allows variable speed adjustment and thus flexible adaptation of the milling process to suit the requirements of different input materials. This makes it possible to optimise, for example, throughput or energy efficiency. With this system configuration, even higher output drive modules can be installed for an overall power rating of up to 16 500 kW. Up till now, the mechanical engineering limit attainable by conventional plants was only 8 000 kW.

“The multi-drive solution developed by Siemens is another example of how we can offer significant benefits to our customers by combining innovative mechanical drive components with suitable electronic drive systems to create an integrated drive solution. Thanks to the modular design of the drive train, a system can deliver previously unattainable performance ratings and offer significantly more energy efficiency and availability,” says Dr. Bernhard Hoffmann, head of drive applications at Siemens’ Mechanical Drives Business Unit.

Siemens and Gebr. Pfeiffer SE has previously cooperated successfully on a number of different projects. The operating and project experience gained from vertical mills featuring integrated multi-drive systems in France, India and Australia could therefore be channelled into this new project.

For more information contact Keshin Govender, Siemens Southern Africa, +27 (0)11 652 2412, [email protected], www.siemens.co.za



Credit(s)



Share this article:
Share via emailShare via LinkedInPrint this page

Further reading:

Generative AI for immersive real-time visualisation
Siemens South Africa IT in Manufacturing
Siemens will deepen its collaboration with NVIDIA to help build the industrial metaverse.

Read more...
Siemens to acquire industrial drive technology business of ebm-papst
Siemens South Africa News
Siemens has signed an agreement to acquire the industrial drive technology business of ebm-papst. The business includes intelligent, integrated mechatronic systems in the protective extra-low voltage range and innovative motion control systems.

Read more...
More movement on the market
Motion Control & Drives
If you want to move something, you have to be able to control the movement. When positioning in the nanometre range everything matters and requires high performance motion control. Six years ago, Aerotech therefore set itself the goal of revolutionising the market for precision motion and machine control systems.

Read more...
Highly customisable robotic hand
Motion Control & Drives
NSK and the German Aerospace Centre are developing a robotic hand system that will help automate manual tasks. The concept centres on a customisable robot hand comprising individually configurable finger modules, an industry first.

Read more...
Electrically-operated diaphragm pumping solutions
Bearing Man Group t/a BMG Motion Control & Drives
BMG has extended its range of Ingersoll Rand ARO fluid handling products to include the new EVO series electric diaphragm pumps, designed to enhance energy efficiency and improve fluid handling productivity.

Read more...
Safe, sustainable cycling helmet technology
Siemens South Africa IT in Manufacturing
Lazer Sport, one of Europe’s leading cycling helmet manufacturers, has adopted the Siemens Xcelerator portfolio of industry software to bring to market KinetiCore, its new proprietary rotational impact protection technology.

Read more...
Surface drill rigs for Navachab in Namibia
Motion Control & Drives
Epiroc South Africa recently delivered five of six FlexiROC drilling machines to key customer, Navachab Gold Mine.

Read more...
Grease degradation diagnosis technology
Motion Control & Drives
NSK is developing a world-first: a high-accuracy way of rapidly and accurately diagnosing the remaining life of lubricant grease. The company will provide the solution as a mobile app, enabling users to perform the onsite analysis of lubricant condition in bearings and linear motion systems.

Read more...
New compact VFDs with higher power ratings
Motion Control & Drives
Invertek Drives has revealed the extension of its industry-leading Optidrive Coolvert variable frequency drive with the launch of two new compact frame sizes with higher power ratings.

Read more...
Asset reliability care field dominated by WearCheck
Wearcheck Motion Control & Drives
Condition monitoring specialist, WearCheck has solidified its position as a leading player in the asset reliability care sector.

Read more...