Bisfei.com

Holcim (Colombia) S.A., is proceeding with the installation of a new slag and pozzolana grinding facility at their existing plant in Nobsa, Colombia. The project was approved in March, 2008 with start-up scheduled for December, 2009. The new grinding facility is expected to increase cement production at the Nobsa plant by 500,000 metri tons per year.

The project consists of pozzolana and gypsum crushing and slag screening with the products being transported by common conveyor to the covered storage hall. The materials are stored and withdrawn from the hall automatically utilizing a stacker and reclaimer system. The materials from the storage hall feed both the existing cement mills and the new vertical mill. The clinker withdrawal and transport system from the existing storage silos is modified to allow feeding of clinker to both the existing cement mills and the new vertical mill. The key process equipment is the OK 36.4 vertical mill supplied by FLSmidth Inc. The vertical mill will grind various slag cements and also dry and grind pozzolana that will be used in existing cement mill 1. The product from the vertical mill will be collected in a baghouse and transported to a new 12,000 metric ton four compartment cement silo. The ground pozzolana will also be collected in the baghouse and transported to a new 2,000 metric ton pozzolana silo. From the four compartment cement silos, the cement is transported to two truck bulk loading stations located beneath the silo and can also be transported to the existing packing plant. From the pozzolana silo, the pozzolana is transported to the separator of existing cement mill 1. As part of this project a new 22/26 MVA main transformer will be installed.

BIS Frucon Engineering Inc. (BFEI) is handling the complete detailed engineering for the project scope of work including all civil/structural, mechanical, electrical/instrumentation and piping design, equipment procurement services and balance of plant process design. In addition, BFEI is also responsible for developing the overall project schedule, the material quantity estimate and development of the construction tender documents.

To accelerate the project schedule, Holcim (Colombia) procured the vertical mill from FLSmidth before the project was formally approved and engaged BFEI immediately upon project approval. In order to meet the aggressive start-up schedule, BFEI will develop the design to approximately 60% complete and then Holcim will obtain unit cost bids for the construction of the project. BFEI will then complete the design concurrently with the construction.