Application Case of an Intelligent Grinding Control System at a Cement Plant of Quantou Group
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Project Overview
Quantou Group’s Zaozhuang Jinqiao Rotary Kiln Cement Plant is located in Zaozhuang City, Shandong Province, and requires an intelligent upgrade of its No. 2 cement mill. The No. 2 cement mill employs a combined grinding process consisting of a roller press and a ball mill. The DCS system is fully implemented using the ABB 800F platform.
On the existing DCS platform, Zhongcai Bangye has implemented APS one‑key start‑stop technology—integrating analog automatic control, sequence control, and override control—along with APC optimization based on predictive modeling and an online fineness analyzer. These three components are seamlessly integrated to achieve fully automated, end-to-end, full‑range operational‑condition control of feed rate, roller press pressure, separator, and main exhaust fan.
Application Effect of the Intelligent Control System
During cement mill operation, the entire start-up and shutdown sequence requires only the press of a single start or stop button. Throughout these processes, critical analog variables are automatically controlled; the roller press feeds material automatically, and the online fineness analyzer operates autonomously. Once the system is running stably, the APC control system is commissioned, enabling automatic regulation of parameters such as feed rate, roller press pressure, separator speed, and main draft fan, thereby achieving fully automated control across the entire cement grinding process under all operating conditions.
1. APS One-Click Start/Stop: The cement mill system, equipped with a one-click start/stop function, reduces start-up and shutdown times, effectively lowers the no-load operating rate of the main equipment, and thereby cuts power consumption; Cement Mill No. 2 has already been upgraded to support this one-click start/stop capability.
2. The intelligent control system for cement mills significantly improves operating conditions, achieving an optimal balance among air flow, material throughput, and the work output of the roller press, thereby increasing the rate of products meeting fineness specifications. According to the March–April 2019 reports from Quantou Cement Group, data from 15 days before and 15 days after the commissioning of the intelligent control system were selected for comparative analysis.
Overall production increase and energy-saving effects of intelligent control in cement mills: the standard deviation of cement fineness was reduced from 77.52% to 55.82%, a decrease of 21.7%.
3. The intelligent control system for the cement mill is well adapted to the production conditions at Quantou; according to ICE‑based KPIs, the system’s availability exceeds 98% under normal operating conditions.
4. After implementing this intelligent control system, operator workload is reduced, the likelihood of human error is minimized, and operational best practices are enhanced, resulting in more scientific and rational control methods and standardized, unified operating procedures. At the same time, it delivers significant economic and social benefits to the owner, substantially elevates the enterprise’s level of automation and information management, strengthens its overall competitiveness, and brings its production technology and management standards up to a domestically leading level, thereby serving as a model for the industry.
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