Cement Manufacturing
Cement Plant Operations
Gas Flows in the Cementing Industry
Part one: the gas circuit through a cement plant, and why pressure profile explains so much of its behaviour.
- Duration
- 5 days
- Contact hours
- 30
- Level
- Intermediate
- Fee from
- On enquiry
Overview
Gas flow ties a cement plant together and is the least directly observed thing in it. This first part builds the fundamentals: flow and pressure drop through the system, the gas path from cooler and kiln through preheater to mill and filter, fan characteristics and the system curve they work against, and the false air that quietly consumes a large share of the fuel bill. Measurement is taught practically, since most plants have fewer reliable gas measurements than they believe.
Who should attend
Process engineers, kiln and mill operators, maintenance staff responsible for fans and ducting, and energy managers.
What you will be able to do
- Follow the complete gas path through a plant.
- Calculate pressure drop across major components.
- Read a fan curve against a system curve.
- Measure gas flow, pressure and temperature reliably.
- Locate and quantify false air.
How it is taught
Short input, then work, across 5 days of roughly 6 teaching hours each. Exercises run on situations delegates bring rather than on a case study written for a different organisation. Cohorts are capped so that everybody is asked something.
Available as classroom, live online, in house.
Programme outline
Day 1
Fundamentals
- Gas properties at temperature
- Pressure drop and resistance
- Volume, mass flow and standard conditions
Day 2
The circuit
- Cooler, kiln and preheater gas path
- Raw mill and cement mill circuits
- Filters, stacks and bypass
Day 3
Fans
- Fan curves and the system curve
- Dampers, inlet vanes and variable speed
- Fan wear and performance loss
Day 4
Measurement
- Pitot traverses and their practice
- Pressure measurement points
- Temperature and the errors it introduces
Day 5
False air
- Where it enters
- Quantifying it by oxygen balance
- What it costs, and sealing priorities
What you leave with
- A gas circuit diagram with the pressure profile marked.
- A false air survey for one line.
- A fan performance assessment.
Dates and fees
| Dates | Location | Format | Fee |
|---|---|---|---|
| 23 to 27 November 2026 | Accra, Ghana | Classroom | US$1,500 |
| 30 November 2026 to 4 December 2026 | Cape Town, South Africa | Classroom | R15,000 |
| 7 to 11 December 2026 | Durban, South Africa | Classroom | R15,000 |
| 14 to 18 December 2026 | Kampala, Uganda | Classroom | US$1,500 |
Fees are per delegate and cover tuition, all programme materials and the certificate. Travel, accommodation and visas are arranged by the delegate. Registration closes two weeks before a programme starts.
Certificate
A GATI certificate recording what was attended, issued after the programme has run and attendance has been taken. Attending at least 80 per cent of the days earns a certificate of completion; attending less earns a certificate of attendance stating exactly what was attended. Every certificate carries a code that anybody can check against GATI's own record.
It records participation. and GATI does not claim one it does not hold.