Cement Manufacturing
Cement Chemistry and Quality
Physico: Chemistry of Cement Part (2)
Part two: hydration. The reactions that turn cement powder and water into a hardened solid.
- Duration
- 5 days
- Contact hours
- 30
- Level
- Intermediate
- Fee from
- On enquiry
Overview
Where part one establishes the solid state chemistry of the clinker phases, part two follows what happens when water is added. It covers the hydration reactions phase by phase, the heat they release and the stages of the hydration curve, the microstructure that develops as hydration products fill space, and the role of sulphate in keeping the aluminate reaction under control. Admixture interaction closes it, since that is where hydration chemistry meets the ready mix truck.
Who should attend
Laboratory chemists and quality staff, process and product development engineers, concrete technologists, and technical sales staff handling performance questions.
What you will be able to do
- Describe the hydration reaction of each clinker phase.
- Read a calorimetry curve and name the stages.
- Explain microstructure development and its link to strength.
- Account for sulphate's role in controlling early reaction.
- Predict how an admixture will interact with a given cement.
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
The reactions
- Silicate hydration and calcium silicate hydrate
- Aluminate and ferrite reactions
- Portlandite and the pore solution
Day 2
Kinetics
- Induction, acceleration and deceleration
- Calorimetry and what the curve shows
- Temperature dependence
Day 3
Microstructure
- Space filling and porosity
- The link between porosity and strength
- Transition zone in concrete
Day 4
Sulphate
- Why gypsum is added
- Optimum sulphate and how it is found
- False set, flash set and their causes
Day 5
Admixtures
- Water reducers and superplasticisers
- Retarders and accelerators
- Incompatibility, and how it shows up on site
What you leave with
- A calorimetry interpretation from real data.
- A sulphate optimisation worked example.
- An admixture compatibility checklist.
Dates and fees
| Dates | Location | Format | Fee |
|---|---|---|---|
| 23 to 27 November 2026 | Lagos, Nigeria | Classroom | US$1,500 |
| 30 November 2026 to 4 December 2026 | Gaborone, Botswana | Classroom | R15,000 |
| 7 to 11 December 2026 | Nairobi, Kenya | Classroom | US$1,500 |
| 14 to 18 December 2026 | Accra, Ghana | 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.