The new lime shaft kiln adopts automated control to save labor costs
In traditional lime production, the operation of vertical kilns relies on manual experience to regulate parameters such as feeding, air volume, and temperature. This not only incurs high labor costs (6-8 workers per kiln shift), but also leads to product quality fluctuations and excessive energy consumption due to human errors. With the penetration of Industry 4.0 technology, the new generation of automated lime kilns have achieved "unmanned" operation through intelligent transformation, saving enterprises over 50% of labor costs while improving production capacity and environmental performance.
Three core breakthroughs in automation control
Intelligent feeding and air volume balance system
Real time monitoring of material height and temperature distribution inside the kiln is achieved through laser level gauges and thermal imaging sensors. The PLC algorithm automatically adjusts the raw material conveying speed and combustion air volume to ensure uniform calcination of limestone. After being applied by a certain Shandong enterprise, the consumption of lime fuel per ton decreased by 12%, and the manpower was reduced from 8 people/shift to 2 people for inspection.
Fault prediction and remote operation and maintenance
Vibration sensors and current analysis modules monitor the health status of key equipment (such as drive motors and fans), and provide 48 hours advance warning of bearing overheating, belt deviation, and other faults. A Southeast Asian customer relied on a remote operation and maintenance platform to reduce equipment downtime from 15% to 3% and increase maintenance response speed by three times.
Dynamic optimization of environmental protection parameters
The flue gas online monitoring system (CEMS) is linked with desulfurization and denitrification equipment. When the concentration of sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides approaches the threshold, it automatically adjusts the amount of ammonia injection and circulating ash to ensure stable and compliant emissions (dust ≤ 8mg/m ³). A certain northwest enterprise avoided environmental fines through this feature, with an annual compliance cost exceeding 2 million yuan.
Future trend: With the integration of AI visual inspection and digital twin technology, automated shaft kilns will achieve "self-learning" optimization, further reducing dependence on manual inspection. Enterprises can achieve intelligent upgrades at lower costs through the "equipment leasing+technology subscription" model, seizing the high ground of technology driven competition in the current era of declining demographic dividends.
