Fives selected by Vicat for grinding unit modernisation

Two French groups committed to reducing the environmental impact of industrial processes

Aware of the carbon footprint associated with its activity, Vicat Group is committed to the ecological transition by accelerating the decarbonisation of all its activities, deploying the benefits of the circular economy and preserving biodiversity on its sites.

Convinced of the importance of industry to address the climate challenge, Fives Group has been developing disruptive technologies that enable manufacturers to meet their climate and energy transition challenges.

"The industry of the future will be decarbonised or it won't be."

"At Fives, we have made this motto our own for more than 15 years, prioritising research and development programs to reduce the environmental impact of the technological solutions we provide to our customers." Frédéric Sanchez - President of Fives

A reduced carbon footprint for a more efficient installation

As part of the modernisation of its grinding plant, Vicat was looking to increase production capacity and improve the quality of the cements produced while reducing the energy consumption of its installation. The new plant will implement Fives technologies that meet Vicat's performance requirements, to reduce and improve energy consumption. The facility will also ultimately produce new cements incorporating calcined clay, which will be produced on the site as part of the Argilor project; these cements will have a reduced carbon footprint.

Argilor project, supported by France Relance: low carbon cements based on active clays

Clinker production is the most CO2 emitting activity during cement production. Vicat Group has invested in new activated clay production capacities that will be used as a partial substitute to Portland clinker (the semi-finished product of cement, concentrating CO2), in order to produce low-carbon cements. At the scale of the cement plant, the Argilor project – named after the contraction between 'clay' (argile in French) and 'Lorraine' – will reduce the plant's CO2 emissions by 48 500 metric tpy, a decrease of about 16% at the site level.

“These new cements will complement our DECA range of low-carbon solutions, with performances equivalent to conventional cements. They will provide an additional response to the latest environmental regulation for new buildings (RE2020)”, according to Guy Sidos, Chairman and CEO of Vicat Group.

A high efficiency dynamic classifier for an optimal end product quality

The project involves the integration of a new FCB TSV™ 3600 THF classifier and a TGT^® filter with a filtration area of 2840 m², a 550 kW circulation fan and associated equipment to link with the existing circuit. The control and electrical equipment is also part of the order, except for the PLC program, which will be done by Vicat teams for standardisation purposes. The FCB TSV THF classifier will reduce the workshop's electricity consumption, and its quality of separation will ensure an optimal particle size for the finished product, guaranteeing good hydraulic properties.

A challenging project context, with strong requirements on facility shutdown time

The erection work will be done in two stages in order to minimise the shutdown time of the grinding mill. The first stage will involve the dismantling of some redundant equipment and the installation of new equipment, with a minimum of disturbance to the mill's production. Then a stage of connection of the new materials will be done during a production stoppage.

This new order confirms Vicat's confidence in the process solutions provided by Fives FCB and also our ability to manage turnkey projects in a complex environment (co-activity, production constraints, etc.). It is perfectly in line with the Vicat Group's strategy to reduce its carbon footprint.

Read the article online at: https://www.worldcement.com/europe-cis/07032023/fives-selected-by-vicat-for-grinding-unit-modernisation/