TCI MAX Cement Boosts Kashmir Plant Efficiency Using ABB Digital Solutions

Trumboo Industries and ABB India deployed an advanced process control solution to optimize pyro processing at the TCI MAX cement manufacturing facility in Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir. The implementation establishes digital infrastructure designed to stabilize kiln operations, manage thermal variability, and improve clinker consistency.

Operational Challenges in Pyro Processing
Cement clinker manufacturing requires precise thermal management within the rotary kiln and calciner. Fluctuations in raw meal composition, combustion conditions, and kiln feed rates introduce process instability, leading to inconsistent burning zone temperatures and variable clinker quality. Maintaining operational targets manually often causes elevated thermal energy consumption and increased kiln emissions. Trumboo Industries required automated supervision to manage non-linear dynamics, process lag times, and fuel dosing adjustments without continuous operator intervention.

Deployment of Model Predictive Control
ABB integrated ABB Ability Expert Optimizer alongside supporting industrial IT infrastructure at the Srinagar plant. The system pairs model predictive control algorithms and artificial intelligence with rule-based techniques to act as an automated plant autopilot.

By continuously analyzing real-time sensor variables — including kiln torque, shell temperatures, gas compositions, and drive currents — the system predicts upcoming operating conditions. It calculates optimal setpoints and automatically adjusts manipulated variables, such as fuel feeding rates, fan speeds, and kiln rotational velocity. This dynamic feedback loop minimizes standard deviations in critical pyro processing parameters.

Technical Responsibilities and Infrastructure Integration
Engineering teams from ABB handled system modeling, algorithm tuning, and commissioning of the digital architecture against the facility's existing control network. Trumboo Industries provided operational baseline data, process instrumentation access, and plant integration support to align the control models with local raw material characteristics.

"Our focus is on improving the stability and efficiency of our processes while maintaining consistent clinker quality," stated Waseem Ahmed Trumboo, Director, Trumboo Industries Pvt. Ltd.

"ABB Ability Expert Optimizer brings advanced process control and deep cement process expertise together to help operators make their processes more stable and efficient," stated Kapil Agarwal, Sr. VP and Local Division Manager, Process Industries Division, ABB India.

Industrial Impact and Efficiency Gains
The deployment optimizes fuel consumption and electrical drive utilization by preventing thermal over-correction and maintaining uniform kiln burning conditions. Stabilized pyro processing reduces raw material reject rates and limits unnecessary process emissions, supporting both throughput maintenance and operational efficiency in regional cement production.

Edited by Evgeny Churilov, Induportals Media - Adapted by AI.

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