Pune firm patents new tech for cement plants

Pune based Transparent Energy Systems Private Limited (TESPL) has developed and patented a technology to convert waste heat into electrical energy for cement plants.

B. G. Kulkarni, Director, TESPL, told Business Standard that the system, patented by TESPL carries many advanced features.

Its vertical co-flow technology works very efficiently on high dust laden gases and the boilers are designed to take care of abrasive gases from clinker cooler and sticky gases pre-emitted from the heater exit.

TESPL's system is fully automated and can be bypassed in case of a problem without affecting the cement production process, he said, adding that, depending on availability of water, the system can be made water-cooled or air-cooled.

It addresses issues like methods of dislodging deposited dust from the heat transfer surface online and perform against abrasive gases and sticky dust, he informed.

Kulkarni said The power generated from waste heat will also lead to reduction in CO2 emissions, which will enable cement plants to accrue carbon credits under the Kyoto protocol.

Currently, TESPL is erecting a plant for a cement producer in Andhra Pradesh.

"The Cement plant where we are erecting our system requires about 7 Megawatt of electricity. Through waste heat recovery, they will be able to generate about 2.25 Megawatt without any running cost. This will lead to a saving of about Rs 4.5 crore per annum which could lead huge jump in profits for a 5 lac TPA capacity Cement plant. In addition the user could get benefits worth Rs. 50-75 lakh per annum (or even more, depending on the market rate) from carbon credits," Kulkarni claimed.

Kulkarni said this marks a significant breakthrough because there are very few companies in the world that possesses the technology to convert waste heat into useful energy in a cement plant.

Power being one of the major cost components in a cement plant; self-generated power from waste heat will positively impact the bottom line by about 20 to 30 per cent.

"Developing waste heat recovery system for a cement plant was a challenge because of the high dust content and sticky gases that are emitted. But now that the technology has arrived, cement companies can look forward to improving their profitability by using our system," Kulkarni said.