LORD Balancer Saves 1,000 Tons of Clinker at Dacotah Cement
Dacotah Cement's Rapid City, South Dakota plant was limited by problems originating from severe vibration in the 104-inch diameter, 1250 hp induced-draft fan. Particulates stuck to the fan formed a hard coating up to an inch thick and changes in temperature then caused chunks of the coating to break off and throw the fan out of balance. As a result, every two months, Dacotah had to shut down the kiln to sandblast the accumulated material from the fan. The cleaning often took six hours and, by the time the kiln was back in service, 12 hours of production time was lost - equating to a loss of 1,000 tons of clinker. LORD Corporation was able to solve Dacotah's problem with their balancing system that mounts directly to the fan's shaft. Prior to installing the balancer, the fan's vibration would reach levels up to 20 mils. LORD Corporation's new, high-capacity (1,380 oz./inch) balancing system currently maintains vibration levels between 0.8 and 1.2 mils of vibration. The system continually corrects for fan imbalances caused by particulate build-up and spalling. The result: extended plant runs, reduced maintenance costs, and increased production.
