Scalable Solar-Powered Containers for Cement Plants

Can solar clinker be used for cement production?

For the first time ever, CEMEX and Synhelion successfully connected the clinker production process with the Synhelion solar receiver, producing solar clinker. This revolutionary innovation is an initial step to develop fully solar-driven cement plants.

Can solar energy be used in cement manufacturing?

Gonzalez and Flamant (2013) designed a hybrid model that uses solar and fossil fuel energy to fulfill the thermal energy requirement for cement manufacturing. Concentrated solar thermal (CST) is a potential replacement for 40%–100% of the thermal energy needed in a conventional cement plant.

How a solar cement plant is designed?

Solar cement plant was designed based on cement production and the Direct Normal Irradiation (DNI) data available at plant location. Total thermal energy and the amount of land needed for the solar cement factory were analysed. Additionally, total mirror surface, number of heliostats, and land requirement are estimated.

Can solar energy be used for calcination of cement?

This study shows that it is feasible to implement concentrated solar energy for the calcination process of cement production. Solar resource for the chosen plant location permits operation for an average of 12 h per day. 9 h of these 12 h are useable, with the remaining 3 h being utilized to heat up and cool down the solar reactor.