The document provides an overview of lubrication at cement plants, breaking it down into 5 segments: mines, limestone processing, calcining, clinker grinding, and captive power plants (CPPs). It describes the typical equipment used in each segment, such as dump trucks and excavators in mines, crushers and ball mills in processing, rotary kilns and girth gears in calcining. The key lubricants used include hydraulic oils, greases, engine oils, and specialty greases. CPPs that run on diesel are noted to have the highest lubricant consumption of around 10,000 liters per month during peak seasons. The objective is to highlight typical equipment and lubricants without recommending specific brands.

1. Cement Plant
Lubrication
A brief on Equipment and
Lubricants
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2. Cement Plant Lubrication
A brief - on typical equipment and lubricants
Cement is manufactured by either a Wet process or Dry process. In the wet process, water is added
and resultant slurry is transported through “closed conveyers” to the Kiln.
Prior to a Lubrication survey, we can breakdown the lubrication at Cement Plants into 5 segments.
i. Mines – Quarrying of limestone
ii. Limestone processing - Crushing and grinding
iii. Calcining – Rotary Furnace/Girth Gear
iv. Clinker Grinding
v. CPP – Captive Power Plant
i. Mines Section:
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3. Limestone is the single large raw material used in the manufacture of Portland Cement and most
Cement Plants are located next to the limestone Quarries. Typically, open cast mining procedures
are adopted in India, which translates to a “dumper-dozer” operation; this consists of a series of
drilling and blasting followed by haulage of the loosened rocks and boulders of limestone.
Drilling and blasting:
Holes are drilled on the limestone face and gelatine placed in it. The controlled explosion loosens
the limestone and Excavators and Back hoe’s (mini excavators) used to gather the limestone, this is
then transported by Dump trucks/lorries to the Limestone processing unit in the Cement Plant. In
bigger plants, the limestone may be hauled from mines to the plant by a conveyer system and a first
stage rock breakdown may be taken up with use of Jaw crushers.
Typical Equipment – Lubricants used
i. Compressors, Drilling Equipment (mounted on mobile rigs) - Hydraulic & Compressor Oil,
Engine Oil, Air Line Lubricant (Pneumatic) , Greases- All Purpose, EP type and Graphited or
Molybdenum grease for anti seize of threading in drilling rods.
ii. Dumper, Lorries, Dozers, Excavators, Back hoe - Hydraulic Oils, Transmissions Fluids, Engine
Oil, Automotive Gear Oils, Greases, All Purpose, Chassis, EP tyre Greases, Brake Fluids.
iii. Auto motive Workshop – Lathes, drilling machines, welding machine, cranes, fork lift -
Engine oil, Hydraulic oils, Gear oils, Greases
ii. Limestone Processing Section:
Crushing and grinding: Portland cement is manufactured by heating limestone (source of Calcium)
with clay, Alumina (sand) and grinding this product after calcining (called clinker) with a source of
sulphate (most commonly gypsum). Gypsum is generally blended after calcining. The limestone
boulders/rocks are transported from the mines; are kept in the yard and after preliminary
breakdown/sizing in Crushers and Hammer Mills, to around 3 inches in diameter, it is then sent by
conveyers towards the rotary kiln. Clay, Alumina and gypsum are introduced and blended in the line,
in the required proportions. The blending is further complimented as the mixture goes through a
series of Ball mills for a process known as grinding. Once the blending of the raw materials is
complete the product is ready to enter the rotary furnace or kiln.
Typical Equipment – Lubricants used
iv. Crushers, Hammer Mills, Ball mills, conveyers system, Gear box, Motors - Gear Oil, Greases-
All Purpose, EP type.
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4. iii. Calcining - Rotating furnace Section:
Calcining: The conveyers transport the raw materials, towards the rotary furnace. A pre calcining
unit may be installed as a part of energy optimisation programme. The rotary furnace (kiln), is the
heart of the cement plant and is tilted slightly to ensure flow of material to the exit direction. The
kiln is supported on a massive Girth Gears, where a sophisticated lubrication dispensing system and
Speciality Lubricants are used. Calcining or sintering is a process where the raw material is heated to
a temperature of 1450 to 1500 C (2700 F); at this temperature the mixture gets fused or partially
molten and is often called, as clinker.
Typical Equipment – Lubricants used:
v. Conveyers, Coal Mill, Ball mill, Gear box, Rotating Furnace, Girth Gear, Specialty Grease
dispenser - Gear Oil, Greases - All Purpose, EP type, High temperature Grease, Specialty
Girth Gear Lubricant.
iv Clinker Grinding Section:
Grinding: The clinker is then cooled on- line and blended with Gypsum and “ground” to the desired
specifications. The finished product is then conveyed to large holding tanks called Silos.
Equipment – Lubricants used
Ball mills, conveyers, ID Fans - Gear Oil, Greases- All Purpose, EP type, High temperature
Grease.
v Captive Power Plant - CPP Section:
Process Plants like cement plants are power intensive and as grid power may be insufficient or
erratic, many units have set up their own Captive Power Plants (CPP’s). Most of the CPP’s are
Dieseled Generators, which run on a variety of fuels, Low Sulfur Heavy Stock (LSHS), Heavy Furnace
Oils (HFO) and smaller units depend on Light Diesel Oil (LDO) for their sub –one- MW generators.
Some of the large units like the ACC, Birla Units have set up coal fired Thermal Power Plants.
Equipment – Lubricants used
vi. Dieseled (LSHS,HFO ) Gensets -Wartsila, MAN etc - Very High (50 TBN) & High (40 TBN)
Marine Engine Oils, Turbine Oils, Gear Oils, Greases- All Purpose, EP type
vii. Dieseled below 1 MW units: Cummins, Skoda etc – Multi grade Engine Oils, Greases – All
Purpose, EP Type
viii. Thermal Power Plants: Turbine Fluids, Greases, All Purpose, EP type Greases.
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5. Lube consumption:
 The highest lube consumption is in cements plants that have Dieseled CPP’s of 10 MW
capacity or more. They have a typical Specific Lube Consumption (SLOC) between 0.5 to 0.8
g/kWH. This translates to more than 10,000 Lt of Marine Engine Oils per month during the
peak season and likely to be higher if plant is located in States/locations that have power
shortages and the CPP’s are run continuously.
 Coal fired Thermal CPP’s have a much lower lube consumption.
 Depending on the fleet size the Mines and Quarries are likely to have the second largest
consumption of Lube oils.
Objective: The objective of this note, is to highlight, in brief; typical equipment and lubricants used .
It is not intended to be a detailed report on Cement Plant lubrication. Care has been taken to avoid
recommending any brands of equipment or lubricants, except where necessary (CPP’s).
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