Integrating process gas analysis and production control

Gas analyses have an increasingly important role in production control of today's cement plants. The need to closely monitor a plant's environmental impact as well as the need to operate the plant as efficiently as possible both require dependable and accurate gas composition measurements throughout the process. As the importance of the analyses has grown, so has the need to integrate the gas sampling equipment and sensors into the overall process control strategy. This paper reviews key gas analysis concepts and provides a road map to show how to use these analyses as a tool for improving quality, improving reliability, lowering costs and reducing emissions. The approach is summarized as an integration pyramid that shows the vertical integration of equipment, maintenance, process, production and management functions into a total plant solution.