As previously reported, the cement plant in Allmendingen is currently in the midst of extensive construction work as part of the annual winter shutdown. This year saw a particularly intensive and challenging maintenance period. Individual sections of the 96-meter-long rotary kiln, including the roller bearings, have reached the end of their service life after approximately 50 years of operation and have been extensively replaced. Since the end of November, rotary kiln system 4, the centerpiece of the Allmendingen cement plant, has been shut down for these works.

Installation of heavy components successfully completed

After a total of 10 weeks of shutdown, during which the old system was dismantled and the kiln foundation renewed, the three final large components of the kiln system were lifted into place and positioned on January 29 and 30, 2024.

A particular challenge was the heavy weight of the individual components. The heaviest part, the pre-assembled kiln shell section, was an impressive 247 tonnes. In addition, the thrust roller weighing approximately 35 tonnes and the kiln shell intermediate piece weighing around 34 tonnes were also installed.

“For the heavy lifts, a 600-tonne crawler crane was used, which was mounted on a specially prepared gravel bed with wooden planks laid on top. The assembly of the crawler crane alone took 3 days. In comparison, the major lift was successfully completed within 3 hours,” explains Thomas Braig, Head of the Technical Office at SCHWENK’s Allmendingen site.

Outlook and completion of the works

In the coming days, some final mechanical and electrical installations as well as further completion works will take place. “We currently expect that the kiln system will be able to resume operations in February. This puts us in a very good position in terms of our planning schedule, and we would like to thank all those involved for the successful execution and their dedication,” said Manfred Pirker, Plant Manager of the Allmendingen cement plant.

Image: Lifting of the pre-assembled kiln shell section with riding ring – 247 tonnes

Image: Precision work during the final threading of the kiln shell section with riding ring