Nine plants of the holding were equipped with modern devices and machines to ensure high accuracy of test results and confirm the high quality of products. The new laboratory equipment will increase the efficiency of the technological process at the plants of the holding.
Combined compression and bending testing machines from Testing and D2 PHASER X-ray diffractometers were purchased for the plants of the holding. Compression and bending testing machines allow to obtain the strength characteristics of finished products using the example of cement beams. X-ray diffractometers help determine the phase composition of raw materials, cement and Portland cement clinker and accurately predict the physical properties of the final product during the manufacturing stage. X-ray diffraction (XRD) also makes it possible to reduce fuel consumption due to the rapid control of free lime during clinker firing, to monitor the introduction of slag into the cement and promptly take measures to eliminate the signs of “false” cement setting by controlling gypsum stone modifications.
Alpine e200 LS e Control Basic scattering devices and Blaine Testing devices for determining the fineness of grinding of finished products were also purchased for all of the plants of the holding. A wet storage cabinet was purchased for hardening and wet storage of cement beams. Equipment for sample preparation for X-ray spectral analysis was also updated, namely, a jaw crusher, an xrFuse 2 BRUKER fusion unit, a press and a HERZOG vibration washer.
Operational work of EUROCEMENT group technical control laboratories excludes possible deviations in quality at the production stage and ensures timely introduction of the necessary adjustments to the technological process.
Tatyana Balueva, Quality Director of AO "Nevyanskiy Cementnik":
“This year we have received and are using a TESTING 1.0244 250/15 kN compression and bending machine. It is a state-of-the-art, proven equipment designed to determine the strength characteristics of clinker and cements, eliminating large standard deviations in results. Today this department is equipped with modern high-performance equipment, and the experience of the laboratory specialists allows to competently work in this direction. For example, in 2020, the plant received a D2 PHASER diffractometer, which is designed to measure the phase composition of raw materials, clinker and cement. With its help, laboratory assistants of chemical analysis can easily determine the full phase composition of products, which makes it possible to more accurately and reliably control the quality of clinker firing, and control the quality of cement. The laboratory staff is successfully mastering new equipment and taking care of keeping the brand of the plant high, because from year to year the main task of AO "Nevyanskiy Cementnik" remains the same - the production of high-quality products, taking into account wishes of our customers."
Elena Tarasenko, Quality Director of AO “Kavkazcement”:
“Framework of the investment project “Purchase of equipment for supplying laboratories” allowed “Kavkazcement” to acquire: Mastersizer 3000, laser diffraction analyzer of particle size, D2 PHASER Bruker diffractometer, ALPINE air-jet sieve and testing machine for compression and bending “Testing”. We use this equipment to determine various characteristics of raw materials, semi-finished products and finished products, namely Portland cement. D2 PHASER Bruker diffractometer allows to determine the actual phase composition of clinker and raw materials. It is also possible to quickly and accurately determine the content of the mineral additive - limestone - in the manufactured products, which allows taking corrective actions in a timely manner and guarantees the production of stable and high-quality products. This is very important for us, since a large share in the assortment of the plant is made up of additional cements - CEM II / A-I 42.5N and CEM II / A-I 32.5N”.
Tatyana Yashkina, Quality Director of AO “Mikhailovcement”:
“According to the investment project, we will receive laboratory equipment from companies that are experts in material testing. The capabilities of such equipment will make it possible to determine the strength characteristics of cement and clinker, carry out granulometric analysis of the raw mixture and cement, mineralogical phase analysis and ensure high-quality sample preparation of materials for further obtaining high-quality finished products."
Natalia Kolobenina, Quality Director of AO “Pikalevsky Cement”:
“As part of the purchase of equipment for supplying laboratories program, the plant received a combined testing machine from “Testing” to determine the strength characteristics of cement and clinker. Equipping the laboratory with high-quality testing equipment will fully ensure the reliability, accuracy and correctness of tests carried out."
Alexander Guryev, Quality Director of AO “Lipetskcement”:
“Lipetsk laboratory of technical control recently received the last piece of equipment for an investment project - a compression and bending press with digital display and automatic control. Last year, the laboratory expanded its material and technical base by purchasing a vibration mill, a semi-automatic press, an automatic station for preparing glass discs for X-ray fluorescence analysis, an X-ray fluorescence spectrometer, an air-jet sieving machine and an X-ray diffractometer. New equipment helps to increase the range of analyzes and the speed of their performance. For example, thanks to the Bruker D2 PHASER diffractometer, today we can perform fully automated phase analysis of very complex phase mixtures in the shortest possible time without operator intervention. With the help of a modern position-sensitive detector in an X-ray diffractometer, we determine the complete mineralogical composition of clinker and the content of free lime in real time, as well as its calculated chemical composition. Thus, we increase the consumer properties of the cement produced, reduce the time required to switch to the production of sulfate-resistant clinker and return to the production of conventional clinker”.
Evgeny Popkov, Quality Director of ZAO “Oskolcement”:
“Any investment project is – development. The project for the purchase of new laboratory equipment indicates that the holding's management considers stabilizing the high quality of products as one of its top priorities. Oskolcement technical control laboratory received new, modern equipment from the world's best manufacturers. Currently laboratory specialists perform high-precision analysis in a short time. Based on the studies obtained, if necessary, the technological process is adjusted to stabilize the quality indicators of the product. I would like to note that updating the “park” of laboratory equipment with ultra-precise devices raises the status and image of the laboratory, plant, and the holding”.
Elena Gunko, Head of the Technical Control Laboratory, ZAO “Belgorodsky Cement”:
“This year the technical control laboratory was equipped with modern testing equipment. One of the most important properties of Portland cement is the degree of its grinding. The rate of cement hydration, strength indicators depend on it, and therefore this quality indicator needs to be carefully checked and controlled. Generally accepted standard in cement production is the determination of the fineness of grind by residues on sieves and specific surface area of cement. Equipping the laboratory with an automatic Blaine device and an Alpine sieve shaker will improve the quality, accuracy and reliability of measurements, as well as guarantee the reliability of the results obtained. The testing machine for compression and bending will allow replacing outdated equipment, increasing the reliability of the results obtained, which ultimately will ensure high quality of the products”.
Svetlana Andriyanova, Quality Director of AO “Maltsovsky Portland Cement”:
“Work was completed on setting up two Blaine devices in July, which allow to determine in a semi-automatic mode the specific surface area of cement and other powdery materials. The use of these devices will provide a higher measurement accuracy in routine and acceptance control, as well as during comparison tests. In addition to Blaine's devices, new moisture analyzers were delivered to the technical control laboratory, which significantly increased the accuracy of analysis and reduced the time for determining this parameter in raw materials, sludge, finished products and other materials. Also, a new cabinet “ШВХ-480” was put into operation for hardening and wet storage of samples - cement paste blocks in molds. The damp storage cabinet allows to create and maintain the required climatic environment for a given period of time. Equipment received under the investment program is a replacement for the outdated one and will allow increased accuracy of measurements and eliminating the human factor - which is a guarantee of accuracy and reliability of test results as well as meeting the requirements of GOST technical standard."
Nikolay Mazharin, Quality Director of the Voronezh branch of AO “EUROCEMENT group”:
“In August 2021, it is planned to move the Clinker C7 analyzer of fragments of the microstructure of solids from ZAO “Savinsky Cement Plant” in order to improve the quality of products by studying the microstructure of clinkers obtained by the dry method at the Voronezh branch. The analyzer of fragments of the microstructure of solids includes a sample preparation system: a machine for rough preparation (cut-off wheel), a machine for polishing (preparation of a thin section), a microscope with a video recording system and software. Quality control of the produced clinker is carried out by means of analyzes obtained from an X-ray fluorescence spectrometer. The use of microscopy (petrographic method of analysis) will additionally control the presence of minerals in clinker, monitor the appearance and size of clinker minerals - one of the indicators that guarantees further stable cement quality”.
Alexander Tokmantsev, Quality Director of AO “Katavsky Cement”:
“Thanks to participation in the investment project, we purchased an air-sieve diffuser, a diffractometer, a compression and bending press and a Blaine device. The new equipment makes it possible to determine the strength characteristics of cement and clinker, the fineness of cement grinding, and the mineralogical composition of clinker. All this equipment is necessary, first of all, to ensure operational quality control at all stages of the production process, which in turn ensures the stable production and sale of competitive products, the consumer properties of which meet the expectations of our customers."
