The cement industry is undergoing a major transformation. Due to its high energy consumption and significant carbon footprint, improving energy efficiency has become paramount. This project focused on the design of a new steel structure to support the mechanical equipment of a large-scale heat recovery plant.
The tall, slender steel tower is connected to the existing preheater tower via a bridge. In addition to supporting the new equipment, the structure includes service walkways for access and maintenance.
The entire structure was modeled and analyzed in RFEM 6 according to the Eurocodes with the German National Annex. Modal analysis and response spectrum analyses were performed for seismic design.
The model includes the main mechanical equipment, such as a filter, inlet and outlet ducts, two horizontal tanks, and screw conveyors, as well as the corresponding duct supports. The existing preheater tower and concrete silo were modeled in a simplified form to account for their interaction with the new structure.
Modeling the existing structures allowed for a more accurate consideration of the effects and interactions between the individual structural components than would have been possible with simplified spring supports.
The steel structure was analyzed for dead loads, live loads on the platforms, wind and other meteorological loads, material build-up inside the ducts and filter, and oil loads from the equipment and tanks. Temperature effects in the inlet and outlet ducts were also taken into account.
The complete steel structure has a total weight of approximately 650 metric tons (716.5 US tons).
| Location | Dotternhausen, Germany |
| Structural analysis | GMBS Design Kft. |
| Main Contractor | Hoffmeier Industrieanlagen GmbH + Co. KG |
