Hanson invest in kiln improvements at Batts Combe
HANSON Aggregates are spending £650 million on two projects to upgrade and improve the efficiency and environmental performance of the 26-year-old lime-burning kiln at Batts Combe Quarry in Cheddar.
A new £250,000 induct cooling system which was installed in February will prevent temperature build-up in the precipitator when the plant is shut down. The precipitator controls dust emissions at normal working temperatures but becomes ineffective in extreme heat, forcing hot gases and dust out through the chimney.
The new cooling system incorporates eight jets to spray the gases with water before they reach the precipitator, ensuring that the plant stays within its emission limits at all times.
In July the kiln will be fitted with a new £400,000 automatic control system which will ensure optimum performance. Benefits of the system will include lower fuel consumption, better and more consistent product quality and greater control of emissions.
'These projects will have huge environmental and operational benefits for local residents and the workforce, as well as improving the overall efficiency of the kiln,' said Batts Combe unit manager Phil Oddy.
The quarry produces a particularly pure grade of limestone which is turned into burnt lime, around 3,000 tonnes a week of which goes to Corus' steel works at Llanwern and Port Talbot in South Wales."
