April 2024

Securing the Future: Sira Cement paves the way for Cement Development in Yemen

Daniele Sciuto, Euromecc,
details a collaboration with Sira Cement on a full-scale project in Yemen.

In spite of the political instability which has characterised the country over the last decade, Yemen is globally recognised as a strategic country with an interesting outlook in the near future. The country is expected to have a steady increase in cement consumption by 2030, although, currently there is already a shortage of approximately 9 million tpy. The best and quickest way to reduce this shortage is by installing grinding stations which can process dinker and increase the local production. These critical infrastructure projects not only address the immediate needs of the construction industry but also play a pivotal role in supporting the country’s economic development and resilience.
This was the assumption back in 2021, when Euromecc, together with a host of European manufacturers, was appointed by Sira Cement to develop a full scale project in the Al-Arish zone, Aden, Yemen.

Project details
The newly established facility in Yemen represents a milestone in the country’s journey towards sustainable development. Located strategically to serve major construction projects across the nation, the plant boasts state-of-the-art facilities for the grinding, storage, handling, and distribution of cement. Equipped with modern technology and adhering to international standards, the plant not only ensures a reliable supply of cement either in bulk or bags, but also contributes to reducing transportation costs and the environmental impact.

The full project was coordinated by the customer, who appointed a team of internal staff and consultants to manage the three key companies involved. The main areas of the facility can be divided as follows:

• Grinding plant: The process equipment directly selected by the customer and awarded to
  Storage unit: The terminal designed and realised by Euromecc connected to the grinding station and meant to feed both bulk loading and additional equipment.
• Packing plant: The last section fed from silos and dedicated to the bagging of cement, where the customer decided to appoint Ventomatic for its design and realisation.

This article will focus on the storage unit, completely engineered and manufactured by Euromecc.

The storage facility
After a preliminary discussion early in 2021, the final details were discussed and agreed during the last quarter of that year. The battery limits of Euromecc’s scope of supply were set on the output of the mill, where Euromecc installed an airslide with a nominal capacity of 100 tph, and the inlet of the downstream bucket elevator, meant to feed the packing plant. Some important elements were shared, helping to work out the most important values for the installation.

Listed below are some of the key features:

• Capacity and efficiency: The plant’s impressive storage capacity of 3600 m³ ensures a steady and ample supply of cement to meet the demands of both large-scale infrastructure projects and smaller construction initiatives. The efficient handling systems minimise the risk of delays, enabling timely project completion.
• Technological advancements: Incorporating cutting-edge technology, the cement storage plant employs automated systems for inventory management, quality control, and loading processes. This is fully integrated with the equipment upstream and downstream, where the customer opted for the use of specific brands and components in order to guarantee the perfect match of each item.

To meet those demands, Euromecc supplied three bolted steel 1200 m³ silos. Each silo was installed over a weighbridge, thanks to its drive-through support structure.

They were filled from a 35 m heavy-duty bucket elevator which fed a group of airslides of adequate sizing, connecting to every silo and operating with a capacity up to 100 tph, designed to match the capacity of the grinding unit.

At the discharge, each silo has an aerated flat cone entirely covered with open airslides which enable an emptying rate of 98%. The output capacity is controlled by valves and flow control gates which adjust the flow in order to deliver cement either to an airslide distribution system, which feed three loading spouts at 150 tph, for bulk loading operations under each silo, or to a bucket elevator incorporated in the packing plant.

To guarantee an environmentally friendly installation, every transfer point was equipped with adequate suction points and dedusting filters.

The project execution
After an initial kick-off meeting between all parties, everyone involved focused on their own tasks.

The Euromecc design team concentrated on a multidiscipline approach, being responsible for designing the civil works, as well as the structural steel installed above ground and the process equipment within its scope.

The foundation design started from the customer’s soil investigation and helped to calculate a single slab of approximately 39 m x 25 m x 0.8 m for the entire Euromecc installation, where every silo was supported by 12 columns.

The structural steel focused instead on the storage silos, which are always customised according to local conditions, related to seismic activity, wind region, design life, temperature range and external loads (i.e. equipment interface, snow, etc.). As the installation was in the Al-Arish zone, every structure was calculated according to a PGA of 0.3 g, classed as medium-high according to the EUROCODE.

The process equipment was designed to meet the performances set, as well as the requirement of the other manufacturers involved in the project. Once designed, and as soon as the customer completed the casting of the civils, Euromecc sent over one of its technicians for a site inspection, making sure everything was realised in full compliance with the design. The subsequent positive report gave the green light for shipping.

Sira Cement managed to install the full project with its own staff, remotely coordinated by the Euromecc team, doing a fantastic job in a very short time. The plant now is almost complete and expected to start the full-load test in May, with June as the target to begin sustained production.

Conclusion
This installation in Yemen, thanks to the support of Mr Omar Bajarsh, Chairman of SIRA Cement, Mr Rajasrinivas, the Project executive director, and Mr Helmut Hiegelsberger’s consultancy, is a symbol of resilience and progress in a nation facing multifaceted challenges. Beyond its role in meeting the demands of the construction industry, the plant has had a transformative impact on local communities, contributing to economic growth, job creation, and sustainable development. As Yemen navigates its path to recovery, the Sira Cement facility stands as a testament to the power of strategic infrastructure investments, shaping a brighter future for the nation and its people.

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