Methodological development for the optimisation of electricity cost in cement factories: the use of artificial intelligence in process variables

Abstract

AbstractCement factories require large amounts of energy. 70% of the variable cost goes to energy—33% to kiln thermal energy and 37% to electrical energy. This paper represents the second stage of a broader research study which aims at optimising electricity cost in a cement factory by means of using artificial intelligence. After an analysis of the different tools that could be highly useful for the optimisation of electricity cost, for which a systematic review of the literature and surveys and an expert panel of 42 professionals in the cement sector were carried out, a methodology was developed in order to reduce electricity cost by optimising not only different variables of the production process, but also regulated electricity costs and electricity market costs. Artificial neural networks and genetic algorithms will be the tools to be used in this methodology, which can be applied to any cement plant in the world, and, by extension, to any electro-intensive consumer. The innovation of this research work is based on the use of a methodology that not only combines two different variables at the same time—process variables and regulated prices—but also makes use of artificial intelligence tools techniques.