AC technology on an upward trend in cement-no exclusive rights for DC technology to drive kilns anymore

Trends indicate that DC motor drives in the cement industry will no longer have the virtually exclusive right to drive kilns in the cement industry. The paper takes a look at the reasons behind the long and successful application of DC technology in driving kilns in cement plants around the globe and poses the question: “why change?”. The current trends to increased use of AC motor drive technology is examined using recent examples. The main change agents and factors forcing the speed of change give an indication whether an accelerated trend is “just around the corner” or not. Recommendations are included to potential purchasers of kiln drives