Padeswood

Tunnel Logo 1
1940s Tunnel Brand

Tunnel Logo 3
Big T Brand used from the late 1960s

Location:

Clinker manufacture operational: 1949 to date

Approximate clinker production to 2022: 34 million tonnes (13th)

Raw materials:

Ownership:

The plant was one of several post-war projects that were somewhat delayed by the economic circumstances of the late 1940s: it was originally scheduled for start up in 1947. It was the last green-field plant location to be remote from both raw materials and its position seems to have been predicated by the rules of the then-existing pricing cartel. Even water was not available on site: it was pumped from an artesian well 8 km away. Both raw materials are brought by rather arduous trips on minor roads through a semi-urban area. The use of colliery waste, with a potential fuel saving, was not new: it had been employed at Cousland much earlier. Despite the obvious suitability of dry process, FLS were uninterested in this, and the plant used standard wet process as previously installed by them at many other hard-rock sites such as Hope, Ketton, Drogheda, Limerick and Ribblesdale. By the 1960s, however, they had started to develop “long dry” kilns, and A3 became a successful first venture in Britain. The carbonaceous rawmix made it peculiarly appropriate in this instance. It had a long service life.

The need to maintain capacity while getting rid of the wet kilns necessitated its replacement with the highly-efficient A4, which for the first time allowed full utilization of the potential heat content of the raw material.

The plant is on the Wrexham to Connah’s Quay branch railway and could use this initially for shale movement (from Llay Main’s siding when it still operated) as well as coal and despatch. Now only coal arrives by rail, and the plant transport is nearly all by road. The A55, 3 km away, gives rapid access to the motorway network.

Please contact me with any relevant information or corrections. I am particularly interested in firmer dates and statistics.

Note: technical information on currently operational plants is ✄withheld in the public version of the site at present, except where already published (see references).

Power supply

The plant was entirely electrically powered from the grid from the outset.

Rawmills

Four rotary kilns were installed:

Kiln A1

Supplier: FLS
Operated: 4/1950-1991, 1995-5/2005
Process: Wet
Location: Hot end (cooler ports) 329218,362115: Cold end 329125,362147: hot end enclosed
Dimensions (from cooler ports): Metric

Rotation (viewed from firing end): clockwise
Slope: ?
Speed: ?
Drive: ?
Kiln profile (from cooler ports): -3000×3300: 34000×3300: 35750×3000: 62750×3000: 65000×3450: 97250×3450: 97250×3000: 98000×3000: tyres at 3000, 32000, 59000, 86000: turning gear at 56000: dust return at 61000.
Cooler: Unax planetary 10×6.30×1.400
Fuel: 1950-1970 coal: 1970-1975 oil: 1975-2005 coal plus, from 1995, up to 25% petcoke.
Coal Mill: indirect: 410 kW Tirax ball-mill common to A1 and A2 with oil-fired drying air
Exhaust: to ID fan followed by electrostatic precipitator to stack.
Typical Output: 1950-1966 415 t/d: 1966-2005 420 t/d
Typical Heat Consumption: 1950-1956 7.10 MJ/kg: 1957-1966 6.75 MJ/kg: 1966-2005 5.70 MJ/kg


Kiln A2

Operated: 10/12/1949-1991, 1995-5/2005
Location: Hot end (cooler ports) 329214,362104: Cold end 329122,362137: hot end enclosed
Dimensions (from cooler ports): Metric 98.00 × 3.000BC / 3.450D
Kiln profile (from cooler ports): -3000×3000: 62750×3000: 65000×3450: 97250×3450: 97250×3000: 98000×3000: tyres at 3000, 32000, 59000, 86000: turning gear at 56000: dust return at 61000.
Cooler: Unax planetary 10×6.30×1.200
Typical Output: 415 t/d
Typical Heat Consumption: 1949-1956 7.10 MJ/kg: 1957-1966 6.75 MJ/kg: 1966-2005 5.60 MJ/kg
Identical in all other respects to A1


Kiln A3

Supplier: FLS
Operated: 1966-3/3/2005
Process: Long dry
Location: Hot end (cooler ports) 329203,362087: Cold end 329083,362129: hot end enclosed
Dimensions (from cooler ports): Metric 128.00 × 4.150BC / 4.550D
Rotation (viewed from firing end): anticlockwise
Slope: ?
Speed: ?
Drive: ?
Kiln profile (from cooler ports): -3300×4150: 85000×4150: 88000×4550: 128000×4550: tyres at 3500, 34500, 74000, 113500: turning gear at 69000.
Cooler: Unax planetary 10×13.00×1.600
Fuel: as A1 & A2
Coal Mill: indirect: Tirax ball-mill
Exhaust: to cyclones followed by ID fan to electrostatic precipitator then stack.
Typical Output: 930 t/d
Typical Heat Consumption: 3.95 MJ/kg


Kiln A4

Supplier: FLS
Operated: 26/07/2005 to date
Process: air-separate precalciner: 5-stage preheater with FLS ILS/SLC-D calciner(1)
Location: hot end 329138,362045: cold end 329076,362067: unenclosed
Dimensions: Metric 65.00 × 4.750(1)
Rotation (viewed from firing end): anti-clockwise
Slope: ?
Speed: ?
Drive: ?
Kiln profile: ✄
Cooler: grate: FLS 3×3F cross-bar(1)
Fuel: Coal, petcoke, waste liquids, solid waste fuel(2)
Coal mill: FLS ATOX 22.5 roller mill(1)
Exhaust: ✄
Typical Output: 2650 t/d (3)
Typical Heat Consumption: ✄



References:
(1) FLS reference lists
(2) WID reports
(3) 2010 environmental policy presentation


Sources:

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