Location:
- Grid reference:
- ITM 553406,654652
- old style R5347154630
- 52°38'28"N; 8°41'13"W
- Townland: Castlemungret, County Limerick : the limestone quarry is mainly in Conigar townland: the clayfields are mainly in Bunlicky and Ballykeeffe townlands
Clinker manufacture operational: 1938 to date
Approximate total clinker production to 2022: 43 million tonnes (7th)
Raw materials from the same quarries as used by Derrylin at 627200, 821300, Mucklagh townland, County Cavan, only 0.75 km from the plant:
- Carboniferous Limestone (Lough Gur Formation: 341-345 Ma) from 552400,655000
- Shannon alluvium was previously used, from pits around 553900,655400 and pumped to the plant from the washmill at 553519,655206: since 1983 Silurian shale (Hollyford Formation: ~430 Ma) from Kilmastulla, Tipperary 572200,668900 brought by rail (34 km).
Ownership:
- 1938-1970 Cement Ltd
- 1970 to date CRH (Irish Cement)
Alternatively called Castlemungret Works. The company was begun as a joint venture between the Eire government and Tunnel/FLS. The plant started up simultaneously with Drogheda. It started out half the size of Drogheda but because of plentiful and good raw materials, it became larger than its sister plant despite its far smaller local market. The plant had from the outset a purpose-built 5.3 km spur which allowed easy rail communication with the south and west of Ireland, and Dublin (205 km).
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.
Power supply
The plant was entirely electrically powered from the ESB grid from the outset.
Rawmills
The original plant had a washmill producing clay slurry at the clayfield. This was pumped to the plant and inter-ground with crushed limestone in an FLS 485 kW ball mill. Subsequent similar mills were added as kilns 2 and 3 were added: subsequent developments unknown. Kiln 6 uses an FLS air-swept ball mill.
Six rotary kilns were installed:
Kiln A1
Supplier: FLS
Operated: 01/04/1938-1977
Process: Wet
Location:
- hot end (cooler ports): ITM 553470,654537 {old style 153535,154515}
- cold end: ITM 553386,654580 {old style 153451,154558}: hot end only enclosed.
Dimensions (from cooler ports): metric 94.00 × 3.000B / 2.400C / 3.000D
Rotation (viewed from firing end): ?
Slope: ?
Speed: ?
Drive: ?
Kiln profile (from cooler ports): -2700×3000: 26000×3000: 28000×2400: 61000×2400: 63000×3000: 93250×3000: 93250×2550: 94000×2550: Tyres at 3350, 13450, 29450, 47650, 66850, 85750: Turning gear at 32150?.
Cooler: Unax planetary 12 × 6.00 × 1.060
Fuel: Coal, except 1960-1973 Oil
Coal Mill: ?
Exhaust: ID fan direct to stack: Lodge Cottrell electrostatic precipitator added 1940.
Typical Output: 250 t/d
Typical Heat Consumption: 7.11 MJ/kg
Kiln A2
Supplier: FLS
Operated: 1954-1983
Location:
- hot end (cooler ports): ITM 553475,654547 {old style 153540,154525}
- cold end: ITM 553391,654589 {old style 153456,154567}: hot end only enclosed.
Dimensions (from cooler ports): metric ?98.00 × 3.450B / 3.300C / 3.600D
Rotation (viewed from firing end): ?
Slope: ?
Speed: ?
Drive: ?
Kiln profile (from cooler ports): .
Cooler: Unax planetary
Fuel: Coal, except 1960-1973 Oil
Coal Mill: ?
Exhaust: ID fan to electrostatic precipitator then stack.
Typical Output: 354 t/d
Typical Heat Consumption: 7.60 MJ/kg
Kiln A3
Supplier: FLS
Operated: 1961-1983
Location:
- hot end (cooler ports): ITM 553479,654556 {old style 153545,154534}
- cold end: ITM 553396,654599 {old style 153461,154577}: hot end only enclosed.
Dimensions (from cooler ports): metric ?128.00 × 3.300BC / 3.450D
Rotation (viewed from firing end): ?
Slope: ?
Speed: ?
Drive: ?
Kiln profile (from cooler ports): .
Cooler: Unax planetary
Fuel: Coal, except 1960-1973 Oil
Coal Mill: ?
Exhaust: ID fan to electrostatic precipitator then stack.
Typical Output: 405 t/d
Typical Heat Consumption: 6.66 MJ/kg
Kiln A4
Supplier: FLS
Operated: 1964-1983
Process: Wet
Location:
- hot end (cooler ports): ITM 553480,654570 {old style 153545,154547}
- cold end: ITM 553360,654631 {old style 153425,154609}: hot end only enclosed.
Dimensions (from cooler ports): metric ?135.00 × 3.600BC / 3.950D
Rotation (viewed from firing end): ?
Slope: ?
Speed: ?
Drive: ?
Kiln profile (from cooler ports): no information
Cooler: Unax planetary 10 × 11.50 × 1.400
Fuel: Oil 1961-1973: Coal 1973-1983
Coal Mill: ?
Typical Output: 554 t/d
Typical Heat Consumption: 6.74 MJ/kg
Kiln A5
Supplier: FLS
Operated: 1965-1983
Process: Wet
Location:
- hot end (cooler ports): ITM 553487,654583 {old style 153552,154560}
- cold end: ITM 553366,654644 {old style 153432,154621}: hot end only enclosed.
Identical in all other respects to A4
Kiln A6
Supplier: FLS
Operated: 1983 to date
Process: air-through precalciner: details ✄
Location: hot end (cooler ports) 553381,654807: cold end 553314,654841: unenclosed
Dimensions: ✄
Rotation (viewed from firing end): anti-clockwise
Slope: ?
Speed: ?
Drive: ?
Kiln profile: ✄
Cooler: planetary: details ✄
Fuel: coal, eventually supplanted by petcoke.
Coal mill: ✄
Exhaust: ✄
Typical Output: ✄
Typical Heat Consumption: ✄
Sources:
- Primary Sources:
- “New Cement Works in Eire”, Cement and Lime Manufacture,Vol 14, p 79 (1941)
- "Cement in Ireland", Cement Lime & Gravel, May 1963, pp 143-151
- Irish Cement 1938-1988, CRH plc, 1988
- OSI digital mapping
- GSI mapping and monographs
- Confirmatory Sources:
- Pugh, p 112: no details