Automated Sample Handling System

Yitaike (Zhuji) Intelligent Equipment Co., Ltd., as the Chinese joint‑venture subsidiary of France’s ITECA, is the company’s sole authorized manufacturer and operator in China. Leveraging ITECA’s 40 years of expertise in quality‑control automation for the cement industry, it has developed an automated sample‑collection and delivery system tailored to cement plants, enabling unmanned operation of sampling and sample‑transport processes in cement laboratories, addressing the pain points of manual sampling, and providing precise support for cement production quality control.

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Product Positioning and Core Value

This system is specifically designed for cement production lines, targeting key materials in the cement manufacturing process—such as mill‑exit raw meal, kiln‑entry raw meal, mill‑exit coal powder, kiln‑exit clinker, and mill‑exit cement—to achieve fully automated sampling, pneumatic conveying, and sample reception, thereby replacing the conventional manual sampling and sample‑delivery approach.

The core value lies in enhancing sampling representativeness and testing efficiency, reducing labor costs, protecting employees from exposure to harsh conditions such as high temperatures and heavy dust, and eliminating safety risks associated with manual sample handling. At the same time, it lays the groundwork for future expansion into automated sample preparation and automated analysis, thereby supporting the factory’s transition to intelligent manufacturing.

Core Configuration

(1) Sampling System

Covering key materials in the cement production process for quality control, and employing dedicated sampling equipment tailored to the characteristics of different materials to ensure the representativeness of samples:

For powdered materials (raw meal exiting the mill, raw meal entering the kiln, coal powder exiting the mill, and cement exiting the mill) : A two-stage sampling approach is employed. An ITECA‑patented variable‑pitch helical sampler or a sloped‑channel sampler serves as the primary sampler, enabling sampling across the entire cross‑section of the material at the sampling point and ensuring that all particles have an equal chance of being collected. When paired with a 55‑L high‑capacity mixer and a piston‑type secondary sampler, this setup significantly enhances sample representativeness.

Traditional sampling method:

ITECA sampling method:

Non-through mounting and equal-pitch design result in only a small portion of the sample being collected within the sampling cross-section.

Using a single-screw sampler, the sample volume is very small, and the small sampling base size inherently results in limited representativeness.

The sampler employs a proprietary patented design that ensures samples from different particle sizes within the sampling cross-section have equal probabilities of being collected.

A sufficiently large initial sample, after thorough mixing and a second sampling for reduction, further enhances the representativeness of the sample.

For bulk materials (kiln‑fired clinker) : Utilizing a beam-type sampler, this device offers high reliability and is installed in the discharge chute at the tail end of the grate cooler or in the chute leading from the inclined bucket elevator to the clinker storage silo. Its sampling chamber, equipped with a selectable grid, accommodates clinker samples ranging from 0 to 50 mm. After crushing the sample to below 7 mm, a secondary reduction step is performed, ensuring excellent representativeness.

Traditional sampling method:

During sampling, the sampling port traverses the entire cross-section of the material flow, ensuring that both coarse and fine particles are collected, thereby guaranteeing high sample representativeness.

The crossbeam features an inverted-V design, offering excellent resistance to impact and wear while ensuring high reliability. It is driven by pneumatic cylinders, with a simple structure and minimal maintenance requirements.

The sampling operator directly excavates from the inclined hopper, resulting in poor sample representativeness.

The inclined bucket conveyor area harbors potential hazards such as operating machinery and high-temperature materials, while manual operations pose risks of burns and mechanical injuries.

(II) Pneumatic Conveying System

Dedicated pneumatic conveying systems are configured for different materials to enable long-distance, cross-contamination-free sample transport.

Conveyor System 1: Responsible for conveying raw meal entering the kiln, raw meal exiting the mill, and cement exiting the mill. It is equipped with corresponding feed stations, sample carriers, diverter valves, receiving stations, and drive fans. The conveying distance can reach 500 m, with a conveying capacity of 20 cycles per hour.
Conveying System 2: Specifically designed for conveying pulverized coal from the mill, it features independent transport to prevent contamination and is equipped with a delivery station, sample carrier, receiving station, and a drive fan, with a maximum conveying distance of 500 m.
Conveyor System 3: Responsible for conveying granular clinker, with a maximum conveying distance of 180 m. It can directly transport crushed clinker samples to the laboratory, providing sample quantities sufficient to meet the requirements of physical‑property analysis.

The conveying pipeline is made of corrosion‑resistant, wear‑proof stainless steel and features a three‑layer protective design with clamped‑joint connections, ensuring excellent sealing without the need for welding and delivering a service life of over 10 years. The sample carrier (cannon‑type) boasts a sophisticated design, equipped with an automatic spring‑loaded closing mechanism that eliminates the need for rubber seals, thereby eliminating the risk of unintended opening during sliding. Both ends of the carrier are fitted with replaceable slip rings; after prolonged operation, only the slip rings require replacement, resulting in low maintenance costs.

Composition of the Pneumatic Conveying System for Powdered Materials

(3) Automatic Control System

The system employs a Siemens S7‑1500 PLC as the master station, paired with a TIA Portal HMI, and leverages a Profinet network to enable seamless connectivity between field devices and the master station, supporting remote control, status monitoring, and data uploading. The field control cabinet meets an IP66 protection rating, making it well‑suited for harsh industrial environments and ensuring reliable equipment operation.

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Network topology diagram

Core Advantages

Strong sampling representativeness: Patented sampler design that captures the full cross-section of the material, enabling high‑flow sampling combined with secondary reduction, delivering sample representativeness far superior to comparable industry products—improving representativeness by 60% and eliminating human‑induced sampling errors.
Unattended: Fully automated operation, with a sampling frequency of up to two samples per hour for each sample type, eliminates the need for manual supervision and significantly reduces labor costs.
Daily maintenance-free: Stainless steel conveyance pipelines require minimal frequent maintenance, and the sampler’s wear parts can be replaced individually; the system features a modular design for convenient troubleshooting.
Modular Design: The system is designed with expandable interfaces, enabling seamless integration with automated sample preparation and analytical instruments to support the establishment of a fully automated laboratory.
Operations and Maintenance Platform: Leveraging the ITECA China professional team, we offer 24/7 after-sales support, spare parts supply, on-site installation and commissioning, as well as operator training, backed by extensive project implementation experience.

Application Cases

The ITECA automated sample‑handling system has been widely deployed in cement plants around the world, serving industry leaders such as Lafarge, Heidelberg, China National Building Material Group, and China Resources Cement. In China, it has been successfully implemented in more than 20 projects, including Huai’an Nanfang, China Resources Wuxuan, and Tongliang Xinan, with stable equipment performance and high customer satisfaction. The system is adaptable to the needs of cement production lines of varying scales.