CCR Academy. Training that feels like a real shift.
A kiln simulator your operators can run from any web browser. Real problems, real trends, real alarms, and a coach at their elbow. Tuned to your plant, so what they learn is what they'll see.
See it run on a kiln like yours.
Demos are live, with the people who built it. We'll run a real drill with your team, show the coaching and the crew readiness view, and answer questions from someone who has run the kiln.
30 minutes by video. Bring your training lead or a senior operator and we'll put them in the chair.
Book a live demo →Handover. Upset. Response. Debrief.
Every drill is built the way a real bad night starts: quietly, then all at once.
The handover
The operator gets a shift handover, just like the real thing. What's been running rough, what the lab said, what to watch.
The problem hits
Alarms sound, trends move, the field operator radios in. The kiln behaves the way a real kiln does, with lags, noise and interlocks.
Call it and act
The operator says what's wrong and makes their moves on fuel, feed, fans, speed and dampers. Wrong moves have real consequences.
The debrief
A coach explains what happened in plain words. The operator sees their run next to an expert's run of the same problem.
22 drills. The problems that cost plants money.
Each drill has an answer key built from real operating practice: the ideal moves, the tempting wrong moves, and the hard safety rules. Plants can add custom drills for their own known trouble spots.
Kiln 8
K-01Coating collapse, kiln amp spikeK-02Clinker ring formingK-03Ring collapse and material surgeK-04Cold kiln, high free limeK-05Hot kiln, overburningK-06Unstable burner flameK-07Kiln startup, ramp to full productionU-04Alternative fuel swings
Preheater 4
P-01Cyclone buildup formingP-02High CO at calciner, short of airP-03Preheater false air spiralP-04Cyclone jam, meal not reaching kiln
Cooler 3
C-01Snowman at cooler inletC-02Red river, poor clinker coolingC-03Cooler undergrate pressure drop
Mills 4
M-01Coal mill fire risk, rising COM-02Baghouse DP spike, cleaning faultM-03Baghouse bag failure, dust breakthroughM-04Raw mill trip, kiln interaction
Utilities 3
U-01Power dip, partial trip recoveryU-02ID fan surge, draft lossU-03False air leak
Plus shift runs: 20 to 60 simulated minutes with two to four problems at random times, so operators learn to spot trouble without being told a drill has started.
Made for the people in the chair.
Operators aren't engineers, and they shouldn't have to be to learn this. Everything is written in plain, simple words, and the coach talks like a good shift supervisor.
Tuned to your plant
4, 5 or 6-stage preheaters with calciner, alternative fuels at the burner or calciner, whole tires, your screen colors. We tailor the model to your equipment, fuels and raw mix.
A coach at their elbow
Hints, a "next move" button, and an AI coach they can ask questions out loud. The voice coach warns about CO, draft and hot spots, and never nags.
English and Spanish
One button switches the whole simulator, the coach and the voice to Spanish. US units by default, with a metric switch.
Tests that mean something
Test mode removes all help and changes how strong and how far along the problem is, every time. A pass means they know it.
Board and field together
A second trainee links a phone as the field operator. The board sends them to check things; they report back what they see. Just like the radio.
Replay your own upsets
Load historian data from a real event at your plant. Operators watch it unfold, call it, then see what really happened and what the crew did.
The difference training makes.
An ID fan starts to surge and draft drops. Here is what happens next, depending on who is in the chair.
Untrained operator
- Sees draft falling and pushes the fan harder.
- Fan vibration climbs. CO rises. The hood goes positive.
- The fan trips on vibration and takes the kiln with it.
Trained operator
- Recognizes a surge, not a draft problem. Backs the fan off.
- Trims feed and fuel to match the air they have.
- Watches CO come back down, then calls maintenance.
Know who's ready before the kiln finds out.
The instructor console shows every operator's progress across every crew.
- Crew readiness: Ready, Close or Needs work for each operator, based on safety drills, tests and shift runs
- Your plan: each operator gets a personal plan that repeats what they missed and spaces out reviews so it sticks
- Training records: printable records and CSV export to support your MSHA Part 46 training program
- Three scores, not one: safety, steady running, and speed of response, so you see how they got their grade
- Trend screen: a second monitor of trends, just like the real control room
Training records support your program; they do not by themselves show compliance. Your competent person signs.
The 90-day pilot
Prove it on your own crews before you commit.
- Simulator set up for your kiln line
- Unlimited operators on that line
- Kickoff with your training lead and supervisors
- Crew readiness report at day 90
- Pilot fee credited toward your first year
After the pilot, plants subscribe per kiln line with unlimited operators. Custom drills, extra plant profiles and on-site workshops are available.
FAQ
Does it connect to our DCS or plant network?
No. CCR Academy runs in a web browser and never touches your control system. There is nothing to install and no IT project. If you want to replay a real event, you export a CSV from your historian and we load it.
How realistic is the kiln model?
The model is built around how real kilns behave: time lags between a move and its effect, noisy readings, equipment limits and burner safety interlocks. For your plant, our engineering team tunes it to your preheater, calciner, cooler, fuels and raw mix so the trends look like home.
Our operators aren't big readers. Will this work for them?
Yes. That was a design goal from day one. Everything is written in plain, simple words, and the voice coach can read the handover, alarms and radio calls out loud. The whole simulator also runs in Spanish.
How long does a drill take?
Most drills run 10 to 20 minutes, with longer options up to 45 or 60 minutes. Shift runs are 20 to 60 simulated minutes. A crew can fit a drill into the start of a shift or run a full session with a trainer.
What do we need to run it?
A computer with a modern web browser. A large screen works best, and a second monitor for the trend screen makes it feel like the real control room. A phone is enough for the field operator in two-person drills.
Does it replace our trainers?
No. It gives your trainers a better tool. Simulators deliver the most when they're part of a structured program with clear goals and evaluation. We help you set that up, and we can run on-site workshops.
Who is behind it?
McKervey Solutions, led by Gerry McKervey, who has managed five cement plants over a 40-year career in cement. Read more about Gerry.
Put your crews through the drill.
Book a demo and we'll run a live drill on a kiln set up like yours.