Clinker quality dramatically

improved, while reducing fuel use

Ilkfer Akman, Ufuk Durgut, Akcansa Cement, and Con G Manias,

Steven J Hill, FCT, investigate the impact on plant economics of
optimized burner design.

Extract from WORLD CEMENT December 2004

Fire and the heat from it drives the cement making
process, initiating the clinker producing reactions,
and a large proportion of cement making costs
(fuel cost, refractories, maintenance) are linked to
combustion.

These are the obvious connections. Indirectly

though, the combustion system also largely
determines clinker quality and the grindability
of clinker thus affecting the cement mill power
consumption and output as well. In some cases,
emissions restrict production, and combustion is a
major factor in this too.

Delivering benefits through optimizing combustion

is the business of FCT Combustion Pty Ltd.
Scientifically based techniques developed by FCT
and validated over the past 20 years have been
proven to deliver large benefits to customers.

The effect of different burner design

All burner systems are not created equal - the

nature of flames and heat transfer to the process
certainly depends on the burner design, but just
as much on the aerodynamics of the combustion Figure 1. Examples of water bead modeling of
environment. It is the combination, therefore, of a kiln hoods.
burner design and airflow patterns around it that
determine the nature of the flame produced and
Combustion equipment typically represents a
the way the heat is transferred to the material.
small percentage of total plant capital, but its
A burner design developed in isolation without
performance strongly influences the return on
reference to aerodynamics will behave differently
investment from that plant. It is, therefore, false
in different kilns and is not an engineering solution.
economy to buy burners on price alone, as a non-
In cement kiln projects, the difference between optimized burner could cost a plant each year
burners can be surprising. If benefits such as a 7% much more than the purchase cost of an optimized
reduction in specific fuel consumption, 8% increase burner.
in production, 7% increase in cement strength,
Combustion zone aerodynamics
and significant increases in refractory life could
be achieved, alongside higher percentages of The mass of combustion air, be it primary,
much cheaper fuels such as petcoke being used, secondary or tertiary in a cement kiln or calciner,
great results could be attained. In the case of a 1 is approximately an order of magnitude more than
million tpa cement plant, such benefits could run the fuel. The velocity and direction of this air is a
into several million dollars extra profit annually. major influence on the nature of the flame (size,
Yet such benefits have been documented where shape, length, stability), as it is the interaction
kiln and calciner burners have been replaced by between this combustion air and the fuel coming
optimized equipment. from the burner that defines the flame.
The secondary air from the cooler undergoes Water bead modeling
several changes in direction before it enters
the kiln, leaving potential for poor combustion Water bead modeling is used to examine the flow
aerodynamics in the region of the kiln burner. patterns inside a vessel such as a kiln or calciner.
Likewise the calciner tertiary air inlets often A model of the internal dimensions of a kiln,
produce stratification and recirculation in the cooler, calciner or duct, for example, is drawn up
calciner vessel, leading to poor fuel/air mixing. from plant drawings and built using clear plastic
material. Water, containing polystyrene beads with
Small differences in cooler throat, cooler bull the same density as water, is passed through it
nose, kiln hood, tertiary air off-takes, secondary under fluid dynamic conditions representative of
air temperature/velocity and air leakage points to the plant, and the resulting flow patterns observed
name a few, can have an enormous effect on the with the aid of photography. Water flow patterns
air flow patterns in the combustion environment of will be identical to those which air will follow in
the rotary kiln. Tertiary air inlet design and location the plant, but more easily observable in the model.
as well as tertiary air temperature and velocity will The process indicates potential problems such as
likewise determine the airflow patterns in a flash unstable or reverse flow, high and low velocity
calciner. areas and the cause of any undesirable flow
patterns.
Total system design considerations
Acid alkali modeling
With the complexities of the cement process,
changes and solutions need to be implemented All combustion takes place in the following
with a broad perspective in mind. In combustion sequence:
systems especially, it is important to know and
understand the implications of a new burner or • Mixing
fuel change on fuel efficiency, production rate, • Ignition
product quality, refractory life, emissions and • Chemical Reaction
operating stability for example. Without such • Dispersion of Combustion Products
proper investigation prior to a change, optimal
outcomes are not possible, and disappointments Generally, ignition and chemical reaction
are common. (combustion) occur virtually instantaneously
compared to mixing, so that the combustion
In order to ensure that all relevant factors are process is controlled by the rate of fuel/air mixing.
taken into account in combustion system design, Hence the often heard phrase: “If it’s mixed, it’s
process parameters and kiln system design must burnt”.
be considered when devising a burner for a given
application. FCT employs experienced cement Acid alkali modeling is used to examine the fuel/
and lime process experts and skilled combustion air interaction in a given combustion environment.
engineers to evaluate the whole system. A physical model is designed and built in the same
way as for water bead modeling, but burners
Part of the FCT design process includes the use of are included. The model is designed, built and
proprietary modeling techniques developed by the operated observing fluid dynamic similarity with
company and used since 1984. These techniques the real plant in preference to geometric similarity.
for analyzing the fuel/air interaction in combustion
environments and for predicting heat release and
heat flux profiles provide vital information and
design parameters used in FCT burner designs.
Both physical and mathematical modeling
techniques are used in combination to arrive at the
best solution or burner design.
 Air flow (represented by an acid solution) and fuel
(represented by a phenolphthalein doped alkali
solution), are introduced into the model kiln at
rates, concentrations, velocities and positions
representative of the actual plant conditions.

The resulting reaction between the acid (air)

and alkali (fuel) is representative of the
Figure 2. Modeling of a kiln burner. combustion reaction. The model allows solutions
to be developed and tested to ensure optimized
combustion prior to installing and commissioning
a new burner on a specific kiln. Variables such
as primary air quantity and momentum, burner
position and insertion distance, excess air
requirements and fuel injection velocities, can
all be determined from the model so that trial
and error after installation is eliminated. In cases
where the kiln aerodynamics are not good for
combustion, physical changes to hood, cooler
throat, off-take ducts, and the like, can be modeled
and the most cost effective design solution
determined. In existing plants improvements have
often been made with simple changes to refractory
Figure 3. Heat flux profiles determined from profiles.
mathematical modeling.
Mathematical modeling

Results from physical modeling are corrected with

mathematical models that take into account the
kiln or calciner temperature (physical models are
run iso-thermally) and the fuel properties. With
some fuels, such as petcoke, the slow chemical
reaction (combustion) may be significant and burn
rates of these fuels must be considered in flame
length determinations.

Modeling validation

Initial validation of FCT modeling techniques was

Figure 4. Flame length determinations from carried out on a full size coal fired cement kiln in
physical modeling. the late 1970s. Since that time, the company has
conducted over two hundred model studies on
operating plants, with the implementation of model
results proving the methods used. The physical
The pink color of the alkali solution fades on
and mathematical modeling techniques used by
reaction with the acid, leaving a trail of pink where
FCT have been validated many times over, allowing
there is un-reacted alkali, representing the kiln
their use with confidence in design or diagnostic
flame in the plant.
applications.
 Excessive burner momentum on the other hand
can give a very aggressive flame with refractory
problems and poor thermal efficiency due to high
primary air levels.

The physical modeling may also indicate some

aerodynamic issues that require correction
through modifications to vessels/ducts, or a
burner design/ location to counteract them.

Most burners have some degree of adjustability,

but this is of limited help for optimization. Given
the huge number of variables that exist and
Figure 5. FCT burners are designed from a total the relatively slow response time of the kiln to
system perspective. changes, optimization ‘on the run’ can be a time
consuming and expensive business. In fact, the
majority of burners adapted whilst in operation will
Burner design never be truly optimized, as the inherent burner
Designing kiln burners, therefore, is more than design will limit the true potential.
ensuring they will be able to deliver the correct Changes in product quality, fuel efficiency,
fuel rate. Process operation, fuel properties, heat refractory life, etc, from a change in the burner
flux requirements, and kiln system aerodynamics setup can take weeks, months or even years to
evaluations should form part of the design evaluate. There are always complicating factors
process. in cement plants making it difficult to draw
The most important factor is to match the conclusions quickly. The value of modeling is in
momentum of the fuel and primary air coming establishing optimum conditions on the model, and
from the burner with the momentum of the then applying this to the plant with minimal risk
secondary air or tertiary air to achieve complete and disruption.
combustion within the limits of the kiln or calciner. Kiln burner case study
At the same time, flame impingement on refractory
or kiln materials is to be avoided, while heat flux General
must be tolerable for the refractory materials.
Akcansa Cimento has a plant in Buyukcekmece
Cement kiln burners (except for Gyro-Therm with three kiln lines producing 1.85 million tpa of
burners) are turbulent jet diffusion burners that clinker. Kiln 3 is a preheater kiln producing 1650
rely on friction between the burner jets (fuel and tpd. The kiln uses solid fuel, with oil and gas as
primary air) and the surrounding air to entrain back up and warm up fuel. Akcansa Cimento was
secondary air into the fuel jet causing it to expand. using a combination of imported and local coal
with up to 30% petcoke, but was keen to use more
The relative momentum between burner and petcoke since it is a cheaper fuel.
surrounding air is one of the key factors in
designing a burner with the correct flame length The main issues with the kiln system were that
and shape. The Craya-Curtet parameter indicates high levels of CO were observed at the kiln inlet
burner design parameters required for a given that became worse with petcoke firing. Large
kiln system and operating conditions for adequate build ups in the riser duct and kiln rings were
secondary air entrainment and hence fuel/air also causing operational instability and became
mixing Inadequate secondary air entrainment gives unacceptable if the percentage of petcoke
long lazy flames, high CO levels and can lead to increased above 30%.
kiln instability and build up problems.
Technical evaluations and modeling phase

FCT began the project with a site visit by two

engineers to take plant measurements and
gather operating data and plant drawings. This
information was evaluated and a model of the
kiln was designed and built to simulate kiln 3 Figure 6. Model showing original flame in
operations. Akcansa kiln 3. Note poor fuel/air mixing, long
flame and impingement on clinker charge in kiln.
Operating the model in the laboratory under
simulated plant conditions revealed the cause of
the problem. The kiln burner was not correctly
designed for the kiln geometry and its operating
conditions. The burner fuel was not mixing
properly with the primary and secondary air, and a
long lazy flame was produced in the kiln.

The flame was impinging on the clinker in the kiln, Figure 7. Kiln 3 original burner operating
and when this occurs the sulphur in the clinker is at 5% excess air.
readily converted to SO2 and carries through to
the back of the kiln where it combines with lime
and other minerals to produce build up that affects
kiln operation. As the alkali content of the feed
material was sufficient to combine with the sulphur
introduced into the kiln system, it was concluded
that the main reason for the sulphur volatilization
was the flame impingement. The original burner Figure 8. Kiln 3 original burner operating
was also tested at varying excess air levels, as at 30% excess air.
sometimes a flame can be significantly improved
if a little more excess air is present. In this case,
however, the flame was very poor even at high
excess air up to 30%.

The model clearly showed that the existing

burner design was producing a flame that was
too long and lazy for good kiln operation, and
that impingement of the flame on the clinker was
undoubtedly driving sulphur out of the clinker
even at high excess air levels.

Following the technical investigations, the

conclusions reached were that:

• The extant burner provides insufficient

momentum to entrain the combustion air.
• The burner position and angle in the kiln
causes flame impingement. Figure 9. New kiln 3 burner showing flame
• The kiln is operated with too little excess air. length at 5, 10 and 30% excess air levels.
Recommended condition to operate kiln with
• Flame length is excessive at all reasonable 10 - 15% excess air.
excess air levels.
New burner design

Following the revelations of the modeling work,

a new FCT burner was designed according to the
FCT design parameters for momentum of the
various burner jets in comparison to the secondary
air momentum, and the new design was again
tested in the model. The results were obvious, as
shown in Figure 9.

The new burner design was further tested to find

the optimal burner insertion distance/angle and Figure 10. Flame length against excess air
swirl to axial momentum ratio. levels for original and new kiln 3 burner.
The results from modeling the new burner were:

• The new burner provides substantially shorter

flame length at all excess air levels.
• Satisfactory flame length and shape can be
achieved at excess air levels of 10%.
• The burner performed best when aligned with
the kiln axis.
• Correct burner momentum gives a shorter
flame than the original burner.
• The burner performance was not particularly
sensitive to insertion distance.
• Swirl must be below a critical level determined
by the modeling or flame impingement would
Figure 11. Modeling new burner with different
again be prevalent.
swirl to axial momentum ratios.

Project implementation

Following the modeling and technical evaluations,

the results were translated into burner design
parameters, and a new burner for kiln 3 was
designed, manufactured and delivered to Akcansa.
The burner was installed and commissioned in
December 2002, and has operated extremely well
since then, truly reflecting the expectations from
the modeling work.

Figure 12. Modeling new burner at different

burner angles - performance is best with
burner aligned with kiln axis.
The highlights from the installation have been: Conclusion

• Petcoke usage has now increased to 100%; The use of scientific techniques for optimization of
previously 30%. kiln combustion systems and for getting the best
• Clinker quality has improved dramatically, performance from a cement kiln has been well
with 28 D strengths increasing by 10%. proven in many projects, and this case study again
confirms the FCT approach.
• Almost no build up has been experienced in
the kiln and riser, where previously build up Kiln burners are relatively cheap items, but the
was restricting kiln performance even wrong burner can have a very high cost in lost
with 30% petcoke. opportunity, if output, fuel consumption, clinker
• A fuel saving of about 45 kcal/kg was seen quality and refractory life are not optimized. A kiln
by the plant, partly attributable to a change in burner is one item of a plant that should not be
the coal dosing system and partly to the evaluated by raw capital cost alone, but according
new burner. to its total impact on plant economics.

Scientific techniques such as combustion and

heat transfer modeling provide the basis for more
confidence in designs, and reduce the risk of
negative impact on plant economic performance.

The kiln is now operating in a very stable condition,

producing excellent clinker more efficiently
than before, giving an excellent payback on the
burner investment. Following the success of this
burner installation, Akcansa have also replaced
the burners on the remaining two kilns from the
Buyukcekmece site with FCT burners.
Asia-Pacific
FCT Combustion
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