Kiln Operation Basics

Pyroprocessing 1
 Kiln Operations Basics – Pyroprocessing 1

Content

• Introduction
• Pyroprocessing: Different types of process
• Zoom on preheaters / precalciners
• Pyroprocessing zones
• LT diagrams
• Major equipment description
• Preheater & Cyclone
• Precalciner
• Kiln
• Cooler

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 Kiln Operations Basics – Pyroprocessing 1

Content

• Introduction
• Pyroprocessing: Different types of process
• Zoom on preheaters / precalciners
• Pyroprocessing zones
• LT diagrams
• Major equipment description
• Preheater & Cyclone
• Precalciner
• Kiln
• Cooler

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 Kiln Operations Basics – Pyroprocessing 1

Reminder
• Let’s recap the clinkerisation phases
• One trainee on the board to complete curve and explain the different
clinkerisation steps, and their properties
• 5 minutes to deliver main messages on clinkerisation and clinker mineral
properties to the others

T° ?

Phases &
Properties?

T° ?
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 Kiln Operations Basics – Pyroprocessing 1

Reminder

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 Kiln Operations Basics – Pyroprocessing 1

Reminder

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 Kiln Operations Basics – Pyroprocessing 1

Content

• Introduction
• Pyroprocessing: Different types of process
• Zoom on preheaters / precalciners
• Pyroprocessing zones
• LT diagrams
• Major equipment description
• Preheater & Cyclone
• Precalciner
• Kiln
• Cooler

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 Kiln Operations Basics – Pyroprocessing 1

Pyroprocessing

• Let’s now have a look at the process side of these

reactions: Pyroprocessing
• The burning line
• Where these reactions occur in the burning line (LT
diagram)

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 Kiln Operations Basics – Pyroprocessing 1

Pyroprocessing

• Pyro = Fire
• A thermal processing line
• Steadily increasing
temperatures
• Raw feed transitions
through distinct zones in
the whole system
• Chemical reactions
• New artificial mineral
material is created
 Clinker

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 Kiln Operations Basics – Pyroprocessing 1

Rotary kiln

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 Kiln Operations Basics – Pyroprocessing 1

Pyroprocessing

Convection

Radiation

Conduction
CLINKER

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 Kiln Operations Basics – Pyroprocessing 1

Heat exchange in a rotary kiln

Flame Radiation

Heat-up of walls

Radiation of the walls Conduction of the walls

not in contact with in contact with the material
the material
+ Convection
Material bed Material bed of the gases
surface Heat-up which carry
surface Heat-up
the heat

Conduction + mixing materials

Overall heating of the material

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 Kiln Operations Basics – Pyroprocessing 1

The process

• In the oldest plants, all the burning process was

achieved in the rotary kiln:
• Wet or dry process

• As the rotary kiln is a poor heat exchanger

• It requires a long length or a large diameter, for a
complete burning and a good clinkerisation...

• As a result, other heat exchangers have been

incorporated into the line of production...

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 Kiln Operations Basics – Pyroprocessing 1

Different types of process

• Wet process
• mixed in tanks, with water addition
• slurry 35 to 30% water
• Semi-wet process
• mixed in tanks, with water addition, then filter pressed and
nodulized
• nodules 18 to 20% water
• Semi-dry process
• granulation
Dry and semi-dry
• granules 12 to 14% water
processes need a
• Dry process very good quality
• only milled raw mix raw mix. No tank
• < 1% water mixing

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 Kiln Operations Basics – Pyroprocessing 1

Different types of process

• Wet process
• Internal chain exchanger
• Long kiln

• Long dry process

• Internal chain exchanger
• Long kiln

• Lepol Grate (Semi Wet / Semi

dry)
• Pre-exchanger, before entering
the kiln

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 Kiln Operations Basics – Pyroprocessing 1

Different types of process: Preheater

• To improve the efficiency of a rotary kiln:

• Add a tower, made up of cyclones, in order to complete some
reactions before the material enters the kiln
• In the tower, heat exchanges between material & gases

• Most common process for today

• Precalciner can be added in a second step to increase the kiln
capacity

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 Kiln Operations Basics – Pyroprocessing 1

Tower = preheater
dehydration

A stack of cyclones...

A very good counter-flow exchanger

40%
decarbonation

kiln
clinker

clinkerization EVA Communication kit February 2008 - 17

 Kiln Operations Basics – Pyroprocessing 1

Cyclone preheater

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 Kiln Operations Basics – Pyroprocessing 1

Different types of process: Preheater with

precalciner

• Another possibility to increase rotary kiln

performance is to add a secondary heat source,
upstream, which will fulfill a maximum of reactions

• The second fire

• Dries
• Then decarbonates

• This is precalcination that takes place in a cyclone

tower

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 Kiln Operations Basics – Pyroprocessing 1

Different types of process

• Preheater
• Decarbonation rate can
reach 40% before the kiln
• Shorter kiln
• Low Heat Consumption
• Higher Capacity (up to 3 000
t/d)
• Precalciner:
• Decarbonation rate can
reach 95 % before the kiln
• Shorter kiln
• Low Heat Consumption
• High Capacity (up to
10000t/d)

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 Kiln Operations Basics – Pyroprocessing 1

Precalciner efficiency

• Why will the same kiln produce more than twice the
output with a precalciner?

• Consider a kiln with 10 tph coal at the burner

 As 1 t of coal makes 8 t of clinker, the output will be 80 tph

• Now, if the 10 tph are completed with 15 tph in the

precalciner, the total becomes 25 t/h and the output of
clinker will be 200 tph

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 Kiln Operations Basics – Pyroprocessing 1

Precalcination tower

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Two types of precalcination

AIR THROUGH AIR SEPARATE
(tertiary air)

• Combustion air comes • Combustion air comes

from the cooler through directly from the cooler
the Kiln: precalcinator by-passing kiln
capacity < 15-20% • Kiln capacity 5000 [t/d],
• Kiln Capacity 3000 [t/d] even 10000 [t/d] , with
• Consumption: < several lines
3150 [kJ/kgclinker] • Consumption: 3150
[kJ/kgclinker]

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 Kiln Operations Basics – Pyroprocessing 1

Summary:
comparison of different process

• Kiln Heat consumption

MJ/kg

5,5

4,5

3,5

2,5

1,5
Long Wet Long Dry Pre-heater Pre-calciner

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 Kiln Operations Basics – Pyroprocessing 1

Summary:
comparison of different process
• Kiln size vs capacity (typical figures)

Wet 4,5 x 150 m 1 200 t/d

Long Kiln Dry 4,5 x 150 m

1 500 t/d
Process

Short Kiln Dry

4,5 x 64 m 1 700 t/d
Process

4,5 x 64 m
Preca 4 200 t/d

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 Kiln Operations Basics – Pyroprocessing 1

Summary:
comparison of different process

• Retention time
• Do you know what it means?

• Amount of time material spends inside

pyroprocessing system
• Long Wet ≈ 2.5 hrs
• Long Dry ≈ 2 hrs
• Pre-calciner ≈ 0.5 hrs

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 Kiln Operations Basics – Pyroprocessing 1

Retention Time

• How is it possible to do in 30 minutes, what it

used to take 2.5 hrs?

• Answer:
• Efficiency of heat exchange from one process line
design to another

• We will now focus on preheater / precalciner

process & analyse the heat exchanges on y our more
ocus
in detail tomis
ed : F
s!
c us oces
To be pla nt p r

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 Kiln Operations Basics – Pyroprocessing 1

Our Kiln(s) Characteristics

Kiln #1 Kiln #2
Process type
Supplier
Length
Diameter

Rated Capacity (tpd)

Actual Production (tpd)

Type of Cooler

e t ra inees
d w i th th
c o mplete
To b e

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 Kiln Operations Basics – Pyroprocessing 1

Content

• Introduction
• Pyroprocessing: Different types of process
• Zoom on preheaters / precalciners
• Pyroprocessing zones
• LT diagrams
• Major equipment description
• Preheater & Cyclone
• Precalciner
• Kiln
• Cooler

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 Kiln Operations Basics – Pyroprocessing 1

Gas & material flow

• The gas & material flow in opposite directions

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 Kiln Operations Basics – Pyroprocessing 1

Because of these heat exchanges,

the material undergoes physical &
chemical reactions

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 Kiln Operations Basics – Pyroprocessing 1

Along the burning process, the material

undergoes 4 phases of transformation. Let’s
represent them on this sketch

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Kiln Operations Basics – Pyroprocessing 1

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 Kiln Operations Basics – Pyroprocessing 1

Can one of you explain what exothermic means?

Definitions:
Exothermic: giving off heat
Endothermic: absorbing heat
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 Kiln Operations Basics – Pyroprocessing 1

Pyroprocessing zones

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 Kiln Operations Basics – Pyroprocessing 1

Pyroprocessing zones: summary

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Exercise: Kiln Operations Basics – Pyroprocessing 1
Let’s fill this graph together….
A good way to recall what has been seen
previously, isn’t it??

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Kiln Operations Basics – Pyroprocessing 1

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 Kiln Operations Basics – Pyroprocessing 1

Content

• Introduction
• Pyroprocessing: Different types of process
• Zoom on preheaters / precalciners
• Pyroprocessing zones
• LT diagrams
• Major equipment description
• Preheater & Cyclone
• Precalciner
• Kiln
• Cooler

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 Kiln Operations Basics – Pyroprocessing 1

LT diagram

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 Kiln Operations Basics – Pyroprocessing 1

LT Diagram – Preheater kiln

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 Kiln Operations Basics – Pyroprocessing 1

LT Diagram: precalciner

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 Kiln Operations Basics – Pyroprocessing 1

LT diagrams preheater & precalciner

• Exercise

• Let’s now take some time to analyse these two

diagrams
• Look at your printouts
• Identify the main zones of material transformation
(Dehydration / Decarbonation / Clinkering / Cooling)
• Please work in pairs

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 Kiln Operations Basics – Pyroprocessing 1

Preheater kiln: where does decarbonation take

place?

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 Kiln Operations Basics – Pyroprocessing 1

Decarbonation in Preheater kiln

The decarbonation rate at kiln

feed is about 20 to 30%

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 Kiln Operations Basics – Pyroprocessing 1

Precalciner kiln: where does decarbonation take

place?

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 Kiln Operations Basics – Pyroprocessing 1

Decarbonation in Precalciner kiln

The decarbonation rate at kiln

feed is about 90% !

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Kiln Operations Basics – Pyroprocessing 1

We will see that a little

more in details when we
talk about the precalciner

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Kiln Operations Basics – Pyroprocessing 1

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 Kiln Operations Basics – Pyroprocessing 1

Content

• Introduction
• Pyroprocessing: Different types of process
• Zoom on preheaters / precalciners
• Pyroprocessing zones
• LT diagrams
• Major equipment description
• Preheater & Cyclone
• Precalciner
• Kiln
• Cooler

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 Kiln Operations Basics – Pyroprocessing 1

• In CRO Pyroprocessing 2.ppt

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