Thermal Applications

Hot Gas Generators

Loesche technology always one step ahead

For over one hundred years Loesche GmbH has been success-

The hot gas generators can run on a wide range of different fuels:

fully building machines, such as mills, classifiers, hot gas generators,

Gas (such as e.g. natural gas, biogas, coke gas, blast furnace gas,
lean gas, synthesis gas and LPG)

rotary gates etc., and been involved in plant construction around the
world. Loesche develops, plans and delivers plant components and

Light crude, diesel and heavy oils, and other liquid refinery waste

complete grinding plants to the cement, iron & steel, power station,

Wood dust, pulverised lignite, pulverised hard coal, pulverised

petroleum coke

industrial mineral, ore and wood industries and for nonferrous metallurgy applications.

Loesche combustion chambers come in two different versions:

The first Loesche hot gas generators were developed, built and

The LOMA heater, a combustion chamber made from high-

delivered in 1960, and were available both with and without refrac-

temperature steel for maximum hot gas outlet temperatures up

tory linings. Which hot gas generator was used depended on the

to 750C. This steel combustion chamber is thanks to its indus-

desired outlet temperature for the downstream processes and on

trial, economical and ecological advantages used in most cases.

the dust content of the process gas to be heated.

The LOMA heater is adapted to the relevant combustion and technological requirements, i.e. there are design variants depending on

Since then these hot gas generators have been subject to continu-

the fuel used and depending on the respective burner type on

ous further development, always represent the latest know-how and

account of different flame geometries. This high flexibility on the part

conform to the current technical standards. They are characterised

of the Loesche combustion chamber demonstrates the innovative

by a clean, complete burning process and low emissions.

approach of Loesche and has been utilised around the world in

more than 600 plants with thermal output figures of between 0.1MW

Loesche hot gas generators are ideally suitable for direct drying

and 60MW.

processes and are used for example in conjunction with:

The muffle heater, which is fully lined with refractory material,
grinding plants,

for outlet temperatures up to 1200C. This muffle heater is used

drum-type driers,

for special project-specific applications.

fluidised-bed furnaces/driers,
flash driers,

Loesche offers complete switchgear assemblies with its own

spheroidisers

LOMAcontrol system for the burner. Loesche is therefore able to

deliver turnkey hot-gas generators.

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with steel combustion chamber

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Hot gas generator LOMA

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Burner
Burner
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24muffle
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Spiral housing
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7 8 Ring slot
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Protective jacket
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18 19
10 11 12 13 Perforated
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14 15 jacket
Hot gas outlet
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1

23 24 25 26 27 28

1
10

11 combustion
12 13chamber
14 15

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Hot gas generator with lined

Burner
Burner
20 21 22 23
24muffle
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3
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5 Spiral
6 housing
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9
Ring slot
11 12 13 14 C15
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ombustion

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5 housing
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gas outlet
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LOMAcontrol burner control

LOMA heater type LF 25 with a natural-gas burner, Dunkirk, France

LOMA heater type LF 16 with a heavy oil burner, San Antonio, USA

LOMA heater type LF 22 with a light oil burner, Settat, Morocco

LOMA heater type LF 25 for a vertical arrangement in the workshop

LOMA heater type LF 25, view into the perforated jacket

LOMA heater
The perforated jacket heater developed by Loesche back in 1960

Horizontal and vertical erection possible

a steel combustion chamber made of high-temperature steel and

Combustion chamber virtually adiabatic more than 99% of the

a burner muffle was launched onto the market under the name

heat can be utilised for the process

LOMA heater. For decades the LOMA heater has been used around

Operates both in vacuum and overpressure modes

the world in a wide range of thermal processes in order to provide

No moving parts in the combustion chamber

an optimum thermal configuration of the process. It is used to heat:

Low susceptibility to faults/repairs

Fresh air

Optical monitoring of perforated jacket temperatures

Return gases

Customised plants for individual applications

Cleaned exhaust gases

Operational reliability and economic efficiency considerations play a

Hot blast furnace gases

major role in layout, design and manufacture.

Process gas with low dust content

These gases to be heated can be introduced at temperatures of up

Methods of operation

to 350C into the spiral housing.

The flow of process gas entering via the spiral housing

protective jacket

Features of the LOMA heater

Combustion chamber manufactured from high-temperature steels,

ring slots

no refractory lining necessary (outlet temperatures up to 750C)

, the burner muffle

cools the

and the perforated jackets

as a result of flow control. The process gas passes through the

and holes in the perforated jacket into the interior of the

combustion chamber, where it mixes with the hot smoke gases from

Minimal heat losses on startup of the hot gas generator due to the

combustion. The combustion chamber geometry and flow control pro-

absence of heating of a refractory lining, therefore startup at full load

tect the perforated jacket against the flame and the hot smoke gases.

possible

The combustion chamber has an overall pressure loss of 23mbar.

Virtually delay-free adaptation of output in the case of rapid load

changes

When process gases with a light dust content and powdery fuels are

High combustion chamber cooling rate, preventing thermal overload-

used, a vertical arrangement of the LOMA heater is always chosen.

ing of downstream components

There is no need for an EMERGENCY STACK in EMERGENCY

In processes which require a highly uniform temperature profile,

SHUTDOWN SITUATIONS and during startup up and shutdown

specially shaped swirl constructions (e.g. baffle plate) with very low

Short-term accessibility for inspections

pressure losses (< 1 mbar) are installed in the area of the outlet or

Longer service life than plants with refractory linings

at a short distance behind this area. This results in a highly uniform

Short installation times, low weight, minimal space requirements, can

temperature distribution after only a distance of 1.5 to 2 times the duct

be installed in existing plants, complete pre-assembly also for larger

diameter.

LOMA heaters

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42

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64

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97

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Burner
Burner muffle
9 Spiral housing
Ring slot
18 Protective
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jacket

Perforated
jacket

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Hot gas outlet

Length

Loesche LOMA type combustion chamber

Technical data
Combustion
chamber type

max. combustion
chamber output
in kWth at 450C

Hot gas volumetric flow

(outlet)
m3/h (standard conditions)

550

3,000

400

1,800

650

LF 5

850

4,800

500

2,200

770

LF 6

1,400

7,600

600

2,500

920

LF 7

1,750

9,700

700

2,800

1,000

LF 8

2,250

12,600

800

3,000

1,500

LF 9

2,800

15,700

900

3,300

1,800

LF 10

3,450

19,100

1,000

3,600

2,200

LF 11

4,200

23,200

1,100

3,900

2,800

LF 12

5,400

30,100

1,200

4,300

3,900

LF 14

6,800

38,000

1,400

4,800

5,200

LF 16

8,700

48,300

1,600

5,300

7,000

LF 18

11,300

62,700

1,800

6,000

8,900

LF 4

Dimensions
Diameter
(mm)

Length
(mm)

Weight
approx. kg

LF 20

13,800

77,000

2,000

6,700

9,200

LF 22

17,500

97,200

2,200

7,400

10,800

LF 25

21,800

121,500

2,500

8,000

12,000

LF 28

26,700

151,800

2,800

8,800

16,000

LF 31

32,200

185,000

3,100

9,600

25,000

LF 36

41,400

238,000

3,600

10,700

34,000

LF 40

55,000

323,000

4,000

12,000

46,000

Explanation: LF 25

The values specified above refer to gas as the fuel and may
x 100 = outlet diameter of heater in mm

Heaters

LOMA

differ for a specific project, depending on the fuel used (additional

burner sizes on request).

Hot gas generators for burning lean gases

The Loesche steel combustion chamber in combination with a

in order to ensure that the lean gas is safely ignited (the ignition tem-

multiple-lance burner (MLB) constitutes a special development for

perature of e.g. CO is 605C). On the other hand, the start burner is

burning lean gases and is characterised by the following features:

dimensioned in terms of its output in such a way that the entire plant

The multiple-lance burner comprises a number of individual noz-

can be heated up above the dew point.

zles for lean gas and combustion air, thereby enabling lean gas to be

The start burner is switched off after the main burner has started.

fully combusted without a supporting flame. Both media strike one

The output ranges of the main and start burners are designed to

another within the nozzle system at high velocity. This provides for

overlap so as to provide continuous operation. The main burner

an intensive mixing of the media, and thereby ensures that the basic

has a control range of 1:10, the start burner

requirement for efficient combustion is achieved. The hot smoke

of 1:5 to 1:8. Every necessary operating point within the control

gases emerging from the burner muffle

mix in the area of the

has a control range

range of 1:40 to 1:70 can therefore be easily achieved.

perforated jackets with the process air to be heated and which is

The excellent control performance of the multiple lance burner is a

fed to the LOMA heater via the spiral housing . The high propor-

significant benefit to the downstream processes. More than 50 of

tion of inert gases of sometimes over 75% in lean gases results in

these hot gas generators developed and patented by Loesche are

installed

deployed in conjunction with Loesche vertical roller mills and mills

coaxially in the main burner is used to start the LOMA heater. The

of other manufacturers around the world in dry-grinding plants (e.g.

function of this start burner (run on natural gas, coke gas, other

PCI plants) and coal gasification plants for preparing coal for the

burnable gases but also light crude oil) is on the one hand to heat up

purpose of smelting iron ore.

a low flame temperature. For this reason, a start burner

the interior wall of the burner muffle to a specific surface temperature

Main features of lean gas combustion:

Combustion of lean gases from a calorific value of 2800 kJ/m
(standard conditions) without a supporting burner

5 Thermal
6
7output8of 0.5 9MW to 60 MW
Wide control range
5 Short
6 flame7and stable
8 combustion
9
17x content
18 in19
147 15
Low
the exhaust gas
8 CO16and
9 NO

14

15

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4
1
2 103 114 125 136
10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19
10 1 11 220
12 321
13 422
15 624
16 725
17 826
18 927
19 28
14 523
Fuels:25
20 21 22 23 24
26 27 28
Blast
furnace
gas
2010211122 1223132414251526 16
2717
2818
19 by hydrocarbons
Exhaust gas, contaminated
2 1 3 2 4 3 5 4 6 5 7 6 8 7 9 8Biogas9
1
Exhaust
from the chemical industry
20 21 22 23 24 25 26
27gas 28
Coke
oven gas
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18 gas
19
2 103 114 125 136 147 158 169 17Synthesis
1
20 11
21 2012
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24 2315
25 2416
26 2517
27 2618
28 2719 28
10
7 1 8 2 9 3
Multiple-lance burner
4
5
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8
9
20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 Start burner
161017 1118 121913 14 15 16 17 18 19 Start fuel

24

25

262027 212822

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24

25

Combustion air for start fuel

26

27 28
Lean gas
2
3 4
5 air6for lean7 gas 8
1
Combustion
10

Process gas inlet

17

18

Spiral housing
7 208 219 22 23
24 25 26 27
2
3
4
5 6 Burner
7 muffle8
9
1
10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 Temperature monitor
10 11 12 13 14
15 Perforated
16 17
19
jacket 18
20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28
Protective jacket
20 21 22 23 24
25 Hot 26
27 28
gas outlet

28

11

12 13
14 15
Flame monitor

16

10

11

12 13

14

12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19
9
20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28
15 16 17 18 19

20

21 22

24

25

23

11

10

26

27

28

19

2
temperature

nominal
value

1
4

3
Wobbe index

5
1 LOMA type steel combustion chamber

Lean gas regulating station

Multiple-lance burner

Start gas regulating station

Loesche mill

Burner control

Combustion air supply

Flow diagram of a hot gas generator, LOMA heater with a multiple lance burner for blast furnace gas and a start burner for coke or natural gas

Multiple-lance burner (MLB)

MLB, viewed towards the nozzle outlet

MLB 12, for a PCI plant, Dillingen, Germany, 2009

Blast furnace gas hot gas generator,

MLB 8 with LOMA heater type LF 20, Ghent, Belgium, 2004

Fabricated valve and fitting station

(gas regulating station) in the workshop

MLB 13, Typ LF 22, Huckingen, Germany, 2007

Hot gas generators for solid fuels

Since 1986 the Loesche-developed steel combustion chamber

10

11

61

72

83

94

has
(LOMA
7 heater)
8
9 been successfully used in combination with
multifuel burners of different manufacturers to burn wood dust and

12 13 14 15
10 16
11 17
12 18
13 19
16 17lignite.
18This 19
14 15 pulverised
steel combustion chamber is the prototype
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
of all these combustion chambers which are used for different ther20 21 22 23 24 25
20 26
21 27
22 28
23 24 25 mal
26processes
27 around
28 the world.
12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19

11

21 22

Since 1988 Loesche has supplied a large number of hot gas gen-

23 24 25 26 27 28
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3
4
5
6
7
1

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18

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15 22
16 23
17 24
18 25
19 26
14 21

27

28

4 105 116 127 138 149 15

22

23

24

25

26

27

28
1

erators with outputs of up to 60 MW to burn wood dust from the

chipboard industry. LOMA heaters run on pulverised lignite are

19

also successfully used.

In order to burn solid fuels, a vertical arrangement of the combustion chamber should wherever possible be adopted so as to avoid
slag caking.

7 In view
8 of the
9 increasing scarcity and thus increasing cost of rare

10

11

12 13

14

15

increasingly
a desire to use hard coal, brown coal
16 are17
18 expressing
19

20

21 22

24

25

26Loesche
27 has
28 taken

23

energy sources, such as light crude oil and natural gas, customers
or petroleum coke to generate process heat.
up this challenge by instigating an appropri-

ate research programme in conjunction with university institutes,

since pure steel combustion chambers for burning hard coal and
petroleum coke are barely available on the market. The purpose of
this programme has been to gain initial experience of burning solid
fuels with a 400kW dust-fired LOMA heater.

Loesche LOMA type LF 42 steel combustion chamber for burning wood dust

13

14

15

16

17

18

23

24

25

26

27

28

19

Dust metering
Supply of gas and oil
Atomisation air
Combustion air
Process gas
Process gas for
flame cooling

Hot gas duct with

dust discharge

The Loesche Technology centre also houses an HGG test rig for
solid fuels with a heater output of 1MW. What is unique about this
test rig is that it is directly coupled to a Loesche mill.
This rig enables Loesche to analyse customer-specific coal of all
kinds and origins under real conditions and to determine the combustion parameters.
On the basis of the positive research results and the ensuing
development of large-scale plants, it has been possible to successfully implement in Asia the first LOMA hot gas generator run
on pulverised hard coal with an output of 30MW (pulverised hard
coal as the primary fuel, heavy oil as the secondary fuel). Loesche
hot-gas generators for solid fuels are characterised by the following features:
High degree of mixing between dust and combustion air
Total combustion
Pulsation-free flame
Monitored flame temperature
No caking on the combustion chamber walls
Gases and oils can be used as the second fuel
Complete redundancy with secondary fuel
No heat-up phase required
Pulsation-free dosing

View into a LOMA combustion chamber during burning of pulverised hard coal
Coal dust burner with HGG in the Loesche Test Center

Loesche test rig (1MW) for burning solid fuels

Fields of application for Loesche hot gas generators

Process heat for drying plants

Process steam generation

Asphalt mixing plants

Coal dry-grinding plant in a steel mill with a HGG for blast furnace gas

Mobile coal grinding plant

Installation variants for hot gas generators

in the process
The use of hot gas generators in industrial plants is characterised by the different ways in which they are integrated in the process. Three variants are shown using
dry-grinding plants with a Loesche mill as the example:

1. Integration in the return gas line (Full-Inline)

In this arrangement the entire process air for the drygrinding process is routed through the hot gas generator.
This arrangement provides for maximum energy recovery
and is necessary for example when process air that is low
in oxygen (inert operation) is stipulated for safety reasons
during the comminution of combustible grinding stock.

2. Installation in a bypass to the return gas line

(Semi-Inline)
Here only some of the process air is routed through
the hot gas generator. This variant is chosen if,
on account of large plants, the volumetric flow of
process gas would necessitate very large combustion chambers and high investment costs would be
incurred. The use of only a small proportion of the
process gas means that the combustion chamber has
significantly smaller dimensions.

3. Flanged to a return gas line (Flanged)

In this arrangement fresh air (and not process air) is
routed through the hot gas generator. This variant is
chosen primarily when the hot gas generator is only
required for starting the overall system and is then
shut down.

Loesche worldwide presence

Loesche is an export-oriented company run

ding technologies and preparation processes

The services of our subsidiaries and agen-

by the owner, which was established in 1906

for the benefit of our customers. Their com-

cies are of key importance for analysis,

in Berlin. Today the company is internatio-

petence is mainly due to our worldwide

processing and solving specific project

nally active with subsidiaries, representatives

information management.

problems for our customers.

and agencies worldwide.

This ensures that current knowledge and

Please visit our homepage at

Our engineers are constantly developing

developments can also be used immediately

www.loesche.com for up-to-date

new ideas and individual concepts for grin-

for our own projects.

information on our overseas companies.

Loesche GmbH
Hansaallee 243
40549 Dsseldorf
Tel. +49 - 211 - 53 53 - 0
Fax +49 - 211 - 53 53 - 500
Email: loesche@loesche.de
www.loesche.com

Peoples Republic of China

Loesche Mills (Shanghai) Co., Ltd.
No. 568, Jinhong Road
(near No. 555, Chunhe Road)
Baoshan District,
201901 Shanghai, P. R. China
Tel. +86 - 21 - 5180 6100
Fax +86 - 21 - 5180 6101
Email: info@loesche.cn
www.loesche.com/zh

Spain
Loesche Latinoamericana S.A.U.
Condesa de Venadito 1, Planta 4
28027 Madrid, Spain
Tel. +34 - 91 - 458 99 80
Fax +34 - 91 - 457 10 17
Email: loesche@loesche.es
www.loesche.es

Germany
Loesche Automatisierungstechnik GmbH
Zum Pier 52
44536 Lnen
Tel. +49 - 231 - 98 70 10
Fax +49 - 231 - 98 70 10 - 20
E-mail: info@loesche-automation.de
www.loesche-automation.de
Loesche ThermoProzess GmbH
Uechtingstrae 19 / Gebude D9
45881 Gelsenkirchen
Tel. +49 - 209 - 36 17 22 - 0
Fax: +49 - 209 - 36 17 22 - 180
www.loesche-tp.de
India
Loesche India Pvt. Ltd.
D - 83, Sector - 2
Noida - 201301
U.P., India
Tel. +91 - 120 - 40 18 500

+91 - 120 - 24 44 205 - 207
Fax +91 - 120 - 40 18 590 - 91

+91 - 120 - 24 43 327
Email: loesche@loescheindia.com
www.loescheindia.com

Loesche Mills (Shanghai) Co. Ltd.

5 Dongzhimen South Street
Room 817-818, CYTS Plaza
Dongcheng District,
100007 Beijing, P. R. China
Tel. +86 - 10 - 5815 6205
Fax +86 - 10 - 5815 6220
Email: info@loesche.cn
www.loesche.com/zh
Russia
OOO Loesche
Berezhkovskaya Naberezhnaya 16a/2
P.O. Box 97, 121059 Moscow
Russian Federation
Tel. +7 - 495 - 988 50 81
Fax +7 - 495 - 988 60 86
Email: info@loesche.ru
www.loesche.ru
Socialist Republic of Vietnam
Loesche GmbH Viet Nam
Representative office
60 Nguyen Dinh Chieu Str.
Dakao Ward, Dist. 1
HCM - Ho-Chi-Minh City,
Tel. +84 - 8 - 39 10 45 62
Fax +84 - 8 - 39 10 45 26
E-Mail: mai.lam@loesche.vn
South Africa
Loesche South Africa (Pty.) Ltd.
55 Empire Road, Empire Park, Block C
2193 Parktown, South Africa
Tel. +27 - 11 - 482 29 33
Fax +27 - 11 - 482 29 40
Email: loesche4@global.co.za

United Arab Emirates

Loesche Middle East FZE
P.O. Box 262 622
Jebel Ali, Dubai, U.A.E.
Tel. +971 - 4 - 886 59 11
Fax +971 - 4 - 886 59 22
Email: info@loesche.ae
United Kingdom
Loesche Energy Systems Ltd.
2, Horsham Gates
North Street
Horsham, RH135PJ, United Kingdom
Tel. +44 - 1403 - 223 101
Fax +44 - 1403 - 223 102
Email: loesche@loesche.co.uk
www.loesche.com/uk
USA
Loesche America, Inc.
20170 Pines Boulevard, Suite 301
Pembroke Pines
Florida 33029, USA
Tel. +1 - 954 - 602 14 24
Fax +1 - 954 - 602 14 23
Email: webmaster@loescheamerica.com
www.loescheamerica.com

201_Thermal Applications_Hot Gas Generator_E 500 06/2013 Printed in Germany

Brazil
Loesche Equipamentos Ltda.
Rua Mxico 119 sl. 1908
20031-145 Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Tel. +55 - 21 - 22 40 79 00
Fax +55 - 21 - 22 20 94 40
Email: loesche@terra.com.br