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Tech forum July p33

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July DH finals:forum 33

TECHNICAL FORUM

Quenching
a hot topic
he issues concerning flames, fuels
and combustion have become more
and more pressing for cement companies. Volatile and generally
rising oil prices are causing producers to
again switch from oil firing. Many companies in Central and Eastern Europe have
switched from oil firing to gas firing. At
the outset this appears to be a simple
switch. Gas handling systems are generally
simpler than heavy oil firing systems and
the changeover might be expected to be
trouble-free. Unfortunately this has caused
major problems at the three cement companies where the author has detailed information. In the words of the company who
got to the bottom of the problem: Who
could have predicted that the gas was
entering the kiln much faster than the primary air and burning at the back of the
kiln, rather than in the flame.
What are the consequences of this?
lengthening of the burning zone
heavy alkali cycling
associated preheater clogging and blockages
over-burning of the clinker and yet instability and tendency for excessive dust
recirculation from the cooler.
The problem can be solved by a complete audit of the combustion process and
by making the necessary modifications to
the burner and primary air delivery systems
to ensure that the gas is adequately mixed
with the combustion air and burns in a
coherent flame.

Oil to coal firing


Many Western European cement companies
went through the process of converting
from oil to coal firing in the 1970s when
the first oil shocks hit the global economy.
Today, every cement company in Pakistan
seems to be going through this process
along with a growing number in southern
Europe. Those who have already done so
are encountering problems from inhomo-

by Dr Michael Clark
The Technical Forum receives questions every month concerning flames,
fuels and combustion. Normally these questions are answered by emphasising the complexity of these issues and recommending that the advice of
a specialist company is sought. Nevertheless, the questions keep coming.
Why is this?
geneity and variable grindability of the
coal. It seems simple to adjust the raw mix
chemistry to compensate for the incorporation of the coal ash in the clinker. These
efforts will be defeated if the coal ash is
variable. The ash is added at the very end
of the clinker combination process in the
kiln and clinker quality and consistency
usually suffer. Few cement companies make
the necessary preparations to maintain
clinker quality during the conversion from
oil to coal firing.

Petcoke problems
Many cement companies have been burning
coal for a long period. In the relentless
drive to reduce costs, many have switched
to petcoke burning and have been successful in achieving 100 per cent substitution
of coal by petcoke. Many others are trying
to do the same and encountering major
problems. Three major factors give rise to
these problems:
the petcoke is hard and difficult to grind
due to the low volatiles in the coke it
must be ground to a high fineness, exacerbating the problems of poor grindability
the coke is almost invariably high in sulphur and alkali cycles, preheater restrictions and blockages are enhanced.
Switching to 100 per cent petcoke
burning is possible but adequate preparation, forward planning, modelling and
troubleshooting are necessary.
The above examples concern the primary fuels burnt in the kiln. Almost everyone must know of the growing trend to

replace traditional fuels with alternatives


and by-products from society and industry.
Reducing costs is a major driving force,
however, reducing industrial life cycle costs
and overall greenhouse gas emissions are
also major imperatives behind this trend.
Tyres, waste oils and solvents, plastics,
carpets and textiles, sewage sludges,
household refuse, bonemeal and tallow,
paper sludges, spent pot liners, etc all
bring their own process issues.
Combustion lies at the heart of these
process issues. Efficient combustion is fundamental to the burning of these alternative fuels and ensuring that emissions do
not rise. Without efficient combustion
clinker quality will suffer, and replacement
of traditional fuels by alternatives will not
be optimised.
So it is no surprise so many questions
concerning combustion, fuels and flames
are received in the Technical Forum. More
detailed information is necessary than can
be provided over the Internet Technical
Forum. While companies can help with
these issues, their services will certainly
cost money.
Burning these fuels contributes millions of dollars per year to the profitability
of cement companies. Costs for combustion
and process modelling in advance of the
introduction of the new fuels, and provision of adequate monitoring and control
systems during the combustion of the
fuels, are dwarfed by the potential profits
arising from burning the new fuels.
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INTERNATIONAL CEMENT REVIEW / JULY 2002

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