Calciner Technology for improved alternative

fuel firing
Calciner Presentation – Agenda

• Comparison of several HeidelbergCement calciner‘s which

are firing high percentage of calciner alternative fuels

• Desirable features which maximize the ability of burning

alternative fuels in the calciner

• Conclusion
 Comparison of several HeidelbergCement calciner‘s which are
firing high percentage of calciner alternative fuels

• Antoing (CLE Onoda type calciner)

• Slite (CLE Onoda type calciner)
• Brevik (KHD Low Nox calciner)

Important features and principles for enhancing secondary

fuel firing in a calciner

1. Gas retention time

2. Geometry: particle retention time – gas mixing
3. Hot core combustion
4. Kiln riser restrictor
5. Chlorine bypass system
6. Pressure drop across calciner system
Comparison of several HeidelbergCement calciner‘s which are
firing high percentage of calciner alternative fuels

Antoing Slite Brevik

Date of testing Mrz-00 Jun-00 May/June-00
Calciner Design SLC-S SLC-S SLC-S
Clinker Production MTPD 3000 5200 3200
Kiln Bypass Rate % 5 - 7% 6% None
Calciner gas retention
time Seconds 2,9 3,7 3,5
Gas retention time in swirl
calciner (inlet to kiln riser) Seconds 1,2 0,9 -
Calciner Firing Rate (% of 55 - 62% 50 - 60% 50 - 65%
total fuel firing) % Firing ave = 59% ave. = 56%
Calciner alternative fuels
typical > 80% typical 65 - 70% typical < 40%
(% of calciner firing) % Firing
mixture of plastic,
Alternative Fuels fired in carpet pieces and
the calciner car fragmentation
waste Shredded Tires RDF and SHW
Primary fuel usage in Coal, petcoke,
calciner charcoal mixture
Petcoke Coal
Geometry of Antoing Calciner (CLE Onoda type)

LOOP
F
DUCT

Petcoke Waste fuel

Tertiary air Preheated E
meal
Preheated meal
To lower
Tertiary air Tertiary air cyclone stage
SWIRL
CALCINER
D G
A

C
Inclined Duct
B

MIXING
Calciner downcomer CHAMBER

Kiln gas
Geometry of Slite Calciner (CLE Onoda type)
8

Shredded 7 9

Calciner car tyres

coal
Preheated
Tertiary 6
meal
air
Tertiary
air 11

To lower
cyclone stage
13

Mixing Chamber
Inclined Duct

Diaphragm
Bypass
gas

Kiln gas
Samples and measurements – Brevik
(KHD Low-NOx calciner) X10

13

Loop Duct

To lower
8
X5 cyclone
To lower stage,
cyclone string 1
stage,
string 2

Inclined Duct
F
Square Duct to Circular
Transition A Solid
Preheated hazardous
meal, waste
Secondary
string 1 coal
Preheated
meal,
string 2
Kiln
gas Tertiary air
1. Residence time in investigated AS calciners of HeidelbergCement
(note – retention times calculated on a common set of data)

Plant Calculated gas

residence time This data along with
[s]
Antoing 2.9
following table makes
Brevik 3.5 clear that retention time
Büyükcekmece 3.7 isn’t the only pre-
Canakkale 1.9
requisite for burning
Edmonton 6.4
Kjoepsvik 3.3 secondary alternative
Mason City 3.1 fuels
Slite 3.7
Tehachapi 4.4
Vac 3.2

The calculated residence times are from the calciner fuel inlet to the
lower cyclone stage. Residence times calculated using a common set of data
Avg = 3.6 seconds
Max = 6.4 seconds (Edmonton)
Min = 1.9 seconds (Canakkale)
Union Bridge = 6 seconds @ 5500 MTPDclk and 5 seconds at 6500 MTPDclk
Padeswood and Lixhe – similar to UB
 Calciner Testing Data

Antoing Slite Brevik

Calculated gas retention
time seconds 2,9 3,7 3,5
CO concentration -
bottom cyclone exit ppmv ol 130 700 1000
Oxygen concentration -
bottom cyclone exit % v ol 3,8 4,6 3,5
Temperature - bottom
cyclone exit ˚C 964 895 890
130 ppmvol CO Antoing Data
Calculated gas retention time for bottom
Cyclone is 0,75 seconds assuming that
1100 ppmvol CO
50% of the cyclone body is active. This means
Antoing that the required gas retention time for fuel burnout
Bottom Cyclone is at least 3,7 seconds with “good calciner
Conditions geometry” (as will be discussed in the next
section). It is therefore recommended to have as a
minimum about 3 seconds to top of loop duct, then
deflection chamber, then 1 – 2 seconds gas
retention time before entering bottom cyclone
2. Good calciner geometry: higher particle retention time and gas mixing
Calciner design which enhances Tube type calciner – Not a
particle retention time and gas good design for increasing
mixing particle retention time and gas
mixing
X10

13

To lower
8
X5 cyclone
To lower stage,
cyclone string 1
stage,
Turbulant flow increases string 2

mixing which is generated Brevik - When

by the geometric design M

RDF and SHW

and the way the various are supplied at >
flows are introduced into K

40% of calciner
the calciner. Low fuel, CO in main
velocities and turbulance F

stack gases goes

increase particle retention A Solid
high (> 0,3% CO)
Preheated hazardous
time meal,
string 1
waste
Secondary
coal
Preheated
meal,
string 2
Kiln
gas Tertiary air
Geometry of the Antoing calciner system is good to promote
gas mixing, turbulance and particle retention time

LOOP
F
DUCT

Petcoke Waste fuel

Quaternary air Preheated E
meal
Preheated meal
To lower
Tertiary air Tertiary air cyclone stage
SWIRL
CALCINER
D G
A

C
Inclined Duct
B

MIXING
Calciner downcomer CHAMBER

Kiln gas
 Interesting to compare geometry and gas velocities
of both Antoing and Slite

12 m/s
LOOP
DUCT

25 m/s Shredded
Petcoke Waste fuel car tyres
Preheated Secondary
Quaternary air coal
meal
Preheated meal Preheated
Quaternary
meal
To lower air
Tertiary air Tertiary air cyclone stage Tertiary
SWIRL
CALCINER air
12 m/s
11 m/s 14 m/s
29 m/s
25 m/s To lower
cyclone stage
15 m/s
Retention time = 2,9 sec.
13 m/s Average Velocity = 17 m/sec
MIXING
CHAMBER

Retention time = 3,7 sec.

Diaphragm Ave. Velocity = 10 m/sec
Bypass
Kiln gas gas

Kiln gas
Union Bridge design based on computer modeling and
pilot plant testing
Deflection Chamber Model
Mixing efficiency, build up and plugging tendencies are
important topics

Deflection Chamber

Manual CO
Measuring Ports

CO Injection

Deflection Chamber
Outlet Duct
Deflection chamber
Inlet Duct Feed Pipe
3. Hot core - promotes combustion with a flame and reduces
tendency of flameless combustion or delayed combustion
 Both Slite and Antoing are feeding alternative fuels to the hot core in
the combustion hat of the swirl calciner
8

LOOP
F
DUCT

Shredded 7 9
Petcoke Waste fuel
Secondary car tyres
Quaternary air Preheated E coal
meal
Preheated meal Preheated
Quaternary 6
meal
To lower air
Tertiary air Tertiary air cyclone stage
Tertiary
SWIRL air 11
CALCINER
D G
A 1

To lower
C cyclone stage
B 13

MIXING
CHAMBER

Diaphragm
Bypass
Kiln gas gas

Kiln gas
4. Kiln riser restriction - (high riser duct velocity) important to
assure solid alternative fuels do not fall into the kiln and burn in
the feed bed of the kiln leading to increase in volatile cycles.
8

Shredded 7 9

Secondary car tyres

coal
Preheated
Quaternary 6
meal
air
Tertiary
air 11

To lower
cyclone stage
13

28 – 32 m/sec Good design number

Slite gas velocity is about 40 m/sec, but the pressure drop
is also high. Pressure measured above the restriction is >
Diaphragm 15 mbar, during tire firing.
Bypass
gas

Kiln gas
5. Chlorine bypass system

• Alternative fuels are typically high in chlorine.

Animal meal ≈ 0,7 – 1,0 % Cl

Plastics ≈ 1,0 % Cl
Refuse derived fuel ≈ 0,5 – 2,0 % Cl
Resofuel (impregnated saw dust) ≈ 0,3 % Cl
Solid hazardous waste ≈ 0,5 % Cl

Small chlorine bypass systems significantly increase the

ability of a kiln system to utilize alternative fuels. Slite and
Antoing operating with about 6% kiln bypass.
6. Calciner system pressure drop

• Pressure drop across different calciner systems are in

general in the range of 8 – 15 mbar (~80 – 150 mmwg) Þ
verified by a pressure drop across Antoing calciner of
about 11 mbar (110 mmwg).
Conclusions
• CLE-Onoda type SLC-S calciner promotes alternative fuel firing in
the calciner Þ verified by the success these types of calciners
have in the HeidelbergCement group burning hard to burn fuels
(solid alternative fuels)

• Geometry has an important influence on overall calciner

performance Þ verified by testing done by HTC in 2000.

• Antoing geometry is best for particle retention time and mixing,

but retention time should be more Þ verified by testing done by
HTC in 2000 and internal HTC standards

• Calciner with good geometry requires a gas retention time of

about 5 seconds to assure good burnout of solid alternative fuels
Þ Verified by Antoing data and “supported” by design of new
installations

• Gas mixing and particle retention time are important parameters

that we as a group could learn a lot from with regards to
optimizing calciner designs for alternative fuel firing
Conclusions

• The effectiveness of a loop duct creating good mixing

behavior is limited, therefore a mixing chamber (deflection)
in top of loop duct is important. Investigations and
reporting on UB deflection chamber results will be
important, including build-up tendencies.

• A great deal could be learned from computer modeling of

calciner systems. Purpose of modeling is to thoroughly
investigate geometry with the target of finding an optimized
combination of gas mixing, particle retention time and low
build-up tendencies.

• Small scale modeling (water bead and acid / alkali

modeling), might in particular be useful to investigate
existing calciner designs/problems. FCT-Combustion
supplies this type of service to the cement industry.