Coolers

Coolers
Training for the Future….

Coolers
Clinker Cooling:
The cooling of the clinker influences its structure, the
mineralogical composition, as well as the grindability, and
consequently the quality of the resulting cement.
Clinker cooling is necessary because:
Hot clinker is difficult to convey.
Hot clinker has a negative effect on the grinding process.
The reclaimed heat content of the hot clinker of about 200
kcal/kg is an important factor lowering the production cost.
Proper cooling improves the quality of cement.
Speed of clinker cooling:
The speed of clinker cooling influences the ratio between the
content of crystalline and liquid phases in the clinker. The
proportion of liquid phase in clinkers from rotary kilns is normally
in the range of 23 – 28%. During slow cooling, crystals of almost
all clinker components are formed, whereas fast cooling hampers
formation of crystals, causing part of the liquid phase to solidify as
glass and also fast cooling prevents growth of crystals. Slow clinker
cooling promotes the growth of clinker minerals.
The size of alite crystals influence the clinker grindability as well as
effects hydration and cement strength. Alite crystals, which can be
kept small by proper burning and rapid cooling results in higher
cement strength.
Fast clinker cooling influences specially the behaviour of the MgO,
and therefore the soundness of the cement, as the fast cooling
results in the smaller size periclase crystals (MgO) because of the
crystallization of the liquid phase.
Soundness and clinker cooling:
The soundness of the hardening Portland cement depends on the
size of the periclase crystals. The hydration of the larger periclase
crystals is slower than the hydration of the clinker forming
minerals and this impairs the soundness of the hardening cement.
Slow clinker cooling can produce periclase crystals of up to 60μ
where as the maximum size of these crystals which not impair the
cement is about 5 – 8μ.
Cooling and resistance to chemical attack:
Rapid clinker cooling also increases sulphate resistance of the
cement. When cooled rapidly, the C3A content which is related to
the resistance of Portland cement to the sulphate attack is mainly
in a glassy state and in this form it is much less susceptible to
sulphate attack.
Cooling and grindability of the clinker:
Clinker cooled in a rotary cooler (slow cooling) takes a higher sp.
Power for grinding than clinker cooled in a grate cooler (fast
cooling). A higher proportion of liquid phase, as well as smaller
crystals of clinker minerals, causes the grinding of this clinker to
be easier than grinding of slowly cooled clinker.
These observations concerning the necessity of rapid clinker
cooling and the ensuing preheating of air were decisive factors for
the development of clinker coolers.

Introduction:
Clinker leaves the kiln red hot at a temperature usually in the
range of 1300-1400°C. It passes over the nose ring of the kiln to
the clinker cooler. The purpose of a cooler is not only to cool the
clinker, but also to recuperate heat and return it to the kiln in the
form of preheated primary, secondary, or tertiary air for
combustion. The clinker leaving the cooler should be cool enough
to avoid damage to handling equipment (particularly rubber belt
conveyors). Cold clinker can also be beneficial to cement mill
efficiency by reducing the possibility of overheating.
The heat contained in the clinker leaving the cooler depends on
its exact temperature but will usually be in the range of 300-350
kcal/kg and it is important to return back as much of this heat to
the process as possible to keep the overall kiln fuel consumption
to a minimum.
The reciprocating grate cooler is the most widely used cooler
system in the world. The grate cooler is independent of the kiln,
but kilns are heavily dependent on their grate cooler for heat
recuperation in the forms of primary, secondary, and tertiary air.
More heat recuperation from the cooler to the kiln results in
lower kiln fuel consumption. Conventional grate coolers provide
thermal efficiencies of 40 to 80%, depending on the mechanical
condition and process operation of the cooler. Typically, the
thermal efficiency of most grate coolers is less than 70%.
In today’s cement market environment of high competition, rising
fuel and electrical costs, and strict environmental compliance, the
kiln / cooler system is almost always cited for improvement to
reduce works operating costs. If the cooler is more efficient,
savings could be gained by reducing the amount of fuel to the
kiln. In order to improve the cooler’s efficiency, most works
attempted ‘deep bed” operation. This involved either slowing
down the cooler grate speed, utilizing bridging and blanking
plates, or forming a refractory “horseshoe,” which narrowed the
cooler inlet forming a stationary band of clinker. Although
sometimes successful, these methods solved only a portion of the
problems of achieving both high efficiency heat recuperation and
‘cold” clinker outlet temperature. Therefore, the ability to recover
the maximum amount of heat from the clinker entering the cooler
and return it to the kiln has been the challenge of grate cooler
manufacturers.

Thermal Efficiency:
The thermal efficiency (η) of a cooler is defined as:
η = (A-B) x 100% = C x 100%
A A
Where, A = heat content of the clinker leaving the kiln
B = heat losses from the cooler
“B” can consist of heat loss in any excess or exhaust air, heat
contained in the clinker leaving the cooler, radiation or other
losses. “C” is the heat content of the secondary, and in the case of
precalciner kilns, tertiary air returned to the kiln. Conventional
cooler thermal efficiencies are typically in the range of 40% to
80%.

Air Requirement:
The transfer of heat from the clinker to the cooling air may be co-
current, crosscurrent, or counter-current, but in practice only the
later two methods are used. As the amount of available air for
heat recuperation purposes is almost entirely dependant on the
kiln fuel consumption, this sets a limit to the amount of heat that
can be recovered. There is also a limit to the temperature to
which the air can be heated depending on whether counter-
current or cross-current applies.
Figure below shows this limit in relation to kiln fuel consumption
assuming that the heat insulation in the cooler is perfect. It can be
seen that the degree of heat recuperation becomes lower with
reducing kiln fuel consumption and the theoretical heat
recuperation from a cross-current cooler is lower than a counter
Figure: Heat Recuperation in Relation to Kiln Fuel Consumption

current cooler. Thus, the lowest theoretical fuel consumption in a
kiln with a cross-current cooler is 100 kcal higher than in a similar
kiln with a counter-current cooler. These figures have not been
achieved in practice but if the lowest kiln fuel consumption is
demanded, then development of the counter-current would
appear paramount. Typical air requirements for combustion are:
Wet process at 1500 kcal/kg and 21.43% S.C.C. -2.36 kg air / kg
clinker.
Dry process at 850 kcal/kg and 12.14% S.C.C. - 1.34 kg air / kg
clinker.
Quantities for recuperation are less than the figures above as
allowances must be made for some in-leak (false air) and primary
air, although the latter may be taken from the cooler, via the coal
mill. The above refers to the cooler as a recuperator which is not
quite the same as a cooling device.
Due to the limits of recuperation mentioned above there are also
limits to which the clinker can be cooled, and this limit is higher in
cross-current coolers than in counter-current coolers, especially
with low fuel consumption kilns. If the clinker temperature is not
satisfactory, further cooling is necessary by using more air which
cannot be used in the kiln, or by water injection.
Types of Coolers:
Counter-current cooling is utilized in rotary or integral coolers and
cross current cooling in reciprocating grate coolers. The different
types are shown in figure below.
The rotary cooler was invented at the same time as the rotary kiln
and is the simplest of counter-current coolers. The integral cooler
is fixed to, and rotates, with the kiln. Both coolers are
mechanically simple, have no moving parts and have no dust
emission problems as they operate under suction. The kiln I.D. fan
draws in the amount of secondary air required for the combustion
process directly as cooling air.
The reciprocating grate cooler was developed in the United States
in 1937 and has almost completely replaced rotary and planetary
coolers. It is mechanically independent of the kiln. This cooler
operates under pressure with the cooling air being blown through
a layer of clinker supported on a grate. Gas cleaning equipment is
needed to reduce emissions from the excess air require for
cooling that has to be vented.

Figure: Types of Coolers

Rotary Coolers:
These were the earliest type of cooler and as counter flow heat
exchangers are very simple. The basic design is similar to rotary
kiln and hence ample experience is available to produce sound
mechanical designs requiring a minimum of maintenance.
Clinker is red hot on entering the cooler and a brick lining is
required for the first third to half of the length. The remainder is
normally provided with internal heat exchangers such as lifters
and cruciform.
The rotary cooler is very simple to operate, the only control being
the speed of rotation. Airflow rate is controlled by the kiln I.D. fan
and dictated by burning conditions.
Following the development of the grate cooler and the resurgence
of the planetary cooler, rotary coolers are now very rarely found
on new works because of the large dimensions required for high
outputs and the consequence on capital costs.
Integral Coolers:
Integral coolers also called planetary or satellite coolers, became
popular in 1930 because they saved on headroom and capital
expenditure over rotary coolers. As larger kiln capacities were
required on new cement plants, the subsequent large integral
coolers were plagued with mechanical problems and they lost
favour with the advent of the grate cooler. However, they have
experienced a resurrection in recent years and now can handle
kiln outputs of over 4,500 TPD. All main kiln plant suppliers now
offer this type of cooler to operate in conjunction with air through
precalciner kilns, large preheater kilns, long dry kilns, or wet
process kilns.
The cooler consists of 9 to 11 tubes arranged circumferentially
around the kiln discharge end (Figure 3). The tubes are
individually connected to the kiln by inlet pipes. The cooler
operates on the same principle as a rotary cooler and the tubes
are generally fitted with metallic or refractory lifters, and are
refractory lined for about half of their length. The tubes usually
have a length equal to 8-10 times their diameter.
Efficiency:
The essential function of the integral cooler was to cool the
clinker by radiating the heat to the surroundings. Of about 330
kcal / kg heat contained in the clinker, more than half was lost by
radiation. This led to high surface temperatures and problems
arose when kiln dimensions were increased. By insulating the hot
zone, surf ace temperatures were reduced and much larger
Figure: FLS Unax Integral Cooler

coolers were possible. Heat transmission was then affected by the
secondary air and with the high economy dry process kilns;
internal fittings were required for heat transfer purposes.
The use of internal fittings in a modern integral cooler reduces the
clinker temperature in relation to the former types of cooler and
the heat loss by radiation is now only about 20%. As with the
rotary coolers, all the cooling air used in integral coolers is utilized
as preheated secondary air for combustion, and with good seals,
it can be up to 75% of the total combustion air. Secondary air
temperatures of 600°C for the wet process and 850°C for the dry
process can be achieved. Clinker outlet temperatures of 120-
150°C are possible and recuperation efficiencies of about 66% on
the dry process and 73% in the wet process can be achieved.

Operation:
The operation of the integral cooler is simple. Clinker enters the
cooler tubes as the kiln turns via an opening, called the cooler
throat that is flush with the kiln. Oversize pieces of clinker and kiln
coating usually tumble at the entrance of the cooler and are
eroded until they are small enough to fit into the cooler tube
throat. Ambient air is drawn through the ends of the individual
cooler tube by the kiln I.D. fan. There is counter-current heat
exchange from the hot clinker to the cooling air. The cooling air
exits the cooler throat and enters the kiln as secondary air.
Simultaneously, the clinker is lifted and cascaded through the
airflow along the length of the individual cooler tubes due to the
slope and rotational speed of the kiln. The design of the cooler
tube outlet causes a separation of the coarse and fine fraction of
clinker. The fine clinker falls onto a conveyor while the oversize
clinker passes through a hammer crusher before being discharged
onto the conveyor.
There are several benefits of installing an integral cooler. A major
benefit of this type of cooler is that it requires no gas clean-up
system. Because all of the air that is drawn into the kiln is used for
combustion, there is no excess air to dedust. The power
consumption for the mechanical operation of the cooler is
relatively insignificant as is the power required to draw the air
through the tubes. Generally, the integral cooler adds only 0.5
kWh/t clinker to the power consumption of the kiln drive and the
I.D. fan. This type of cooler also saves on installation costs because
it require-s little or no civil, electrical, or process control
equipment. Finally, the integral cooler is simple to operate and
demands no special qualifications or knowledge from the control
room operator.
These coolers have some drawbacks also. One of the difficulties
associated with integral coolers the tubes are fixed to the kiln
shell, the rotational speed cannot be increased independently and
the only method to upgrade the cooler is to increase the number
of lifters. Also, its refractory costs are very expensive and it is
more costly to erect than other types of coolers. Finally, it cannot
be used on air separate precalciner kilns because there is no
facility to draw off waste air for drying or combustion
requirements.

Conventional Grate Coolers:
This type of cooler is independent of the kiln. The clinker leaves
the kiln and is deposited on a moving grate through which air is
blown. There are three different designs utilizing different
methods of transporting the clinker along the grate. One method
used by Polysius uses a travelling grate consisting of plates
mounted on a chain which operates in a manner similar to the
Lepol grate. The second and more common method is the
reciprocating grate cooler. This cooler consists of alternating rows
of fixed and moving grates. The moving grates pushing the clinker
along the grate by virtue of the reciprocating action. This design is
used by all major equipment suppliers to the cement industry. The
final grate cooler design is the Allis-Chalmers shaker cooler, which
as its name suggests, transports clinker by a shaking action.
Efficiency:
As explained earlier, the clinker cannot be cooled to a sufficient
degree in the recuperation zone of the grate cooler with the kiln
secondary air requirement. To maintain a clinker temperature of
100°C to 50°C, between 3 to 4 kg air / kg clinker is required, as on
Figure 4. If all of this air were returned to the kiln as secondary air,
the cooler would almost be 100% efficient as shown in Figure 5.
However, if only 2 kg air / kg clinker is required by the kiln for
combustion, the maximum theoretical efficiency is only about
86%. Although the efficiency drops as kiln air requirement is
reduced, the temperature of the secondary air should increase.
The overall aim of the recuperation portion of a grate cooler is to
maximize the temperature of the secondary air that is returned to
the kiln so that fuel savings may be obtained. Therefore, a
compromise between efficiency and secondary temperature is
unavoidable. The following example shows a conventional
reciprocating grate cooler heat balance and the resulting thermal
efficiency versus the theoretical cooler efficiency. To make the
balance equal, the secondary air heat content is calculated as the
difference between the total heat content into the cooler and the
other variables contributing to the heat out of the cooler. The
heat content of the secondary air is used to solve for the
secondary air temperature.

Figure: Theoretical Relationship of Clinker
Temperature v/s Air / Clinker Ratio

Figure: Maximum Theoretical Thermal
Efficiency of Grate Cooler

Uses for Grate Cooler Excess Air:
The exhaust air from grate coolers can often be usefully employed
and this can increase the effective efficiency of the cooler,
although not necessarily with a direct effect on the kiln prime fuel
consumption.
Primary air for firing and drying fuel and transporting it through
the coal milling system is usually taken from the cooler, and
exhaust air at about 200°C can be used for stone drying or milling
operations. For the purpose of coal drying, the air should not be
taken in excess of that required or the kiln secondary air will be
affected and this will have an adverse effect on fuel consumption.
For precalciner kilns, the tertiary air required for combustion of
the fuel in the precalciner vessel can be obtained by introducing
another takeoff between the cooler throat and the exhaust air
duct. This type of arrangement is obviously not possible with
integral coolers and therefore, precalciner kilns generally use
grate coolers.

Fuller Cooler
The Fuller cooler, as shown in figure below, consists of one, two,
or in the case of very high output kilns, three grates. Each grate is
composed of alternate rows of moving and fixed to the cooler
casing structure while the moving plates are bolted to a common
framework. Each plate has a lip about 50mm high m its front edge
and this pushes the clinker along the grate as the moving plates
oscillate backwards and forwards. The moving frame is driven on
an eccentric by a variable speed motor or a hydraulic drive. The
normal thrust of the grate is 125mm.
Clinker falls directly on the grate through which air is blown.
Below this grate, the area below is divided into a number of
chambers which are separated by air tight seals. The clinker leaves
the cooler via a rotary hammer crusher or a roller crusher which
reduces the size of large clinker formations.
Figure: Fuller Cooler

Grate Plates:
Conventional Grate Plates:
Grate plates are used to control the air flow from the cooling fans
to the overhead clinker bed. The majority of these plates have
holes drilled through them and are known as live plates. Various
designs of live plates are used throughout the grates. The majority
are flat with tapered holes of 9.5mm diameter at the tapered end.
The taper is 7° and the plates vary from 12 to 19mm in thickness.
Grate plates are constructed with a compromise between wear
and thermal resistance, depending on their location in the cooler.
Plates at the recuperation end of the cooler are normally made of
heat resisting steel (25/20 Cr Ni or 25/12 Cr Ni). Grate plates at
towards the end of the cooler are made of wear resistant cast
iron.
New conventional grate plates are designed to increase the plate
resistance by decreasing the diameter of the plate holes. This
allows for better air distribution to all plates in conjunction with a
deeper bed operation. However, it may be necessary to upgrade
the fan’s pressure capability which may draw more power. The
following table illustrates several different grate plate
characteristics:

Plate Type Holes Diameter (mm) Free Area (%)
Original Fuller Plate 58 9.5 4.4
49 9.5 3.7
Double Fuller Plate 110 8.0 3.0
Claudius Peters Plate 75 7.0 3.1
Latest Fuller Plate 44 10.0 3.7
Latest Double Plate 94 10.0 4.0
Citosan Plate 100 6.0 3.0
Kobe 56 10.0 4.7
Most coolers have used bridge plates in conjunction with a deep

bed operation. They are used to bridge moving plate-s down each
side of the cooler. They are blank plates and when used are
preceded by normal blank plates to produce a stationary band of
clinker one plate wide along the side of the cooler.
In between stationary bands, the moving bed is narrower and
therefore thicker at normal speeds. It is unwise to use bridge
plates over a portion of a chamber as this creates different clinker
bed thicknesses and preferential air distribution through the
thinner part of the clinker bed. Figure 7 shows a bridge plate
fitted in a cooler. The stationary clinker band that is formed is
beneficial by reducing wear on the side castings and providing a
seal where a normally thin bed of clinker would be liable to
“spouting.” It should be noted that the bridge plates are left and
right handed. In areas where they are used, fan requirements can
be reduced by using adjoining plates with extra holes.

Figure: Sketch of Bridge Plate Fitted in Cooler

Shakespeare Slotted Grate Plates:
These plates can be used in any zone of a grate cooler. These
plates are thicker than conventional grate plates. This plate is
30mm thick as compared to 12mm thick for normal grate plates.
The plate is cast of 25/20 Cr Ni. This plate invokes a higher
pressure drop than conventional grate plates. The cooling air
follows a peculiar “S-shaped” path through the gap of the plate.
Air enters perpendicular to the underside of the plate, curves at a
right angle, and follows a path along the channel of the curve in
front of it. In this manner, the cooling air exits horizontal to the
plate surface. These plates also feature an interlocking design so
that adjacent plates comprising a cooler row fasten together.
Therefore, there are no gaps between the plates and riddlings
spillage to the undergrate compartment is reduced.
These plates can have life more than two years in this area where
conventional grate plates last only around six months. Also, the
interlocking feature of this plate has helped to reduce the amount
of riddlings that fall to the undergrate chamber.

Figure: Shakespeare Slotted Grate Plate

FLS Reduced Fall Through (RFT) Grate Plates:
The RFT grate plate is used in the cooling zone as a retrofit to an
existing grate cooler. This plate features a recessed design which
promotes long wear life and grate protection from hot clinker. It
has an open bottom because it is chamber aerated like a
conventional grate plate. The lifetime of these grate plates are
expected to be twice the normal life of standard grate plates. The
pocket design also has the effect of reducing material spillage.
Some installations have reduced their spillage gate frequency by
90%. The RFT plate is supplied to cooler retrofits with the
standard T-bolt fastener.

Figure: FLS RFT Grate Plate

Grates:
Each moving frame and the associated stationary plates are
referred to as a grate. A complete cooler unit can consist of one or
more grates where each grate will have a separate drive for the
moving frame. Combination grates evolved with the use of coolers
for large kiln outputs. The individual grates may be inclined at
different angles or horizontal and driven at different speeds.
Today, most traditional grate coolers vary the inclination of their
first grate from horizontal to an incline of 5° from the horizontal
plane of the cooler.
The active grate width at the inlet end of the cooler should be
proportional to the inside diameter of the kiln. A factor of 0.5 to
0.6 times the inside diameter of the kiln is used to determine the
optimum grate width. Some coolers have used a refractory
formation in the recuperation zone called a “horseshoe,” because
of the similar shape. The castable ‘horseshoe” usually creates a
narrow grate area against the back wall of the cooler. As the
“horseshoe” continues down the side walls of the cooler, the
castable tapers so that the exposed grate area of the cooler
becomes greater. The idea is to narrow the inlet area of the
recuperation zone so that a deeper bed of clinker is formed. The
deeper bed should increase the residence time of the cooling air
with the bed of hot clinker and produce higher secondary air
temperatures. Another benefit of the narrowed inlet is that the
coarse and fine fractions of clinker are captured together so that
segregation is less likely. As the reciprocating motion of the cooler
moves the clinker down the length of the cooler, it should spread
the clinker laterally so that the fines and coarse fraction of the

clinker are better mixed. The width of the cooler grates after the
recuperation zone usually increases as a deeper bed is not
required.
Reducing Oversize Clinker:
With most conventional coolers, clinker discharges from the grate
to a set of inclined grizzly bars. Oversize clinker slides down the
bars to a hammer crusher, which breaks the oversize clinker
pieces by impact. The reaction of the hammers impacting the
large pieces of clinker throws the broken pieces back to the grate
for additional cooling. Chains forming a curtain are hung from the
cooler roof a short distance back into the grate and along the
cooler sides in order to minimize damage to the refractory coating
by impact from the clinker pieces.

Another option of reducing oversize clinker is by using a roller
crusher. The roller crusher consists of several hydraulically driven
crusher rolls. The rolls are usually cooled by individual fans
mounted on the outside of the crusher. It can be used for
installations where temperatures approach 800°C. The number of
rolls depends on the capacity of the clinker to be crushed. One of
the main features of this crusher is that the rolls work with a low
rotational speed so that no refractory damage from airborne
clinker occurs, no chain curtains are required, and dust generation
is minimal. An advantage that the roller crusher has over the
hammer crusher is that this type of crushing system results with a
uniform clinker particle size. It also results in low power
consumption. A shortcoming of this system is that the capital cost
for the roller crusher is much higher than that of a similar sized
hammer crusher.
A deviation from the traditional placement of grates is the
installation of an air-cooled roller crusher between the last two
grates rather than at the end of the cooler. The controlled clinker
particle size in the after cooling zone reduces the residence time
of the clinker needed for cooling to a given clinker exit
temperature. This means that only small sized clinker is on the
final grate and better cooling is achieved. Reductions in cooling
air, exhaust gases, and the size of exhaust gas cleanup plant are
features of this system. However, this arrangement requires
significant headroom between the grates where the roller crusher
is installed. A step created from the end of the grate previous to
the roller crusher to the beginning of the grate after the roller
crusher can be a meter or more.

Figure: Rotary hammer Crusher

Figure: Roller Crusher

Airflow:
Beneath the grate, the cooler is divided into chambers with a
dedicated cooling fan supplying air. To ensure the correct air
distribution, the chamber should be sealed so that there is no air
infiltration from one to the other. One method of reducing air
leakage between chambers is to reduce the differential pressure
between the chambers. Because the expansion and hence the
velocity of the cooling air decreases with the declining
temperature of the clinker bed, undergrate pressure is high at the
recuperation end of the cooler and falls proportionately towards
the exit end. A general rule of thumb to avoid leakage between
chambers is to have a differential pressure between adjacent
chambers of 50mmWG. The inter chamber differential pressure
can also be reduced by increasing the number of chambers but
there is a limit to this number. The total number of chambers
depends on the cooler length. From the graph below, the
approximate position of each division wall can be found. For
upgrading or improving existing coolers, actual positions of new
walls must be finalized relative to physical considerations such as
the positions of existing spillage gates, access doors, and
framework. For the best seal, the top of the chamber wall should
be attached to the rear of a fixed row of plates.

Graph for Cooler Compartment Position

In order to maintain the correct airflow patterns for the cooler,
higher air loadings are required for compartments at the hot end
of the cooler as compared to those at the cool end. Air loadings
for each chamber can be found from design velocities. Typical
velocities for each chamber of active grate are:
Chamber Number m3 /min/m2
Chamber 1 120 to 90
Chamber 2 100 to 90
Chamber 3 95 to 85
Chamber 4 85 to 65
Chamber 5 70 to 60
Chamber 6 60 to 45

Where the volumes of air are in terms of actual cubic meters per
minute and air is assumed to be at a temperature of 20°C. The
actual velocities which are used will depend to some degree on
the grate angle, cooler maintenance, and clinker particle sizes.
The plate area takes into account the leakages through blank
plates by adding an allowance of 50% of the area of blank plates
which are adjacent to live plates. The total area multiplied by the
velocity gives the volume required. The volumes on each chamber
may be adjusted to give the overall requirement. The graph shows
typical temperatures, pressures and chamber lengths for a six
compartment cooler.

Graph for Typical Air pressure and Material Temperatures
Through a 6 Compartment Cooler

Spillage:
With all grate coolers there is a certain amount of riddlings that
form the spillage through and between the plates. This is released
from the undergrate chamber to a drag conveyor or a screw
conveyor, by means of spillage gates. There are three main types
of spillage gates used on coolers at the present time. The single
and double flap designs are used when the drag scraper is
external to the spillage compartments. Both require sufficient
headroom which usually entails providing a tunnel below ground
level.
The single flap gate when open is only air-tight while there is
sufficient spillage to form a material seal. When all the spillage
has run out, the seal is broken and cooling air is lost. The flap can
be operated automatically using a timing mechanism which
attempts to maintain enough material to form a seal.
The double flap maintains a seal at all times and is found on
modern conventional coolers operating at higher pressures. The
flaps can be automatically opened by a motorized cam or by
pneumatic control. This type of seal requires more headroom
than a single flap and it may not be possible to fit them to existing
coolers. When the drag scraper passes through the undergrate
compartments, the spillage is removed continuously and it is
more difficult to maintain a good seal between chambers. A
“letter box” seal is used in this situation. This seal requires no
headroom.

Figure: Single Flap Spillage Gate
Figure: Double Flap

Figure: “Letter Box” Seal Motorized Spillage Gate
Grate Cooler Instrumentation and Control:
A three mode control is used for grate coolers:
Cooler grate speed is controlled automatically with respect to
undergrate chamber pressure. In most cases, this is the first
chamber pressure but second chamber pressure is occasionally
used or a combination of both chamber pressures. On a
combination cooler, each grate can be controlled independently
with the pressure of its first chamber controlling the speed of
each grate. Alternatively, the speed of the first grate can be
controlled by its undergrate pressure and the remaining grate or
grates from the first grate by a ratio controller.
The cooling fans are controlled to give constant volumes. This is
particularly important on those chambers which control the grate
speed, as a change in air volumes will affect the undergrate
chamber. Normally a piezometer ring is placed in the fan inlet
cone to control the fan volume. This fan volume is changed by a
feedback signal adjusting a variable inlet vane damper placed in
the fan inlet, a louvre damper at the fan outlet or a variable speed
motor setting.
To prevent the kiln hood from pressurizing, the hood suction is
controlled by adjusting the cooler exhaust fan damper. In extreme
cases, the after compartment fans are varied so that the kiln hood
pressure is maintained.
Other controls that assist the operator with good cooler operation
include:
Pressure tappings to indicate the undergrate pressure of each
compartment.

Thermocouples for cooler grate plate temperatures at the inlet
of the cooler.
Level detectors in the undergrate hoppers to control the dump
cycle of riddlings.
Cooler camera to view the inlet of the cooler to detect build-ups
of material on the first grate.
Cooler Speed and Power:
In order to optimize the bed depth in the cooler, the grate speed
is an important controlling factor. Most grate coolers have a speed
range of 4 to 30 strokes per minute. For grate coolers, the grate
speed, called the design velocity in strokes per minute, can be
calculated based on the desired clinker bed depth, the length of
the cooler stroke, the kiln output, and the width of the grate.

This design velocity is the normal working speed at the specified
kiln production and bed depth:
Design velocity Vd = Rv X TPD/h
Where, Rv = 6 / (1 .64 x S X W)
TPD = tonnes per day
h = bed depth in inches
s = stroke length of the cooler (normally 5 inches)
w = width of the grate in feet.
The normal range of operation is within the following limits:
Minimum speed = 0.5 x design velocity
Maximum speed = 1.5 x design velocity

The cooler power calculation is empirical in that it includes some
power reserve to cope with kiln flushes. According to Fuller, it
gives good results in practice:
HP = (0.24 + 0.028 X h) X Vd X A / 100
Where, h = bed depth in inches
Vd = stroke length of the cooler (normally 5 inches)
A = grate area or each grate (if part of a combination
cooler) in square feet.

Cooler Throat Velocity:
As the clinker discharges into the cooler from the kiln, secondary
air will leave the cooler and enter the kiln simultaneously.
Potentially, the secondary air could be of sufficient velocity to
capture undersize clinker particles and re-entrain them into the
kiln. When this happens, the kiln can become very dusty and
difficult to view by the pyroprocessing operator. Two main factors
which are associated with this problem are the temperature of
the secondary air that results from the cooler and the area of the
cooler throat. Because the cooler throat is a fixed area, the
secondary air velocity results from the volume of secondary air
that passes through the cooler throat into the kiln. For a given
mass of air, a volume of the air will increase as the surrounding
temperature increases. Therefore, the temperature of the
secondary air controls the velocity of this air that returns into the
kiln. Due to fluctuations in kiln control, the temperature of the
secondary air changes frequently and would be difficult to
control. Therefore, the cooler throat is sized for any fluctuations in
secondary air mass flow or temperature. Obviously, the area of
the cooler throat will depend on the size of the cooler, but should
be sized so that the resulting secondary air velocity will be low
enough as to not have enough velocity to lift the majority of
clinker dust particles. A typical velocity figure used to size the
cooler throat is 6 m/s with a maximum velocity figure of 7.62 m/s.
Grate Coolers Upgradation:
Virtually all modifications and upgrading exercises on existing
coolers have aimed at deep bed operation. The object of this
operation is to increase secondary air temperatures and efficiency
by creating a greater area and time of contact between the clinker
and air in the recuperation zone of the cooler. Deeper bed
operation can be achieved by slowing down the grate but the
normal method is to use bridge and blank plates as previously
described. This creates stationary bands of clinker on each side of
the bed and a thicker narrower bed moving at normal speeds.
Deep bed operation requires higher undergrate pressures and so
fan upgrading may be necessary. The installation of bridge and
blank plates also ensures an even distribution of cooling air
through the grate plates and reduces the occurrences of
overheated plates.
The modifications therefore include:
Installation of bridge and blank plates.

The creation of three chambers under the deep bed
recuperation zone (where possible).
Fans for the deep bed section capable of overcoming the higher
restrictions.
Improvement of air seals between chambers and at spillage
outlets.
The advantages are:
Better cooling of the clinker.
Increased heat recuperation.
Better protection of the grate from heat effects and large lumps.
Possibly less dust pick up with the deeper bed serving
somewhat as a filter.
Reduction in the size of the cooler.
Output Rating:
The maximum capacity of existing grate- coolers is limited by one
or more of the following factors:
The amount of clinker the grate can convey; we have no factual
information as to the ultimate conveying capacity of a grate, but it
is very unlikely that this will limit outputs.
The availability of sufficient fan capacity to ensure that the air to
clinker ratio is adequate at the maximum tonnage (around 2.8 to
3.3 kg air / kg clinker).
The standard of air sealing below the grate. Seals must be
capable of containing the high pressures associated with the
deeper clinker beds necessary for high capacity.
The level of clinker exit temperature which is acceptable for the
clinker conveyor and the cement mill feed.
The grading of the clinker. The finer the clinker, the more readily
it will fluidize for a given air velocity. A fluidized clinker bed on a
totally inclined or partially inclined grate will tend to air slide at
such a rate as to prevent proper cooling.
The exhaust capacity. The exhaust fan capacity must be
sufficient to maintain a balance at the kiln hood when the cooler
is being supplied with adequate cooling air.
The exhaust air dust collector. The dust filter must be matched
to give an acceptable dust emission at the exhaust air capacity.
It would obviously be too complicated to have a cooler rating
which incorporated all of the above factors. What is required is a
simple expression which will tell us which output the cooler
should handle if all the latest technology is applied. The unit used
for specific grate output is TPD/m2 grate area.
It must not be assumed that a cooler with a low specific capacity
is necessarily a “poor” cooler as it may be associated with a kiln
which has an output below par.

Polysius Recupol cooler
This cooler was developed by Polysius to operate on the same
principle as the Lepol grate. It is shown in figures below. The grate
is enclosed in a mild steel housing supported by a sectional frame.
The traveling grate consists of an endless chain made up of cast
steel chain links and steel traverse rods and spacer pipes which
carry moveable slotted grate plates of heat resistant cast iron. The
grate chain is sealed against the casing by moving chrome steel
side sealing plates and stationary sealing elements. The upper and
lower stands are supported on suitable spaced rollers, the grate
being driven by a set of sprocket wheels connected to a variable
speed drive. The continuous grate allows the plates to cool down
on the return run preventing overheating which can occur on
reciprocating grate coolers where plates are continuously in the
hot zone. If plates do fail, they can be speedily replaced as it is

possible for a maintenance operator to enter the chamber
beneath the grate without having to cool down the whole cooler.
Figure: Recupol cooler

Where,
1 Return Shaft 10 Stripping Device
3 Supporting Bracket 11 Clinker Crusher
4 Water Cooled 12 Gate Rod
5 Upper Support shaft 14 Lower Support Shaft
6 Side plate 15 Pulsator
7 Chain Curtain 16 Blast Nozzle
8 Chain Sprocket 17 Drag Plate
9 Drive Shaft

Figure: Recupol Cooler End Elevation

Where,
18 Bearing
19 Sealing Element
20 Chain Link
21 Grate Plate
22 Flap Valve
Operation:
Clinker enters the kiln via a water cooled chute and falls to the
slotted plates through which air is being blown. The function of
the chute is to give some protection to the grate from falling
lumps of clinker and it is cooled to prevent the sticking of hot
clinker and the formation of “snowmen.” The area beneath the
grate is divided into chambers in order that the air velocity can be
regulated along the cooler. One or more fans are used depending
on the size of the cooler. Control of air to the chambers is by
means of dampers at the inlet ducts. There is little advantage to
be gained by having a separate fan for each chamber since a limit
is imposed on air velocity by the method of fixing plates. In other
words, plates are liable to be lifted at the free end so this can be
overcome by clipping the plates down. This practice was
abandoned at worksites because it tensioned the chain on the
return run and caused excessive mechanical wear.
Spillage through or between the plates can either fall through the
return section of the grate and collect above a spillage gate or
may bypass the return section before being directed to the drag
conveyor below the clinker. The latter method is preferable as the
former requires many seals and requires the grates to be
unattached at one end which restricts the use of high air
velocities.
A problem associated with Recupol coolers is that of achieving a
uniform depth of clinker across the width of the grate. There is no
mechanical movement in the grate to level out any heaps of
material that form below the throat, and it is not practical to fit
any mechanical devices. The normal method of leveling the bed is
with high velocity air supplied in pulses to nozzles situated just
below the grate. This transforms the clinker into a similar state to
a fluidized bed and distributes it evenly over the width of the
grate. The nozzles are several centimeters in width and have
lengths equal to 0.5 to 1.0 times the width of the cooler.
Undergrate pressures are relatively low on a Recupol cooler,
typically 150 mmWG and the bed depth is subsequently not as
great as found on other types of grate coolers.
Without the plates being clipped there is a tendency for the pulse
fans to lift the plates. This results in:
A loss in cooling air from each chamber if the plate remains
lifted and further resulting in reduced cooling of the clinker
remaining on the bed.
Excessive spillage especially at the hot end. The spillage
undergoes little cooling in the drag scraper and contributes to a
high clinker temperature.
Plates being broken as a result of lifting.
Reduced secondary air temperatures, affecting kiln
performance.

Output Rating:
The Polysius rating for these coolers is 30-32 TPD/m2. It is possible
to operate the cooler above this level of throughput but only at
the expense of clinker temperature. At capacities of 34-35
TPD/m2, clinker temperatures will be in the range of 200-300°C
which is generally unacceptable. The cooler can, of course, be
operated in conjunction with an after cooler when capacities in
the range of 40-45 TPD/m2 can be obtained with clinker
temperatures about 450°C.

Allis-Chalmers Shaker Cooler
The shaker cooler manufactured by Allis-Chalmers is a grate type
cooler in which the clinker transportation is achieved by shaking
the grate in a manner similar to a shaker conveyor system. Figure
26 shows diagrammatically the shaker cooler. The combined grate
and below grate chamber are suspended on support arms which
allow the lower section of the cooler to rock backwards and
forwards. Large coil springs attached between the moving section
and the foundations check this rocking movement. The cooler is
driven through a variable speed motor.
The cooling air is supplied by a single fan at the hot end of the
cooler. A flexible joint in the air supply ducting allows for the
movement of the grate. Distribution of the air supply through the
grate is controlled by dampers positioned at intervals along the
undergrate chamber. In some cases these dampers are
continuously mechanically rotated. Exhaust air is drawn off the
top of the cooler.
There are many problems associated with the operation of this
type of cooler. It is not possible to operate with a deep bed of
clinker since overloading of the grate damps the action of the
springs which prevents the clinker from moving. There can be no
effective air seal at the cold end of the air chamber since there
must be a clearance between the fixed and moving sections to
allow clinker to be conveyed out of the cooler. This prevents high
pressure air from being supplied to the cooler. The below grate
pressures are about 100 mmWG at the hot end with a gradual
decrease to below 25 mmWG at the cold end.
Since there is no really effective way of sealing between the fixed
and upper section of the cooler and the lower moving grate
section, considerable air in-leak occurs. This has a detrimental
effect on secondary air temperatures at the hot end of the cooler.
The heat recuperation efficiency of these coolers is very low. The
tendency is to operate them with high air to clinker ratios as a
means of obtaining cool clinker temperatures at the expense of
heat recuperation. Generally, the air to clinker ratio for this type
of cooler is up to 7:1. The average rating for this cooler is 13.1
TPD/m2 of grate with 50% of the coolers operating at above 14
TPD/m2. An achievable rating for these coolers is 15 TPD/m2. The
ability to reach this figure depends on the clinker outlet
temperature that can be tolerated and on the mechanical
condition of the cooler.

Figure: Allis – Chalmers Shaker Cooler

Problems with Conventional Grate Coolers:
Reciprocating grate cooler manufacturers investigated several
ways to give their customers a reciprocating grate cooler design
that would be an improvement over conventional grate coolers.
They collectively identified several problems with conventional
grate coolers:
Relatively large undergrate chambers.
Poor air distribution along the cooler.
Clinker size segregation at the inlet of the cooler.
Cooler grate speed is sometimes difficult to control resulting in
a bed depth that is too high or too shallow.
Poor undergrate sealing of compartments allows cooling fan air
to migrate to other chambers.
Low pressure drop across conventional grate plates results with
high air velocities through the clinker bed.
Cooler plates become too hot and experience thermal shock
resulting in shorter plate life.
Grate plates experience high wear rates due to the abrasiveness
of clinker.
Gaps between plates allow material to fall through to
undergrate chambers.
Undergrate Chambers and Sealing:
The size of the undergrate compartments of the cooler are set to
maintain the proper flow of air from its respective cooling fan to
the bed of clinker above the grate. Air from the cooling fan is
discharged into this chamber so that it will rise through the bed of

clinker. In practice, a large underrate compartment is subject to
have its fan air travel in any direction where the pressure
difference is the least. Because of warpage of the cooler partitions
and poor seals, air could travel to the adjacent chamber, through
the cooler riddIings conveyor, or through the side plates of the
cooler where the bed depth is the least. This common situation
results in more cooling air being used than necessary, poor heat
transfer, and hot clinker traveling to the next chamber area.
Poor Air Distribution / Gaps in Cooler Plate Area:
Because air will take the path of least resistance, the air that does
manage to reach the clinker bed will usually blow through the
coarse clinker side of the clinker bed or go through any gaps in the
side plates. Air bypasses the deeper areas of red hot clinker. This
situation reduces the effectiveness of heat transfer in the cooler
and results in the colder secondary air to the kiln and with hot
clinker exiting the cooler.
Low Pressure Drop across Grate Plates:
Heat recuperation increases as the residence time of the air with
the clinker bed increases. Conventional cooler plates have holes
and therefore, the plate resistance is low. Air is allowed to jet
through the holes in the grate plate at high velocities. This high
velocity profile results in poor convection heat transfer and thus
low secondary air temperatures.
Short Life of Cooler Grate Plates:
Clinker is an extremely abrasive material. The reciprocating
motion of the cooler drive moves the clinker across the whole
surface area of the grate plate causing extreme wear on the plate.
Furthermore, clinker enters the cooler at a temperature of
1300 – 1400°C. A shallow clinker bed exposes the grate plate
surface to the hot bed of material. With cold air being conveyed
to the underside of the plate, the grate plate is subject to thermal
shock, resulting in cracked or broken plates.
Solutions to Conventional Grate Cooler Problems:
Most of the problems stated above are associated with the
recuperation zone of the cooler and are the reasons for the lack of
higher cooler thermal efficiencies. Because this cooler zone is
crucial to the operation of the kiln, this is the area that most
suppliers have concentrated their efforts for improvement. As
their own answer to the shortcomings of the conventional grate
cooler, each of the suppliers devised their own new cooler design
to improve the efficiency of the conventional grate cooler.

This solution actually posed a new problem. Some existing
conventional coolers were performing quite well, so that
purchasing a new cooler would not be feasible due to the large
the capital investment resulting in relatively little improvement
over the existing system. To capitalize on this market for cooler
improvement, the suppliers decided that retrofit packages could
be offered to improve the existing clinker coolers at a fraction of
the total cooler cost.
The major cooler manufactures that have made significant
advances in grate cooler technology are IKN, Polysius, FLS / Fuller,
Claudius Peters, and KHD. Each cooler design and retrofit will be
analyzed by hardware and operational capabilities.

IKN Clinker Inlet Distribution System (KIDS)
The IKN Clinker Inlet Distribution System patent was applied for in
1983 and renovated cooler technology as the cement industry
knew it. IKN has installed over 100 fixed inlet retrofits and
pendulum cooks during the first 10 years of the company’s
existence. In order to understand this company’s success, we will
examine the development of the heart of its operation, the IKN
Coanda nozzle plate.
IKN Coanda Nozzle Plate:
When Karl von Wedel, the founder of IKN, conducted research to
improve the conventional grate cooler, he specifically
concentrated on optimizing the cooling air distribution to the
clinker bed. Up to the time of his research, grate coolers were
running with deeper clinker beds in order to increase their heat
recuperation. Operators believed that the deep bed of clinker
would slow the velocity of air as it rose from the undergrate area
and thus recover more heat as it reached the bed surface and
returned to the kiln as secondary air. However, this practice was
not always beneficial. If the clinker bed was too deep, then most
of the cooling air would channel through the path of least
resistance to the bed surface, thus defeating the purpose of a
deep bed operation.
Mr. von Wedel believed that the cement works using this
approach were concentrating on the wrong type of resistance to
improve the heat recuperation of the clinker cooler. There are two
types of resistance that cooling air encounters as it flows from the
cooler inlet to the clinker bed: the resistance of the bed depth of
clinker and the resistance of the grate plates. He believed that
cooling fan air would be distributed more uniformly if the grate
plate resistance was increased. He surmised that if the grate plate
resistance was so much greater than the resistance due to the
clinker bed, then the grate resistance would be the controlling
factor to determine air distribution. In other words, the cooling air
would have an equal chance to be distributed anywhere along the
grate’s under structure because the resistance would be the
same. In this way, the clinker segregation problems that occur at
the inlet of the cooler would not have such a dramatic effect on
the recuperation of heat to the kiln.

Figure: Grate Resistance and Air Distribution

In spite of this discovery, von Wedel knew that cooling air could
still bypass the increased resistance plates and make its way to
the other areas where gaps were present. Because moving rows
of the reciprocating grate have tolerances, gaps would be formed.
Mr. von Wedel thought of a novel approach to eliminate these
areas of low resistance. He proposed to make a fixed grate section
where there were no moving parts. This innovation would allow
for the linking of the grate plates, thus eliminating any gaps. To aid
with material transport, the fixed grate would be sloped at an
angle of 15° to allow the transport of clinker off of the grate. He
also proposed to duct the cooling fan air through air beams
directly to the grate plates. The fan air could not escape to areas
of low resistance, thus eliminating the need for an undergrate
chamber.

Figure: Potential Air Path in Traditional Grate Cooler

By using grate plates with increased resistance, a stationary grate
section, and air beams to deliver cooling air directly to the grate
plates, Mr. von Wedel was well on his way to solving the problems
of conventional grate coolers. However, the problem with grate
plate wear and thermal damage was still a great obstacle to
overcome this problem invited the help from a Romanian
scientist, Henri Coanda. Coanda discovered that low pressure air
would increase its velocity tremendously if forced into a narrow
slot. The ‘Coanda effect” is what von Wedel used to solve the
plate wear problem. He positioned the slots in his grate plates in a
horizontal direction so that the cooling air would sweep the grate
plate with cold air. The resulting air velocity at the discharge of
the IKN Coanda nozzles is 40 m/s. By this action the plates are
swept of highly abrasive clinker fines, while the fan air keeps the

plate temperature at a minimum. As a result of these application,
IKN promoted the first modern gate plate.
Figure: Potential Air Path in Traditional Grate Cooler

IKN KIDS Installation:
The IKN KIDS is usually installed as a retrofit to an existing cooler.
The Coanda nozzles are bolted together on an air beam to form a
single row of grate plates. The number of rows that are installed
depends on the size of the cooler. On most coolers, six to nine
rows of Coanda nozzles are recommended. The resulting fixed
inlet is created from the grouping of the Coanda nozzle rows. It is
situated in the cooler at an angle of 15° from the horizontal plane
of the cooler so that clinker will flow freely off of the inlet. The
last row of Coanda nozzles is situated at the same inclination as
the first moving row of the conventional grate. This ensures the
continuation of clinker transport to tie reminder of the existing
cooler. In some cases, a step has been created by translating the
fixed inlet section at least a hundred millimeters above the first
conventional moving row of grate plates to aid clinker movement.
A refractory “horseshoe” is poured over the cooler back wall
plates and some of the cooler side wall plates. The refractory
“horseshoe” is thick at the back wall of the cooler and the cooler
side walls gradually taper towards the junction of the fixed inlet
with the existing cooler. Air blasters are strategically placed to
eliminate any build-ups that may occur on stationary, flat surfaces.

Figure: Cross Section Through an IKN Air Beam

Figure: IKN Clinker Inlet Distribution System (KIDS)

With the majority of applications, the Coanda nozzles are aerated
by a single IKN supplied cooling fan. Larger installations require a
second or third cooling fan. The cooling fan air is ducted directly
to each of the Coanda nozzle row air beams. This fan duct
branches into two sections where a splitter damper provides a left
and a right side duct division. This damper controls the cooling fan
air delivered via the duct to either side of the cooler inlet area.
Once the cooling fan air reaches the Coanda nozzle row air beam,
the coding air travels to the individual plates.
Operation of IKN KIDS:
The operation of the IKN KIDS is quite simple. Hot clinker leaves
the kiln and enters the cooler segregated into a fine and coarse
fraction. The refractory “horseshoe” collects the segregated
clinker into a narrow area and aerates it for vertical segregation
before it spreads laterally. If more air is desired for a certain side
of the fixed inlet the splitter damper is adjusted accordingly. In
practice, this damper is rarely moved once the proper adjustment
of air is determined. The cold horizontal air jets strike against the
coarse grained clinker, which has a high cooling requirement, and
move it down the inlet. As a result of the Coanda horizontal air
jets, the fluidizable fines are sifted up to the clinker bed surface
where they transfer their heat to the cooling air. The increased
surface area of clinker that comes in contact with the cooling air
results in higher temperature of secondary air.
The fixed inlet works in conjunction with the existing reciprocating
grate. If the existing grate speed is too fast, the clinker will be
cleared from the KIDS too rapidly, resulting in poor heat
recuperation. Consequently, if the grate speed is too slow the
resulting clinker bed will be too deep. The IKN cooling fan can
have the same effect to clear the fixed inlet section. Therefore,
the IKN cooling air fan and the reciprocating grate speed must be
set in harmony. The second chamber undergrate pressure is
frequently used to control the conventional grate speed. As a
result of the KIDS retrofit, the bed depth of clinker will probably
increase and the grate speed will decrease. In this case, the
remaining cooling air fans may need higher pressure set points to
be able to cope with the deeper clinker bed.
Any non-movable surface is prone to build-ups or ‘snowmen’. If
this happens, the supplied air blasters are fired to remove these
formations off of the grate surface or castable walls. Another
successful technique to remove ‘snowmen’ off of the fixed inlet
requires stopping the IKN cooling air fan for several minutes.
This allows the clinker bed to build up forming a pile. The extra
clinker behind the build-up allows the air blasters more access to
blast the formation off of the fixed inlet. As a precaution, air
blaster can be automated for the cooler with KIDS, on a
continuous timing schedule to clear any potential formations.
Benefits of Installing IKN KIDS:
As a result of installing the IKN KIDS, several process benefits are
apparent. Because the Coanda nozzles shift the fine fraction of
the clinker to the bed surface, higher secondary air temperatures
are achieved. Higher secondary air temperatures result in lower
kiln fuel consumption. IKN in its nearly 100 KIDS installations
worldwide has improved fuel efficiency by 10 to 50 kcal / kg
clinker. The increased thermal efficiency of the cooler results in
less cooling fan air required to cool the clinker to a given cooler
exit temperature. With lower cooling air requirements, the
electrical power consumption of the cooling fans is also reduced.
IKN claims that the specific power consumption of the cooling
fans should be no more than 4 kWh/t clinker. Reduction in cooler
exhaust volumes occurs as a result of lower cooling fan air
required for a given clinker cooler exit temperature. This benefit
results in reduced exhaust emissions to the atmosphere.
Mechanically, the IKN KIDS virtually eliminates cooler stops due to
the prevention of thermal and wear damage on grate plates. The
long service life of the Coanda nozzles can be attributed to the
fact that the grate surface is kept free of fine granules and the
grate “sand blast” effect b avoided. IKN clam that at many sites
there is no single replacement of Coanda Nozzles even after ten
years of operation! Also, the IKN KIDS could reduce maintenance
costs by eliminating the first cooler drive with the fixed inlet in
larger cooler retrofits.
Finally, IKN KIDS has the lowest installed price of all clinker cooler
inlet retrofits offered. The IKN KIDS installation package contains
one cooling fan, whereas other retrofit suppliers offer two to four
fans to aerate the cooler inlet. This package requires no additional
costs for retrofits to moving portions of the existing clinker cooler.
Further, the static inlet minimizes the need for complex control
instrumentation.
Disadvantages of IKN KIDS:
Like any system, the IKN KIDS has its share of shortcomings.
Installation of the static grate must be correct otherwise build-ups
such as “snowmen” are likely to form on the fixed inlet. The
operator may have to rely on air blasters to clear clinker
formations. Because most works automate their air blasters on a
timing cycle, compressed air is wasted when there are no
formations on the fixed inlet. If the air blasters are unsuccessful
with removing build-ups, the static grates may have to be cleared
manually by using high pressure compressed air or water jets. This
is an extremely unsafe practice and should be avoided if possible.
Operating with an increased clinker bed depth may result in
changing the existing fan speeds or spending extra capital to
install new fans capable of higher static pressure. Because the
Coanda nozzles are bolted together to form an air beam row,
changing a Coanda nozzle is very difficult. The “horseshoe”
refractory must be removed from any nozzle that is covered on
the row that is to be replaced. After the nozzle is replaced, the
refractory that was removed must be repoured and cured.
IKN Pendulum Cooler:
Originally, IKN supplied a new clinker cooler order by installing the
KIDS section at the cooler inlet and the remainder of the cooler
with moveable air beams of Coanda nozzles which were mounted
on a conventional reciprocating frame. Exposed to the movement
of this type of frame, IKN personnel noticed that the underside of
their Coanda nozzles was wearing and limiting their life. The plate
wear was caused by the “sinking” of the mobile frame. As the
frame rollers wore down, the frame would become lower and the
grate plates, which originally had a tolerance gap to prevent wear,
began rubbing against overlapping plates. The Coanda jet nozzles
were in danger of becoming a wear item once again.
Arriving at a solution, Mr. von Wedel borrowed the concept for
the IKN pendulum cooler from the Netherlands. Its unique feature
is the oscillating frame, which rests on pendulum beams. The
beams are suspended from long, laminated spring-steel strips so
that they are self-centering as shown in figure below. IKN claims
that the laminated spring steel strips do not lengthen, thus their
frame does not ‘sink.” The spring steel strips are dimensioned so
that the pendulum lift is half of a millimeter in the vertical
direction and the thrust gaps of the Coanda nozzles are set at one
millimeter. The pendulum grate is driven from the end of the
cooler by a single hydraulic cylinder. The grate thrusts are no
longer dependent on a rolling motion, but on the deformation of
the spring steel strips. IKN points to the fact that such moving
parts as rollers, bearings, sliding seals and their associated
lubrication points are eliminated. The undergrate is extended to
include the inclined pendulum housings with a constant initial

pressure. The side gaps are eliminated by making the side plates
structurally part of tie grate rather than the side lining.
Figure: Cross Section Through a Pendulum Gate

Polysius REPOL-RS Cooler
Polysius answer to the problems associated with the conventional
grate coder resulted in the development of the REPOL-RS cooler.
This cooler features Jet Ring plates throughout the entire length
of the cooler. This new cooler plate is a high pressure drop grate
plate with autogenous wear protection. The REPOL-RS cooler is
designed to provide 100% controlled air supply through Jet Ring
aeration (Figure 24). It consists of an inlet section that is mounted
on a slope of 4° from the horizontal plane of the cooler. The
remainder of the cooler is horizontal. This system can be installed
in new Polysius coolers as well as retrofits of Polysius or other
coolers.

Figure: Polysius REPOL-RS Cooler

Jet Ring Plate:
There are two types of Jet Ring plates, as shown in figure. The first
thirteen rows of the cooler are equipped with the high profile (78
mm, 3 inches) “clinker box” Jet Ring plates and are installed at an
inclination of 4°. The remainder of the cooler features the low
profile (55 mm, 2 inches) Jet Ring plates without the “clinker box”.
All Jet Ring plates are constructed from a high grade material
(GX40CrNi). Installation of both types of Jet Ring plates is
extremely easy. They mount on a grate support using a single bolt
fastening system.

Figure: Polysius Jet Ring Plates

Figure: “Clinker Box” Jet Ring Plates

Figure: Jet Ring Plates Without “Clinker Box”

Figure: Single Bolt Fastening System

High pressure fans supply air through connecting sockets in the
grate support. From the, support, the cooling air passes through
the plate via two slightly inclined horizontal gaps. The four
millimeter annular gaps are formed by two covers, which are
welded to the plate by four bolts, inserted into the base body of
the plate. The air velocity through each gap is approximately
45 m/s at an air volume of 600m3/hr/plate. As the air passes
through the ring gaps, it enters into a vertical charnel and flows
against the outside walls of the channel eventually reaching the
depression of the plate. The pressure loss resulting from air
flowing through the plate’s annular gaps is approximately 20 mill
bar at a volume of 600m3/hr/plate. This high plate pressure drop
results in the cooling air being uniformly distributed to all plates
of an aerated zone connected to one supply pipe.

The majority of the Jet Ring plate surface area is recessed. A layer
of clinker remains in the pockets of the Jet Ring plate and acts as
an insulation barrier between the grate plate and the bed of hot
clinker. The lower sections, the ring-shaped channels, and the
plate depressions remain filled with a static layer of clinker.
Because the surface area of the Jet Ring plate that is exposed to
the bed of clinker is minimized, the Jet Ring plate wear that
results from the abrasivity of clinker is reduced. The plate is also
protected from hot clinker because all parts of the plate are
cooled by the passing air. As a result, uniform air distribution is
achieved and 70% of the plate surface is protected from wear and
high temperatures. Uniform cooling of the Jet Ring plate also
helps to prevent cracking due to thermal shock. Both benefits
increase the service life of the plates.

As a result of the longer service life of the plates, the availability
of the cooler is considerably increased.
Aeration and Air supply System:
One advantage of the REPOL-RS cooler is that all grate rows are
directly aerated by air beams. The inlet section of a REPOL-RS
cooler consists of five to thirteen rows of Jet Ring plates. The size
of the cooler inlet area depends on the size of the cooler, the kiln
discharge, or the location of the undergrate partitions in the case
of cooler retrofits. The grate section covered with Jet Ring plates
is divided into aeration zones. Depending on the clinker
distribution at the inlet section, the individual aeration fields can
be separately supplied with air. The number of Jet Ring plates in
each aeration zone (field size) is increased in the conveyance
direction of clinker as shown in figure.
Figure: Jet Ring Aeration Fields

One aeration field consists of at least two and not more than
twelve plates. Two to three plates of each grate plate support are
supplied with air by a flexible metal winding hose (shown in figure
below). In each supply line to the aeration zones, manually
operated throttling valves are installed outside of the cooler to
facilitate the adjustment of air during cooler operation. A pressure
gage is provided for measuring the pressure of each supply line.
Electronic flow meters can be installed in the lines and are
preferred.

Figure: Undergrate Aeration System

The cooler inlet aeration is usually supplied by four fans as shown
in the figure below. The first area has five rows with 100 millibar
and the second with a designed pressure capability of 80 millibar.
A confining air fan is also installed, which provides the
compartment with approximately 80 millibar of pressure. The
confining air quantity should be approximately 10% of the total air
quantity. This fan provides an airstream from the compartment to
the clinker bed which not only reduces the number of grate
riddlings at the front aperture between the moving and fixed
rows, but also provides the thrust faces with additional cooling air.
Due to the existing pressure difference between the compartment
and the flexible feeding hoses, a leak rate of approximately 5% is
common.

Figure: Cooling Air Fan Arrangement

Functional Description of REPOL-RS Cooler:
Polysius designed the REPOL-RS cooler so that the heat
recuperation would be improved by increasing the retention time
of the cooling air in the clinker bed and maximizing the cooler
recuperation zone surface area. The retention time of the cooling
air is optimized by specific air distribution between the individual
air compartments. This Polysius cooler design also allows for the
adjustment of cooling air to a non-uniform clinker bed. Uniform
aeration is achieved by adjusting the cooling fan airflows to the
aeration zones. The uniform aeration of the clinker and the
reduction of cooling fan air bypassing the deep bed of clinker
through areas of low resistance, improves clinker cooling and
results with a high degree of heat recuperation.

After the initial rapid cooling of the clinker, the bed height can be
increased to improve heat recuperation. The height of the REPOL-
RS clinker bed increases in the direction of clinker transport. The
thrusting motion of the grate drive, which starts with the third
row of plates, encourages lateral dispersion of clinker and fills the
voids in the clinker bed. Due to the slightly higher overall height,
as compared with the height of conventional grate plates, the Jet
Ring plates have an inclination of four degrees in the conveying
direction. Due to this inclination, an increasing bed height is
obtained in the conveying direction.
Grate riddlings are reduced because of the closed nature of the
Jet Ring plates and the tight tolerances between the moving and
fixed grate plate rows. The extremely small quantity of riddlings
reduces the frequency of the discharge hopper or chain conveyor
operation and therefore reduces wear.
Technical Advantages of the REPOL-RS Cooler:
The advantages of installing the REPOL-RS cooler are quite
attractive. From a mechanical point of view, the long service life of
the Jet Ring plates decreases the maintenance cost of the cooler
and results in increased cooler availability. Also, the Jet Ring plates
and tight tolerances of the cooler result with less wear of the
riddling transport system. Improved heat recuperation and
reduced specific cooling air quantity, combine to save power,
reduce emissions and increase productivity. In summary, The
REFOL-RS cooler features the following benefits:
Low wear of plates due to optimal cooling of plates.
Autogenous wear protection clinker remains in depressed area
of plate.

Because of individually aerated fields and adjusted air
distribution, no blow through of air preventing “red rivers” and
formation of ‘snowman”.
Due to large surface injection of cooling air in the Jet Ring plates
there is good distribution in the clinker bed with low air velocity.
A high degree of recuperation is obtained due to high clinker
bed height, rapid initial cooling and intense movement of clinker.

FLS/Fuller CFG/RFT Cooler
FLS / Fuller felt that the primary cause of cooler inefficiencies and
operating problems on most traditional reciprocating grate
coolers was due to material segregation at the discharge of the
kiln. They believed that some of these problems could be
minimized by reducing the size of the undergrate compartments,
providing individual cooling fans, and increasing the clinker bed
depth. The FLS / Fuller Controlled Flow Grate (CFG) / Reduced Fall
Through (RFT) cooler was developed jointly by Fuller in the USA
and FLS in Denmark to achieve complete control over airflow and
material through the cooler. The FLS CFG / RFT system is also
commonly known as a Coolax cooler. The FLS / Fuller CFG concept
provides the cooling air directly to the grate plates, virtually
eliminating the need for undergrate compartments as shown in
figure below. The crux of the CFG system is the CFG grate plate.

Figure: FLS/Fuller CFG Section

FLS/Fuller CFG Grate Plates:
CFG plates are constructed from 25/12 stainless steel and are
capable of withstanding high temperatures. There are differences
with the CFG plates that are offered by FLS and Fuller. The FLS CFG
plate does not feature recessed surface areas such as other
modern grate plates; therefore the whole plate is exposed to the
bed of hot clinker as shown in figure. On the other hand, the
Fuller CFG plate is a one piece design which features a recessed
area which holds a static area of clinker, shown below in figure.
This static clinker provides the plate protection from wear and
insulate the plate from the hot bed of clinker. Both CFG plates
feature slots which are angled down to prevent clinker from
entering the air beams. The slots are sized to provide velocities
below those of conventional grate plates.
The plates feature adjacent interlocking plate design which
eliminates clinker from falling through gaps between the plates.
Plates are attached to the air beam by two hex head bolts rather
than the traditional method of using T-bolts, shown below in
figure. CFG coolers are equipped with at least 1/2 width dead
grates between the active grate line and the side frame of the
cooler. The dead grates bridge between stationary rows and are
covered with refractory to provide protection to the cooler side
frame. The dead grates have wear lips cast of 25/12 stainless steel
which can be replaced without replacing the entire dead grate
plate as shown in figure.

Figure: FLS/Fuller CFG Section

1. Sturdy design stainless steel casting with integral bottom is
capable of withstanding high temperatures and loads without
danger of warpage or cracking.
2. Narrow slots perpendicular to the material flow assure even
air distribution across the plate and through the clinker.
3. Interlocking design virtually prevents clinker from falling
between grate plates.
4. Three-point mounting system consists of two standard hex
head bolts which are attached to nuts welded into the bottom
surface of the grate plate and a standard hex bolt-nut
connection at the rear of the grate.

Figure: Fuller CFG Plate

Alternate grate design shares many key features of the CFG grate
but uses slightly different philosophy for air distribution.
1. Similar casting design is one piece with integral bottom.
2. Recessed area on the upper surface of the grate holds a static
bed of material and provides a “clinker-on-clinker” transport
area which reduces wear.
3. “Air distribution channels” in the recessed area of the grate
pass cooling air through slots and into the static bed of
material. The slots in this channel are angled downward to
prevent clinker from entering the air plenum of the grate
plate. The length of the slots increases toward the leading
edge of the grate in order to provide uniform airflow along the
entire length of the grate.

4. Same interlocking design feature as Controlled Flow Grate
plate.
5. Same three-point mounting system as Controlled Flow Grate
plate.

Figure: CFG Plate Attachments to Air Beam

Figure: CFG System Dead Grate Plates and Replaceable Lips

Aeration and Air Supply System: Like other high efficiency grate
systems, high pressure fans supply air to the grates through a
system of ducts which are connected to distribution manifolds as
shown in figure below. Distribution lines for pipes branch from the
manifolds and are equipped with dampers or valves to control the
amount of air to each zone. The distribution lines are fed to the
air beams which also act as grate supports as shown in figure
below. On moveable rows with the Fuller CFG system, flexible
hoses are used to convey air from the distribution lines to the
moveable air beams as shown in figure below. The design is a
double walled corrugated stainless steel bellows which is
mounted vertically. According to FLS / Fuller, the expected lifetime
of this flexible connection is a year. The FLS CFG moveable rows
utilize mechanical joints Instead of flexible hoses.

Ultimately, the grate plates are sealed to the air beams. By
supplying air in this manner, air is not lost by leakage and has a
better chance to pass to the clinker bed.
Figure: Typical CFG Cross Section

In this figure, a typical cross section of a CFG retrofit, ducting (1)
conveys air to manifolds (2).The manifolds feed distribution lines
(3) are equipped with control valves (4). The moveable row
manifolds convey air through flexible connections (5). In this
particular case, the moveable frame (6) is enclosed and used as an
air manifold for one side of the cooler. On the opposite side, the
distribution lines are connected directly to the grate supports (7).
The stationary manifolds feed through the side frame channels
directly into the ends of the grate supports.

Figure: FLS CFG System grate Arrangement

Figure: Fuller CFG Flexible Hose Connection

The numbers of fan for CFG system is determined by the size of
the cooler. Generally, new installations have two fans which are
used to supply air to the first 11 rows of grates. Two additional
fans supply air to the next 12 rows of grates. Cooling fans used
with the CFG installation require higher static pressure than those
used on conventional coolers. The high pressure drop caused by
the CFG plate ensures that the air is evenly distributed and is less
affected by differences in the size, temperature, or depth of the
material being cooled. The additional installed power from using
more cooling fans is usually compensated for by the reduction of
overall cooling volume. The use of more fans for each side of the
cooler allows more precise control over air distribution and is
more efficient than using a single large fan with extensive
ductwork and dampers to control distribution as shown in figure
below.
The FLS/Fuller CFG system uses an additional fan as a
pressurization fan to provide air to the undergrate compartment.
Its purpose is to prevent cooling air from bypassing the clinker
bed and leaking into the undergrate area between the rows. It
also helps to reduce material spillage even further and reduce
wear in the grate overlap area.

Figure: Grate Layout CFG/RFT

FLS/Fuller RFT Grate Plate:
The RFT grate plate is used in the cooling zone after the CFG
section. It may be retrofitted to an existing cooler without a CFG
section. The plate is similar in appearance to the Fuller CFG grate
but features an open bottom because it is chamber aerated like a
conventional grate plate as shown in figure below. The RFT plate
has the recessed design of the Fuller CFG plate which promotes
long wear life and grate protection from hot clinker. The lifetime
of these grate plates are expected to be twice the life of standard
grate plates. The pocket design has the effect of reducing material
spillage. FLS/Fuller claims that some installations have reduced
their spillage gate frequency by 90%.

These plates will fit most FLS/Fuller coolers. For other coolers, it
may be required to replace the support beams. The RFT plate can
be supplied to retrofits with the standard T-bolt and finger design
or new with no finger and the two hex bolt connections similar to
the CFG plate. However, the RFT plates do not feature the
interlocking design of the CFG system.

Figure: FLS/Fuller RFT Plate

Other FLS/Fuller Peculiarities:
Dead grates were introduced as a way of decreasing the active
width of the cooler for increased thermal efficiency and to
provide protection to the side frame of the cooler. All new
FLS/Fuller coolers are built with one grate wider than the
maximum required active width so that there is room for at least a
½ width dead grate on each active grate line. FLS/Fuller has
developed a replaceable lip so that the dead grate is mounted
permanently to the cooler and the replaceable lip bolts to the
dead grate, as shown in figure. Because of it’s through bolt design,
the replaceable lip maybe changed without removing castable
and the dead plate. Dead grates with replaceable lips are available
for most coolers as replacements for standard dead grates.

Figure: Dead Grate and Replaceable Lip

Another evolution in cooler design from FLS/Fuller is the use of
the replaceable, adjustable pusher. FLS/Fuller installs this device
because the first row of their cooler is moveable. Older models of
FLS/Fuller coolers used “pushers” but these devices were subject
to wear and were seldomly replaced because of the need to
remove a significant amount of castable as shown in figure below.
This situation resulted in significant losses in efficiency and
increased spillage of material to the undergrate compartment.
The improved pusher design is bolted to the brick shelf bracket
which is attached permanently to the cooler as shown in figure
below. Space is allowed in the bracket to place shims so that gap
tolerances may be adjusted. When the pusher has worn past the
point of correction, its design allows it to be flipped so that the
other side may be used.

Figure: Old Design “Pusher”

Figure: New Design “Pusher

FLS / Fuller CFG Application:
Although developed for a new cooler, a CFG section may be
retrofitted to most existing coolers. If the cooler is not
manufactured by FLS/Fuller, it is required that the grate drive and
support components be replaced. FLS/Fuller states that the usual
shutdown time for installation is three to six weeks. During this
outage period, the remainder of the cooler should be overhauled
to ensure the maximum benefit from the conversion. This
includes underrate compartment seals, the possibility of replacing
the existing cooling fans, and refurbishing or replacing the internal
spillage conveyors.
FLS/Fuller claims that a new installation can save fuel by 40-50
kcal / kg clinker. If all of the recuperation air is supplied by the CFG
system, it is possible to have a cooler loading of 50 – 60 TPD/m2.
Cooling air required for a clinker outlet temperature of 65oC
above ambient is 2.4 kg air / kg clinker. FLS/Fuller also notes that
the return time on investment decreases as the size of the CFG
system increases.

Claudius Peters (CPAG) Mulden Plate Coolers
Claudius Peters (CPAG) entered into the new generation cooler
market by introducing the Mulden grate plate to their successful
cooler designs of the past. CPAG coolers have been installed for
capacities of 1500to 10000 TPD. The first grate of any modern
CPAG cooler is installed on an inclination of 3o from the horizontal
plane of the cooler. Other coolers offered for larger applications
such as the Combi-cooler and the Combi-stage cooler have one to
three horizontal grates following the first grate. CPAG also has a
retrofit package called the High Efficiency (HE) module that can be
adapted to most existing grate coolers. The CPAG ”G” cooler is a
unique cooler system in that it is virtually dust free. Its major use
is for cement plants that are being upgraded.

Figure: CPAG Mulden Grate Plate

The Mulden Grate Plate:
Mulden grate plates are featured throughout every CPAG modern
grate cooler. These grate plates are high pressure drop plates that
control airflow to the overhead bed of clinker. It may be mounted
for duty as part of a directly aerated row of plates at the
recuperation zone of the cooler or a chamber aerated grate
section at the cold end of the cooler. High pressure cooling fans
convey air into the grate through a channel that runs down the
middle of the plate. The air is forced downward through a gap into
the plate discharge, which is a recessed area of the grate plate.
According to CPAG, air flows through the plate gaps at 32 m/s and
exits the plate at 4.4 m/s. The low exit velocity of the air leaving
the plate allows for good mixing of the cooling air with the hot
clinker.
The sides of this plate also channel cooling air to the plate
discharge. As it leaves the plate gap, the downward motion of the
airstream also prevents clinker fines from falling through the
plates. The surfaces of these plates have four small pockets which
retain a static bed of clinker. This bed of clinker protects the plate
from abrasive wear and hot clinker. These Mulden plates can last
up to three times longer than conventional grate plates.

Figure: Airflow Through Mulden Grate Plate

Aeration System:
The Mulden plate aeration system comprises high pressure
cooling air fans which are required to overcome the high pressure
drop of the installed grate plates. The number of cooling air fans
depends on the size of the cooler. Three to five rows of stationary
Mulden plates are fitted at the cooler inlet. These rows build a
pile of clinker so that it may be evenly distributed by the pulsation
system. CPAG installs this pulsation system for two reasons. First,
it distributes and levels the clinker in the discharge area of the
kiln. Also, it prevents “snowman” formation if the kiln tends to
produce sticky clinker. A pulsation control system can set pulsation
timing depending on the operating characteristics of the kiln.
After the pulsation system has flattened and distributed the
clinker bed, the clinker moves to the reciprocating grate section.
Each plate row in the recuperation zone is individually supplied
with air through the usage of hollow air beams. Moveable and
fixed rows alike receive cooling fan air from a common cross air
beam as shown in figure below. On moveable air beams, a leaf
spring seal is used to prevent air from leaking out of the air
beams. This seal eliminates the need for hoses and flexible pipes,
however flexible hoses are used on cooler retrofits. Adjustable
dampers are placed on stationary rows on the outer sides of the
fan discharge points to the air beams. These dampers will enable
the cooler operator to evenly distribute the total amount of
cooling air to the clinker bed. CPAG states that direct aeration of
all Mulden plate rows throughout the cooler is not advisable
because of increased power consumption. Therefore, their
practice is to use directly aerated plates at the recuperation zone

of the cooler and midway down the cooler and to use chamber
aerated Mulden plates for the remainder of the cooler. The
chamber aerated Mulden plates feature an adjacent interlocking
system that reduces the amount of riddlings falling through the
plate and virtually eliminates cooling air from bypassing the plate,
as shown in figure.

Figure: Cross Air Beam

Figure: Leaf Spring Seal on Moveable Beam

Figure: Interlocking Chamber Aerated Mulden Plate

Single Grate CPAG Mulden Plate Cooler:
The smallest and most basic modern grate cooler that CPAG offers
is the single grate Mulden plate cooler. The entire grate is on an
incline of 3o from the horizontal plane of the cooler. It is offered
for capacities of up to 1,500 TPD. This size of cooler has three
stationary rows at the cooler inlet. The reciprocating action of the
cooler is accomplished by a hydraulic drive. The single grate CPAG
Mulden plate cooler usually has four undergrate chambers of
which three are entirely supplied with directly aerated Mulden
grate plates. Cooled clinker encounters either a roller breaker or a
hammer breaker which reduces the clinker to an appropriate size.

Figure: Single Grate Cooler with Mulden Plate

Figure: CPAG Roller Crusher

Other Mulden Plate Cooler Design:
There are other variations of modem cooler which are offered by
CPAG for larger cooling capacities. Two other designs are the
Combi-cooler and the Combi-stage cooler. Both of these modules
are available for capacities of 1,500 to 10,000 TPD. A cooler
retrofit package from CPAG called the High Efficiency (HE) module
is also available for existing cooler upgrades using the Mulden
plate technology. The newer versions of the CPAG “G” cooler
system use Mulden plates for their recuperator grate.
Combi-cooler:
The CPAG Combi-cooler is appropriately named because it is a
combination of the basic single inclined grate of 3° and one to
three horizontal grates, as shown in figure. The grates are sized
according to the capacity of clinker to be cooled.
Figure: CPAG Combi Cooler

To achieve optimum bed height, the grate speed of each grate is
individually controlled. This cooler may have a roller breaker or a
hammer breaker installed as a clinker breaker at the end of the
cooler. The advantage of this design is that it requires less height
than the CPAG combi-stage cooler.
Combi-stage Cooler:
The CPAG Combi-stage cooler is unique in that it incorporates the
clinker comminution by a roller breaker installed behind the
inclined or the first horizontal grate as shown in figure below. This
design must use a roller breaker due to the high temperature of
the clinker at the point of the breaker installation. It is claimed
that this design allows for the best final compartment cooling of
clinker because the roller breaker reduces the clinker to a uniform
size. One advantage of installing this design is that the smallest
size grate system is possible. Another advantage of this system is
that the roller breaker generates very little dust. A major
disadvantage of this module is that it requires generous overhead
spacing or additional civil work to install the lower section of the
cooler. There is at least a one meter drop from the grate before
the roller breaker to the subsequent grate.

Figure: CPAG Combi-Stage Cooler

High Efficiency (HE) Module:
The CPAG HE module was designed to upgrade existing cooler
recuperation zones by using Mulden plate technology, shown in
below figure. The system is a essentially a fixed inlet grouping of
directly aerated Mulden plate rows that are installed at a slope of
around 14° from the horizontal reference of the cooler. The
number of installed Mulden plate rows depends on the size of the
recuperation zone of the cooler. The HE module is situated so that
a step is created from the end of the module to the first moving
row of the existing cooler. This step aids the transportation of
clinker to the existing reciprocating grate. Cooling air is usually
supplied by one fan with pulsation control.

Figure: CPAG HE Module

Claudius Peters “G” System:
The Claudius Peters “G” cooler system was developed with the
intention of retaining all the benefits of a grate and eliminating
the problems associated with the exhaust air. The system consists
of two portions. A grate cooler, called the recuperator section, is
sized to provide sufficient secondary air to the kiln. The clinker
leaves this grate at about 450-500°C. The higher clinker outlet
temperature at the discharge of the recuperator requires the use
of a roller crusher to reduce the oversized clinker before being
cooled to below 100°C in the after cooler. There is no direct
contact between the clinker and the cooling air in the after cooler,
therefore no dedusting equipment is required.
The cooler combination is shown in figure below. The after cooler
is kept filled with clinker by a drag chain which distributes the
material on top. A series of undercut gates at the bottom
undertake the discharge. Transport of the clinker through the
after cooler is by gravity - hence the name “G” cooler. The gates
are controlled by a level indicator.
The after cooler consists of a number of identical compartments
each equipped with numerous transverse lens shaped charnels for
the passage of air. Each column of compartments is supplied with
cooling air by an axial fan. The airflow through each column
follows a zigzag path as shown.
Large clinker lumps are prevented from entry by grizzly bars at the
top and retention time of the clinker within the cooler is two to
three hours, giving a speed of 2-3 cm/min. The long retention
time gives good heat transfer and low wear rates. A column
normally consists of 5 compartments with clinker cooling from
450 to 100°C. The cooling air leaves the top at approximately
120°C.
The “G” cooler has its major use when cement plants are
upgraded. If the capacity of the existing cooler is considerably
exceeded, the “G’ cooler can boost the cooling capacity whether
the existing unit is a grate, planetary, or rotary cooler.
The advantage that can be gained from this type of secondary
cooler is that water can be used instead of air as the cooling
medium. The greater specific heat capacity will reduce the size of
the unit and warm water may be used for other processes.

Figure: CPAG “G” Cooler System

Benefits of Mulden Plate Technology:
The benefits of installing a Mulden plate cooler or retrofit are
numerous for achieving a stable kiln/cooler operation. In
comparison with conventional grate coolers, the Mulden plate
system offers an increase in cooler efficiency of up to 10%.
Because the cooling fan air is distributed where it is needed by
the air beams and dampers, a significant decrease in the specific
fan air loading and fan power consumption is possible. Also, the
Mulden plates allow air to enter the clinker bed at a low velocity
so that there is a reduced tendency to form “red rivers.” The
thermal and wear protection design of the Mulden plate allows as
much as three times longer grate plate service life over
conventional grate plates. Also the Mulden plates are guaranteed
from one to two years of continuous operation on moving rows of
plates. Finally, the Mulden plate is designed to discourage
riddlings from falling through the plate to the undergrate
collection and transportation equipment.

KHD PYROSTEP COOLER
The KHD PYROSTEP cooler is similar to the previous coolers that
have been analyzed in that it uses a cooling air supply that is
directly fed to rows of plates by a manifold system. What
differentiates this cooler design from others is the fact that the
PYROSTEP cooler utilizes as many as three different types of grate
plates as shown in figure below. The PYROSTEP cooler features a
15° to 20° inclined fixed stepped grate at the cooler inlet and a
moveable grate inclining at an angle of 3.5° from the horizontal
plane of the cooler. The PYROSTEP cooler many be supplied as a
new cooler design for capacities ranging from 650 to 11,200 TPD
or the step grate can be retrofitted to upgrade an existing cooler.
KHD has just recently marketed this new generation cooler. A
number of PYROSTEP coolers have been sold, the first of which
started in late 1993.

Figure: Three Types of KHD PYROSTEP Cooler

The New PYROSTEP Grate Plates:
KHD felt that the cooling regime in their grate cooler required
different grate plates. The PYROSTEP cooler features up to three
different types of grate plates. At the inlet of the cooler, a
stationary step grate with horizontal air outlets is installed. In the
transition from the fixed grate to the beginning of the moveable
grate section, the new “OMEGA” grate plate is installed. Finally,
the remainder of the moveable grate can be outfitted with
conventional grate plates.
The Stationary Stepped Grate Plate:
This grate plate consists of several fins that gently slope upwards
at the discharge of the plate as shown in figure below. These fins
are situated to form gaps at a predetermined distance and are
welded to the frame of the grate plate. A plate is fastened to its
air beam by means of two T-screws. The major difference
between this plate and former KHD grate plates is that the plate
resistance has been increased so that the resistance effect of the
clinker bed is relatively small in comparison. Another fundamental
change is that the stepped grate plates feature horizontal air
discharge. By replacing the conventional idea of vertical airflow
with horizontal air discharge, KHD claims that this grate plate
features better control of cooling airflow through the clinker bed.
Spouting of cooling air through the clinker bed is virtually
eliminated and the residence time of the air with the clinker bed
is increased. The airflow through this plate moves clinker fines
away from the plate surface and transports them to the top of the
clinker bed which results in high secondary air temperatures. The
horizontal airflow also protects the plates from high temperatures
and wear, resulting in increased plate life.
Figure: KHD Stepped Grate Plate

Figure: Air Control Through Stepped Grate Plate

The “Omega” Plate:
The beginning of the reciprocating portion of the PYROSTEP
cooler features the new “OMEGA” grate plates. This grate plate is
a high resistance plate which nullifies the resistance of the clinker
bed. It may be mounted for duty as part of a chamber aerated
grate section or used as a part of a directly aerated row of plates,
as shown in figures below. The plate is appropriately named
because the centre of the plate contains an air channel which is
shaped like the Greek letter “Q”. The sides of this plate also
channel cooling air to the plate outlet. Like the stepped grate
plates, the “Omega” plates force cooling air through a horizontal
path to the plate outlet. The dispersed airstream flows through
the clinker bed improving cooling efficiency and preventing the air
from forming a “spouting” effect on the bed surface.
The horizontally oriented air outlets also prevent clinker fines
from falling through the plates. The surfaces of these plates have
four small pockets which retain a static bed of clinker. This bed of
clinker protects the plate from abrasive wear and hot clinker. The
lip of the “Omega” plate is also cooled with air in order to extend
its service life.

Figure: Chamber Aerated “Omega” Grate Plate

Figure: Direct Aerated “Omega” Grate Plate

Figure: Cross Section of “Omega” Grate Plate

Aeration System:
The aeration system comprises high pressure cooling air fans
which are required to overcome the high pressure drop of the
installed grate plates. Cooling air fans capable of around
1000 mmWG are used for the pulsation system. The number of
cooling air fans depends on the size of the cooler. Each plate row
is individually supplied with air through the usage of box girders.
The girders channel the cooling fan air supply to the individual
grate plates. A wear resistant external telescopic seal makes it
possible to supply cooling air to moving rows using rigid pipes.
This seal eliminates the need for hoses and flexible pipes.

Zones of the PYROSTEP Cooler:
The PYROSTEP cooler has several different zones which require
different aeration characteristics as shown in figure below. In the
first four zones, each row is individually supplied with a variable
volume of cooling air. The size and construction of Zones 1
through 4 are designed in accordance with the cooler throughput
and recuperation of airflow. PYROSTEP coolers of smaller
throughput are equipped with one stepped grate and five rows of
“Omega” plates. Typically, PYROSTEP coolers feature only these
ten rows as being directly aerated. With large capacity coolers,
the stepped grate and “Omega” plate sections are duplicated
behind Zones 1 and 2 to form Zones 3 and 4.

Figure: KHD PYROSTEP Cooler Zones

Zones 1 and 3:
Zone 1 and Zone 3, on larger coolers; consist of a stepped grate
section. These sections have five stationary rows of stepped grate
plates arranged at an angle of approximately 15° to 20° from the
horizontal plane of the cooler. By utilizing a stationary grate
section, part of the reciprocating frame is replaced. This system
features air pulsation which can be provided alternatively to plate
rows 1+3+5 and 2+4, shown in figure below. In Zone 1, blank
plates may be used on the outer rows to aid with clinker
dispersion. Because this grate section is stationary, a static layer of
clinker is encouraged to form on top of this section. External air
blasters maybe installed to aid with extreme clinker build up in
this zone.

Figure: Pulsation and Aeration System for KHD PYROSTEP Cooler

Figure: Overview of PYROSTEP Cooler

Zones 2 and 4:
Zone 2 and Zone 4, on larger coolers; feature directly aerated
“Omega” grate plates on a reciprocating grate section. The length
of these zones depends on the process requirements and the
capacity of the cooler. Zone 2 is installed at a slight upward incline
so that a deeper bed of clinker is formed over the “Omega” grates
for better heat recuperation into the kiln. In the case of smaller
coolers, Zone 2 is immediately followed by Zone 5.
Zone 5:
Zone 5 is the final area of the PYROSTEP cooler. It features either
“Omega” grate plates or conventional grate plates on a
reciprocating grate section. All plates in this zone are chamber
aerated.

The gaps between the plates have been narrowed to reduce the
amount of clinker falling through to the undergrate chamber.
Merits of Installing the PYROSTEP Cooler:
AS a result of installing the PYROSTEP cooler system, KHD
promotes several process benefits. The stepped grate section
optimizes heat transfer between the cooling air and the bed of
hot clinker. KHD claims that improvements of up to 5% can be
expected over conventional grate coolers and thermal efficiencies
of 70 to 76% are possible depending on the type of kiln system.
This increase in thermal efficiency results in reduced heat
consumption for the kiln process. The increased thermal
efficiency of the cooler results in less cooling fan air required to
cool the clinker to a given cooler exit temperature.

KHD claims that a typical clinker discharge temperature from a
PYROSTEP cooler is 65°C above ambient. Reduction in cooler
exhaust volumes occurs as a result of lower cooling fan air. This
benefit results in reduced exhaust emissions to the atmosphere.
Also, higher specific grate loading of this cooler is possible. KHD
quotes grate loadings of 40 to 55 TPD/m2.
Mechanically, the stepped grate plates and “Omega” plates
virtually eliminate grate plate thermal and wear damage. The long
service life of these plates results in lower maintenance costs.
These plates also contribute to reduced maintenance costs by
reducing the amount of riddlings to the undergrate transport
equipment.

FLS – SF CROSS – BAR COOLERS

Introduction:
The SF (Smidth – Fuller) Cross-Bar Cooler is the result of a major
and intensive development effort. It is well known that the
performance of a traditional cooler depends upon the mechanical
condition of the grate line. The overall aim has been to develop a
cooler where the conveying and air distribution systems are
separate, sealing air is eliminated and the distribution of air is
optimized for all modes of operation. At the same time, the cooler
should be easy and quick to install, while attaining maximum
availability and minimum maintenance. The SF Cross-Bar Cooler
has achieved all these goals by means of the following innovative
features: Cross-bars as conveying device, a stationary air
distribution system with mechanical flow regulators (MFR) for
each grate plate and a modular design.
Figure: Grate Plate Arrangement of Cross Bar Cooler

The cross-bars are held in position by retainer brackets. All wear
parts are easy to install and replace.
Mechanical Flow Regulators and Air Distribution Plates:
Mechanical Flow Regulators:
In the SF Cross-Bar Cooler each air distribution plate is equipped
with a Mechanical Flow Regulator (MFR) which regulates the air-
flow to each plate via a self-adjusting orifice. The MFR maintains a
constant air flow through the air distribution plate and clinker
bed, irrespective of clinker bed height, particle size distribution,
temperature, etc. If for some reason the restriction of air-flow
through the clinker layer changes locally, the MFR automatically
compensates for the variations in restriction and maintains the
desired airflow. The MFR working principle is entirely based on
simple physical laws without any electrical controls.
The MFR prevents the cooling air from taking the “path of least
restriction”. This helps to optimize heat recuperation and
distribution of air throughout the entire grate cooler, which in
turn allows fuel savings and/or an increase in throughput.
Air distribution plate:
The air distribution plates of the SF Cross-Bar Cooler are
characterized by low pressure drop. The MFR system adds little to
the pressure drop during normal operation, due to the large
orifice area. So the undergrate pressure is considerably lower than
in traditional coolers, which in turn saves electrical energy. Air is
supplied from one fan to each undergrate compartment,
established when fitting the modules side by side together. The SF
Cross-Bar Cooler has no internal ducting within the undergrate
compartments. The protective layer of static clinker between the
cross-bars and the air distribution plates prevents wear of the air
distribution plates.
Modular concept:
The entire SF Cross-Bar Cooler is constructed as a modular system
with a fixed inlet module followed by standard modules (1.3m
wide x 4.2 m long or 4 x 14 air distribution plates). The standard
modules are pre-assembled in the workshop to ensure high
quality and swift and easy installation. Each module includes a
movable frame activated by a hydraulic cylinder. The movable
frame is guided by four linear guide bearings and has two drive
plates. The drive plate penetrates the grate line via two slots,
which extend throughout the entire module length. On top of the
drive plates a patented sealing profile forms a dust trap,
preventing clinker from entering the undergrate compartment
and, consequently, eliminating the need for a dust spillage
conveyor. The sealing profiles extend throughout the entire cooler
length.
Innovative features:
Cross-bars, separate clinker conveying device.
The SF Cross-Bar Cooler has no movable grate plates.
There is no fall-through of clinker and no undergrate clinker
conveying system is required.
A static layer of clinker protects the air distribution plates
against heat and wear, so the plates will remain in service for a
long time.
Reciprocating cross-bars fitted above the stationary air
distribution system effectively convey, mix and shear the clinker
while at the same time preparing the clinker for efficient exposure
to the cooling air.
The cross-bars work according to the same principle as
reciprocating cooler grates, but gradual wear of the cross-bars has
no effect on cooler operation and thermal efficiency, as the
conveying and air distribution systems are separate.
High thermal efficiency.
High secondary and tertiary air temperature.
Stationary air distribution plates.
Clinker conveying and air distribution systems are separated.
No sealing air.
Air distribution plates with mechanical flow regulators (MFR).
Reduced electrical power consumption.
No thermal expansion of grate line.
Long service life of air distribution plates.
No fall-through of clinker.
No undergrate clinker conveying system.
Easy operation.
Easy maintenance.
Easy installation.
Modular design.

KHD PYROFLOOR COOLERS

Introduction:
KHD Humboldt Wedag developed a new cooler called PYROFLOOR
to provide the most advanced technology for clinker cooling and
conveying. This cooler was designed to specifically meet the
following requirements of the client:
Lowest possible operation costs.
Highest possible performance availability.
Suitability for retrofitting.
To achieve this, a system was needed which should be modularly
flexible yet sturdy, fulfilling process optimization needs provide
minimum wear without using heavy cast alloy parts.

Basis of Cooler:
The key to success was to identify the two basic tasks of a clinker
cooler and to properly address those in mechanical design. The
new cooler combines the best solutions for each of these two
fundamental, mutually interacting functions a clinker cooler has
to accomplish, explained below:
Clinker Conveying – Based on ‘Walking Floor’ principle.
Clinker Aeration – Controlled by self regulating valves.
The PYROFLOOR is the only cooler that comprises a walking floor
bottom (for efficient, low wear conveying) in combination with
self operating flow regulators (for efficient aeration). The walking
floor principle itself was developed more than 60 years ago and
has proven its reliability in numerous bulk conveying applications.

The principle embodiment consists of several lanes, arranged next
to each other alongside the direction of the clinker transport. On
top of the lanes, the PYROFLOOR is equipped with aeration
cassettes, which generate an independent aeration zone of only
0.4 m2 each. Connected to each aeration cassette is one flow
regulator. The flow regulators supply the amount of cooling air
which is needed to any particular spot on the grate.
These lanes are pushed forward simultaneously and retracted in
such a pattern, so that no adjacent lanes move at the same time,
as shown in figures below. The impulse transmission into the
clinker layer during retracting tears off and the clinker bed
behaves like a solid body, which is held in place by the majority of
the non-moving lanes.

Figure: View of the Grate of the PYROFLOOR Cooler

Figure: Walking Floor Motion Pattern
Colour indicates pairs of lanes retracted simultaneously.

The transport characteristics of the new floor have been studied
in comprehensive model calculations, utilizing Discrete Elements
Modelling (DEM). This approach is based on the calculation of a
multitude of individually interacting particles. The conveying
effects of this transportation system are shown in figure below.
The colours indicate direction and velocity of every individual
particle. All the particles carry properties of clinker nodules in
terms of size distribution, specific weight, surface characteristics
and friction. The simulation calculates the mutual interaction of
all the particles and proves the suitability of this concept for the
cooler application, expressed by the following:
High conveying efficiency.
Maintaining a passive layer on the surface, providing an
autogenous wear protection for the metal surface, as there is no
relative movement of particles against the floor.
Less vertical movement and layer intermixing effects compared
to a conventional reciprocating grate cooler, providing the best
conditions for the generation of temperature gradients over the
bed height for highest heat transfer.
Apart from the pure conveying applications of the walking floor
idea, there have also been numerous aerated modifications and
the new concept results from a combination of several
components, which guarantee the following characteristics:

Figure: Walking Floor Transport Simulation
Motion pattern at the beginning of the forward stroke:

Walking floor-bottom and aeration cassette:
For the application of the walking floor principle in a clinker
cooler, the design has to be engineered as an aeration floor. To
meet the requirements of low wear rates, the floor bottom has
been designed as a cassette type as shown in figures below. The
basic concept incorporates the formation of a layer of stationary
clinker, remaining on the cassette at all times, serving two
objectives:
To provide an autogenous wear protection.
To use the stationary clinker layer as a distributor sieve for
homogenous air distribution.

Figure: Aeration Cassette Design

Figure: Aeration Cassette Design

At the function joint between clinker transport and layer aeration,
the cassette design prevents any relative movement between
clinker particles and metallic surface. There is no pushing surfaces
perpendicular to the clinker movement, which would subject to
wear. In fact, a wedge formed layer of stationary clinker always
remains on top of the cassette during forward stroke and
backward retraction of the lanes. The gross transport of clinker is
created in those layers of the clinker bed adjacent and above the
passive cushion.

Contact Seals:
The PYROFLOOR cooler utilizes newly design contact seals at all
those places where air could otherwise stray through labyrinth
gaps, as shown in figures below. With this technology, no air can
enter through gaps where it should not pass, nor can clinker
penetrate areas between the cassettes and fall into under grate
compartment. The functioning of all sealings is secured
irrespective of any thermal and operational aspects.

Figure: New Lateral Sealing Design

Figure: New Lateral Sealing Design

Flow Regulators:
A new type of flow regulators has been developed for the
application in movable system. Unlike other types of flow
regulators, this design keeps the air flow constant irrespective of
any influence of mass inertia. The principal set up comprises a
central shaft which allows a spring loaded plate to travel up and
down with in a cylindrical tube. The tube has openings of a certain
size and shape, so that the available cross-section for the in
rushing air changes with the plate position. As a reaction to
changing pressure differentials across the flow regulator the
spring loaded plate takes an equilibrium position at a certain
height within the cylinder. This position corresponds to a well
defined opening in the cylinder shell. Hence, an increase of
pressure drop above the flow regulator (within the clinker layer)
will increase the cross section for the incoming cooling air, thus
decreasing the pressure loss of this flow. Finally, the pressure drop
changes become exactly counter balanced, so that the total
pressure drop for the complete system comprising flow
regulators, cassette and clinker layer remains constant and so
does the air flow. By adapting certain parameters such as spring
force, plate diameter and design, as well as the shape of the
cylinder openings, specific response characteristics of the flow
regulator can be designed.

Figure: New Design Flow Regulator

The working range of this type is determined by the travelling
plate position of almost 200 mm. As the undergrate pressure
increases from 10 to 40 mbars, the plate travels upwards for
almost 200 mm. As a consequence, the volume flow through the
regulator is kept constant at 2000 m3/h. In a contrast to that, the
volume flow through a cassette, which is not equipped with a flow
regulator, rises from 1300 m3/h to 2300 m3/h. The same
constancy of volume flow is kept when pressure loss of the layer is
changed while the undergrate pressure is kept constant.

To create optimal heat transfer conditions and the best operation
results, not only a constant amount of air is required, but also a
suitable distribution of the cooling air across the grate is also
required. The amount of cooling air supplied locally to a certain
region of the grate must match the energy load of clinker on the
spot of the grate, i.e. the more clinker there is and the hotter that
clinker is, the more cooling air must be supplied to that grate area.
As the 3D energy load constitutes a typical exaggerated pile
shape, the aeration must also follow this shape to provide ideal
heat transfer conditions and a balanced ratio of heat capacities.
By implementing the flow regulators of different flow rates in the
first four compartments, the air distribution can be arranged as
shown below and figure after shows the characteristic behaviour
of the flow regulator:

Figure: New Controlled Aeration Concept

Figure: Flow Regulator Characteristics for
New Aeration Concept

Physical Aspects:
Due to the contact seals and the fact that there are no elements
passing through the grate surface, there is no possibility for finer
clinker to fall down below the aeration surface. Hence, any
spillage provisions such as hoppers or drainage are no longer
necessary. Also, the height requirement is significantly reduced in
favour of the height level of complete kiln line.
New Modular Approach:
To provide optimal flexibility for any given project specifics, the
individual parts of the modules are highly standardized and can be
assembled alongside each other without almost any restriction.
From these components, any desired grate geometry can be
achieved by suitably combining those standardized modules. With
the PYROFLOOR cooler, the possible modularity has been
improved further and now relates to the smaller units rather than
to ready mounted sub units. This allows higher flexibility and
consequently, predefined ‘preferation series’ no longer play an
important role as any cooler, as far as the grate related parts are
concerned, can specifically be assembled from the modules to
optimally fulfill any project specific requirement. This concept is
even valuable for retrofit projects, since any grate dimension can
be achieved. Furthermore, the modular substructure of the grate
is basically independent of the lower housing structure which
facilitates the reuse of existing housing.
Heat Balance and Efficiency:
The combination of walking floor conveying and flow regulated
aeration provides the best conditions for a high heat transfer from
the clinker bed into the air. The motion pattern of the clinker is
characterized by the absence of any stirring effect, often seen
with conventional grate coolers and new models that feature
conveying elements within the clinker layer. In an unstirred clinker
layer, the temperature gradients of clinker and air can be formed
most intensely, leading to air of the highest possible temperature
exiting the layer. The major deficiency of conventional coolers in
terms of aeration, blow-throughs and fountains are prevented by
the flow regulators, which supply exactly the correct amount of
air to the cassettes. As there is one flow regulator for each
cassette, representing approximately an area of 4 ft, with in the
recuperation zone, an aeration system is created, that combines
the benefit of a finely tuned direct aeration with a built-in safety
against fountaining.

A recuperation efficiency of 70 – 80%can be expected regardless
of well known inherent process disturbances, because the flow
regulators ensures optimal aeration at all times and the system’s
efficiency is not affected by any wear.
Instruments and Control:
With the application of the walking floor principle, the
possibilities for active control of the cooler operation are
significantly increased. By running the lateral lanes slower than
those in centre, the distribution of clinker to the lateral sides can
be facilitated. Red rivers can be dealt with by using a suitable
operation mode. In order to benefit from these possibilities, the
new cooler is equipped with the following instruments:

One level radar for each lane.
Several pressure sensors in certain spots of the cooler
(optional).
Thermo-scanner (optional).
A controller constantly rates the operation on the basis of the
measured signal. If necessary it may switch from regular mode of
‘red river fighting mode’ or ‘clinker distribution mode’. These
different process guidance modes vary in the motion patterns for
the movable lanes. Parameters to be varied are as follows:
Stroke length: 0 – 350 mm.
Stroke speed: 0 – 15 stokes per minute.
Pause times at forward and backward positions.

Clinker Breaker:
The PYROFLOOR cooler can be equipped either with a hammer or
roll crusher, in the end or in intermediate position. Process wise,
the preferred solution is the intermediate roll crusher. The newly
developed roller crusher can be used at both positions. The
alternative arrangement of a hammer crusher at the end of the
cooling grate generates less investment costs.

Figure: Roller Crusher

Summary:
From the beginning of the design phase, the aim was to find new
solutions for all of the requirements of a clinker cooler. This new
clinker cooler applies new solutions for the two major tasks of a
clinker cooler: conveying and cooling of cement clinker. The cooler
requirements concern low maintenance and investment costs, as
well as sustained high recuperation efficiency and equipment
availability. In a new well tuned co-operation of concept elements
such as walking floor-bottom, aeration cassettes, lateral sealings
and flow regulators, the requirements of an efficient cooler are
met. While more than 80% of the cassette surface is actively
aerated, the absence of metal parts within the layer, as well as
any relative movement between clinker and the cassette
guarantees the lowest possible wear.
The cassettes, perfectly sealed to prevent straying air and
intruding clinker fines, are equipped with a flow regulator to
ensure optimal aeration. Hence, a 3D aeration field can be
created which perfectly matches the energy load on grate. As
these valves regulate the airflow irrespective of any process
disturbances, heat recuperation and operational safety are
considerably enhanced. Compared to conventional systems, the
target directed, well tuned aeration helps avoid snowman
formation on static grate. Thus, this PYROFLOOR cooler results in a
unique combination of features which co-function very elegantly
to form a clinker cooler that offers benefits in reduced
maintenance costs and increased efficiency.

Summary of New Generation Coolers:
In summary, all of the modern grate coolers offer the following
improvements:
Operational Benefits:
Lower mass flow of cooling fan air to the cooler.
Air beams channel cooling air directly to the grate plates in the
recuperation zone of the cooler.
Compartmentalized aeration zones.
Less dependence on the sealing of large compartments.
Lateral and vertical dispersion of clinker.
Better control of cooler grate speed.
Higher specific grate loadings.
Deep bed operation of the cooler.
High pressure drop grate plates distribute air evenly throughout
the clinker bed.
Cooling air has a lower velocity and therefore a longer retention
time in the clinker bed.
Lower tendency to form “red rivers” and “snowmen”.
Cost Saving Benefits:
Cooler thermal efficiencies of over 70%.
Fuel savings of 10-50 kcal / kg clinker.
Higher secondary air temperatures.
Greater kiln stability.
Less numbers of cooler stoppages.
More kiln output.

Mechanical Benefits:
Recessed grate plates or horizontal air sweeping of the plates
gives autogenous wear protection and thermal plate protection,
thus a longer plate life.
May eliminate the number of cooler drives.
Less cooler stoppages increases refractory life.
Less clinker fall through reduces the usage of riddling collection
and transportation equipment.
Environmental Benefits:
Lower particulate emissions result from lower cooler exhaust
volumes.
Lower fuel consumption means less usage of fossil fuels and
other natural resources.
Operational Disadvantages:
More cooling air fans are required.
Higher installed power than conventional coolers.
Cooler retrofits may force changing existing fans to higher static
pressure/lower volume capability to cope with a deeper clinker
bed.
More complex to set up and operate.
More training for operators is usually required versus
conventional cooler knowledge.
Static Grate Disadvantages:
“Snowmen” are likely to form on static grates.
May have to rely on air blasters to clear static grate area,
therefore wasting compressed air when on a timing cycle.
Static grates may have to be cleared manually if other methods
are not successful (unsafe conditions).
Installation of the static grate must be correct or clinker
transport problems may occur.
Mechanical Disadvantages:
Tolerances must be observed for grate installation, otherwise
there may be no advantage over the existing cooler with respect
to fine clinker fall through.
Flexible hoses have been prone to break and have high leakage
rates.
Changing the grate plates on some modern cooler designs
requires removing and repouring castable.

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Most coolers have used bridge plates in conjunction with a deep

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Figure: Double Flap

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Figure: Recupol cooler

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Figure: Potential Air Path in Traditional Grate Cooler

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