Burning alternative

fuels in rotary kilns

Jacques Pizant, Head of the Engineering & Design Dept, and
Jean-Claude Gauthier, Head of R&D Dept, Pillard France,
describe recent developments in equipment provision.

Introduction calorific value waste fuels must be limited to a part of the

Burning residues as alternative fuels in rotary kilns pre- total heat release as they lower flame temperature. On the
sents numerous advantages: other hand, the NOx emission can be reduced. A compro-
0 Lower energy costs. mise may be reached when firing high and low calorific
0 Improved incineration conditions, since combustion in value waste fuels simultaneously enabling control of both
rotary kilns takes place at a substantially higher tem- the calcining process and NOx emissions. Therefore very
perature than when burning in a conventional incinera- adaptable combustion equipment is needed to allow firing
tion plant. This means that toxic compounds are with any kind of residue combination, depending on the
destroyed more effectively. supply available, whilst still maintaining kiln productivity,
0 No lasting wastes remain when compared with the clinker quality and environmental standards.
incineration industry, since slag and ash may become
constituents of the cement and do not affect cement
quality if their percentage is kept limited, while residuals
from an incineration plant have to be landfilled.
Combining knowledge and
experience in incineration
Table 1. Alternative fuels plants and conventional com-
bustion equipment for rotary
Landfill gas kilns, integrated solutions
have been developed for
alternative fuel firing in rotary
kilns.
High viscosity oils or tars
Pasty wastes Alternative fuels
Waste oil Various types of alternative
fuels can be used in rotary
Engine, hydraulic, used oils
kilns depending on local sup- Rotary sludge incinerator Rotary pyroliser and reco-
Solvents
ply availability (Table l), each and verticalincinerator at very boiler for pyrolysis
one with its specific influence Aspartame Dunkerque’s of organic polluted waters
on the flame pattern. Low plant. from wool treatment.

Solid
Animal powder
Bark
Asphalt
Shredded plastics I
Shredded paper/cardboard
F l u f f I

(furniture, packing ind.)

Car carpet pieces

Tyres, rubber wastes I
Rotoflam” burner tor tradltlonal solid and liquid fuels.
Burning alternative fuels
in rotary kilns
Combustion equipment
Firing alternative fuels presents diffi-
culties, such as avoiding an increase
in the calcining zone length thus
affecting the calcinated product quali-
ty. It is therefore necessary to adapt
the burner air momentum and air/fuel
flowrates. The basic burner technology
consists in using the Rotaflama design
(patented) but it can be modified to
comply with specific requirements for
alternative fuels. Since 1990 Pillard
has supplied over 400 Rotaflama burn-
ers world-wide. Rotaflam technology is
characterised by:
0 Adjustable primary air consump-
tion, which is chosen according to
the nature and quantity of waste
fuels to be fired.
0 Improved flame shaping abilities
can be achieved by burner tip
adjustments, while in operation.
0 Low NOx formation (forward to
CEMFLAME IFRF research pro-
gramme).
0 High flame stability due to the
(patented) tip design.
0 High turn down ratio.
Firing liquid wastes
Up to three tubes can be fitted in the
central burner hub in addition to the
axial jacket-tube. Each can house a
liquid fuel gun which can be fired sep-
arately or simultaneously. Liquid
wastes would include pasty, solvents
and water.
Separated injection tube on top of the burner
injecting shredded plastics into the flame.
RoWlam@ including one additional annular
channel for waste solid fuel.
Firing solid wastes
Injection of products, such as bark,
sawdust (impregnated or not) and
shredded plastics, into the flame by a
separate tube located close to the
main burner, or even by a separate
auxiliary burner, is surely not the best
solution.
As a matter of fact, the further the
injection is located from the flame
axis:
0 The worse the distribution of solid
fuel particles in the flame.
0 The more difficult the penetration
of the solid fuel stream into the
flame.
This is why such solutions are less
than ideal unless the quantity of waste
fuel is low with regards to the total
burner heat release.
Rotaflam@ burner tip front view
with 1 + 3 jacket tubes fitted in the
central hub.
Kiln equipped with an auxiliary burner.
Rotaflam@ with central injection tube for rice husk or
biomass/sawdust firing.
The distribution of particles to be
burnt must be as homogeneous as
possible to avoid some of them
remaining partially unburnt, leading to
high CO formation at the kiln end. It is
recommended that, to ensure proper
combustion:
0 The solid waste be ground as fine-
ly as is reasonably possible, with a
homogeneous granulometry distri-
bution so that no large pieces
remain.
0 The waste is conveyed, (in gener-
al pneumatically), so that the injec-
tion is regular with no fluctuations
of pressure and flow rate.
0 The waste is injected into the
flame as homogeneously as possi-
ble, and not through the external
flame surface, which leads to poor
mixing.
Two technologies are used for this
purpose: the additional annular chan-
nel and central injection.
The velocities, conveying air %
and adjustment of swirl/axial primary
air, must be optimised at the design
stage for better flame control with
more flexibility than a conventional
burner. The relative dimension of the
burner stabilising plate must be modi-
fied to ensure flame stability at all
operating conditions.
Simultaneously firing residues with
different viscosities, volatile contents
and finenesses may require higher
primary air flows in order to increase
02% in the primary flame, and higher
velocities in order to shorten the
flame. Specific designs adapted to
any particular situation are available
after specific calculation.
In conclusion, integrated burners
may be proposed where the alterna-
tive fuels are injected together, for bet-
ter flame pattern control. This is
definitely not possible when firing with
injectors or auxiliary burners located
outside the main burner, since they
cause discrepancies in the original xample of a Pillard precalciner burner firing gas and a pulverised solid fuel.
flame, irregularities in concentration,
leading to CO formation.

Burning alternative fuels

in cement precalciners
Due to the different types of precal-
ciners available on the market, a
close collaboration between cement
producers, engineering companies, IV4 atomising gun.
‘hree stream ZVJ atomising gun.
and Pillard, is needed to optimise the
operating conditions when firing alter-
native fuels. Residence time and lower 0 Pillard has recently developed a
internal temperature than in the kiln new atomising gun, the ‘ZV4’ for
are the main concerns. The precalcin- high viscosity liquid fuel allowing
er burners are designed on a case by recovery of the steam’s kinetic
case basis according to precalcining energy and removal of big
process requirements. droplets, therefore leading to a
good atomising spectrum even
Atomising liquid and with viscosities around 5 - 6” E. ZVK atomising gun for pasty residue.
pasty alternative fuels (40 - 50 cSt).
The choice of the atomising principle 0 The ‘ZVJK’ atomising gun enables ing it. Waste liquids with similar calorif-
depends on two parameters: simultaneous firing of a low LCV ic value are sent to the same tank.
0 Fuel viscosity at the burner gun liquid fuel containing solid particles Each flowrate to the kiln burner is con-
inlet. together with a flame sustaining trolled so that the flame temperature is
high LCV liquid fuel. optimised. Measurement performed
0 Size and concentration of any solid
0 The ‘ZVK’ for pasty residues is on the flame and on the kiln, allow
particles in the liquid fuel which
designed to limit the drop loss on adjustment of the above flow rates
could lead to wear and clogging of
the pasty residues stream, to (Table 2).
gun holes.
accept solid particles of big diame- The mixing tank is used to avoid
Pillard can propose a vast range of ter, and despite this to achieve the solidification of the pasty residue. This
atomiser guns to suit any liquid fuel. best atomisation possible. It uses function can be performed both by a
0 The ‘MY’ atomising gun enables three stages of atomisation.
mechanical oil atomisation at high
Table 2. Specifications for the handling of
pressure (40 bar g) with a viscosi- Alternative fuel handling
ty of 20 cSt for good atomising
quality. No auxiliary atomising fluid Volatile or pasty alternative p
is needed. The atomised cone fuel handling systems
divergence is adjustable in opera- Three tanks are necessary to allow
1 Particles 1 510mm
tion separation of the fuels during truck
Dynamic viscosity 30 to 3000 cst
0 The ‘ZV2’ atomising gun is often unloading according to their basic
used for high viscosity fuels. The characteristics, then sampling and Operating temp. 120 “C
amount of atomising fluid depends testing each waste oil batch before us- Average LCV 1high
on the fuel viscosity at the burner
gun. The two main advantages
compared to the Y jet type pro-
posed by others are that: the emul-
sion velocity can be adjusted, after
which optimisation of the mix is
easy and there are no small ori-
fices making parts easy to clean.
0 The three stream ‘ZVJ’ atomising
gun, has been used for many
years. It allows simultaneous
atomisation of two liquid fuels with
the same gun, providing that the
solid particles in the liquid fuel are
in limited quantity and diameter. Flowsheet for handling three liquid waste fuels (including volatile solvents).
rotating arm, and by an external circu-
lation loop. Piston pumps are needed
to supply the high pressure required to
transport the viscosity pasty residue
up to the burner.
Solid fuel firing systems
Solid fuel handling systems are used
to store, weigh and convey the fuel
(usually in a pulverised form) up to the
burner. Pillard concentrates on
improvements which are necessary to
achieve a good and regular combus-
tion process from any pulverised prod-
r I
‘Stapildos’ pulverised fuel handling
system.
uct. Starting from the pulverised fuel
silo, a rotating arm is mandatory to
prevent vaulting and failures in pow-
der supply. The dosing and conveying
system comprises two parts:
The dosing hopper
Even if a simple volumetric or impact
dosing device could be supplied, the
use of a dosing hopper is strongly rec-
ommended when flow regularity is
necessary. The experience acquired
has shown that the draw-back with tra-
ditional weight-loss dosing hoppers is
the flow peak which occurs during the
short filling stage of the hopper
(caused by fusing through the extrac-
tion device). This is the reason why
the ‘Stapildos’ doser follows a different
principle: The weighed hopper is
maintained at a constant weight by
continuous filling. The density remains
constant and there are no CO peaks
at the kiln end.
From time to time the dosing con-
trol system measures the effective
weight loss, calculates the true densi-
ty and applies a correction to the
extraction screw speed. The outlet of
the screw extractor is isolated from the
injector by two valves, each having a
degassing chamber. The air ejected to
atmosphere is filtered by a baghouse.
A special design of hopper creates a
mass downflow thus preventing core
or chimney downflows. A test on each
pulverised fuel allows determination of
the best hopper angles and outlet
shape.
In the field of biomass hoppers
Pillard acquired expertise for handling
biomass pulverised products in the
SING
CONVEYING BELT LOAD CELLS
double belt sawdust hopper (princi-
ple).
seventies, when the company spe-
cialised in wood gasification, and has
found that the main difficulty is to
ensure a regular flow without flow
interruptions due to vaulting. A simple
sawdust hopper must be equipped
with a homogenising belt and follow
specific design angles. There are also
special hoppers for plastics carpet
pieces and so on. Specific designs are
mandatory. In general they all use a
moving floor and a weighed belt dos-
ing system.
Pneumatic conveying lines
To avoid any risk of pulsation or
deposits, and predetermine the pres-
sure drop loss, a computer calculation
(based on an isometric drawing of the
line) is necessary. Customers should
check their conveying lines by calcula-
tion on the specific computer program
provided as a complementary service
by Pillard.
Concentration r
I
Pillard pulverised solid fuel injector.
The use of a pump is necessary if
the line is long or the solid fuel con-
centration high. For short lines/low
concentrations, optimising the injector
helps avoid the use of a pump and
therefore use of a fan with consequent
savings. The good design of convey-
ing lines is a must when the enemy is
the CO peaks at the kiln outlet.
The following summarises the input
data necessary for the calculation:
V3 (m/s)
p3 Pa)
p, (Pa)
(s concentration in kg/m3 of air at t,,,
volumic mass pA,
V. 0-W
Tat,,, ambient t’ ‘K
Pat, depends on altitude
TCP “K
r~, efficiency of pressure reduction
PO=
L-
k-l
+
These theoretical results have been
reliably confirmed by site experiences.
One of the first precautions is to
avoid positive pressures, or large pres-
sure fluctuations, at the injector inlet
which lead to irregular flows. These
are very often observed even with
expensive systems where the solid
fuel falls into a pipe, without provision
for an injector, the purpose of which is
to suck the fuel without blowback.
Aggressive, abrasive and crystallizing
media are sheer poison to metallic
valve constructions. Inevitably they
lead to shortened service life and
costly repairs. When the worst comes
to the worst, unscheduled downtime
may be only one of your headaches.
Larox provides flexible solutions
for rugged conditions. For more than a
decade, pinch valves by Larox have
been used for demanding applications
in cement, mining, metallurgy, pulp
and paper, chemical and other industries.
The elastic sleeve material of Larox
pinch valves provides a wide sealing
surface and therefore bubble-tight
shut-off, even with coarse particle
slurries and against full pressure
differential across the valve. With their,
linear characteristics and a complete
range of actuators and accessories,
Larox valves offer a superb control
solution, too. Larox pinch valves are
available in sizes 25 mm...1000 mm
(1”...40”), for pressures up to 100 bar
(1450 psi), for temperatures -50 “C...
+lOO “C (-58 F...+212 F) and with a wide
selection of body constructions, flange
types and sleeve materials.
The conditions may be tough, but’
life needn’t be. Talk to Larox aboulj
more flexible valve solutions.
 - Ian turner

ypical flow sheet for storage and dosing of solid waste fuel.

Emission control, quality perature sent to the kiln, or recovered

of calcination to the precalciner.
Environmental conditions/measure-
ments at stack and kiln outlet Flame and calcinating zone
HGH kiln shell scanner type ATL
Environmental monitoring of NOx, monitoring
020.
SO,, O,, CO and dust, is needed to The use of a pyrometer or IR camera
identify changes in emissions when looking towards the flame and the cal-
burning alternative fuels and to ensure cining (or sintering) zone is recom- ‘Synoptherm’. The main purpose is to
compliance with local statutory emis- mended. Its purpose is to measure anticipate troubles when operating a
sion regulations. and monitor short-term variations in rotary kiln. It is crucial to be able to
It is often necessary, in addition to the flame radiation pattern and prod- accurately control each waste fuel
the above measurements, to check uct surface temperature. input and the kiln flame shape, in
from time to time: NH,, total organic order to avoid altering kiln productivity
carbon, halogened products (F, Cl, C. C. S. and B. M. S. and calcination quality or to exceed
Br), heavy metals (including Pb, Cr, For a long time, Pillard has been study- emission limits.
Ni, Hg, Va, Zn): ing and supplying combustion control
0 The Pillard Opastop type GP 2000 systems and burner management sys- Control principle
tems connected to heat processes The Pillard Synoptherm software
H dust monitor may be used at the
(and auxiliaries) for: steam boilers, receives as inputs:
stack. A modulated light source
manned or un-manned (self checked); 0 Each fuel analysis (entered) and
emits a conical light beam at con-
waste incinerators; and coal grate flow rate (measured).
stant frequency and amplitude. A stokers. For example, a Pillard patent
receiver intercepts the light reflect- 0 Pyrometry measurement on flame
had successful applications in France,
ed by the dust particles in the flue and calcination zone.
allowing operation of coal grate stok-
gas. ers without human presence. 0 lnfra red measurement with a
0 Pillard may also supply complete The company is now concentrating scanner on the rotary kiln shell.
racks for flue gas analysis (includ- upon combustion control for rotary 0 NOx-SO,-O&O - dust-emissions
ing SO,, NOx, CO, and sampling kilns and to the development of a at stack, NOx, 02, CO at kiln outlet.
lines) using prime quality analy- combustion control software named 0 Kiln burner primary air flows.
sers or advise the user about the
best apparatus available.
RESmJes FiRIN SYsTeu bRcHm!cTuRe
Kiln shell temperature and
grate cooler monitoring
In collaboration with HGH (Paris),
Pillard is supplying kiln shell and grate
cooler scanners. The ATL 020 kiln
shell scanner, when firing alternative
fuels, allows identification of changes
in flame characteristics, coating for-
mation and burning zone status, with a
delayed response but very important
information for the operator.
In addition, the Hades grate cooler
scanner may give a thermal picture of
the grate cooler bed helping to better
distribute the cooling air to the calci-
nated product bed, therefore allowing
energy saving and short pay-back of
the corresponding investment thanks
to an increase in secondary air tem- Synoptherm’ combustion control system architecture (in development stage).
0 Feedback from the calcinated product quality control
analysis (entered).
0 Feedback from the raw material control system
(entered).
The purpose of the combustion control system is to detect
anomalies, thereby anticipating any problem and allowing
corrective action to be taken as soon as possible, before
being subject to any consequences of poor calcination. It
also calculates the maximum flow allowed per waste type.
The main objective of the program is to contribute to
maintaining flame radiation and temperature in the calci-
nating zone by allowing corrections on: fuel flow rates and
primary air flow rates. The secondary objectives are to give
assistance to the operator with regards to emissions and
firing low quality fuels.
Conclusion
In order to assist cement manufacturers to achieve the full
benefits from alternative fuels available in the market place,
Pillard provides:
l Storage, handling, weight dosing systems
l Conveying lines for pulverised alternative fuels
l Kiln and precalciner burners and atomisers specially
dedicated to wastes.
l Kiln shell scanners, flame pyrometers (or IR cameras).
0 Scanners for grate coolers.
l Flue gas analysers at kiln outlet and at stack.
l Advice and expertise about clinker quality problems due
to inadequate combustion.