Flames and Fuel Preparation

Alexandria Portland Cement - Operator development programme

FLAMES & FUEL PREPARATION
Aims of Presentation
Develop an understanding of the Principles
What really goes on in there?
What does the process operator see?
Give Simple Checklist
Review Environmental Issues
Most Fuel decisions these days have a strong environmental
link
Discuss Future Fuel use

Alexandria Portland Cement - Operator development programme

 FLAMES & FUEL PREPARATION
Problem Areas for a poor Flame
REDUCING CONDITIONS NEED TO BE AVOIDED OR:-
Decreased 28 day concrete strength
Decreased workability/setting time
Increased fuel consumption
Increased volatile recirculation/loss
Decreased Output
Modified concrete strength growth curve
Decreased refractory life
Increased grinding energy
Increased pollutant emission

Alexandria Portland Cement - Operator development programme

 KILN FLAME
END SA ENTRAINMENT FLAME
FLAME FRONT

SECONDARY AIR

PLUG FLOW

EXTERNAL RECIRCULATION ZONE

9 DEGREE EXPANSION IMPINGMENT POINT

Alexandria Portland Cement - Operator development programme
 Gas Flames and Fuel Preparation
Basic Requirements
SPAM
Safety
Primary and Combustion Air
Axis
Momentum

Alexandria Portland Cement - Operator development programme

 FLAMES & FUEL PREPARATION
S - Safety
Safety issues in gas firing
There must be a stable flame in the kiln
Temperature must be sufficient to maintain ignition and
complete combustion
ID fan must be running and interlocked
Must have suction at kiln hood
CO protection for EP must be operational ??
Primary air system running
Gas system leak free and safety shut-off working

Alexandria Portland Cement - Operator development programme

 FLAMES & FUEL PREPARATION
P - Primary and combustion air
Primary air
Primary air is the air injected with the fuel - it can
be important in controlling flame shape.
Combustion air
Combustion air is the total air required - it
comprises primary air and secondary air from the
cooler.

Alexandria Portland Cement - Operator development programme

 FLAMES & FUEL PREPARATION
P Primary and Combustion air cont,d
Combustion Air
Back End Oxygen Appropriate for Fuel
Increased SO2 emission or build ups occur if insufficient
oxygen

Alexandria Portland Cement - Operator development programme

 SO2 vs BEO2 vs Time - Northfleet

900 5

800 4.5

700 4

3.5
600
3
BE SO2 ppm

500

%BEO2
2.5
400
2
300
1.5
200 1
100 0.5
0 0
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16
BE SO2 ppm % BEO2 Time Hrs
Alexandria Portland Cement - Operator development programme
 Flames and Fuel Preparation
SO2 Cycles
High burning zone temperature increases cycles of
K20 and SO3
CO or C in burning zone reduces K2SO4
CO or C above 1050C reduces CaSO4
Above 1420C even in presence of Oxygen CaSO4
breaks down

Alexandria Portland Cement - Operator development programme

 FLAMES & FUEL PREPARATION
A- Axis
Axis of the flame
The preferred alignment of any firing pipe is central to the
kiln tube and along the axis of the kiln.

Alexandria Portland Cement - Operator development programme

 FLAMES & FUEL PREPARATION
M- Momentum
Momentum
Appropriate Momentum - Primary air + gas pressure
If momentum low Poor mixing of air into volatiles and
insufficient air before PFZ
With gas, the available supply pressure gives the potential to
achieve the required momentum at the nozzle

Alexandria Portland Cement - Operator development programme

 Figura 17.2
% Carbon Monoxide at 1% Back-End Oxygen as a
Function of % Primary Air and Primary Air Velocity
Barnstone No.2 Kiln

% Carbon Monoxide
at 1 % Back-End 1.0
Oxygen

PRIMARY AIR VELOCITY (m/S)

0.5

30
50
80
150 100
0
0 5 10 15 20 25 30

% PRIMARY AIR
Alexandria Portland Cement - Operator development programme
Good Flame Shape is Determined by mixing:
Mixing is controlled by MOMENTUM
= Mass x Velocity
Typical Primary Air = Medium Velocity
Coal system 25 % 60 - 70 m/sec

Low Primary Air = High Velocity

Coal or oil 10 % 120 - 140 m/sec

Very low primary air = Approach sonic velocity

Gas firing 4-6%~300 m/sec

Alexandria Portland Cement - Operator development programme

 Example FLS - gas firing system
2

To ignitor
(not in use)
1 2.1
14 bar
pressure
30 deg C
6 7
P
To Burner
PT

Incoming Turbine flow Main control V06 VO7 1.5 bar

gas filter meter with temp valve assembly Twin shut pressure
and pressure correction
pressure reducing off valves
Air and flow control
Gas
5
P P

Solenoid valve Control/auto valve manual valve

Alexandria Portland Cement - Operator development programme

 OXIDES OF NITROGEN

Industrial Combustion results in, NO2 and NO

1.- THERMAL NOX

2.- FUEL NOX

Alexandria Portland Cement - Operator development programme

 TYPICAL NOx vs FREE LIME

NOx ppm LSF 96

3,000
LSF 98
2,500
LSF 100
2,000

1,500

1,000

500 COMBINABILITY
TEMPERATURE
0
0.25 0.5 1.0 1.5 2.0 2.5
% FREE LIME
Alexandria Portland Cement - Operator development programme
 FLAMES
NOx REDUCTION

Lower Burning Zone Temperature, ie.Higher Free Lime,Lower L.S.F.,Lower

Combinability Temperature.
Lower Flame Temperature, ie. Flue Dust Injection,Water Addition, Liquid
Recycled Fuels, Higher Excess Air.
Flame Front Nearer the Burner, ie. Bluff Body, Finer Grind,Higher Volatile Coal.
Lower Primary Air, ie. Indirect Firing.
Optimum Distribution of Primary Air, ie. Customised Multichannel Burner.
Staged Combustion, ie. Modifying Precalciner Design to Ensure that the Coal
Volatiles Combust Sub Stoichiometric,via Two Stage Combustion Principles that
are applied in Boiler NOx Reduction Technologies.

Alexandria Portland Cement - Operator development programme

 Waste fuel

Some examples and issues

Alexandria Portland Cement - Operator development programme

 Waste fuel
Material Gross CV Ash level Moisture
Petroleum Coke 8100 0.5 6
Charcoal fines 5280 - 7000 6-15 10
Recycled liquid 5000 -7000 ? 0.5-2.2 32-36
Minestone 500 - 2000 70 6
Straw 3400 - 4000 4 20
Coconut shells 4660 10 10
Wood waste 3300 <1 15
Rice Husks 3700 19 8
Paper process waste 1800 50 2-3
Paper (dry) 4700 8.0 0
Tyres 8000 6 <1
Battery cases 6530 14 <1
Refuse 2300 30 30
Carbonaceous shale 920 62 25
Waste waters <1000 ? 90+

Alexandria Portland Cement - Operator development programme

 Chemical constraints

Sulphur - build up and emissions

Chloride - build up/precip operation

-chlorinated hydrocarbons

Heavy metals - emission limits

Moisture - output and cost/CV

Ash chemistry - cement chemistry

Alkalis - build up/cement

chemistry

Volatiles - safety/storage/handling

Alexandria Portland Cement - Operator development programme

Physical constraints

Condition
size,
hardness,
grindability,
abrasivity,
viscosity
variability

Alexandria Portland Cement - Operator development programme

 Financial factors

Basic cost

Availability

Transport costs

Preparation costs

Additional operational costs - output ?

Prime fuel saving

Pretreatment and firing plant investment

Commercial payback required

Financial support available

Probability of success

Alexandria Portland Cement - Operator development programme

 Technical factors

Physical and chemical characteristics

Variability

Combustion and heat transfer characteristics

"Effective" calorific value

Air pollution

Product contamination

Process contamination

Pretreatment or beneficiation

Availability/development of plant required

Alexandria Portland Cement - Operator development programme

 Advantage of cement kiln

Flame temperature up to 2000 deg C

Long "residence time" at high temperature

destroys odiferous and toxic organics

Raw materials act as natural scrubbing

system - eg preheater absorbs SO2

Efficient waste gas cleaning system

Alexandria Portland Cement - Operator development programme

 What about tyres ?

Pro
Con

High CV
Difficult to handle

Low ash
Expensive to feed

easy to burn
Expensive to chip

no environmental
concerns

whole tyres profitable

Alexandria Portland Cement - Operator development programme

 Recycled liquid fuels

Pro
Con

Potentially very
Complex environmental
attractive financially testing and permitting

Good supply
Public opposition

Easy to handle
Handling investment -

Easy to burn supply side investment

No environmental or contracts
impact

Alexandria Portland Cement - Operator development programme

 Blue Circle

Tyres whole
Hope, Weardale, Westbury, Northfleet
Dunbar

Tyres chipped
Cauldon, now chipping plant

Recycled liquids
Dunbar, Weardale, Masons,Cookstown

Recycled solids
Cauldon?, Northfleet?, Westbury?

Alexandria Portland Cement - Operator development programme

 FLAMES & FUEL
PREPARATION
Conclusions

FOR GAS REMEMBER

SPAM

Alexandria Portland Cement - Operator development programme