Measurement of residence time distribution in a rotary calciner

Rotary calcination is widely used in catalyst manufacturing and many other industrial processes. In this article, the influence of operational variables and material properties on the mean residence time (MRT), hold up, and axial dispersion was investigated in a pilot plant rotary calciner. Residence time distributions (RTD) of spherical, cylindrical, and quadrilobe catalyst particles were measured and contrasted. The Saeman's model was successfully applied to predict the experimental bed depth and the MRT as particles flowed through the calciner. It was observed that increasing the feed rate did not significantly affect the MRT. Results for the different particles indicated that cylinders and quadrulobes exhibited less axial dispersion than spheres due to the decreased flowability. A reliable method was developed to provide a reasonable RTD prediction in rotary calcination systems. © 2013 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J, 59: 4068–4076, 2013     

Effect of mixing metakaolins: Methodological approach to estimate metakaolin reactivity

Geopolymers are obtained from an alkali silicate solution and aluminosilicate sources. The source commonly used geopolymer is metakaolin. The chemical composition, extraction site or calcination process of metakaolin influence its reactivity and thus the properties of the consolidated samples. This work focused on clarifying how the properties of aluminosilicate-based raw materials evolve when different metakaolin sources are mixed. The study involved mixing different metakaolins to evaluate their physico-chemical properties. The different samples were characterized by measuring their granulometry, wettability and zeta potential. Structural data were obtained from X-ray diffraction and ²⁷Al nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. It appears that the properties of the mixtures can be expressed as a function of different parameters. Granulometric properties directly depend on the quantity of each source, wettability is related to the amount of available amorphous aluminum in the sources, and zeta potential is strongly influenced by the source with the highest amount of siliceous-based impurities. This methodological approach can be applied to geopolymer synthesis.     

Effect of metakaolin dispersion on the fresh and hardened state properties of concrete

The use of pozzolanic materials such as metakaolin in mortars and concretes is growing. Their use is usually related to the promotion of hydraulic binder reactions or to the mitigation of expansive reactions that can occur in concrete. Introduction of fine particles such as metakaolins, can have a strong effect on fresh and hardened state properties. This paper aims to study the effect of metakaolin in concrete formulations with a preset workability and to assess the system rheology but also its hardened state properties such as mechanical strength. The effect that the dispersion of metakaolin particles induces on concrete microstructure, particularly in porosity, is discussed. Formulations were prepared with several metakaolin amounts and workability was controlled either with water or a high range water reducer admixture (HRWRA). The use of HRWRA can cause deflocculation of metakaolin particles, allowing workability control in concrete and leading to better efficiency and improved performance.     

Viability of using calcined clays, from industrial by-products, as pozzolans of high reactivity

The present work studies the use of clays like high reactivity metakaolin, as pozzolans for concrete. This study adopted two clay types: kaolinite and kaolin by-products from the paper industry. In this second clay, besides the possible technical advantages, the ecological benefit of the use of a by-product must be considered. Initially, the chemical and mineralogical characteristics of the clays were determined. After this, calcination and milling was carried out aiming at obtaining materials with pozzolanic activity. After milling took place in the clays kaolinite and in the by-products, with the best physical characteristics, lab tests were carried out to verify the pozzolanic activity of these materials with Portland cement and with lime. The results show a low performance of the kaolinite and a high performance of the by-products industrial. The low performance of the kaolinite was credited to the lack of homogeneity of the calcination, as the material was obtained after the calcination, and the low efficiency of its milling process.     

Exploitation of poor Greek kaolins: strength development of metakaolin concrete and evaluation by means of k-value

In this paper, the effect of metakaolin on concrete properties is investigated. A poor Greek kaolin was thermally treated at defined conditions, and the produced metakaolin was superfine ground. In addition, a commercial metakaolin of high purity was used. Eight mixture proportions were used to produce high-performance concrete, where metakaolin replaced either cement or sand in percentages of 10% or 20% by weight of the control cement content. The strength development of metakaolin concrete was evaluated using the efficiency factor (k-value). The produced metakaolin as well as the commercial one imparts a similar behavior with respect to the concrete strength. Both metakaolins exhibit very high k-values (close to 3.0 at 28 days) and are characterised as highly reactive pozzolanic materials that can lead to concrete production with an excellent performance.     

Numerical modelling of flow and transport processes in a calciner for cement production

Controlling the calcination process in industrial cement kilns is of particular importance because it affects fuel consumption, pollutant emission and the final cement quality. Therefore, understanding the mechanisms of flow and transport phenomena in the calciner is important for efficient cement production. The main physico-chemical processes taking place in the calciner are coal combustion and the strongly endothermic calcination reaction of the raw materials. In this paper a numerical model and a parametric study are presented of the flow and transport processes taking place in an industrial calciner. The numerical model is based on the solution of the Navier-Stokes equations for the gas flow, and on Lagrangean dynamics for the discrete particles. All necessary mathematical models were developed and incorporated into a computational fluid dynamics model with the influence of turbulence simulated by a two-equation (k-ε) model. Distributions of fluid velocities, temperatures and concentrations of the reactants and products as well as the trajectories of particles and their interaction with the gas phase are calculated. The results of the present parametric study allow estimations to be made and conclusions to be drawn that help in the optimization of a given calciner.     

Influence of Portland cement composition on early age reactions with metakaolin

The reactivity of two metakaolins, which vary principally in their surface area, and Portland cements of varying composition were examined via isothermal calorimetry for pastes at water-to-cementitious materials ratio of 0.50 containing 8% cement replacement by weight of metakaolin. Both metakaolins examined appear to have a catalysing effect on cement hydration. Calorimetry showed accelerated hydration, a slight increase in cumulative heat evolved during early hydration, and - for some cements examined - apparently an increased intensity of the heat evolved, particularly during the period typically associated with hydration of calcium aluminates. The higher surface area metakaolin had a greater effect. It is proposed that the presence of metakaolin may enhance dissolution of cementitious phases and/or provide additional, well-dispersed sites for nucleation of hydration products, in addition to increasing the early age concentration of solubilized aluminium (due to metakaolin dissolution). The increased intensity of some of the calorimetry data also suggests that some additional exothermic reactions are occurring, which may be related to an increased reactivity of calcium aluminate phases in the cement as well as the reaction of the metakaolin. This effect is apparently increased as the cement equivalent alkali content increases.     

Relative importance of Al(V) and reinforcement to the flexural strength of geopolymer composites

We prepared 1 cm × 1 cm × 10 cm geopolymer bars from sodium silicate and six commercial metakaolins, both unreinforced and reinforced with 20 wt% of 55-μm wollastonite (CaO·SiO₂) needles, to evaluate the relative contributions of five-coordinated aluminum in the metakaolin and the presence of a reinforcing phase to the flexural strength of geopolymers. Two metakaolins, with about 20 at% and lower of five-coordinated aluminum content, did not react sufficiently with our processing method and could not be tested. The flexural strengths of the other four geopolymers were similar at about 11–14 MPa unreinforced and 22–29 MPa reinforced. The effect of reinforcement on flexure strength is more significant than the choice of metakaolin provided that the metakaolin is reactive. The geopolymerization reaction depends on the amount of five-coordinated aluminum present in the metakaolin and is the primary difference between the samples that reacted and those that did not react.     

Mathematical modeling of an in-line low-NOx calciner

The reduction of the NO_x content in in-line-calciner-type kiln systems can be made by optimization of the primary firing in the rotary kiln and of the secondary firing in the calciner. Because the optimization of calciner offers greater opportunities the mathematical modeling of this reactor is very important. A heterogeneous, dynamic mathematical model for an in-line low-NO_x calciner based on non-isothermal diffusion-reaction models for char combustion and limestone calcination has been developed. The importance of the rate at which preheated combustion air was mixed into the main flow was particularly studied. The results of the simulations indicate that the external heat and mass transfer to the char particles is not limiting. Internal diffusion of O₂, CO, NO and CO₂ is important especially in the reducing zone and the first part of the oxidizing zone of the calciner and the internal heat transport limitation is significant for the endothermic limestone calcination. The rate at which preheated combustion air is mixed into the main flow directly influences the coal combustion rate, and thereby through the rate of heat release from combustion, it also influences the calcination rate and the temperature profile. The mixing rate has some influence on the CO concentration profile and an important influence on the overall degree of fuel-N to NO conversion.     

DESIGN OF A HEAT SHIELD AND ADVANCED CONTROL SYSTEMS FOR A ROTARY CALCINER

Shell overheating and consequent heat loss are often encountered problems in the operation of a high temperature rotary calciner. Installation of a concentric metallic shield around the calciner provides a simple and relatively inexpensive solution to these problems. The heat shield can not only cool the shell but also recover most of the energy that otherwise would be lost. Substantial energy savings can therefore be realized. The success of such a shield in lowering the shell temperature of an industrial soda ash calciner is demonstrated by the way of computer simulation. The simulation has also been used to design a cascade control system and a feedforward control system for the calciner. The performance of these control systems is compared with that of the PID feedback control systems currently adopted in the plant.     

石灰石和白云石高温循环脱除CO2过程分析

在N2气氛和高浓度CO2气氛两种典型锻烧气氛下,对石灰石和白云石在循环煅烧/碳酸化捕集CO2过程中的主要系统参数包括长周期循环碳酸化转化率、平均碳酸化转化率、CO2捕集效率和煅烧炉能量需求进行了实验研究和计算分析.结果表明,吸收剂补充流率和吸收剂循环流率对平均碳酸化转化率、CO2捕集效率和煅烧炉所需能量具有直接影响.在...     

钛白粉生产中干燥方法的选择及闪蒸干燥机的应用

介绍钛白工业生产中干燥工序所采用的带式、喷雾和旋转闪蒸等干燥方法,从能耗、产品质量、操作环境等方面进行比较,对推荐的旋转闪蒸干燥法的产品颗粒dp做了理论推导,提出闪蒸机出口气体热量回收利用等节能措施。     

Experimentally validated computations of heat transfer in granular materials in rotary calciners

Heat transport through flowing particulate materials is an essential component of modern technologies such as heterogeneous catalytic reactors, high performance cryogenic insulation, construction material, and powder metallurgy. In catalyst manufacturing, heat transfer through granular media occurs in the drying and calcination stages. In this paper, we describe the use of experiments and discrete element methods to examine flow, mixing, and mass and heat transport in rotary calciners. Alumina powder (200 μm) and cylindrical silica pellets (2 mm diameter and 3 mm long), which are common support materials for catalysts, are used in our experiments. A parametric study was conducted by varying the material properties of granular material, and rotational speed of the calciner. We use the discrete element model to simulate flow, mixing, and heat transport in granular flow systems in rotary calciners. Simulations and experiments show that the rotation speed has minimal impact on heat transfer. As expected, the material with higher thermal conductivity (alumina) warms up faster in experiments and simulations. Various baffle configurations (rectangular and L-shaped flights) in the calciner and their effect on the flow and heat transfer of granular material are simulated. The average wall-particles heat transfer coefficient of the granular system is also estimated from the experimental findings.     

Calcination of phosphate in impinging streams. Part II. Phosphates with high organic matter and with pulverized coal

Calcination of a high organic matter phosphate and a phosphate containing pulverized coal up to 10 wt % was performed successfully in an impinging stream calciner. The results re-established previous conclusions that the present calciner is a useful device. A simplified model has been developed for exploring the effect of various operating parameters on the concentration of phosphate particles at the impingement plane of the streams. It also assisted us in explaining the effect of the phosphate flow rate on the efficiency of calcination. It was established that the calcination rate of phosphate is governed by the internal resistance of the particle to the heat transfer, which was consistent with previous results.     

Characteristics of Hercynite and Its Application in Refractories

The characteristics of hercynite including crystal structure,chemical compositions and physical properties, R D background of hercynite,synthesis problems of hercynite,and roles of hercynite in refractories were reviewed. The application of hercynite in refractories was introduced with emphasis. The practical applications in cement rotary kiln showed the prepared magnesia hercynite brick had better performance than the original magnesia chrome brick obviously.     

Geopolymers from Algerian metakaolin. Influence of secondary minerals

The influence of secondary phases (illite, quartz) on the geopolymerization reaction of metakaolin has been investigated by comparing two metakaolins, one prepared from a pure kaolinite and the other from illite- and quartz-containing Algerian kaolin from the Tamazert region, respectively. Geopolymerization was achieved by mixing the metakaolins with an alkaline sodium silicate solution at room temperature and curing at 50 °C. The products were characterized by X-ray diffraction and ²⁹Si and ²⁷Al MAS-NMR. The results show that the secondary phases, at the concentration used in this work, do not prevent the geopolymerization reaction.     

不同预处理工艺对磷石膏性能的影响

为研究不同预处理工艺对磷石膏性能的影响,通过X射线衍射、X射线荧光光谱、扫描电子显微镜、热重分析等手段表征磷石膏化学组分、微观形貌、晶型等特征,然后分别用普通煅烧法、微波煅烧法、水洗法、球磨法工艺对原状磷石膏进行力学性能、工作性能、凝结时间及需水量等指标的对比研究。结果表明：普通煅烧法、水洗法对可溶性五氧化二磷、氟类和有机质等杂质去除效果明显;微波煅烧法时间短,只需20 min左右;球磨法能细化颗粒,处理时间在20 min左右最佳。通过预处理制备的磷石膏物理化学特性都得到很大改善,抗压、抗折强度均优于GB/T 9776—2008《建筑石膏》指标,具有巨大的应用前景。     

Hydrophobic lime based mortars with linseed oil: Characterization and durability assessment

Linseed oil was added to lime and lime metakaolin mortars in order to impart hydrophobic properties and investigate its resistance to weathering agents involving water transport. Different properties of the mortars with 6 months of age were evaluated: open porosity, pore size distribution, water absorption by capillarity, mechanical strength, carbonation reactions, microstructure and durability assessed by testing the resistance to sodium chloride accelerated ageing test. Significant durability improvement of both lime and lime metakaolin mortars enriched with linseed oil was achieved: remarkable capillarity reduction and consequently higher resistance to NaCl cycles. Linseed oil had a different effect on the two studied mortars: mechanical strength was slightly reduced for lime and slightly raised for lime metakaolin. The mechanism for the durability improvement was found to be related to the modification of the chemical structure rather than on the alteration of the physical properties of the mortars.     

Structure and properties of thermoanthracites obtained under industrial conditions

The article presents the characteristics of thermoanthracites manufactured from Donets Basin vitrinite anthracite and Gorlovo-basin inertinite anthracites, obtained in various industrial units: a shaft furnace, a drum rotary kiln, an electric calciner, and a graphitization furnace. The influence of the operation modes of the devices on the structure and properties of the resulting products is analyzed.     

Modeling of heat transfer in granular flow in rotating vessels

Heat transfer in particulate materials affects a wide variety of applications ranging from multi-phase reactors to kilns and calciners. In catalyst manufacturing, heat transfer through granular media (catalyst) occurs in the impregnation and calcinations stages. We use the discrete element model to simulate flow, mixing, and heat transport in granular flow systems in rotary calciners and impregnators. Granular flow and heat transport properties are taken into account in order to develop a fundamental understanding of their effect on dryer and calcination performance. Simulations have shown that as rotation speed decreases, both heat transfer and temperature uniformity of the granular bed for both calciner and impregnator increase. Depending on baffle size, baffles can either increase or decrease heat transfer in double cone impregnators. Granular cohesion does not affect heat transfer in the range of values examined.