Cooler:

In preheater kilns, the formation of nodule shaped clinker must take place in or just above
the burning zone, since the raw mix somewhere further up in the kiln is in the form of meal.
In a wet-process kiln strong nodules often come out from the chains as determined during
the drying of slurry. The extent to which these nodules affect the final clinker
granulometry, if at all, is unknown. However, wet kilns tend to produce a coarser clinker
size distribution than do precalciner kilns.
Clinker formation is related to raw mix composition and operating conditions. The clinker
formation may start already in the calcining zone, where a certain agglomeration of the
fine, solid particles may take place aided perhaps by the presence of low melting alkali
salts.
However, the final result depends on what happens in the burning zone. Here the
formation of liquid phase begins at a temperature slightly below 1300C, and the quantity
of liquid increases with the temperature up to a certain final value as shown in FIGURE 2.
The amount of liquid does not increase gradually with the temperature, but in steps on
reaching certain temperatures. Only by applying extreme temperatures can this final
amount of liquid be further increased which, however, usually has disastrous effects on
coating and lining.
The quantity of liquid phase at normal burning temperature amounts to 20-25% of the
clinker, depending on the content of alumina, iron, magnesia, and alkalies. If the quantity of
liquid phase is too small, good clinker formation will not take place. Conditions may then be
improved by changing the raw mix composition, which in practice is usually done by
adding iron ore, thus reducing the silica ratio.
In some cases it will be possible to improve the clinker formation by burning harder, even
harder than required for bringing down free lime. The reason, of course, being an increase
in liquid phase. But it is often seen that if the burning temperature is raised even further,
the result will be dusty clinker, probably due to a too low viscosity of the liquid. At several
plants we have also found a rather sharp limit to the lime saturation factor, if good clinker
grading is to be obtained; if this limit is exceeded the clinker becomes dusty.
The clinker granulometry is important for the satisfactory operation of any cooler: There
must not be too much dust. Less than 15% minus 0.5 mm is good. Too much clinker plus 25
mm (r) increases the clinker temperature after the cooler because of the slow cooling of
this fraction. Less than 10% plus 25 mm is good.
The clinker dust in the cooler tends to blow back into the kiln, thus establishing a dust
circulation between kiln and cooler. The dust can disturb the radiation from the flame in
the kiln, and often it spoils the clinker formation so that the dust circulation tends to
accelerate. Dust circulation means that the amount of/teat contained in the clinker entering
the cooler increases. This result is always to lower the efficiency of the cooler.

The COOLAX cooler receives hot clinker from the rotary kiln at about 1450C. The clinker is
cooled to a temperature which is approximately 100C higher than the ambient
temperature at a production of 6000 t/24 hr.
More than 65% of the thermal energy contained in the clinker is recuperated and returned
to the kiln as combustion air for the kiln burner. The grate system of the cooler comprises:
Grate 1
One CIS system (Controlled Impact System) which includes 7 fixed rows, of which 6 are
inclined 15and 1 transition grate row is horizontal. The following 29 rows are horizontal
and designed as a CFG system (Controlled Flow Grate). However, the first grate is divided
in sections by partition walls between the CIS grate and the first 12 rows followed by
another section covering the remaining 17 rows of the first grate. The CFG system includes
rows that are alternately stationary and movable. The grate plates for both the CIS and the
CFG system are identical, and the air supply is made through hollow beams and ducts. The
partition walls are introduced in order to enhance the heat recuperation.

Grate 2
This grate consists of the following 24 rows which are designed as a horizontal RFT system
(Reduced Fall Through). The RFT grate plate has two extra openings in the bottom allowing
the compartment air to pass easily to the grate plate.

Grate 3
The final grate consists of 25 rows which are designed as a horizontal RFT system
(Reduced Fall Through). The RFT grate plate is designed as described above.

CIS-inlet zone
The CIS-inlet zone is the first part of the heat recuperation zone which in total incorporates
the first 27 rows. From the kiln outlet the clinker drops down to the 15 inclined,
controlled impact system. The CIS inlet section is narrowed by refractory side dams, so it
fits the shape of the clinker pile. The refractory side dams do not need any slope in vertical
direction. It will be formed by the clinker. The air stream to the first grates is very
powerful, so that the clinker is well distributed across the entire width of the CIS system.
This will prevent the clinker from being baked together in the very high temperature zone.
No sealing air is necessary underneath the CIS section. Fall through of clinker from the
inclined grates to the underlying compartment is not possible because none of the rows are
movable, and a proper sealing between the beams has been made. The airflow is adjusted,
so that the clinker slides down in a uniform flow. Hence, heat recuperation is optimized.
The cooling air to the CIS system is supplied by three fans, 1R, 1L & 1C.
The grate plates are closed up against the fixed girders so that all the cooling air is forced
upwards, through narrow slots in the grates, to the clinker bed. The clinker will form a pile.
The slope of the clinker will be flat when high amounts of air are used and steeper with less
air. Too much air will have the effect that the grate surface will lose its protection leading to
increased clinker wear. For fine-tuning of the clinker sliding down on the fixed inlet, the
two first and the last row are equipped with manual distribution flaps. These flaps allow
individual airflow control of the rows both in the left and the right hand side. The CIS inlet
is equipped with 5 Air Blasters in case any build-up takes place.
CFG-Zone
The CFG-zone is the second part of the heat recuperation zone.In the CFG zone the airflow
is adjusted, so that the clinker is kept bubbling on the surface of the layer. The aeration is
optimised when a uniform fluidisation of fine clinker is seen on the top of the bed. Too
much air or too high clinker layer can lead to partially hot grate plates and local eruptions
of clinker, bringing up yellow clinker from below or even black clinker from the bottom of
the bed to the red hot surface. Such eruptions will not cause immediate damage, but cause
less cooler efficiency.
In general less air is applied in areas with fine clinker and more air in areas with coarse
clinker. This is accomplished by means of ducts with dampers for adjusting the flow and
hence the air pressure to the respective areas. The air passes from different ducts to the
closed, fixed and movable girders and then onwards to the single grates. The grates are
closed up against the girders, so all the cooling air is forced upwards through narrow slots
in the grates to the clinker bed. A high air velocity prevents dust and small clinker
fragments from dropping into the slots of the grate plates when the cooler is in operation.
In other words, at the point where the compartments under grate 2 and grate 3, are
arranged as transverse compartments across the entire width of the cooler, the airflow is
directed to smaller areas (CFG-zones). This makes it possible to adjust the airflow both in
the longitudinal and transverse direction of the cooler.
As mentioned, the air ducts are connected to the supporting beams which are also
considered as air ducts, since they are manufactured as hollow units.
The grate shoes are also fabricated as partially closed boxes and fixed directly on and close
to the supporting beams. This means that the CFG-airflow is directed from the fans and
onwards to the grate plates in a closed system.

The space underneath the CFG-system is configured as two separate compartments. They
are kept under pressure by air from the sealing air fans 2S and 3S. As mentioned above the
CIS system has no sealing fan. Air from 2S and 3S is injected through the clinker bed via
slots between the movable and the fixed grate plates, and the sealing units. Therefore, fall
through of clinker to the underlying compartments from the grate is very limited.
A certain amount of air flows upward to the upper part of the cooler through other
openings, such as for example leaks in the brickwork. This false air becomes a part of the
process air instead of preheated air through the clinker bed and causes increased fuel
consumption in the kiln. The amount of false air must always be minimized.

The sealing air must be forced out into the slot between the plane surface of the grate and
the front edge of the grate at the rear. If that is not ensured, the clinker dust will be
deposited at this location and cause erosive abrasion of the front edge within a short period
of time. As a result the slot is widened, hence the increasing need for sealing air.

If the sealing air is not expelled correctly, the air pressure of the CFG-air just above the
grate may cause dust to be carried down under the grate. This can happen in case of an
excessive differential pressure between the CFG-system and the sealing air system -
excessive means more than 15-25 mbar. It is observed as fall-through in the form of hot
dust.

RFT-zone; after-cooling zone

In the RFT-zone the clinker is cooled further down to the desired temperature. In the RFT
zone the entire airflow is injected under the grate. It is penetrating up into the clinker bed
through the narrow slots in the grate plates and between the plane surface of the grate and
the front edge of the grate at the rear. The grates move the clinker down to the outlet of the
cooler, where the clinker smaller than 25 mm drops through the grate bars and down into
the clinker conveying system.
Some of the large size clinker and coating pass under the hammers of the crusher and down
to the clinker conveying system. The large clinker and coating pieces are subjected to the
action of the hammers and disintegrated. Some of the material is knocked down between
the grate bars to the clinker conveying system, whereas other material is ejected back to
the second grate. Here it is further cooled before it reaches the outlet of the cooler again.
These disintegrated fragments are often red hot and at the point of fracture. An excessive
amount of large clinker entails heavy wear of the hammers. Therefore the operation of the
kiln should be adapted to avoid production of a large percentage of big size clinker.
In the RFT-zone the clinker is cooled down to the desired temperature by adjustment of the
cooling airflow rates and the thickness of the clinker bed.
Major quantities of large clinker and coating will increase the average temperature of the
clinker with cooling being achievable to a minor extent only.
At the outlet end of the cooler, the ceiling and the sides of the cooler are protected by a
chain curtain against coarse lumps. These lumps can be ricocheted back onto the grate by
the hammer crusher.