Q: sir in our kiln fine genration is too much in present days.

so we are facing inlet presarisation

frequently ?
A: I am struggling to understand. You kiln is producing fine clinker so you have a lot of dust
recirculation from the cooler? That is causing over-pressure in the kiln hood? The production of fine
clinker might be associated with heavy recirculation of sulphur within the kiln.

Q: Sticky Clinker:How to ride off the sticky clinker, Although it is not causing snow formation but the flow of
the airthrough kids of IKN cooler is being effected. Furthermore how to control the cooler exit
temperature.
A: The "kids" of the IKN grate must be restricted. Inadequate air flow through the grate will lead to
more sticky clinker on the grate and also to high cooler exhaust gas temperature. I suspect you will
have to stop and clean the "kids" of the IKN grate.

Q: method of raw mix pile avg calculation according to hourly tonnage in excel?
A:This requires that the weighted average of each oxide in the pile be calculated after each new
sample using the analysis of the sample and the wieght of material added to the pile. The
composition to correct the pile to target can then be calculated.

Q: effect of flame shape:Dear Sir, What is the effect of flame shape on the kiln outlet oxygen and carbon
mono oxide.
A:It is important to have good mixing of the secondary combustion air and fuel in the main burner
flame. If not then it is possible that there will be CO even with kiln inlet oxygen as high as 5%. The
momentum of the primary air blown through the burner pipe must be sufficient to produce a short,
hot, recirculating flame. The benchmark is that the momentum should be a minimum of 10 Newtons
per MW of the burner.

Q: what are the factor affecting on the process bag filter fan efficiency? sir , regarding the fan efficiency,
what i under stood that by changing stack height , ,changing impeller size or modified impeller , replacing
motor with drive(VFD) but not by removing fan damper pressure loss ( if there is a damper ) is it write or
wrong?
A: Fan efficiency itself will be affected by the impellor design. Fan performance will be affected by the
other factors.

Q: Preaheter cyclone efficiency, from down to the top cyclone. sir i know the method for calculating the top
cyclone efficency of preheater but my quistion is how to estimate the efficiency of remaing cyclone , i.e
from 2cy to bottom cyclone indivisually ?
A: This has to be done by reference to the loss on ignition of the material in each cyclone of the
preheater making the assumption that no calcination is taking place in the upper stage cyclones.

Q: so3 content in fine coal ash: why so3 increases in fine coal ash as compared to raw coal ash.IN OUR
PLANT KILN FEED RETURN DUST GET MIXED HOT GASES ENTERING IN COAL MILL
A: Possibly there is some absorption of SO2 from the preheater exhaust onto the fine coal in the coal
mill. A volatile balance of the internal and external cycles needs to be developed to fully explain
this.

Q: We have the clinker with 1380 litter weight.but still free lime problem.
A: There could be lots of reasons why a hard burnt clinker would have high residual free lime: (i) lime
saturation beyond 100%, (ii) heavy recirculation of sulphate, (iii) excess K2O in clinker, etc. Much
more detail is required. I recommend a technical audit to understand the problem.

Q: what is the technology of raw meal injection in before bypass bag house?
now in our plant we will decrease the dust to bypass so we are afraid about chlorine blockage in
bags of filter so i hear that the solution is injection of raw meal with bypass gases
A: How will you reduce the dust losses through the bypass? Normally that is a good thing to do, but
how? I have never heard of injecting raw meal after the bypass gas has been extracted from the kiln.

Q: What is the role of V seperator in closed circuit cement mill

We are having both V seperator and dynamic seperator in our closed circuited cement mill. we are
thinking to remove V sep from circuit . Please let me kow the effect on though put and power
consumption.
A: The V-separator will be making coarse, static, separation of the material. I would need to see the
layout before I could understand the importance of the V-separator.

Q: Specific Ratings requirement of various equipment

Kindly let me have gas velocities in various part of kiln requiredto maintain efficient preheater,and
how to calculate it. Can i calculate with qty of coal dosing & O2 at back end.
A: Gas velocity in the gas risers between the preheater stages should be c.18m/s. Lower as the gas exits
the kiln to the preheater to minimise recirculation of material from the kiln to the lower stage
cyclone. You need to develop a and energy mass balance for each section of the kiln. You can then
convert the gas masses passing through each section into volumes. By dividing the volume by the
cross-sectional area of the ducts through which the gaas is passing you arrive at the velocity.
Certainly the coal dosing and oxygen at the back end of the kiln (and throughout the kiln process)
will be part of that mass balance.

Q: cement strength development : dear sir , our cement 3&7 day comp.strength usually are high
(280&350kg/cm2) but 28d is low(440kg/cm2)What could be the reason and what can we do. clinker so3-1.4
, na2o-0.6 ,k2o- 0.42,mgo-2,c3s-62,c2s-15,c3a-6.9,c4af-11
A: The alkalis and aprticularly the Na2O in your cement are high. It is a well known phenomena that
high alkali sulphates in cement leads to higher early strengths but lower 28-day strength. Is it
possible to reduce the alkalis by selective quarrying of raw materials or changes in raw mix design?

Q: Process of clinker: How to produce clinker from rew meal

A: That is done by heating the raw meal to over 1400 C at which temperature the raw minerals in the
raw meal are converted into the cement clinker minerals.

Q: Gas cooling before PH Fan: Please explain that in which places is better for gas cooling by water
spraying for capacity increasing: 1-top cyclone 2-downcomer duct 3- below the feed in the upper stage riser
duct? then, please explain how can i calculate needed water(lit/Nm3)? with regards
A: Evaporative cooling of the preheater exhaust gas is best applied in the downcomer duct. The
amount of water needed depends on the drying requirements in the raw mill and coal mill (if any).
Thee amount of water can be calculated by developing a mass and energy balance of the kiln and
then varying the amount of water addition.

Q: white clinker kiln with natural gas Dear Mr. Clark, During white clinker production with firing natural gas,
do we need high secondary air temperature? I have checked some process firing with coal, they have heat
exchangers after C1 and heat ambient air to 200-300 C. They use this hot air as secondary/tertiary air.
What if we fire natural gas, will we need this heat exchanger or can we directly use ambient (cold) air as
combustiona air (secondary/tertiary)? How the combustion and flame will be affected?
A: The combustion efficiency of the natural gas will be improved with preheated secondary/tertiary air.
However, ambient air could be used with some loss of efficiency.

Q: fuel residence time:how to fine the fuel (coal) residence time in calciner/flash furnace
A: You need to calculate two things: (i) the internal volume of the calciner from the dimensions and
refractory thickness, (ii) the stoichiometric volume of the gases in the calciner. Dividing one by the
other will give the gas residence time in the calciner.
Q: Alkali bypass dust: Dear Dr. Clark we are thinking to send the bypass dust to the cooler , is it a good
idea and if yeswhat is the best point in the cooler to inject the dust . knowing that the ratio of the dust to
clinker is 1-1.5% and also we have no issue on the level ofalkalis in cement
A: I would suggest adding the bypass dust to the clinker conveyor away from the cooler.

Q: crossbar cooler efficiency optimization: Dr Clark, I'm about starting a project to optimize our FLS
crossbar cooler. What are the necessary parameters to check, and actions are needed to take?
A: You need to develop a mass and energy balance around the cooler. Then you can adjust the speed of
the cross bars and the airflow through the cooler fans to explore the impact of adjustments on cooler
efficiency and find the best settings.

Q: Please elaborate the causes for ball formation in kiln ? along with remedial steps to eliminate the
chances of ball formation in kiln .
A: Unfortunately there are multiple possible causes of clinker ball formation in the kiln. Often they are
caused by recirculation phenomena in the kiln connected with the adjustment of the main burner.
Without more information it is impossible to be more specific.

Q: Can alkali in clinker be reduced: Wet kiln, high alkali, any way of reducing it, or is it to late once it gets
to this stage.
A: Some of the alkali will be passing out of the kiln in the dust. Therefore some or all of that dust
could be discarded to reduce the alkali content. You could increase the amount of alkali passing out
in the dust by the addition of calcium chloride.

Q: Dear Sir, what is the possible effect of ID fan draft on raw meal to clinker factor
A: The draft drawn by the preheater induced draft fan can affect the kiln feed to clinker factor because
the amount of dust lost from the top stage of the preheater depends on the velocity of the exhaust
gas drawn out of the top stage of the preheater.

Q: Effect of Sulpher Alkali ratio Hello Dr. Clark, Ideally the value of Alkali Sulpher ratio of clinker should be
as close to 1 as possible - My asking is if this value decreases (say -4) or or increases (say +4) then what's
the effect of produced cement because of this abnormal value?
A: The immediate problem is usually on the coating formed in the preheater, which can become very
hard if the alkali:sulphur ratio is low. There will be more subtle effects on the cement quality as the
amount of soluble alkalis in clinker will be changed and some alkali will be present in the clinker
minerals if the alkali:sulphur ratio is high. It might become difficult to fully combine the clinker if
the K2O content is high.

Q: Ring formation: Dear Dr. Clark, We are facing frequent kiln stoppages due to ring formation in 42-49m
away from kiln discharge end. We are using mixture of pet coke and coal as a fuel. Clinker LSF is 95-96,
SM 2.24-2.29, AM 1.5-1.6.Refractory used is in this area is high alumina brick (70%), not changed for 3
years. Fuel ash content is 11-12%. Liquid phase is 28-29% @ 1450 centigrades. Any help would be
greatly appreciated.
A: There could be many reasons. The chemistry of the clinker is not unusual. It is more likely a process
related problem. Using a mixture of pet coke and coal as the fuel is likely to be a contributory
factor. This is generally a bad practice.

Q: How we can increase output ? if kilnis wet based on wet lime sludge
A: You make a major upgrade to the dry or semi-dry process or take steps to reduce the kiln feed slurry
moisture content.

Q: reasons for yellow clinker being produced continously with good clinker.Solution to solve this
problem.
A: It is common to have yellow cores to the clinker due to high temperature reduction. Smaller clinker
particle size will help to reduce these yellow cores to the clinker granules.

Q: What is the Minimum volume, Velocity of air required to convey the coal to bin and as well as
to furnace. We need to convey the crushed coal to silo and also from silo extration to furnace through FK
Pump so please advice the volume of air and velocity to be maintained to convey the coal. Material-Fine
Pet Coke Operating Capacity-2 TPH Bulk Density -0.6 Cu M/T Max Moisture-2% Particle size-75
Micron with 2 % residue.
A: The rule of thumb is that you need a minimum of 0.2kg of air per kg of fine coal. If transporting
over a long distance then more. The pipe work dimensions should be such to ensure an air velocity
of more than 25 m/s.

Q: What the side effects if the loss of cyclone 5 is very low?Is there any effect on kiln coating and
in which area?
A: The danger with very low loss on ignition in the lower cyclone of the preheater is that the
calcination will be completed in the preheater and then the temperature will rise quickly as the
endothermic calcination reaction is no longer absorbing the energy input to the kiln. That rising
temperature might lead to melt formation and clogging of the preheater.

Q: Setting time and water demand: We have one open circuit mill that we have been using for some time
and the water demand and setting time has been o.k. We recently installed a new roller press (close
circuit). With the same clinker and gypsum the water demand has been higher and the setting time
longer.Sales dept are complaining. What can we do to shorten the setting time and water demand to what
we have on the open circuit mill?
A: This is a common problem when switching from open circuit grinding. There is not much that can
be done as the particle size distribution of the cement willl be different. You can try adjusting the
SO3 content of cement.

Q: What is the reason for kiln feed pipe blockage? Our kiln is 4 stage precalciner kiln. The average total
alkali is 0.16% while average SO3 is 0.09%. The kiln feed pipe has been discovered to be blocking
regularly now. can the alkali or SO3 be the reason?
A:It is unlikely that the problem is caused by alkalis or sulphate. The kiln feed pipe blockages may be
caused by chloride. There could also be a physical problem preventing the feed flowing freely from
the pipe.

Q: Alkali bypass: I newly start working in a plant, all lines are equipped with bypass system . in raw meal Cl
= .03 ,Na2O =0.1,K2O=.52, in Clinker Cl=.01, Na2O=.16 ,K2O=.85. we use crude oil as fuel . is it really
necessary to have alkali by pass system with this chemical composition. I have already started
reducing the bypass but at the same time the feed is reduced
A: With that level of chloride in raw meal there is probably a need for a bypass to avoid chloride
clogging of the preheater. The bypass fan provides additional drafting on the kiln which may
explain why the production goes down as you close the bypass.

Q: Effect of SM and A/F ratio in raw meal on clinker grinding

I would like to know the consequences of increasing/decreasing SM and A/F ratio on the raw meal
in the later cement grinding. Is it possible that a high SM (around 3) increases the clinker hardness
by adding silica to the clinker composition? Does a low A/F ratio (around 0,7) contributes to form
dusty clinker due to the lack of cohesion/low melt viscosity, thus being unable to form big
particles?. Thanks in advance
A:Higher silica content of clinker might lead to harder to grind to clinker due to higher C2S content in
clinker. It also depends on the lime saturation and combination degree. Low alumina modulus
would not be expected to cause dustry clinker. That is more likely caused by high SO3 content due
to SO3 volatilisation. That could be caused by poor combustion conditions in the kiln.

Q: Dear Sir, my question is about recarbonation.

Sir, What exactly is recarbonation in cement process and where it is likely to happen. How do we
know that it is happening and the effects of the same on process or production. We are having a
peculiar observation now a days in the preheater of our kiln. This kiln is having a SLC I preheater
with 6 stages. Recently we installed analysers at stage 6 outlet of both the strings to see the
combustion efficiency. We observed that in the Kiln ILC string the o2 level is high at K6 outlet
analyser but it is reduced by almost 1% at the same string outlet where as CO formation is in traces
only. Both the analysers are checked for accuracy with various methods and found working correct.
We checked the stage wise o2 and CO levels and found that from 3rd/ 2nd stage onwards the o2
level goes down and before that the same is increasing from 6th stage onwards. What is the possible
explanation for this. Please guide us. Regards.
A:This does not sound like a recarbonation phenomena. That is where CaO that has already been
calcined is carried back up the preheater with the exhaust gas and recombines with the CO2 to
reform CaCO3. That releases exothermic energy and leads to elevated temperatures in the higher
stages of the preheater. Your phenomena sounds as if some fuel is being carried out of the ILC
calciner and burning in the upper stages of the preheater. That would consume some oxygen.

Q: How to cope with High chloride in Raw mix

Sir, We are using Mines Lime stone , Bauxite , Iron Ore and about 8-12 % Sweetener for our Raw
Mix, Bag house dust being added after CF Silo extraction in homogenizing bin which also a part of
Kiln feed . Recently we observed High Chloride in Kiln Feed average 0.02 %( Min 0.014 to Max
0.034 ) and in Raw meal average 0.017 (Min 0.003 to Max 0.068 ) . Bag house dust is having 0.03-
0.035 % Chloride . Calcined material , collected from lower most stage , is having 0.56 to 1.25 %
Chloride . How we can get rid of this without By pass system ? . We do not have any B Bypass
system installed . Does it plays a role in forming heavy coating in burning zone ( 1.0 -1.20 meter
thick ). Dose it promotes poor nodulization ?
A:What you describe does not sound unusual. 1.25% chloride in hot meal should not cause any
preheater blockage problems. There is little you can do without a bypass. It is possible that this is
causing the heavy coating the burning zone, although that would be unusual.

Q: reasons for dusty clinker production and steps to get good nodules
A:Dusty clinker is caused by low viscosity and surface tension of the liquid phase in the kiln. Most
commonly that arises from high SO3 content in the hot meal. That arises from heavy recirculation
of SO3 in the kiln. That arises from lack of oxygen and reducing burnign conditions at some point
in the kiln. You need to increase the oxygen content in the kiln and improve the combustion
conditions for the fuel.

Q: with the increasing of seperator RPM why blaine not increasing

A:Perhaps the separator is overloaded? Perhaps the airflow through the separator is inadequate? There
could be many reasons.

Q: Cement Mill,s operation

As a CCR operator, What are those important parameters to monitor before and after taking the feed
(starting operation) in cement grinding?
A:The power drawn by the mill main motor. The power drawn by the elevator. The rejects return
weigher. The microphone on the first chamber of the mill. The temperature and pressure profile
through the milling system.

Q: changing from portland cement production into alkalie resistant cement

Dear dr. what about the probable problems in changing production method from ordinary portland
cement to alkalies resistant Portland cement if we add accurate needed amounts of iron oxide and
silica especially if our kilns are FLS kilns with 175 m length and 5.75m d running in wet process
method ?
A:I preume you mean low alkali cement? and that you are replacing clay with the iron oxide and
silica? if that is all you are doing then there should be no problems. The clinker may be more
difficult to combine due to inhomogeneity. Why not try rejecting some of the dust from the dust
filters? the alkalis should be concentrated there.

Q: What will happen to clinker C3S, C2S and C3A if SM target was increase?
A: C3S and C2S will rise, C3A will reduce.

Q: Sir, Why we multiply with 2.8 to Sio2, 1.18 to Al2O3 & 0.65 to Fe2O3 in LSF formula i.e. CaO/
(2.8SiO2+1.18Al2O3+0.65Fe2O3)
A: These are the coefficients in the Lea and Parker formula for the maximum combinable lime in
Portland cement clinker. They are derived from the phase equilibria of the CaO-SiO2-Al2O3-
Fe2O3 system.

Q: what are the effects of high LOI of cement on quality?

what are the effects of high LOI of cement on quality and what the reasons to control it?
A:That depends on whether the high LOI is due to poor combination of the clinker or due to addition
of limestone to the cement.

Q: How 5 or more components raw mix design are calculated ?

it is too important for me please answer it to me
A: By setting up 5 simultaneous equations with the 4 targets in the raw mix that you want to control.
Then solvng those simultaneous equations.

Q: Preheater cyclone - foundation loads estimation due to blockage, full or partial material filling?
During the civil design of the preheater building, it is needed to provide the extra-ordinary live load
due to material blockage in the preheater cyclones. Please advise if it is safe enough to assume the
material filling in the conical part only, or it should be assumed that the material is filling the
cyclone completely including the cylindrical part also? Thanks.
A:For design you should assume filling completely.

Q: raw meal hail stone in ILC-Calciner

Dear sir, sometime we've faced with a phenomenon in the calciner that 10 mm lumps of raw meal
falling down to kiln inlet as hail, why might this be?
A:There must be recirculation of gas in the calciner. You need to do computational fluid dynamics
(CFD) study on the calciner.

Q: small size sticky clinker and snowman

dear sir , our clinker is small size(30%-less than 3mm and 70%-5 to 15 mm) and soft sticky so that
move up with kiln rotation and fall down on burner tip for this reason we have dusty
clinker,snowman and damring. lsf93-95 , sm2.3-2.4 ,am1.3-1.4 ,lp27-28 ,r90-12% , hood temp 900-
1050c please help me for increase clinker size , decrease stick of clinker and prevention of
snowman and damring formation.
A:This is caused by high concentration of SO3 in hot meal. Most probably there is is lack of oxygen at
some part of the kiln and reducing burning conditions. That will cause heavy recirculation of SO3.
The high SO3 content of hot meal leads to low viscosity of flux and find clinker. The SO3 flux also
causes snowmen in the cooler.

Q: Which is the period mentioned for Pre-Cooling of Clinker?

Dear Dr.Clark, In Clinker microscopic studies, experts commenting the crystolography of Clinker
on account of "Pre-Cooling". Is it the cooling takes place just after the buring zone until to the kiln
discharge or until the sudden Quenching in the 1st compartment of the grate cooler?
A:Pre-ccoling iss in the rotary section of the kiln before the clinker falls into the grate cooler.

Q: effect of 1.2<ALM<1.3 in kiln burning process

Does really ALM between 1.2 to 1.3 cause riser clogging or bad kiln burning? Dear Dr. Clark I am
Mohammad, QC & laboratory manager, from Iran. I have some questions in filed of our situation in
our factory. 1- The first question is based on our main problem in the kiln burning when the ALM
goes from <1.2 to 1.38. In this situation litter weight remains constant (1350~ 1390) but F.CaO goes
from 0.6 to 1.9 and even more (LSF:95~96 and SIM: 2.35 to 2.40). Actually in Iran expert people in
the filed of cement and kiln burner insist in this sentence that 1.21.2 we do not find high F.CaO.
Finally my main question is accuracy of this idea that 1.2
A:No.

Q: chemical and physical analysis for white cement (LSF- SIM -ALM & C3S - C2S - C3A -
C4AF)?
A:LSF = 95%, SM = 4+, AM = 10+. C3S = ~60%, C2S = ~20%, C3A = ~15%, C4AF <1%. Strengths
higher than grey cement due to higher silicate content.

Q: sir what will be the effects of low SM in clinker and on kiln operation,and if we add sand in raw
mix then what are the effects of this sand on kiln and clinker chemistry.
sir i am chemist in Arabian yemen cement company,plz brief me.thanks
A:Low SM in clinker will lead to low silicate content and lower cement strengths. In the kiln there
will be more flux (liquid content) and maybe more coating. Adding silica sand will raise the silica
modulus and lead to more silicates in clinker and higher cement strength. However, you must make
sure the silica sand is ground sufficiently fine in the kiln feed or there will be problems combining
the clinker in the kiln.

Q: Is it possible that the LSF of clinker be more than Kiln feed?

A:Yes, certainly. It is unusual, but possible. It depends on the dust handling and the composition of the
dust.

Q: What is the reason behined fine clinkerisation even with sub bitumenous coal.
We are facing heavy dust recirculation inside the kiln from cooler , even we operate kiln with low
lsf 95 % ,with 28 % liquid.with sub bitumeneous coal.
A:Most probably the problem is caused by high recirculation of sulphate in the kiln. That is most
likely arising from oxygen deficient combustion at some point in the kiln.

Q: Hi Dr. What is the major factor that affecting setting time? Can higher clinker SM and lower
C3A delay the setting time or is there any other major factors which is more relevant.
A:There are more relevant factors, such as: the alkali and sulphate content of the clinker, or the
presence of any fluoride in the clinker.

Q: When Dryer was installed under kiln shell, shell temperatures shot up?
We have installed an RDF dryer under kiln shell, due to what ambiant temperatire under the shell is
almost double than that other areas arround the shell. We have observed kiln shell high temperatures
than usual. When it was brought down, the shell temperatures become normal. We also observed
frequen form/fall of coating in burning zone.What is this phenomena?
A:The kin relies on losing energy by radiation to cool the shell. Your drier has compromised the
cooling of the kiln shell.

Q: lime stone is pure cristaline calcite @ 87% T.CO3 and in the same bench it has very low
T.CO3% as pegmatite or gniees with 16 % MgO , sir our raw mill is 170 TPH VRM and is there
any difficulty of raw mill fine grinding of this calcite and gniees
dear sir , good evening. here in kenya we are going to instal 3000 TPD clinker unit with 170 TPH
VRM for raw mix and is there any difficult to get fine grinding like 212 mic residue up to 2% and
90 mic residue up to 18% with this lime stone pure calcite crystalline and bottom layer is very low
phlegmatic or genies with 2 to 16% mgo. one place we find low cao stone with 56 silica and i came
to know that this stone silica should not be good reactive as it formed from calcite washed with
water and cao is eliminated. i think that in ball mill we can maintain finesse as we required. please
give me reply at the earliest thanking you RAO . Y . S NATIONAL CEMENT CO. LTD NAIROBI
- KENYA
A:There is no reason to suppose that a VRM would not be able to grind this material while a ball mill
would.

Q: Difference Between Limestone & Shale

How to Distinguish between Limestone & Shale with chemical compostion.
A:Limestone is a form of calcium carbonate. Pure limestone has 56% CaO. Shale is geologically
altered clay so composed of alumino silicate minerals. The CaO content of shale is very low. It's
silica content is likely to be around 50-60%.

Q: Significance of Seive Analysis of clinker

1.Significance of Seive Analysis of clinker ,what it indicates. 2.Explaine Sequential &
Sumaltaneous Analysis by WD XRF & How Both they work & Percentage of Elements count
3.what is intensity term in WD XRF & How it measure
A:The aprticle size distribution of the clinker can be important because it gives an indication of the
viscosity and surface tension of the flux in the kiln. This can be affected by the recirculation of
sulphates in the kiln.

Q: About Brick replacement

Dear Mr. Clark, hope you are fine and doing well. I m writing from Azerbaijan Nakhcevan Cement
Plant. I have one question to you that. We have dry process kiln with Calciner and territary air
length is 50 m and 3.2 diameter. 2 days before 4 of the bricks in15.5 meters falls down and also
majority of the bricks have become thin. So we decided to brick (Magnezite Spinnel Brick) 2.4
meters betwen 15.5 and 17.9 meters. My question is that is it needed to pull inside burner to form
coating while feeding or no need burner must start at definite axial position. Please be informed that
we are using natural gas as fuel. Besides any suggestion will be highly appricated at that situation. I
will be waiting for your kind reply as soon as possible please. Finally what must be heating duration
in this process? Best regards Yashar Reply All
A:I do not think you should worry about the formation of coating during the warm up period. The
duration of the warm-up depends on whether any castable refractories has been installed during the
shutdown. 30 degrees centigrade per hour should be OK up to 1000 degrees centigrade then 50
degrees per hour.

Q: what is the ideal clinker factor and how is it calculated theorically.

A:The raw meal to clinker factor is typically 1.55. Its is calculated by 1/(1-Loss on ignition of the kiln
feed).

Q: Why First chamber length is smaller than second chamber in ball mill
A:Because the first chamber is for crushing the material and the second chamber is for fine grinding.

Q: WHPG
Dear Dr. Clark, Really long time no see! I read the article with interest titled as 'WHR on the rise' in
ICR JUNE 2012 because our company has pushed ahead with WHPG. We run three calciner kilns
as you may know and the total daily capacity is about 11,000 t/d. The preliminary result from a
chinese supplier shows it's possible to generate around 12MW from three kilns excluding selfcomsumption
power by the steam Rankine cycle under the conditions of running all mills. My
asking is what the possible power is by using the Kalina cycle, and whether we can see the Kalina
cycle if we visit any steam power station here because you say the kalina cycle was invented for
such uses. It's time to enjoy an excursion for viewing autumn leaves! Best Regards.
A:Dear Obong, I suggest you should contact Kevin Happ at FL Smidth. They should be able to take
you to see a reference installation.

Q: high fine coal moisture content

Sir, How does high moisture level contents in fine coal increase kiln exit gases volume? rgds
A:It increases the preheater exhaust gas volume as the water evaporates and exits the kiln as water
vapour.

Q: How much Coal Ash should be absorbed by 1 ton clinker during clinker production
A:That depends on the ash content and calorific value of the coal. You must deliver enough thermal
energy to combine the clinker. The amount of ash that involves can then be caculated and the kiln
feed chemistry adjusted to give the target clinker composition.

Q: Clinker Alumina Ratio

Too low Alumina ratio (< 1.3) and Too High Alumina ratio (> 1.8) how these effect kiln operation?
A:The alumina ratio affects the clinkering range in the kiln. That is the amount and viscosity of the
flux in the kiln. That is also likely to affect the coating behaviour in the kiln. There is no too high
and too low. For sulphate resisting clinker you must have <0.9 alumina ratio. For white cement
clinker you must have >4.0 alumina ratio.

Q: Kiln riser duct

Sir, Our is 5-Stage ILC FLS kiln. PC Coal is introduced in kiln riser 1.5 meters below PC. There is
high temp rise within this length (>1100 0C) and soft coating formation is also observed. Coal is
having V.M. 33%. And we maintain kiln inlet temp around 970 0C. and O2 3.5%. How temp of
same region can be maintain ? Regards
A:I suspect this design was for a low volatile fuel and the fuel is injected at that point to create a "hot
zone" to aid combustion. With your coal it should not be necessary.

Q: range of using magnesite-spinel brick

Dear sir,in our kiln,before transition zone(in the zone 37-50m from kiln outlet) we use high alumina
brick(A2O3=70%).in this range, can we use magnesite-spinel brick instead of alumina brick?(from
view point of technical view)
A:Yes. Magnesia spinel refractory will have sufficient refractoriness for this region of the kiln.
Conductivity will be higher and therefore the shell temperature during operation.

Q: what are the possible causes of kiln dusty condition and snowman formation at the cooler inlet.
A:Most likely this is caused by high sulphate recirculation in the kiln. That is most likely caused by
the adjustment of the kiln main burner.

Q: running the burner along with rhino horn

Dear sir,sometimes we have rhino horns(coating formation) on the burner tip.if we do not remove
rhino horns and continue kiln running with a lot of coating on the burner tip ,what will be the bad
consequence?
A:Probably no adverse consequences. The burner is likely to be strong enough to carry the rhino horn.

Q: to remove dam-ring
Dear Mr. Dr. Clark Excuse me , Please tell me , Which ways you suggest to remove the dam-ring in
outlet of rotary kiln information ? Thank You
A:You can try some water via a lance through the kiln hood.
Q: Rhino Horn on Kiln Burner Tip
Sir, I am working in Cement Plant in Nigeria and Rhino horn at the Burner Tip is a recurrent
phenomenon, Can you please shed light on this. We are operating on Gas ( Majorly) and Oil when
we experience drop in gas pressure.
A:Rhino horn is formed by dust carried back into the kin with the secondary combustion air. The air
loses velocity above the burner and that causes some ofthe dust to settle and build up on top of the
burner.

Q: about dam-ring in the outlet of kiln

Dear mr. Dr.Clarck Could you tell me ,Which factors(elements) lead to Dam-Ring formation in the
outlet of rotary kiln?
A:Usually cooling of the material by the secondary combustion air and dust being carried back into
the kin with the secondary combustion air.

Q: Burner tip insertion inside the kiln

Could you recommend burner tip insertion inside the kiln on hot condition (Lignite Firing)? and
forward/backward from nose ring have any effect on C3S or free CaO
A:The length of the burner tip insertion in the kiln is the most important factor governing the mixing
of the secondary air into the flame and therefoe the length of the burning zone. Normally it is set up
by the burner provider. It needs to be adjusted very carefully to give the required length of burning
zone and clinker quality.

Q: is there any ration between kiln internal effective volume / preheater cyclone and raiser ducts
volume
dear sir, good evening i asked this question in last month also. my question is - is there any relation
by means of volume ration between kiln and preheater effective volumes. please explain me
thanking you sir
A:Certainly. Gas from calcination is evolved a certain rate in a cement kiln dependent on the
production rate of the kiln. The volume of the different sections controls the residence time of the
gases and the cross-sectional area controls the velocity of the gas flow.

Q: kiln shell temperature

dear sir,after doing new repair on kiln lining and installing new magnesite-spinel bricks on 0-7
meter of kiln length(the first 7 meter near to kiln outlet),in the first week after repair,kiln shell
temperature in this zone goes to 330-360 deg. is it normal and why we have such a high
temperature?(brick is new)
A:It is normal. The conductivity of magnesia spinel lining is quite high. Until a coating is formed on
the lining the shell temperatures are likely to be in the range you are experiencing.

Q: What is the effect of high fine coal moisture on clinker production?

A:The volume of exhaust gas from the kiln will be higher due to the coal moisture content. If the kiln
is induced draft fan limited then that might adversely affect the clinker production.

Q: Minimum air requirement

WHAT IS THE MINIMUM AIR REQUIREMENT TO LIFT THE DUST PARTICLE IN THE
DUCT FOR FLOW? IS IT VARY IN ALL SECTION VIZ RAW MILL, COAL MILL,
PYROSECTION, CEMENT MILL.
A:Certainly the air flow and velocity requirement to lift the material will be different in different
sections of the plant due to differences in the particle size and the temperature of the gases.

Q: What are the reasons for the kiln shell corrosion?

Dear Dr.David Clark, Thanks for your promopt resoponses to our questions. Please note one and
half year before we replaced the kiln shell at 22mts to 34 mts from the clinker discharge end of the
kiln in Jan 2011. In July 2012 we noticed the newly replaced portion of the shell had corrosion of
the thickness that varies from 2mm to 12mm. The high MgO bricks are used in this zone. Typical
Kiln feed chemistry is SiO2:13.53, Al2O3: 3.5, Fe2o3: 2.2,CaO: 42.89,MgO:0.84, K2O:0.31,
Na2O: 0.10, SO3:0.16.Cl:0.009. Coal is the fuel. Ash:12.4, Coal used 50 MT/H, Kiln
Cap.7500TPD. Coal ash analysis: SiO2:39.8, Al2O3:19.4, Fe2O3:8.7, CaO:19.4, SO3:6.74. The
replaced portion of the shell is supplied by Sinoma. The question is why the new shell had such a
sever corrosion within 18 months? This kiln is not having the By-Pass system. The Maximum RPM
of the kiln is 3.5 but operated at 3.2.
A:Shell corrosion is usually caused by gases within the kiln pentrating the lining to the back-face of
the refractories. There any volatiles condense against the cold shell causing the corrosion. I can only
think the severe corrosion is due to the quality of the steel of the shell.

Q: ABOUT DAM RING

DEAR MR.DR.CLARK COULD YOU TELL ME , WHICH ELEMENTS(FACTORS) LEAD TO
DAM-RING FORMATION IN THE OUTLET OF ROTARY KILN ?
A:It is normally caused by cooling of the clinker by the secondary air as it falls over the nose ring at
the outlet of kiln into the cooler. Also sometimes by clinker dust being carried back into the kiln
from the cooler in the secondary air.

Q: why and how coatin is formed in cement kiln burning zone

why and how coating formation in kiln
A:Beacuse the liquid phases in the material in the kiln penetrate the refractory lining until they cool
and solidify or freeze. That causes the material to stick to the lining.

Q: what is the effect of high alumina content of raw meal on kiln bricks?
what is the effect of high alumina of raw meal on kiln bricks as well as clinker quality?
A:There should be no effect on kiln bricks. The clinker mineral composition will be changed with
more C3A. That is not bad for clinker quality, just different.

Q: Why we set carbonates 77 or 76 per in pile formation ?

what happened when we increase the carbonates or decrease in pile like 70 or 80? why we set 80 or
70 per carbonates in pile formation?
A:Because that level of carbonate will give you the required amount of CaO in the pile. If you set
lower then you will need to add high grade limestone at the raw mill to bring the kiln feed LSF up
to target. If you set higher then you will have to add silica, alumina or iron oxide at the raw mill to
bring the LSF down to target.

Q: How to minimize the quantity of bypass without decreasing the chloride in kiln feed?
How to minimize the bypass quantity without decreasing the chloride percentage only in the kiln
feed or by new methods which minimize the loose in kiln feed?
A:The only way is to regularly monitor and model the volatile cycle in the kiln and reduce the bypass
opening to achieve a target hot mean chloride content.

Q: Why the presence of SrO in raw meal increases F.CaO in Clinker?

Dear Dr.Clark, In one of our plant, the limestone contains around 0.25% SrO. There is an expert
commnet that will increase the F.CaO in Clinker. If this is correct, why the megare amountof SrO
increases F.CaO instead fusing into the C3S?
A:There are two reasons why SrO increases the free CaO in clinker: (i) the SrO enters solid solution in
the C2S inhibiting its combination into C3S, and (ii) SrO displaces CaO in the clinker mineral
structure leaving free, uncombined lime in the clinker.

Q: Setting time & Strength

We produce CEM II 32.5N.The setting time average 140mins while 2-day strength is 14MPa. Our
competitor has initial setting time of about 190-220mins but 2-day strength of above 20MPa. The
customers (especially blockmakers) always complain that our cement do not set as fast as that of the
competitor but I think they are confusing the early strength with setting time. All attempts to
convince the sales team team about this is abortive. What do you think is the problem? Is setting
time not more of theory than reality?
A:Setting time is different to early strength development and not necessarily related to early strength
development. Block makers need early strength development rather than quick setting. It is not
surprising that they prefer your competitor's cement as it has higher early strength.

Q: How best the CBA-Gammametrics installed for raw mix proportioning will help to reduce the
quality varition of the raw meal?
Dear Dr.Clark, There is one propotial of installing the Gammatrics -CBA at the raw materials belt
for their stacking with target quality. The limestone deposite is very uniform, %CaO is 51.0 to
54.0% which is consumed around 80%. The clay has very high variation in SiO2 and also in Al2O3,
which is consumed around 12-15%. Sand is in the range of 2.0 to 5.0% and Lateriate around 2.0%
for Fe2O3.There is a plan to form mix bad with proportionated ratio of Clay and Limestone
(1:6,adjuted to the requirement Al2O3)for chevron stacking and bridge type reclaiming to preblend
the clay and reduce the variation. In this condition, is it beneficial to install the Gamma metrica
CBA in between the raw materials proportioning station and to the VRM to minimize the raw meal
quality variaiton? At present without CBA the SD of the raw meal is around 5.0.Isthere any scope to
reduce further?
A:I presume you mean that the standard deviation of the lime saturation of the raw mill product is 5%?
Certainly there is scope to reduce this. I suggest that the cross-belt analyser should be installed on
the feed of crushed material to the premix bed of limestine and clay.

Q: red river
dear sir,we have SF-COOLER 4*4.most of time we see red river and molten clinker in cooler in
different points and mechanical engineers are worry about damage to cooler grates.we want to
know if cooler grates are damaged due to this phenomena or grates are protected by af a dead
material layer (50mm on grates)above them.what is the reason and solution of red river?
A:You should not suffer red rivers in a cross-bar cooler. The transportation mechanism for the clinker
are the cross-bars above the grates. However, as those cross bars are moving above the grates there
should be a layer of dead material lying on top of the grates and below the cross-bars so that will
offer some protection to the grates from red-hot clinker.

Q: kiln shell cooling

dear sir,brick type in the length of 25-35 from kiln outlet is magnesite-spinel and kiln shell
temperature in this zone is 340-370 deg. for this kind of brick (usually contain unstable coating),is it
necessary to start cooling fan to decrease shell temperature or not?what is the bad consequence of
shell cooling for magnesite-spinel brick lifetime?
A:Shell cooling normally helps to build coating on the refractory lining and therefore there should be
no bad consequences for magnesia-spinel brick lifetime. 340-370 deg C is not a shell temperature to
be concerned about. Abive 400deg is when the problems start.

Q: crusher for kaolin

Hi sir What is the best crusher for Breaking kaolin? Also in our factory for kaolin Breaking use of
jaw crusher & Gyratory crusher.What do you think about using impact crusher? Best regards
A:Impact crushers are normally used for brittle materials. Kaolin is normally quite soft. The only
problems that might arise are if the kaloin is wet and sticky.

Q: Effect of water spray on clinker in cooler?

We are forced to use >6000m3/hr of water to keep our cooler ESP temp. in control. Will it effect the
1 day strenth of the clinker.
A:No, provided that the water is adequately atomised and fully evaporated to cool the cooler exhaust
air.

Q: Dear Sir! What should be the refractory consumption (kg/ton clk) for white kiln?
A:You would hope it would be less than 0.5kg per tonne of clinker produced.

Q: kiln speed
dear sir,our kiln is 4000tpd(fls designing),diameter=4.8m,length=75m,ILC system,kiln
inclination=3%,kiln filling=12.5% and according to fls instruction in feed=270tph(nominal feed),
kiln speed is 4.2(to reach 12.5% kiln filling).if in this condition we run the kiln with speed 3.5
instead of 4.2 for a long time,what will be the bad consequence?in fact we want to know
disadvantages of low kiln speed.
A:Slow kiln speed can lead to the free lime liberated at the back of the kiln becoming stabilised and
more difficult to fully combine into the clinker minerals. That then leads to the thermal energy
consumption of the kiln rising and the clinker production rate falling.

Q: I am from ethiopia, in our cement factory the snowmen is within short period of time happened
continously in grate cooler, what are the reason behind there?
1.Generally, in our cement factory there is so many problem but some of them are continuously
snowmen formation in grate cooler or around clinker out late area for this what are the main causes
for snowmen formation and methods of improving the systems etc. 2.what are the reasons for
formations of more dust particles or blockages of Tertiary air duct and methods of improving
A:I have been travelling to Ethiopia regularly over the last few years where I have been monitoring
the construction of the Derba Midroc cement factory. Snowmen are caused by the clinker entering
the cooler from the kiln continuing to have some melted phases. The only way to reduce the
problem is by control of the alkali cycles within the kiln or operating with a lower secondary air
temperature.

Q: lsf-92.90, sm-2.26 , am-1.30 , but kiln feed not increasing .what reason
A:There could be many reasons. The kiln feed will not increase by itself. You need to respond to
opportunities to increase the feed rate to the kiln.

Q: high silica modules what effct in kiln ?

A:High silica modulus of kiln feed will render the kiln feed more difficult to combine. Therefore the
thermal energy consumption of the kiln is likely to rise and the clinker production rate may
decrease.

Q: How to get Excel based model of the alkali cycles, that your demonstrated at Cemtech in Dubai
and Jakarta?
Dear Dr.Clark, Could you please guide me to get the Excel based model of the alkali cycles, that
you demonstrated at Cemtech in Dubai and Jakarta?
A:The only way to gain access to Whitehopleman's Excel based model of the alkali cycles in cement
kilns is to retain Whitehopleman as your technical consultants.

Q: low liter weight clinker and decrease product

LSF X- RAY : 90-92 SIM : 2.3-2.4 ALM :1.3-1.4 LSF CHEMICAL :88-90 SIM :2.4 ALM 1.3
A:Well, it seems that you X-ray is reading high on CaO, if the chemical analyses are correct. That
does not explain the decreased productivity. My suspicion that there is some other problem.

Q: How to calcualate or simulate the alkali enrichment in the preheater when alkali rich material is
used as additive?
I am substituting Trass for Sand to get silica in the raw mix. The trass contains 1.2% K2O and 3.2%
Na2O. Consequently, the total alkalies in the raw meal inceases from 0.34 % to 0.56%. How
calculate or simulate the alkali enrichment in the preheater circulation material?
A:It is of course possible to do this with an Excel based model of the alkali cycles, as I demonstrated
at Cemtech in Dubai and Jakarta. However, it is not just a question of calculating. That depends on
yhe volatility of the Na2O and K2O, which is dependent on the amount of chloride and sulphate
present. It is too complicated for a simple calculation and depends on a model. However at 0.56%
total alkali there should be no problems.

Q: kiln speed
dear sir,kiln feed is 275tph(nominal capacity)and kiln speed is 3.6 rpm .speed is at least 0.5 rpm less
than required speed for the feed.if we run the kiln in this situation(kiln low speed),what will be the
bad consequence ?
A:How do you calculate the required kiln speed? 3.6 rpm sounds OK without knowing more about the
kiln. I can't imagine any bad consequences (although I am normally in favour of high kiln speed).

Q: Slag Cement Vs Portland cement

Dear sir, Please explaine me that, Why there is higher limit(Aprox 10%) of MgO in Slag Cement,
while in Ordinary Portland Cement MgO limit is 6% only.
A:I have never heard of that difference in the MgO specifications for OPC and slag cement. I presume
it is because the slag contains more MgO and that MgO is combined in a mineral with silicate rather
than being present as free MgO (periclase).

Q: Dear Dr. Clark, My question is about the pneumatic conveying of coal through FK pumps
The FK pumps for coal conveying is provided with nozzles through which the blower air is
entering. My question is for a stand by system (Common for kiln and calciner) where we have two
different volume requirements. The volume of transport air for kiln is dropping by around 40% due
to change of kiln burner. If we keep the same FK pump with reduced volume what problems are
expected and what is the remedial action.
A:Your standby FK pump must have sufficient volume for the larger of the two coal transport
requirements (probably the calciner). Too much volume and hence velocity is no problem. Too
small volume and hence velocity can lead to drop out of the fine coal and pulsing of the fine coal to
the burner - a very bad situation making the kiln uncontrollable.

Q: Replacement of kiln shell cooling blowers (quantity wise)

Dear Sir, I am trying for energy saving project in which 24 blowers of 3 KW each(=72kw)are used
for kiln shell cooling. I want to replace this 24 blowers with 4(12-15KW)high speed blowers each
with header(pipe)and 6 outlet from each header. Motor used may be with FPR blades and/or air foil
bearings.So, i want to know want points should i consider in its design
A:How will you control the airflow through the different outlets of the manifold? With individual fans
you can just run the fans where the kiln shell needs be cooled. With your proposed arrangements
you will lose the ability to cool a particular part of the kiln shell.

Q: CKD
Dear sir.some days before i had asked a question about cement klin dust and its impact on
clinkarization if it is fed to kiln in un-blended form.please answer my question.
A:Where will you feed it to the kiln? From where in the kiln does the dust come from? The exhaust
gas dust filter? Or the bypass? If from the exhaust gas filter, but fed continuously with feed from the
homogenisation silo then there should be no problem.

Q: what is LSF, SM , AM & what effect in raw mix

A:See my answer a few Ask Dr Clark's ago for what they are. The higher the LSF and SM the more
dificult to combine the clinker, so the higher the fuel consumption. But the clinker quality will be
better up to 100% lSF.
Q: kiln heating-up time after brick repairs
dear sir,after a repairs for lining(replacing old bricks in the zone 30-50 m from kiln outlet)if we
want to increase heating up time from 24 hours to 72 hours,what will be the bad consequence?
A:There will be no bad consequences from increasing the heating up time, other than lost output from
the kiln.

Q: making decide to replace or maintain old brick in coating area

dear sir,during repairs time in kiln we have problem in making decide to replace old brick that is
under coating in the length of 6-25 meters from kiln outlet. in this area,brick is covered by coating
and if we want to be sure about old brick thickness or its condition to maintain or replace it ,we
should separate the coating from brick and then measuring old brick thickness or drill a lot of points
to get brick thickness that is very hard and dangerous to do. what is better way to do ?
A:If you remove the coating them almost certainly you will have to replace the brick. It all depends
what the shell temperatures are when the kiln is operating. If below 400C then no need to replace.

Q: what is LSF meanings .

A:Lime saturation factor is the %CaO relative to the maximum %CaO that can be combined with the
%SiO2, %Al2O3 and %Fe2O3 multiplies by their respective coefficients,

Q: what is silica modules & alumina modules give me defination.

A:Silica modulus is the ration of the %silica to the sum of the %alumin and %iron oxide. Alumina
modulus is the ration of the %alumina to %iron oxide.

Q: Dryer unit effect on kiln shell temperature

I Want to install a dryer unit under the kiln shell in burning zone area for reducing the moisture of
RDF whcih is 40% to 50%. Is this dryer unit have any effective on kiln coating in burning zone.
What is your opinion.
A:It should make no difference, provided it is not so close that the radiation of heat from the shell is
impaired. The smell might be bad.

Q: Dear Dr. Clark my question belongs to ring formation in the kiln

I have a 4.75x75 m kiln producing 7600-8000 tpd clinker. i am using 90% pet coke in the kiln
firing. The SO3 levels measured in the bottom cyclones is below 1.5 %. We are facing the ring
formation between 50-54 m from kiln discharge. This creates a lot of nuisance and material starts
falling from kiln inlet forcing us to reduce th feed rate. We try the remedial action like adjusting the
burner (Insertion and retraction, feeding silica sand from kiln inlet, increasing the silica modulus in
the kiln feed etc. but we loose heavily on production. We have a AM of around 1.65 to 1.7 and SM
around 2.12-2.16 and lsf around 1 in kiln feed. Our limestone is rich in Alumina aroud 3.85-3.9 %
so inherently the alumina is high in the kiln feed. What is the remedy for this. We have this problem
once in 2-3 months. We came to know through some people that feeding caustic soda with
masonary sand in 1:5 ratio through kiln inlet will help removing the ring. Do you feel this will help.
Please help me. Pls let me know if u need any further data. Regards.
A:Yes, rings that far back from the discharge of the kiln are very problematic. I have never heard of
the addition of caustic soda with masonry sand to combat kiln rings. I doubt that this will help.
More information is needed. Is the material in the ring high in sulphate? The SO3 in the bottom
cyclones is no problem but it is possible that sulphate spurrite is causing the problem at the 50-54m
zone. The excess air in the kiln and the momentum of the main burner will affect sulphur volatility
in the kiln. The refractory lining also has to be taken into consideration. Is there any change in the
tryp of refractories or the length of time the refractories have been in service in this zone of the
kiln?

Q: Cement is not setting

Hi, Dr. Clark, we always 'the cement is not setting' comment from our clients. In our lab process the
setting time shows 100 minutes initial setting time by the addition of 3% gypsum. Let me know
how to control the cement setting time and what are the factors involved in the setting time other
than gypsum.
A:Hmmm. That is a difficult one. You have an initial setting time of 100 minutes using the Vicat
needle penetration test? In that case there should be no problem unless the temperature is very low.
Which country are you in?

Q: Reducing condition in kiln

What is reducing condition in the kiln during clinker burning and what is oxidizing condition? How
can this condition give impact on ring formation?
A:Reducing conditions in the kiln are caused by there not being sufficient oxygen, or combustion air,
to burn the fuel in the kiln or precalciner. The clinker minerals are all oxides and the cement kiln
should be burnt under oxidising conditions, i.e. with an small excess of combustion air and oxygen.
If there are reducing conditions then the volatility of sulphates in the kiln is increased and this can
lead to ring formation and other operational problems.

Q: my guestion i need some data for how to save energy consumption on cement industry
which taken hot gases from PH +cooler and by -pass to generated power about 4-16 MW
A:There are many ways to save energy in cement manufacturing. The first step is undertake an energy
audit to assess the current situation and identify the opportunities for savings. Generating electrical
energy from the waste heat flow from the kiln could be one of the opportunities identified by such
an energy audit.

Q: what is the throughput in a ball mill if i feeding say 170tph

what is the throughput in a ball mill if i feeding say 170tph
A:The output of a ball mill equals the feeding rate. We cannot create mass in a ball mill (or any other
process). So conservation mass means that what goes in must come out.

Q: sir kiln burning temp. 1450 but free lime free lime frequently comin what reason
A:There could be many reasons. Perhaps the lime saturation of the clinker is more than 100%. Perhaps
there is breakdown of CaSO4 to CaO and SO2 in the burning zone. Perhaps there is variable
granulometry of the kiln feed. Perhaps there is variable ash content of the fuel used to fire the kiln.
Perhaps the 1450C burning zone temperature is inaccurate.

Q: kiln feed to clinker factor & raw mill to kiln feed factor give me process
A:The raw meal to clinker factor is given by 1/(1- Loss on ignition at 1000C). The kiln feed to clinker
factor is this raw meal to clinker to factor plus the dust losses from the top of the preheater, with
appropriate adjustment for the incorporation of the ash from the fuel used to fire the kiln into the
clinker.

Q: Sulphur-to-alkali ratio
Hi Dr. What is the normal used formula for sulphur-to-alkali ratio and what is its preferred control
range and why?
A:(K2O/94 + Na2O/62 - Cl/71)/(SO3/80). Ideally the value should be as close to 1 as possible, i.e. the
alkalis and sulphate should be in molar balance. That means the alkali will be present as sulphates.
There will not be excess sulphate present as calcium sulphate and there will not be excess alkalis
which can inhibit combination of the clinker.

Q: free CaO
Dear Dr. Clark is there an estimate of 1% free CaO increase in clinker on its calorific consumption
(kcal/kg of clinker)?
A:I don't think there is a direct method of calculating that. FL Smidth's method of calculatng the heat
of formation of clinker could perhaps be adapted to give an estimate.
Q: kiln feed
What are the targets for kiln feed MA,MS and LPH
A:That depends on the clinker composition you want to manufacture, the fuels used to fire the kiln and
their ash content. It is part of the process of raw mix design.

Q: white cement
like grey cement can we install tretiary air duct from kiln to preheater as in white cement kiln hood
gets always posative.
A:Due to the clinker being quenched in water as it falls from a white cement kiln it is difficult to
preheat the combustion air for firing the fuels in the kiln by recovering thermal energy from the
clinker. Therefore a tertiary air duct is not normally provided and ambient air preheated through
heat exchangers is used to provide the combustion air for the precalciner.

Q: Environmental Bench Marking

Dear Dr.Clark How are you? This is prasad pamarthi from Qassim Cement Co, Saudi Arabia, I am
preparing a presentation on Best Practices in Environment, I need your assistance on the following
information being in practice in Europe, US and other countries.Any additional inputs form you are
very well, and ofcourse adds value to me.Best regards 1. What is the annual / daily average
(Particulates) dust emissions in Kilns in milligrams /Normal cu.mtr 2. What is the annual / daily
average (Particulates) dust emissions in Mills in milligrams /Normal cu.mtr 3. Fugitive dust
emissions generated in Quarry…. How they are controlled??? 4. Gaseous emissions like SO2 , Nox
and CO2 are they addressed?? If so how?? 5. Total Energy spent… Kwh / ton of cement 6. Total
Fuel spent …. Kcal / Kg of clinker.
A: I'm fine, thank you Prasad. Best practice for particulates emissions would be <2mg/Nm3. Modern
bag filters are able to achieve that from both kilns and mills. Fugitive dust emissions in quarries are
more difficult to quantify. Control is usually by water spraying with added chamicals (not an option
for you I realise). With production of blended cements with <70% clinker in cement it is possible to
reduce kWh/t cement to <80 kWh/t. For total thermal energy for firing the kiln 3380 kJ/kg clinker
(808 kcal/kg clinker) is reckoned to be best practice.

Q: Yellow stack
Dear Sir, We are continuously observing the stack color as yellow while our chemical analysis
shows every thing like sulfur, chlorides at normal level.What will be the reason. Regards
A: My suspicion would be that this caused by NOx emissions. Do yu monitor NOx in the emissions?

Q: What are resons of snowman formation?

A: Snowman formation in a grate cooler is the result of some liquid content remaining in the clinker
after it falls from the kiln into the cooler. With high secondary air temparature from modern,
efficient coolers this has become a more common phenomena.

Q: Cooler efficiency improvement

We have cement kiln of 2500TPD with coolex cooler 1054. CFG and RFT sections. Plant
technology supplier is M/s FLS. We have replaced grate plates thoroghly in 2007-08. We have
found that undergrate pressure reduced around 150mmwg in same flow of fans(CFG).It is found
that secondary air temperature remains approx 100-150 deg low. There is change in plate design
observed as they are supplying only new design now. Kindly suggest how we can improve
secondary air temperature.
A:My suggestion would be to try reducing the flow of air delivered by the CFG fans.

Q: cement temprature is high 135 maximum what effect in cement. gie me reason
A:At this temperature the gypsum in the cement will be fully dehydrated to anhydraite and there is
likely to be coating of the grinding media and loss of grinding efficiency in the mill. The reason is
inadequate cooling in the mill. That cooling should be provided by ambient air sweeping the mill
but is also likely to require water injection dependent on the dimension of the mill.

Q: give me reason circuit sample & chamber sample collect to mill.

A:The circuit samples for a closed circuit ball mill would be taken to determine the recirculating load
and the efficiency of the separator. Samples would be taken from the chambers along the axis of the
grinding path of the mill to determine the progresion of fineness along the grinding path.

Q: sir my kiln feed takn 420 tph but kiln load increase 600 what reason & give me controling
method .
A:I would need to know what the 600 refers to? The kiln drive motor kW or amps? Also what is the
normal operating range?

Q: Heavy coating in burning zone 19 mtr to 30 mtr from kiln outlet .

Ours is FLS kiln SLC type 8000 tpd 4.75 m dia and 75 m long We face frequent heavy coating
builds up at 19 m to 30 m . Liquid % 27.7-27.95 % Alumina Modulus 1.22 to 1.25 .Brick installed
in this region is Ankral Z1 . Once the coating forms it does not gets remove without stopping plant
and physically removing it . SO3 in clinker is 0.45-0.50 % .We fire pet coke in Kiln burner and
South Africa coal in calciner . Degree of calcination remains 96-97 % Pet coke resude below 2 % .
Burning Zone temp 1300-1350 deg cent . NOx at kiln inlet 1000-1100 ppm . Oxygen at kiln inlet
minimum 3.0 % . Duo flex burner setting Axial 100 % , Radial 50 % . Primary air pressure 2200-
2300 mmwg . Momentum measured was 2160-2200 % m/s . How to remove coating with some
adjustment in running kiln
A:There is much more data here. Thank you. There seems nothing to be concerned about with the kiln
feed chemistry, clinker SO3 or petcoke fineness. The burning zone temperature seems to be low, but
that might just be a calibration issue? How is that measured? NOx and oxygen at kiln inlet seem
OK. I do not understand the units for the measured momentum of the primary air? I would want to
calculate the momentum in Newtons so would need to mass of both components of the primary air
in kg/s and the velocity in m/s. I would also be intersted in the hot meal SO3 content and to know
whether the kiln is dusty with dust recirculating from cooler to kiln?

Q: Heavy coating in burning zone 19 mtr to 30 mtr from kiln outlet

A:Presumably this heavy coating is causing you an operational problem? Without more information it
is impossible to make a diagnosis. However, my suspicion would be that heavy coating over such
an extended length of the kiln might be caused by dust recirculation from the cooler and that dust
being carried back into the kiln with the combustion product gases from the main burner.

Q: Grinding without water spray

In Raw Mill Grinding without water spray ?
A:Some raw mills do operate without water sprays. Your question is not clear.

Q: our kiln is of diameter 3.7M and 54M long.I have observed frequently that when the kiln feed
residue is low ie around 7% the clinker fcao rise to above 4% and bulk density high as 1450 g/l
A:The first question is why does the kiln feed residue reduce to around 7%? Is this because there has
been segregation of the kiln feed and the lime rich fines are being delivered to the kiln? In that case
an increase in clinker free lime would be expected as the lime saturation might be so high that the
clinker cannot be fully combined. Perhaps the kiln operators increase fuel supply to try to combine
the uncombinable feed and hence the clinker density rises due to overburning.

Q: kiln drive amps, load

our average load on on drive is 350 amps at top and 310sh bottom. Over past several days we have
had climbing amps close to kick off of 545....we do not have a camera but by looking into load it
appears lifting very high (sticky)...it has been suggested too add fuel...in my opinion. complete
opposite should be done..lower fuel and add feed.
A:The cause must be an increase in the content of liquid phase in the kiln. That might arise from a
change in the kiln feed chemistry or the temperature in the kiln becoming hotter. In either case
reduced fuel and increased feed sounds to be a better strategy than increasing fuel. Increasing fuel is
likely to make the situation worse.

Q: My Dear :some time Free-lime&L.wt both increase or decrease,what the reason?

A:It could be due to variation in the temperature regime in the kiln or variation in the chemistry,
mineralogy or granulometry of the kiln feed.

Q: kiln shell temperature

dear sir,kiln shell temperature in 25m(from kiln outlet)is high(415 deg.centigrade)and shell cooling
fan in this zone is on. at first kiln feed and speed were 275tph ,4 rpm.we wanted to do a change to
decrease shell temp in 25 m and we decided to decrease kiln speed 0.3rpm (4 rpm to 3.7)after 1day
we did not get a good result and shell temp did not change.burner type is duoflex and fuel is natural
gas and liquid phase was 26-27%.if we want to decrease shell temp in this zone by changing on
burner position or flame shape, what should we do?what about another good options?
A:You should make small adjustments to the swirl air setting of the burner to try to shorten the flame
and cause coating to form in this region. However, this can only be done cautiously and is not
guaranteed to improve the situation. Unfortunately this can only be a carefully controlled trial and
error process. Good luck!

Q: What is the effects if mgo is increase in cement ?

A:The MgO content in cement is limited in international specifications for cement. These limits vary
from 4 to 6% in different parts of the world. If your cement MgO content increases but remains
below the specified value in your national standard then you should not expect any adverse effect
on cement hydraulic performance.

Q: coarse calcite in kiln feed

dear sir,we want to know approximately the effect of calcite >125 micron on kcal/kg.clinker.if we
have an increae in calcite>125 micron from 6% to 10%,how much increase in kcal/kg.clinker will
we have?
A:Presumably you mean for the same degree of combination, i.e. clinker free lime content? I don´t
know any formula that would alllow this to be calculated. The FL Smidth burnabilty formula
applies a coefficient of +0.1 to the residue of coarse calcite on a 125 micron sieve to estimate the
residual free lime after burning at 1400C. So if you can tolerate +0.4% free lime then there shouldn
´t be any effect on the kiln thermal energy consumption.

Q: clinker cooling rate

dear sir,we know the first stage of clinker cooling is done in the cooling zone inside the kiln.if we
want to increase cooling process in this zone to improve clinker quality,what should we do?
A:The only thing you can do is adjust the position of the main burner of the kiln. It will be difficult to
associate this with changes in clinker quality unles you analyse the clinker microscopically or by
XRD.

Q: Cement Process & Quality Control

1.What is Mineralogy & Mineralogy of Cement,Clinker & Raw Material used for manufacturing of
Cement. 2.What is Pyroprocessing in Cement Plant 3.what is significance of residue through 90 &
212 in raw mill & also for Cement Mill through 45 micron. 4.If kiln is not running properly with
LSF=101-102 % ,So3= 0.65-0.85 %,Alkalis=0.8- 1.1 % to MgO=1.3-2.0 % in Clinker & Residue
212 Mic =3.5 to 5 % in Kiln Feed,shall we go to reduce Residue ,Pl refer solution for this
5.Define :Blaine & Residue ,we getting high Blaine with high residue in Closed circuit Cement Mill
through 45 Mic, it is possible then pl explain 6.What is Rosin Rammler curve & Particle Size
Distribution & difference between them. 7.difference between Particle Size Distribution & Residue
8.Difference between Compressive Strength & Setting Time of Cement. 9.How to defective by
visual or by touching the cement sample or any other method to defected cement. My Email ID is
ravik.chauhan@ambujacement.com
A:Mineralogy is the mineral content rather than the chemical content, so quartz, limestone for raw
materials. C3S, C2S, C3A, C4AF alkali sulphate minerals for clinker. Pyroprocessing is converting
the kiln feed raw mix into clinker by processing in the cement kiln. Residue on 20 and 212 micron
sieve allows the Rosin Rammler particle size distribution to be estimated. You need low residues to
fully combine the clinker. Residue of 3.5 to 5% on 212 mmicron sieve is too high. You need to
grind finer. Blaine is the surface area of the cement in cm2/g. Residue is the amount retained on a
45 micron sieve. It is possibe to have high Blaine and high residue, but unusual. You must have a lot
of superfine particles to balance the coarse particles and still give a high Blaine. Rosin Rammler
particle size distribution can be calculated from the residues at two different sieve sizes. That allows
the residue at any sieve size to be predicted. Compressive strength is the force required to break a
mortar or concrete after a fixed time of curing. Setting time is the time before a mix of wet mortar
or concrete stiffens and can no longer be worked into a mould. You can't detect cement defects
visually or by touching.

Q: Normal LSF into homo silo, very low LSF from homo silo outlet
We milled LSF average of 95%, SR of 2.65 and residue of 13.5% on 100micron and 2.8% on
200micron into our CF silo to 55% level.(The capaciity of the silo is 10,000) The kiln stopped
thereafter. When we were recirculating the feed in preparation for kiln start-up, the LSF of the
samples from the ex-silo started decreasing from 96% until it got to 76% and remain constant.
There was also increase in SR from 2.42 to 2.82. Residue from 14 to 17% on 100micron and 2.7 to
5 on 200 micron. We could not feed the kiln because of this. What do yo think is responsible for this
change in the chemistry?
A:It is a common problem of segregation in the silo. The coarser, silica fraction stays in the silo and
only comes out when you reduce the silo level.

Q: LSF FORMULA
Dear sir,kiln feed is: Cao=42.3%, Mgo=2.7% ,sio2=12.90%, Al2o3=3.37%, Fe203=2.23% .some
plants do not consider Mgo in calculation of LSF and they use the formula LSF=100*cao/
(2.8*sio2+1.18*Al203+0.65*Fe2o3)is it right?or they should add 0.75*Mgo in numerator. if we
want to announce kiln feed LSF with above analysis what should we say about LSF?
LSF=102(without Mgo)or LSF=105(with considering Mgo).
A:Normally for kiln feed LSF the MgO is not included.

Q: Can low SO3 and Low Alkali lead to cyclone blockage?

Our kiln is 4-stage precalciner FLS kiln. Average SO3 is low at about 0.1% and total Alkai is also
low at about 0.2%. During our shut down, we discovered some thick coatings on the preheaters and
also some at the feed inlet that could have lead to cyclone blockage if the kiln has not been stopped.
Analysis of the material at the back end shows very high alakali(around 20%). Production are
attributing the coatings to low SO3. Can the low alkali, low SO3 be the reason?
A:Production are right that alkalis and SO3 should be in stoichiometric balance if possible. However, I
am surprised that you have this build-up with such low alkali and sulphate in the clinker.

Q: Reasons for ball formation in kiln?

A:There can be many reasons. Varying MgO content. High SO3 content in hot meal, Variable residue
of coal used to fire the kiln. These are all possibilities.

Q: clinker size
dear sir,kiln feed parameters are as follow: LP=26-27%,SM=2.3-2.5,AM=1.3-1.5,LSF=93-
96,Mgo=2.2-2.8%,residue on 90 mic=14-16%,residue on 210 mic=3-4% 65% of total fuel in
calciner and 35% in main burner(ILC-4STAGE) most of time ,clinker coming out of kiln is
coarse(size 100-150 mm)and we have problem in cooling process in SF-COOLER.why do we have
such coarse clinker and what is the effective factors on clinker size ?
A:You have a relatively high liquid content in the clinker at the burning zone temperature and a coarse
residue on a 200 micron sieve. These are the most likely causes of your coarse clinker. How much
SO3 is there in clinker? Adding some SO3 should reduce the clinker particle size.

Q: TYRE DRIVE FUELS? which is best place in pre-heater where tyre pieces entered, either it is
calciner top or kiln inlet
A:Chips of tyres would be better entered into the calciner.

Q: What is Residue and blaines?

what is the difference between them?
A:They are both used as a measurement of the fineness of powders. Blaine is the surface area of the
grains of the powder in cm2/g. The higher the Blaine the finer is the powder. Residue is the amount
of the powder retained on a sieve of a particular mesh size. The higher the residue the coarser is the
powder.

Q: CYCLONES EFFICIENCY ? what is the method to calculate the efficiency of cyclones

specially top cyclone.
A:The top stage cyclone efficiency can be estimated by weighing of the dust loss from the kiln when
the raw mill is not running. Alternatively doping of the dust flow can be used. For the lower stage
cyclones you have to rely on measurement of the loss on ignition of the material in each cylone
stage.

Q: Which are the way to increae optput of raw mill (vertical) ?

A:There are lots of ways: (i) increase the grinding pressure, (ii) reduce the fineness of the product, (iii)
reduce the particle size distribution of the raw feed, etc.

Q: sir, how to reduce opc cement temperature ?

A:There are lots of ways: (i) ventilation of the mill by ambient air and control of that, (ii) water
injection into the mill, (iii) clinker stock control to not feed the mill with hot clinker, (iv) ventilation
of the separator with ambient air and control of that, (iv) installation of a cement cooler on the fines
from the separator, (v) installation of a cooler on the rejects from the separator.

Q: calciner firing
dear sir, since 10 days ago,when we missed one of the two inlet meal pipe that goes into
calciner(lower pipe connected to calciner reduction zone clogged),fuel consumption in calciner and
then kcal/kg.cl has been increased about 5% but outlet gas temperatures from cyclones did not
increased(even decreased about 10-20 deg).we want to know the reason.
A:The temperature distribution in the calciner will have been changed. The feed diverted down the
lower pipe is intended to absorb the thermal energy in the gases rising out of the kiln. This is not
being so absorbed before the feed and fuel enters the calciner.

Q: meal pipe clogging

dear sir,we have calciner type ILC-4 Stage.from cyclone 3 ,materials go into calciner by 2 meal
pipes.one of two goes into lower part of calciner near to gas burners (15-30% of materials)and the
other meal pipe goes into upper part of calciner near to tertiary air duct. two pipes are separated by a
dividing gate.diameter of each pipe is equal with the diameter of inlet pipe to dividing gate.lower
meal pipe was clogged 1 week ago,and we had to pass materials from only upper meal pipe and
continue kiln running.we want to know if we continue to run the kiln with this condition(lower meal
pipe clogged),what will be the bad consequence?
A:You will change the temperature profile in the calciner. If there is no adverse affect on the
precalciner exit CO or temperature then probably you can continue to run like this with no bad
consequence.

Q: How to increase the atox mill (Vertical roller mill) output for coal grinding?
We have the atox mill 27.5 for coal grinding and output was 56 TPH but it was designed for 72
TPH. We maintaining atox DP 390 mmwg but as per calculation we can maintain DP upto 520
mmwg. Velocity above the roller is 3.96 m/sec against design 4.5 m/sec. If we increase the value
upto standard we can increase the TPH or not? Dam ring height is 115 mm and nozzle ring gap is
45 mm. We have inclined nozzle at 45 deg. & nozzle velocity comes around 95 m/sec. Velocity at
outlet of atox mill is 17 m/sec against the standard 10 m/sec.
A:Certainly you need the gas velocity through the mill body to lift the fines to and through the
separator. But the velocity at the mill outlet is high? How can the velocity be low above the rollers
and high at the mill outlet? What is the temperature profile across the mill?

Q: How many reason behind the increasing in kiln torque (including mechanical, electrical,
Process) ?
We have the problem in kiln, the torque of kiln suddenely rises and then drop down suddenely, what
is the reason behind this & how we can control this? What is the reason behind the high Kiln
torque?
A:There can be lots of reasons for this. The torque is the force that must be applied by the kiln drive
motor to turn the kiln. As the torque rises and falls suddenly it is most likely process related. There
are two process related factors that affect the kiln torque: (i) the amount of material in the kiln, and
(ii) the "stickiness" of the material in the kiln and its tendency to "climb" up the kiln wall with the
rotation of the kiln. I suspect the second is your problem. As the amount of liquid phase varies with
temperature the "stickiness" of the material varies. This can change suddenly with varying
temperature in the kiln or chemistry of the kiln feed.

Q: Andesite
Hi my friends What Andesite is?and how affects on kiln feed and burning condition? Best regards
A:Andesite is an extrusive, igneous rock. It can have silica content from 40 to 70%. It would not
normally be a cement raw material but the silica would combine with lime in the same was as clay
minerals or silica sand. It is necessary to check the composition for other oxides to ensure there are
no adverse affects.

Q: Syngenite formation in portland cement

We experience hardening/lump formation in bagged cement within 3 weeks.An answer to a
previous question relates the problem to syngenite formation during alkali cycles in the kiln.How do
one start to investigate/analyse the phenomena.What should one look-out for?
A:You need to calculate the alkali to sulphate molar ratio of your clinker. Syngenite would imply that
the K2O is in excess of the SO3.

Q: Dear Sir! How can we calculate the dust load at kiln inlet?
A:You cannot calculate this, only estimate it.

Q: Stone adding at finish grinding

Sir, Presently we are adding 15% of Silicious stone (CaO 25-30%) in Cement Mill along with
Clinker. We found strength (3d,7d &28d) is very satisfactory and setting time of cement is
maintained as require. Is there any possibility to increase it further as present comp. strength is
much above than minimum requirement. Presently Stone is crushed and screened before adding.
Regards
A:That sounds as if it is working very well.

Q: By Pass System
Dear sir, Our plant is designed with 20% bypass system. During running our contractor close the 5
chamber of bypass bag house and keep the suction of fan same as before. Is it still 20 %.
A:I need more information. You mean the speed of the fan was kept the same with 5 chambers of the
bypass baghouse closed? You need to ask your contractor why they did that.

Q: hot spot on kiln shell

dear sir,we are in urgent condition and I hope to receive your answer as soon as possible.kiln shell
temperature in the section 2-3 m from kiln outlet is high(370-390 degree centigrade) and brick type
is magnesite-spinel.we want to know for decreasing kiln shell temp in this section and brick
protection , which option is correct to do. 1-kiln shell cooling fan installation . 2-push the burner
forward(10-20 cm) to make flame far from the section. 3-pull the burner backward to extent
burning zone toward kiln outlet and then make coating in this section. if you have another
idea,please help us quickly.
A:370 to 390 degrees C is high, but not dramatically so. It is not uncommon to have shell
temperatures this high in the burning zone of a cement kiln lined with magnesia spinel refractories.

Q: kiln shell temperature

dear sir,we have duoflex burner and our fuel is natural gas .in the first 6 meter of kiln length(0-6
m)we use magnesit-spinel brick.sometimes in the near of outlet zone(2-4 m),kiln shell temperature
goes up to 380-400 deg.centigrade.what should we do to decrease this temperature?are we
allowable to install cooling fan in this zone(cooling zone) ?can we push the burner forward to make
flame far from the hot point?
A:You can apply a shell cooling fan. If you push the burner into the kiln then you will dramatically
increase the length of the flame and the burning zone. That might have an adverse affect on clinker
quality, coating formation or dust recirculation from the cooler. If you do do this then you must do it
cautiously.

Q: Low C3S clinker production

Hi, We are struggling with low C3S(50-54) clinker while the free lime is relative (1.3-2%). We have
recently changed our Kiln Feed LSF to make it higher in order to increase the C3S, but it is just
worsening the situation. The heat consumption is very high for our 5 stage pre heater. We have
decreased the fine coal residue to below 10% on a 90 micron, if we increase the coal usage more we
are struggling with sulphur volitilization in the lower stages which leads to cyclone blockages. Can
you from the discussion maybe offer some help.
A:I need to know how you are determining the C3S content of the clinker. Is it by the Bogue
calculation or by microscopy or X-ray diffraction?

Q: burner movement
dear sir,is it right that burner position adjustment(pushing forward or backward)should be done only
during kiln stop and when the kiln is running we are not allowable to move the burner inside or
outside because it may damage to refractories and bricks.
A:
No. The position of the burner can be adjusted while the kiln is running, but this must be done very
cautiously. The position and length of the the burning zone will be significantly changed by any
burner position adjustments, backwards or forwards. It can be done, but only in gradual steps
observing the effects of each small change for a number of hours before making the next one.

Q: For Preheater Immersion tube

Dear Sir, We have 5 stage suspension preheater system with all lower stage cyclones are old
conventional cyclones(High pressure drop) & top new stages are low pressure drop cyclones.Our
ID fan max pressure is 750 mm wc but we are able to get only around 400mm wc my question is
how I can increase the pressure drop in the system I am thinking that suppose if I reduced the length
of dip tube in lower stage kindly suggest at what extent the pressure drop will improve else have
any adverse effect in the system.
A:Why do you want to increase the pressure drop? I understand that the fan can handle a greater
pressure drop but why try to increase the restriction to drawing exhaust gases out of the preheater?
Shortening the dip tubes will reduce the pressure drop, increase the recirculating material in the
preheater and the preheater exit gas temperature and may significantly increase the thermal energy
consumption of the kiln. I do not understand your strategy.

Q: OEE% bench mark figures

Can you advise me of the OEE% bench mark figures you might use for the following areas over a
12 month period: • Quarrying. • Raw Milling. • Clinker Production. (feel free to dissect this area
into Preheater/kiln/cooler). • Cement Milling. • Bulk Loading. • Bagging & Palletising. • Alternative
fuels. • Coal Milling. Thanks, Keith.
A:The way to obtain access to such benchmarking key performance indicators is to subscribe to
Whitehopleman's benchmarking service. See the tabs on this website.

Q: Finess of raw meal influenced snow man

Hi Dr Clarck, Can raw meal fineness(212) influenced formation of snowman?
A:Only indirectly. This will not be the primary cause of snowman formation in a cement kiln clinker
cooler.

Q: what is the essential raw materials to produce white cement

A:Raw materials which give the required CaO, SiO2 and Al2O3 content with the minimum of Fe2O3
contamination. No other first row transition elements can be tolerated, but they are rare components
on cement raw materials or fuels.

Q: what are techniques used for removing heat in cement grinding?

how to prevent cement setting in grinding process of cement?
A:The temperature of cement grinding mills is controlled by a combination of ventilation of the mill
by ambient air and water injection into the mill to achieve evaporative cooling. The requirement for
water injection depends on the dimensions of the mill and the temperature of the clinker ground in
the mill, among other factors. There should be no tendency for the cement to set in the grinding
process of cement.

Q: Raw mix design of 4 components

How 4 components raw mix design are calculated and what are the LSF,SM, and AM for the mix
design?
A:Proportioning 4 raw material components to LSF, SM and AM targets involves setting up and
solving 4 simultaneous equations. The LSF, SM and AM targets are variables within those
simultaneous equations. I suggest that the enrol of the CemNet Cement Manufacturing Technology
course.

Q: how to calculate the capacity of id and vent fan interms of Nm3/hr

what are fan curves of 2500tpd capacity of clinker
A:This requires stoichiometric calculations based on the composition and quantity of fuel used to fire
the kiln plus the carbonate content of the kiln feed, the excess air in the exhaust gases, the
temperature of the exhaust gases and the pressure drop which must be overcome by the fan. Fan
curves are specific to fans, not to kilns of a given daily capacity.

Q: water reqiurement in conditioning tower ?

how to calculate the water and the amount of steam produce in conditioning tower ?
A:That depends on the mass and temperature of the gases entering the gas conditioning tower and the
temperature required of the gas exiting the gas conditioning tower. You need to develop a mass and
energy balance around the gas conditioning tower.
Q: how to calculate the dust content in preheater out let gases?
what are the methods and equipments use to calculate the dust content in preheater outlet gases i.e
outlet of cyclone 1A and 1B kindly send me details about the calculation of dust content and as well
as density of preheater out let gases at operating conditions 350deg C and -60mbar
A:This cannot be calculated. It must be measured. You can divert the dust out of the system and weigh
it or you can use tracer and dilution techniques. The density of preheater exit gases depends on their
composition in addition to their temperature.

Q: relation between dedusting cyclone efficiency & dust loading to kiln exhaust fan
A:There is an inverse relationship between preheater cyclone collection efficiency and dust loading to
the preheater induced draft fan. As the preheater cyclone collection efficiency rises so the dust
loading to the preheater induced draft fan will fall.

Q: how to calculate gypsum requirement / feed rate n cement mill?

how to calculate gypsum requirement / feed rate n cement mill?
A:This cannot be caalculated. It is dependent on the C3A content of the clinker and the hydraulic
reactivity of that C3A. You need to conduct optimum sulphate trials to determine the optimum
gypsum addition rate to cement.

Q: diffrence between kiln motor (KW)and kiln torque

dear sir,for kiln operators in CCR, kiln KW is monitored.its changes and trend is very important to
control the kiln.with having kw,is it necessary for operators to have kiln torque as a different
parameter than KW or they mean the same?what is advantages of torque rather than KW to be
monitored and controlled by operators? how should we calculate kiln torque?is it KW/rpm?
A:It is not necessary to have kiln torque in addition to kiln drive motor kW. Torque is the force
required to turn the kiln at a given rotational speed. As the resistance to turning the kiln rises so the
force required rises and the kiln drive motor will draw more kW. They are essentially the same
thing. There will be a relationship between the torque, kW drawn by the drive motor and the
rotational speed of the kiln.

Q: kiln shell cooling by cooling fan

dear sir,sometimes in the point of 40 m from kiln outlet (with brick 70% alumina)kiln shell
temperature is between 340-380 deg.cel(because of low thickness of brick in this point)and we want
to improve coating formation on the high alumina brick by using shell cooling fan in this zone and
protecting kiln shell and then increasing brick life time. is this a good decision or not?what is
disadvantages?
A:Yes, this sounds like a good strategy. Application of a shell cooling fan should help protect the kiln
shell and promote coating formation.

Q: sir, what is the reson preheater coating

high alkalie,so3 any other
A:The alkali to sulphate stoichiomentric ratio as well as the levels of alkalis and sulphates can the
cause of coating in the preheater of a cement kiln. Ideally the alkalis and sulphates in the hot meal
should be in stoichiometric balance. The chloride content of the hot meal must also be taken into
account.

Q: sir,what is the reson cooller snowman formed

due to heigh sio2,mgo,LSF or any other
A:The reason for snowman formation in a clinker grate cooler is the high temperature of the secondary
combustion air drawn from the cooler into the kiln and some liquid phases remaining in the clinker
that falls from the kiln into the cooler.

Q: Sir, what is reason of high residue of kilnfeed compparion of rawmeal residue ? Our rawmeal
residue is 5.0 to 6.0 and kilnfeed residue is 10 to 12
A:This can only be explained with reference to two possibilities: (i) the handling of the dust lost from
the preheater, and/or (ii) the sampling of the raw meal and the kiln feed.

Q: how will differenciate in total moiture and inherent moisture of coal

what is difference in surface and total moisture. did inherent moisture get lost during coal grinding.
A:The way to differentiate between sruface and inherent water in coal is to measure and plot the coal
dewatering curve. Inherent water is not lost to any great extent in cooal grinding.

Q: Sweetner grade lime stone (High grade limestone )

Dear sir, in my previous question I asked you max.CaO% in lime stone now I want to know that ..is
it possible that some CaO also present in any ( CaCO3)lime stone deposition so we can get 57%
CaO in Lime stone analysis
A:It is possible that some CaO be present in combination with other species than carbonate in a raw
material and therefore for the CaO content to be greater than 56%. This would no longer be a pure
limestone.

Q: COMPRESSIVE STRENGTH
dear sir,we need to increase initial compressive of cement(2 days compressive) and we can do that
by increasing LSF or blain and these changes are costly[more fuel consumption in kiln(LSF) or less
production capacity in cement mill(BLAIN)].what are another ways to increase considerably initial
compressive of cement?
A:The best way would be to mineralise the clinker ccombination by the addition of calcium fluoride
and calcium sulphate to the kiln feed. That allows more C3S to be combined in the clinker without
the attendant increase in kiln thermal energy consumption. This is sophisticated technology and you
need to be able to monitor the real mineralogy of the clinker produced.

Q: Sweetner grade (High Grade ) Lime stone

Sir, Pls tell me, is it possible that CaO % 57 in High grade lime stone (Its LSF aprox 1050)
A:The maximum CaO content in pure limestone (calcium carbonate) is 56%.

Q: kiln shell cooling fan

dear sir,we want to know in what temperature of kiln shell in burning zone we should start shell
cooling fan to help coating formation?if we want to start shell cooling fan in temp.320 deg.cellcious
and stop in 300 deg.what will be the problem on refractory lining?
A:That sounds a good range to start with. You must then observe the effect and widen the range if
necessary.

Q: The ingredients in ASTM C150....

Dear Dr. Clark, I have some questions on ASTM C150/C150m-11 Standard Specification for
Portland Cement revised in April 1, 2011. There are several ingredients specified in Item 5.
Ingredient of the specification, 5.1.1 Portland Cement Clinker 5.1.2 Water or Calcium Sulfate 5.1.3
Limestone (not more than 5 %) 5.1.4 Inorganic Processing additions (not more than 5 %) 5.1.5
Organic Processing additions (not more than 1 %) 5.1.6 Air-entraining addition Would you be more
specific about the following aspects? 1. What's the meaning of Water of "5.1.1 Water or Calcium
Sulfate" ? 2. What's the meaning of Processing additions ? What's the difference between 5.1.3 and
5.1.4 ? 3. What's the maximum addition rate ? Not more than 10 %? 4. What's the meaning of
5.1.5 ? Does it mean grinding aids? 5. What's the purpose the us government revised the
specification like this? For the reduction of CO2 emission? I really thank you for your help up to
now! Best Regards.
A:Dear Obong, The short answer is I don't knnow exactly. I presume the reference to water or calcium
sulphate is saying that the calcium sulphate addition might be gypsum with 2 molecules of water of
crystallisation. I think inorganic processing additions are pfa, gbs, etc. so the same as limestone. As
far as I I am aware the total additions are 10%, including the gypsum. I think organic processing
additions are grinding aids and organic quality improvers. I don't know the motives of ASTM or the
US Government but this seems to be a move towards EN197 CEM I cements.

Q: calorific value
Among the following fuels which one has d higher calorific value; 1 coal 2 petcoke 3 natural gas 4
AGO 5 LPFO 6 HFO and others
A:Calorific value is the heat content per unit weight or volume of the fuel. Heavy fuel oil and LPFO
would have similar calorific values. Petcoke will be lower and coal lower still in terms of MJ/kg.
Natural gas calorific value would be in heat content per unit volume rather than weight therefore not
directly comparable. I do not know what AGO is.

Q: Differential pressures
1. what is differential pressure and can we control it? 2. why do we measures differential pressures
for a. Mills b. Bag house and other equipments in cement industries?
A:Differential pressure is the difference between the pressure at the inlet and outlet of an item of
equipment. It is related to the flow of gas through the equipment and the resistance to that flow
presented by the equipment. We monitor the differential pressure to monitor the flow and the
change in the resistance to that flow, i.e by blinding of baghouse are build-up of material within the
equipment.

Q: Cement mill seperator

Hi sir We have a closed circuit cement mill and documentary of the seperator is SKS-Z-
3500/290/4*3200 . The seperator included of dynamic and static separator The static seperator have
100 blades (50blades in up and50blade in down). The rotation of the seperator is between 43 to 170
and it work always in 115-120 RPM and the blaine is 2900-3100 in opc. The efficiency of the
seperator is between 65-70% .(over screen 90mic) AT first: 1.The efficiency of this seperator is
good or Bad? 2.How I can improve the efficiency By the change of the distance between the blades
in statitcs seperator?(in now The distance is 8-16 cm) Best regard M.Bahrampour
A:65-70% separator efficiency is mid-range, neither good not bad. How are you assessing separator
efficiency? You will have to conduct trials with different setting of the separator blades and
remeasuring the separator efficiency.

Q: Dr. What is concrete workability and what is the best way to measure workability in laboratory
beside slump test?
A:Workability is a combination of the ease of placing concrete in a mould and the consistency of the
concrete, i.e. the tendency of the concrete to segregate into its constituent fractions. It is related with
the quantity and the reactivity of the C3A component of the clinker and the amount and mineral
form of the calcium sulphate in the cement. Besides slump you can get some indication of
workability from the flow of standard mortar measured on a flow table and the water demand of the
mortar to achieve a certain flow. This is one of the most difficult quality parameters to control
requiring that the gypsum addition to cement be matched to the amount and reactivity of the C3A in
clinker and the temperature regime in the cement be closely controlled.

Q: What is the difference between fineness in blaine and in residue? Can we correlate both
together?
A:You can expect there to be an inverse relationship between Blaine and residue. As Blaine rises so
residue at a particular sieve size should fall. The relationship will not be perfect as other factors
such as the cement mill configuration and clinker grindability will affect both Blaine and residue.
That is why both should ideally be monitored and controlled.

Q: How much quantity of wtwe required to reduced temp. from 320 oC to 250 oC in GCT.
A:That depends on the mass of the exhaust gas whose temperature you want to reduce. You need to
develop a mass and energy balance for the gas conditioning tower.

Q: Dr. If we substitute natural gypsum with synthetic gypsum and the only difference is the pH of
the synthetic gypsum is very low (between 1 - 3), will it affect the quality of cement produced?
Purity content is almost similar for both.
A:Yes, I would expect this synthetic gypsum to affect the quality of the cement produced. The
hydration of cement produces calcium hydroxide as one of the reaction products. The acidity of the
gypsum will react with that calcium hydroxide.

Q: If we stored clinker at open stockpile where it was vulnerable to prehydration due to rain and
humidity,can we still used the clinker for cement grinding?If can, what is the best control parameter
to monitor its addition so that cement quality is maintain
A:You can still use the clinker with a controlled addition rate to the cement mill. Perhaps 10 or 15%
maximum. You should control the fineness of grinding to a residue target rather than a surface area
target.

Q: Concerning my last question on the reduction of kiln diameter.

Dear Dr. Clark, Can you be more specific about your comments on mechanical complexities? You
said the rollers, riding tyre and the kiln inlet housing would be for the wider diameter. What does it
mean? And if we reduce the diameter of kiln feed end, does the load of kiln drive system will be
lowered under the same production rate? Thank you.
A:I don't know how many support roller stations there are, or the extent of the wider diameter section
of the kiln. My thoughts were that one of the support rollers and riding tyres would be for the wider
section, in which case mechanical changes would be needed if you go to a narrower diameter. I
don't expect there would be any increased load on the kiln drive motor.

Q: Sir 5 th cyclone sample temp. high so l.o.i. result high or low

A:If the temperature in the preheater bottom stage or precalciner is higher then the degree of
calcination of the feed would be expected to be higher, therefore the loss on ignition would be
expected to be lower.

Q: Kiln shell and tyre temperature

Hi sir How we can calculate alowed degree diffrential between the tyre and kilnshell?and how
much it should be? Best regard M.Bahrampour
A:I do not know of any universal method to calculate the temperature differential between the kiln
shell and riding tyre. This calculation would involve many considerations such as the design of the
tyre, tyre pads and shell. The ambient conditions in terms of temperature and ventilation.
Considerations of heat conduction, convection and radiation. The difference between the
temperatures will also be a function of the time of the measurement during the kiln operating
campaign. During the initial warm-up of the kiln the differential will be the greatest. The tyre heats
up much more slowly than the shell due to its greater mass and being reliant on heat transfer from
the shell. This is the danger time when the differential expansion of the shell and tyre might case a
constriction of the shell within the tyre. This must absolutely be avoided. The clearance between
shell and tyre must be closely monitored during warm-up. if the gap begins to close then the rate of
heating of the kiln or the tyre must be brought into line. If necessary sullpementary heating should
be applied to the tyre.

Q: high free CaO

Dear Dr. Clark Is it possible to have high temperatures in the kiln and also high f.CaO?
A:Yes. If the lime saturation of the clinker is greater than 100% then there will be free CaO
irrespective of the temperature in the kiln. Also if there are coarse particles of calcium carbonate or
silica in the kiln feed. There could also be other more complex reasons such as reducing conditions
due to the kiln main burner, but the most likely is too high lime saturation.
Q: Concerning the kiln shell diameter...
Dear Dr.Clark, The kiln was Polysius AT type with 5 staged-preheater and a planetary cooler. The
capacity was 3300 t/d and the length of the kiln shell was 61 meters. We increased the kiln capacity
to 4300t/d in 1999 by several modifications of a new SLC calciner(MFC) and a IKN clinker cooler.
There were no changes with kiln shell. Concerning the diameter of kiln shell, The first section of (0
- 9.4)m from kiln feed end is 5.0m of diameter, the second section of (9.4 - 12.4)m is conical type
and the diameter reduced from 5.0 to 4.8 m. the third section of (12.4 -61.0)m is 4.8 m of diameter.
We're planning to replace the kiln shell of the first(5.0m diameter) and the second conical section
because of some damages(deformation). At this time, how about replacing those sections with same
diameter(4.8m) as the third section ? Can you expect any negative impact when we do that ? Best
Regards.
A:I would not expect any negative process impact. The volume loading of the kiln would remain
within the normal range for SLC kilns with IKN cooler. There will be mechanical complexities: the
rollers and riding tyre will be for the wider diameter. The kiln inlet housing and seal will be for the
wider diameter.

Q: Relationship between Fineness (Blaines) and TPH

Sir, I want to ask precisely if there is any formula to Calculate the relationship between fineness and
Ton per hour of Cement production. All I assumed is the Higher the Blaine's or Fineness the
likelihood of the drop in production ( Is this theory correct?). What techniques can be applied to
Increase the fineness without corresponding reduction in Production Output?. I will appreciate your
prompt response to these questions. Thank you .
A:Yes, there is an inverse relationship between increasing Blaine and the mill throughput in tonnes per
hour. To achieve greater fineness you need to complete more grinding work per unit of product so
the output of the mill goes down. The best way to increase fineness with no loss of output would be
use grinding aids. If these are already being used then some precrushing of the feed to the mill in a
hammer mill or roll press. The amount of grinding work and the throughput rate of the mill are
related to the change in fineness that must be achieved. If you have a finer feed to the mill then less
grinding work is required.

Q: Is a rotary airlock / air seal required before feeding to v-separator? Pls explain.
A:A V-separator relies on the feed falling through gases ascending through the separator. You do not
want the ascending gases to rise through the feed chute so you need some sort of air seal.

Q: What is the difference in particle size distribution and strength between product from open
circuit grinding (product coming out from mill will straight away drive into silo without go through
separator for material separation) and closed circuit grinding
A:The particle size distribution will be wider with open circuit grinding than with closed circuit
grinding at equivalent Blaine. The separator has the effect of sending coarse grains back to the mill
for regrinding. This means there will also be less super-fines at the equivalent Blaine. Whether the
strength will be higher or lower depends on the Blaine. At low Blaine (3000 cm2/g) I expect that the
strength from an open circuit mill would be as high or even higher as a closed circuit mill. At higher
Blaine (4000 cm2/g) I expect that the strength from a closed circuit mill would be higher.

Q: Intensity of kiln feed

Hi sir How we can get the analyze of material , from intensity of kiln feed? Best regard
A:I presume you mean the intensify of the fluorescent X-radiation from a kiln feed sample in X-ray
fluorescense spectrometer. These are calibrated so that the SiO2, Al2O3, Fe3O3, CaO, etc.content
of the kiln feed is correlated with the X-ray intensity.

Q: how we calculate the efficency of preheater top stages

A:The efficiency of the preheater top stage is calculated by dividing (1 - the dust loss from the
preheater) by the kiln feed rate to the preheater.

Q: Dear Sir! What are the effects, if we increase the coal channel area of burner pipe a little to
avoid chocking?
A:You will change the injection velocity of the coal. Better to control the fineness of grinding of the
coal to ensure there are no large particles that can cause choking of the coal channel.

Q: why the cement stick on the silo wall and the bulk trucks wall
why the cement stick on the silo wall and the bulk trucks wall.. our cement analysis is SiO2 Al2O3
Fe2O3 CaO MgO SO3 K2O Na2O 20.49 5.04 3.67 64.34 2.05 2.48 0.13 0.23 LSF SM AM C3S
C2S C3A C4AF 97.95 2.35 1.38 55.01 11.92 7.17 11.14 Sieve Blain F.l 9 2950 1
A:The analysis of your cement is probably irrelevant. The alkalis are not high. The problem is most
likely delayed hydration of the gypsum in the cement. I will post my article "Hornblower's first
command". Read that for further explanation.

Q: effect of high L.O.I cement of concrete

Sir, We got one customer in need of cement of class 42.5N, the customer also wants the L.O.I of the
cement to be less than 5%, our limestone cement (Class 42.5N) have L.O.I of 7.5%. what do you
think is the effect of the high L.O.I value to concrete strength.
A:There will be no effect if your cement complies with class 42.5N. The EN197 standard makes the
composition of the cement irrelevant. It is performance based, i.e. you are guaranteeing that it will
meet 42.5N.

Q: cenent application in sub-zero temp.

If some % (<2%) of free CaO can help to produce in heat of hydration when cement is used in
below 0C ?
A:Yes, free CaO will hydrate quickly and boost the heat of hydration. However, that alone would not
be sufficient to make the use of the cement assured in sub-zero temperatures.

Q: Dear Sir, In our Rotary Kiln Burning zone bricks got burnt almost 70% in thickness with in a
week period of bricks installation,we request you to kindly give your opinion that the reason for
failure of bricks
A:There could be many reasons: the warming up procedure; interruptions in the warming up
procedure; the application of fuel and temperature control during the warming up procedure; the
quality of the bricks installation; the quality of the bricks; the chemistry of the feed; etc. It is
impossible to say without a full analysis of the causes of the failure.

Q: Hi Dr. Can quenching process affect the density of the clinker?

A:I presume this a white cement kiln? That is where the clinker is likely to be quenched in water.
Certainly the quenching can affect the density of the clinker. The clinker structure is often shattered
by the quenching and some prehydration will occur. Both these will affect the density of the clinker.

Q: Effect of RawMeal residue !!

Hello sir, We are facing frequent kiln flushing and dusty kiln condition in white cement plant, So
we are trying to find the problem.. Could you pls explain me the effect of residue in this problem
sir? We are maintaining a residue of 8 to 9% on 90mic.. or how can we over come this problem sir?
Thanks in advance
A:White cement kiln feed is difficult to combine due to the lack of iron oxide to form flux in the kiln.
The higher the 90 micron residue the harder it becomes to combine the clinker. Therefore it is
common practice to grind the kiln feed to a low residue of less than 5% on a 90 micron sieve. Finer
grinding might solve your problem. An alternative would be to add a fluxing/mineralising agent
such as calcium fluoride.
Q: Dear sir plz tell me how we can control coal mill reject if we use petcoke and low quality
coal.thx faisal ejaz
A:I presume you mean the coarse rejects that fall from the table of a vertical roller mill. The only way
to control these rejects is by adjustments of the nozzle ring and dam ring height.

Q: Dear sir plz tell me main chemical reactions in kiln and also how they took place.thax.faisal ejaz
A:The main chemical reactions are the calcination of the calcium carbonate and the subsequent
combination of the liberated free lime with the acid oxides to form the clinker minerals.
Temperature in excess of 850 degrees C is required for the calcination to take place at rapid rate.
Over 1400 degrees C with the formation of liquid phase is required for the final combination to
form C3S.

Q: Dear sir why we use differential pressure in raw mill. Thax faisal ejaz
A:Because the differential pressure across the mill is a function of the gas flow through the mill and
the amount of material being lifted through the mill. These two are also related. The differential
pressure gives an indication of the loading on the mill.

Q: How to calulate flame length?

A:There is no simple formula to calculate flame length that I am aware of.

Q: How to calculate the clinker bed height in cooler?

A:You cannot readily calculate the clinker bed height in the cooler. There are too many unknowns.

Q: How to calculate the preheater top cyclone efficiency without considering dust loss
A:Dust loss is fundamentally an inverse function of the top stage cyclone collection efficiency.
Therefore you cannot calculate the collection efficiency without considering the dust loss. You
should be able to estimate the dust loss from the indicated kiln feed rate and the changes in the kiln
feed and clinker inventories over time.

Q: What is effect of C.F. intermediate bin material on process and quality of clinker?
Sir, we divert the raw mill discharge air slide bag filter material to intermediate bin of C.F. silo, this
cause any effect on the quality of kiln feed. We add our ESP and GCT material to the CF silo
intermediate bin. Due to addition of raw mill bag filter material to the intermediate bin cause any
serious effect on quality of kiln feed. This is feasible as process point of view?
A:There should be no problem provided that this is done all the time. The boundaries of the mass
balance are the feeders to the raw mill and the clinker discharge from the cooler. What is happening
with recirculating ESP, GCT and raw mill airslide bag filter dust is irrelevant, provided that the
same procedures are followed all of the time.

Q: Dear sir what is plume and where it works.

A:A plume is a cloud of material appearing as the exhaust gases from the process exit to atmosphere.
Most commonly it is a cloud (or plume) or water droplets as the water vapour in the exhaust gases
condenses on meeting the cold, atmospheric air. Occasionally it can be a cloud (or plume) of
crystallising salts, usually ammonia based. This also sometimes referred to as "blue haze".

Q: WHAT IS FLUSHING PHENOMENON IN CLINKER KILN,

Dear Mr, Pls help me to understand about flushing and which cases happend it? What is
disadvantage of this phenomenton? Thanks much!
A:Flushing in a cement kiln is when uncombined material rushes down the kiln into the burning zone
and the cooler. Sufficient thermal energy must be applied through the main burner to maintain the
full combintion of the clinker in the kiln. If not the material can flush through.
Q: Dear Dr clarke what is LOI and how it works thanks. Faisal ejaz
A:LOI is loss on ignition. A sample is placed in a furnace at 1000 degrees C and the loss in weight is
measured. Any combined water will be lost and also any CO2 remaining in uncalcined calcium
carbonate. So the LOI of the kiln feed reduces as the feed passess down the preheater tower and into
the kiln as first combined water is lost and then CO2 is lost as calcination takes place.

Q: How to deal with ash ring formation in lime kiln?

A:Whitehopleman are specialists in cement rather than lime. In a cement kiln an ash ring would be
dealt with by adjustments of the main burner. That depends on the type of burner and the adjustment
possibilities. The coarsest adjustment would be to move the burner in to, or out of the kiln slightly.

Q: Dear Sir, please give me idea about how we reduce the rejection in vertical(atox)coal mill
Thanks
A:The only adjustments you can make are the height of the dam ring or the length of the raw coal
delivery chute into the mill.

Q: Dear sir, what is Rhino Horn? Please submit papers in this case
A:Rhino horn is the accumulation of clinker dust on top of the main burner of the kiln.

Q: Info: How to calculat the actual coal consumption for clinker production as during grinding of
coal meal dust coming with hot dust from preheater get mixed with fine coal.Booking the coal as
per flow meter reading of fine coal will lead to stock imbalance
How dust qty mixed with coal could be worked out. Is it correct to calculate the qty of dust on the
basis of C.V difference of raw coal & fine coal.
A:Certainly dust will be entrained into the fine coal. That is why the calorific value and ash content of
the fine coal should always be used when assessing the energy consumption of the kiln. There is no
straight-forward way of measuring the amount of dust in the fine coal as some volatiles will also be
lost during drying. The only way is adjust the amount of coal burnt to match the inventory of the
coal.

Q: Info: Sir, as we know the nitrogen in air reduces the temperature in the combustion
reaction,inside kiln burners. Is it possible to reduce or optimize this scenerio?
A:Oxygen enrichment of the combustion air leads to reduction in the volume of nitrogen and also a
hotter flame.

Q: Info: cement is getting lump in bags within two months; what is the remedy to be adopted in the
manufacturing plant
A:Many cement companies use cement sacks including a plastic membrane between the layers of
paper. Sometimes lumps are formed due to the presence of syngenite in the cement. This can only
be reduced by control of the alkali cycle in the cement kiln.

Q: If there\'s an increase of dust load (kq/m^3) at a specific air density of certain ambient T & P.
Will it affect the air volume or pressure conveyed by a particular forced draft fans (for example,
clinker cooler fans)
A:The dust load in the gas will affect the power drawn by a fan. The volume and pressure for a
particular rotational speed should remain constant.

Q: dear sir,The lsf of kiln feed will be greater or less than the raw meal lsf & why? if i m using
return dust into silo?
A:Because the top stage cyclone of the preheater acts as a separator. The coarsest particles pass down
the preheater to the kiln. The finest particles are not collected and become the dust. Normally the
finest particles are preferentially limestone and therefore the LSF of the dust is higher than the raw
mill product. As the kiln feed is the combination of the raw mill product and the dust it's LSF is
higher than the raw mill product.

Q: Dear Sir,We have kiln with diameter 4.8 M and we are using 220 MM thickness bricks. I want to
change the bricks thickness for whole kiln to 250MM. Is it possible or not with operation point of
view like load ,degree of filling etc.
A:It is possible, although it would be an unusual thing to do. You will increase the thermal load on the
refractory lining in the burning zone as the cross-sectional area of the kiln will be reduced. At the
same clinker output the degree of filling and specific loading of the kiln woould increase. Of course
the clinker output might reduce.

Q: Dear Sir, please let me know in cement mill (ball mill/tube mill)the length of 1st chamber is less
than 2nd chamber.. Awaiting for your valuable reply? (Ali)
A:Normally the length of the first chamber of ball mill is designed such that around 10kW of the mill
motor is drawn by the media in the first chamber of the mill. Normally about 1/3 of the total mill
length.

Q: Can the rate of quenching of the clinker affect the LOI of the cement? Will the LOI of the
cement be affected by the milling stage due to the temperature? Could there be recarbonation?
A:Certainly the cement milling temperature can affect the loss on ignition as the degree of gypsum
dehydration will be affected by the milling temperature. Recarbonation can occur to some extent by
long-term storage of the clinker.

Q: We have ball mill for coal grinding, we maintain the coal mill inlet temperature around 500 deg.
C and we get outlet tempe. 70 deg C. Moisture of coal reduced from 12 % to 7 % this is feasible to
maintain the coal mill inlet tempearature around 530 deg C?
A:The coal mill inlet temperature is already high at 500 degrees C. I suggest that you increase the
volume of hot gas drawn through the coal mill to improve the drying capacity.

Q: Our kilns is 4.75 dia x 75 m length , we face so many a times coating ring formation problem at
22 to 28 meter .
Clinker analysis in general , SM 2.34 , AM 1.28 , LSF 89-90 Liquid 26 +/- 0.5 , MgO 1.05 , SO3
0.45 - 0.55. K2O 0.34 and Na2O .09 We use mostly South Africa A grade 100 % in kiln and A
Grade B grade coal 40:60 % in calciner . though we keep liquid in close watch we face heavy ring
or coating formation in burning zone .How can we come out of problem ?
A:The alumina modulus is low. Raising that should reduce the coating tendency. Beyond that there are
many other considerations such as the ash content of the fuel, how finely the fuel is ground, the
settings of the kiln main burner, etc.

Q: Hi Dr. Clark I'm an Engineering student currently developing a proyect in a cement company
and I was wondering if you could help me. I need to make a heat and mass balance in a VRM.
The mill is an Atox 30 with a hot gas generator with Fuel Oil Nr 6 as fuel. Raw material feed is up
to 100 ton/h and between 6% and 12% humidity. I really need some help with heat and mass
balances from the heat generator to the chimney. Thanks
A:The first step is to construct the mass balance. You need to calculate the gas flow through the mill
from the amount of fuel oil burnt and it's ultimate analysis. Once you have the mass balance then
you calculate the energy balance by multiplying the mass flows by their specific heats at the
operating temperatures and the energy absorbed to dry the raw material.