Cement Plant Operation Experince

RING FORMATION

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Possible causes for ring formation in rotary kiln:

1. High liquid content Silica A/F ratio as well as Lime saturation factor
low .
2. Incomplete calcination of the feed as it enters the burning zone (Frequent
dust flushes into and poor calcining conditions behind the burning zone).
3. Frequent changes in chemical composition and fineness of kiln feed.
4. Kiln speed too slow and feed loading too high in normal operation.
5. Excessive variations of flame temperature and length during normal
operation.
6. Frequent changes in secondary air temperature.
7. Excessive frequency of kiln operating upsets (burning zone temperature
and location varies too frequently and too wide range).
8. Increased volatility of, and frequent change in, alkali and sulfur content
in fuel and feed.
Kiln ring formation mechanism can be divided to two

1. Rings with regard to formation chemistry:

1.1. Sulphur Rings
Sulphur-induced rings are formed when the molal sulfur to alkali ratio in
the system is more than 1.2

In such cases, there is a considerable amount of free SO3 circulating in the

kiln. At a certain concentration level in the kiln gas, sulfation of the free
lime occurs with anhydrite formation (CaSO4). If the kiln is burning under
slightly reducing conditions, more volatile and lower melting sulfur salts
may form, therefore increasing the severity of the problem. The salts, in
molten state, coat the traveling clinker dust, forcing it to stick to the kiln
wall in the form of rings. Sometimes the chemical analysis of such rings
does not indicate high sulfur concentrations, proving that even a small
amount of free sulfur is sufficient to cause rings.

1.2. Spurrite Rings

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Carbonate or spurrite rings are formed through CO2 desorption into the
freshly formed free lime, or even through belite recarbonation.

These rings are hard, layered, and exhibit the same chemistry as regular
clinker. Spurrite is a form of carbonated belite. When the carbonate in the
spurrite is replaced with sulfur the new mineral is called sulfated spurrite.
Spurrite rings form whenever the partial pressure of CO2 above the bed
of material is high enough to invert the calcining reaction.

1.3. Alkali Rings

The third type of ring occurs whenever the sulfur-to-alkali molal ratio is
less than 0.83, usually in kilns with heavy chlorine loads.

In such cases, low-melting potassium salts provide the binder for clinker
dust travelling up the kiln. Through a "freeze-and-thaw" mechanism,
these rings can assume massive proportions. Alkali rings are far less
common than other types because sulfur and carbonates usually are in
excess relative to potassium.

2. Rings With Regard to Formation Location

2.1. Intermediate Rings
Intermediate rings are dense, hard and seldom fall off during kiln
operation. They are elongated, being some 10 15 meters long and
extending from 7 to 11 kiln diameters from the outlet. This ring is clinker-
like in color indicating it being composed of well burnt material. They
have a layered structure, according the curvature of the kiln shell. Their
chemical composition is very similar to that of clinker. No increase in
concentration of SO3 or alkalis takes place, and often the ring shows lower
volatile element values than for clinker. The alite of the inner layers may
decompose into belite and secondary free CaO, resulting from cooling
down of the inner layers to a temperature lower than the stability
temperature of the alite (1260 °C). The mechanism of bonding is the
freezing of the alumino-ferrite melt. The smallest clinker particles of 150

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450 mm are carried back by the gas stream, fall down and are deposited
on the kiln refractory lining, in a zone where temperatures of below 1250
°C exist. The clinker dust particles freeze in place, and because the kiln
charge is still fine, it does not possess sufficient abrasive action to remove
the growing ring.

2.2. Sinter Rings

These rings occur in the burning zone inlet, some 4-5 diameters from the
kiln outlet. They are greyish-black in color, hard and formed by small
clinker nodules and clinker dust. Because of the presence of large pores
and voids, no layered structure is formed.

Their chemical composition is that of the clinker with no concentration of

volatile elements. The alite of the inner layers may decompose into belite
and secondary free CaO. The bonding is created by the freezing of the
clinker liquid phase. This phenomenon occurs especially in the burning
zone inlet, where the liquid phase is just starting to form, at approximately
1250 °C.

Due to the rotation of the kiln, the material freezes with each kiln rotation
and deposit of clinker particles having less than 1 mm diameter may reach
a large thickness.

2.3. Coal Ash Rings

In kilns fired with a high ash content coal, rings can form at 7 8.5
diameters from the kiln outlet. They are dense, with a layered structure
and sometimes glassy in appearance and built up from particles some 150-
250 mm in size. They are rather less dense and have larger pores and voids
than intermediate rings. Their chemical and mineralogical composition is
very similar to that of clinker. As the ring grows up and the temperature
of the inner layers falls down the alite may decompose into belite and
secondary free lime. The bonding mechanism is the freezing of molten
coal ash particles and perhaps to a slight extent, the freezing of the clinker

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liquid phase. The molten coal ash droplets adhere to the kiln refractory
lining in a zone where the temperature is high enough so that they are still
partially sticky.

When this layer passes under the kiln charge, one ach kiln rotation, a
portion of the still very fine kiln charge adheres to it.

The tendency to coal ash ring formation decreases as the kiln runs at a
faster speed: the faster material flow decreases the chance of its deposit
at a certain location. The kiln rotating speed should also remain as
constant as possible and whenever decreasing the kiln speed, the raw meal
feeding rate should also be diminished accordingly, in order to have a
constant kiln filling degree, avoiding the accumulation of material at a
area favorable to ring development.

The firing time for pulverized coal is influenced by its fineness: the finer
the coal the faster its firing. A coarse coal fires slowly and irregularly.
The ash is the skeleton of the coal particles and preserves its original
shape after firing. The biggest and heaviest ash particles are carried back
by the exhaust gas stream and fall down at a high temperature zone (>
1250º C) of the rotary kiln, at the beginning of the burning zone,
increasing the amount of the melt which makes easy the ring formation.
Beyond an upper limit the humidity of pulverized coal badly influences
the coal combustion process, elongating the flame, changing the thermal
profile inside the rotary kiln and favoring the coal ash ring formation. At
BAMBURI the coal dust to rotary kilns, according to laboratory report of
June 1996, has 2.6% residual humidity. This seems to be a very high
figure. Usually the residual humidity of coal ash is about 1.0%. The lower
limit value is again fixed by safety reasons, according to coal type and
composition, as a very dry coal dust has an easy tendency to fire and
explosion.

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Coarse ash particles fall down at the beginning of the burning zone, at a
high temperature zone, and they have no time to mix with raw meal
particles; hence, they melt quickly and adhere to the kiln walls.
Fine ash particles fall down at calcining zone, at a lower temperature zone,
and they have time to mix with the raw meal particles, melting together
at beginning of the burning zone, making easy the clinker nodulization
process.
If the coal grinding is finer, the smallest and lightest ash particles carried
back by the exhaust gas stream fall-down at a lower temperature zone of
the rotary kiln, where the temperature is not high enough for its melting.
The ash particles mix with the raw meal particles and this mixture melts
at the usual way, without ring formation

Coating and ring formation uphill of the burning zone

In investigations on this subject it has been found that the majority of these
rings and heavy coating in dry process kilns are associated with one of the
following factors:
1. Internal cycle of the volatile constituents from the kiln feed and fuel
(alkalies, sulfur, chlorides).
2. Kiln feed fineness.
3. Irregular and insufficient control (frequent fluctuations) of the feed and
temperature and kiln draft.
4. Excessive dust generation with the rotary kiln proper.
4.1. Analysis of the materials from these rings or excessive coating
buildup in variably showed high content of calcium sulfates,
potassium chlorides, and / or alkali sulfates.
4.2. Efforts to alter the internal and external cycle of volatile
components in the gas or feed stream have in many instances
resulted in less frequent ring formation.

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