HEAT ECONOMICS

OPERATION OF A ROTARY KILN FIRING DUNITE

Yu. E. Kuperman and V. A. Perepelitsyn UDC 666.763.4.041

In 1965 the R e f r a c t o r i e s Division of NTMK put into operation a r o t a r y kiln for burning dunite f r o m
the SolovVevogrsk deposits. The planned c a p a c i t y was 80,000 tons per annum. The calcined dunite is used
f o r making f o r s t e r i t e and f o r s t e r i t e - c h r o m i t e r e f r a c t o r i e s .
The dunite c o n s i s t s of an u l t r a b a s i c r o c k of m a g m a t i c origins with a high ignition loss, which indi-
cates the high d e g r e e of s e r p e n t i n e f o r m a t i o n in it. The p r o p e r t i e s a r e shown in T a b l e s 1 and 2. The
dunite in lumps m e a s u r i n g up to 300 m m is d e l i v e r e d f r o m the mine, subjected to p r i m a r y crushing in a
jaw c r u s h e r SM-11B in lump s i z e s of not m o r e than 60 ram, and p a s s e s through a h o p p e r - a c c u m u l a t o r with
a capacity of about 200 tons, a belt f e e d e r and a s y s t e m of c o n v e y e r s , and finally into the r o t a r y kiln. The
quantity of m a t e r i a l fed into the kiln is checked e v e r y hour in o r d e r to maintain the stability of kiln feed.
The output of the r o t a r y kiln is 12.5 t o n / h , length 60 m, internal d i a m e t e r 3.0-3.6 m, internal s u r -
face a r e a 510 m 2, r p m 1.3, with o p e r a t i o n on a u x i l i a r y d r i v e 0.6 r p m .
The technical fuel is sulfurous oil g r a d e 40-100 with a t h e r m a l capacity of 9600-9700 k c a l / k g . The
fuel is fed into the furnace through a m e c h a n i c a l nozzle with a nipple d i a m e t e r of 3.2 ram. The oil is
s p r a y e d with p r i m a r y air fed by the VVD fan with a capacity of 4000 m 3 / h at a p r e s s u r e of 200 m m water.
The flue g a s e s are r e m o v e d by a fan No. 15.5 with a c a p a c i t y of 60,000 m 3 / h , and a p r e s s u r e head of 270
mm water.
In o r d e r to utilize the heat f r o m the flue g a s e s behind the r o t a r y kiln we have e s t a b l i s h e d two waste
heat b o i l e r s UECHM-34 with a s t r e a m c a p a c i t y of 3.7-6.0 t o n / h each at a flue gas t e m p e r a t u r e in front of
the b o i l e r s of 400-650~ The b o i l e r s o p e r a t e steadily and have achieved the planned p a r a m e t e r s .
The gas purification t r a c t of the furnace (Fig. 1) involves an e l e c t r i c fitter G P K - 4 2 - 3 (1 section). The
c h a r a c t e r i s t i c s of the filter are: a r e a of active c r o s s s e c t i o n 21 m 2, n u m b e r of fields in Sec. 3, type of
c o r o n a e l e c t r o d e s p r i m a r y and s e c o n d a r y fields, N i c h r o m e w i r e d i a m e t e r 2 ram, third field butt section
d r i v e 4 x 4 ram.
The supply to the e l e c t r i c f i l t e r fields is effected with the e l e c t r i c units AFA-90-200 using the c i r -
cuit unit-field. Despite the forced operating cycle with enhanced furnace output the planned p a r a m e t e r s of
the e l e c t r i c f i l t e r s (Table 3) a r e o b s e r v e d .

TABLE 1. P r o p e r t i e s of Raw Dun- TABLE 2. Content of B a s i c Oxides

ite* in Dunite

" @

]
,o
I.~
~ensitv leo
Sample
Content,% I
loss on IRati~
No. s|o~ MgO ignition iMgO/SiO2
I
I 31,651 42,14 14,6 1,33
1 0,34 I 2,59 2,637 1180 29,821 40,71 13,23 1,30
2 0,10 I 2,63 2,673 980 30,091 41,2 13,37 1,26
3 0,11 2,59 2,641 1120 33,44 [ 41,26 13,31 1,22
34,491 40,78 13,32 1,18
* Report from the East Institute of Refrac- I
tories: Development of a Technology for'
Burnt Dunite [in Russian], Sverdlovsk(1967).

N i z h n e - T a g i l ' s k V. I. Lenin Metallurgical Combine. E a s t Institute of R e f r a c t o r i e s . Translated from

Ogneupory, No. 5, pp. 22-26, May, 1973.

9 1974 Consultants Bureau, a division of Plenum Publishing Corporation, 227 West .17th Street, New York, N. Y. 10011.
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288
 f ] 5 ~I

Screw conveyor
Fig. 1. G a s - p u r i f i c a t i o n t r a c t of the r o t a r y kiln: 1) kiln; 2)
dust chamber; 3) settling dust chamber of the waste heat
b o i l e r s ; 4) e l e c t r i c Niter; 5) plan; 6) chimney.

TABLE 3. Working P a r a m e t e r s A high t h e r m a l efficiency of the e l e c t r i c filter, even with

of the E l e c t r i c F i l t e r s v e r y high dust concentrations at the entrance, is ensured by the
high ionization capacity of the dust and also by the fact that the
dunite dust does not coagulate, is e a s i l y shaken f r o m the e l e c -
Factors ~ trodes, and does not cake. A high t h e r m a l efficiency is also
achieved as a r e s u l t of the well adjusted s y s t e m s of automatic
cleansing of the hoppers in the e l e c t r i c filters to r e m o v e the
Volume Of~ases with
cycles ll-f3 ton/h, ma
forced
dunite dust which has been extracted. The dust extracted in the
/SeC ll,O 9,4 e l e c t r i c filters consists of a mixture of p a r t i c l e s of dunite of dif-
Gas temperature in front of
electric filters 180 157 f e r e n t degrees of firing. The density of the dust is 2.905 g / c m 3
Hydraulic resistance of: (Tables 4 and 5). In o r d e r to use the dust it is n e c e s s a r y to a r -
electric filters, mm water 20,0 15,0 range its granulation (pelletizing'), drying, and firing of the g r a n -
Gas veIoclty at input to ules.
electric filter, mTsec 0!8 0,7
Dust content, g/m
Initial 9,5 12,8 An obstacle in i n c r e a s i n g the output of the furnace (in 1966
Residual 0818 0,16 10.6 t o n / h , in 1970 12.9 ton/h) is the loading unit. The high
Effectiveness ofpurificatio~ 98,4
% charge means that some of the raw m a t e r i a l which does not move
out f r o m under the charging pan falls under the furnace or into the
dust chamber, disturbing the [abyrinthic compaction. The quan-
TABLE 4. Grain Size Distribution of tity of extracted dust r e a c h e s 12,000 tons per annum which is 10-
Dunite Dust, 137c of the weight of the raw dunite charged into the furnace.
Sample 1--1~ 0,ogmm
O,~-- 0,09-- I The furnace is lined (Fig. 2) with c h r o m e - m a g n e s i t e b r i c k
No. 0,2*m o,o6mm I <o,o6m m
(COST 5281-50) KhM-3 (narrow section), KhM-3a (wide section),
0,5 I2,4 3,1 84,0 and f i r e b r i c k Sh-19 (COST 8691-58). The b r i c k dimensions ace
0,4 7,7 16,5 75,4 given in Table 6. The m o s t important working factor is the life
2,3 14,8 11,5 71,4
0,1 9,5 10,8 79,4 of the lining which operates in heavy conditions, e s p e c i a l l y in
the sinter zone at 1450-1500~ (measured with a p y r o m e t e r T E R A -
* Particles measuring >1 mm noT--present. 50)~ However because of the i n a c c u r a c y of the m e a s u r e m e n t s ,
due to the influence on the p y r o m e t e r readings of the flame tern-
p e r a t u r e , the chief c h a r a c t e r i s t i c of the t e m p e r a t u r e cycle is the t e m p e r a t u r e in front of the waste heat
boilers which v a r i e s as a function of the fuel consumption and furnace output.

The high t e m p e r a t u r e , and sudden variations in it during each turn of the furnace (200-300~ causes
cyclic, single-sided heating of the lining, i n c r e a s i n g the intensity of the thermal impact. When the kiln is
rotated the lining is periodically in contact with the m a t e r i a l being fired and the flue g a s e s , as a r e s u l t of
which the b r i c k is heated i r r e g u l a r l y . This leads to the development of local c o m p r e s s i v e s t r e s s e s and
breakdown in v a r i o u s sections of the lining.
The b a s i c types of wear in the r e f r a c t o r y lining are scaling, destruction of the r e f r a c t o r i e s due to
t h e r m a l shock, and abrasion of the m a t e r i a l being fired moving a c r o s s the furnace channel. In o r d e r to
achieve the m a x i m u m life the lining should be made f r o m r e f r a c t o r i e s having a high strength and thermal
shock r e s i s t a n c e . To achieve a high building strength in the s t r u c t u r e , s t r i c t observation of the b r i c k di-
mensions is important.

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 TABLE 5. Chemical Composition of Dunite Dust,
Sample
NO. I MgO I CaO
, Fe,O,
SiO~ Al=Os+TiO= FeO [ [Losson
.0t o t0o
cr,o, tignition

46,11 [ 0,70 36,64 1,49 0.14

46,47 0,20 35,22 1,11 N.d.* 10,40 N.d. * 6,70
45;14 . 1,28 36:24 0,84 0,36 9,48 " " 6,58
*N. d. - Not determined.

/O0

d eo
~ ii!i~::i(:

.......;........,,..... =o zo

I Fractions, mm
, 2 / D ~ 5 ; m]l-~5; D J / ; ~/~J; E~,lS
Fig. 2 Fig. 3
Fig. 2. Drawing of the lining of the r o t a r y kiln: 1) f i r e b r i c k ; 2) c h r o m e
- magnesite brick.

Fig. 3. Change in the g r a i n size distribution of dunite along the length

of the kiln during firing.

TABLE 6. Dimensions of B r i c k The chrome-magnesite structure in the sinter zone operates

for Lining R o t a r y Kiln, mm* unreliably: the average wear per month is 30-40 mm. The chrome
-magnesite structure is rapidly worn out because of the frequent
Brick grade Weight Height stoppages of the furnace for different reasons. Much attention is
paid to burning-in the kiln and working it up to the operating cycle.
KhM:3 115 65/55 The smoothness of raising the temperature and thorough heating of
KhM-3a 115 65/57
Sh',-I9 113 75/64 the lining ensures normal working conditions fn the structure. After
1-2 days a refractory wash is applied to the linings of the kiln which
*'Length230 ram.
sticks well to the structure and protects the working surface from
the corrosive action of the atmosphere.
Since 1968 the lining has been completely changed twice a year, and repair is done every month
during stoppage of the kiln when the planned preventive repairs are being carried out. The site of serious
local wear leading to premature failure of the lining is the second conical part of the furnace. In this sec-
tion the structure is changed completely almost every month. The causes of the premature failure of the
r e f r a c t o r i e s in the conical section are the vulnerability of the r e f r a c t o r y by d i r e c t action of the flame and
the absence of r e f r a c t o r i e s of the n e c e s s a r y shape, because of which each b r i c k for all the rings in the
conical section has to be cut. Because of the poor quality of the cutting, the lining in the conical section does
not have the n e c e s s a r y strength and the b r i c k is shaken loose during operation, is worn off, and drops out
of the f r a m e of the furnace.

The chamotte lining in the p r e p a r a t o r y zone operates r a t h e r well due to the i m p r o v e m e n t in the
quality of the f i r e b r i c k s and the sufficient f i r m n e s s of the s t r u c t u r e . In 1970-1972 the average campaign
time in this zone was 190-300 days, and the wear during the campaign was 100-120 ram.
We shall now give the basic p a r a m e t e r s for the operation of the r o t a r y kiln firing dunite: dunite
charge 18 • 3 t o n / h , oil consumption 1.3 * 0.3 t o n / h , oil p r e s s u r e in front of b u r n e r s 15-18 arm, oil
t e m p e r a t u r e 95-100~ p r i m a r y air consumption 3000 4- 500 m3/h, draft in hot head 1.5-2.0 m m water, in
dust c h a m b e r 2.5-3.5 m m water, t e m p e r a t u r e in the dust c h a m b e r (in front of the waste heat boilers)
450 =~ 30~ m a x i m u m (permitted) t e m p e r a t u r e in front of the e l e c t r i c filters 200~
During the f i r s t unexpected stoppage of the furnace we studied the change in the g r a i n size d i s t r i b u -
tion of the dunite during firing (Fig. 3). There is a typical gradual change in the c o a r s e fractions, and a

290
constant quantity of these f r a c t i o n s at the e n t r a n c e to the furnace (64.7-62.4~c) and at the exit (65.2-63.4%),
although the quantity of c o a r s e f r a c t i o n s d i m i n i s h e s at the 20th m e t e r (dehydration zone). In c o n t r a s t to
m a g n e s i t e the c o a r s e dunite is not prone to s e [ f - d i s p e r s i o n despite the e m b r i t t l e m e n t of the m a t e r i a l owing
to dehydration. The content of f r a c t i o n s 3-1 m m d i m i n i s h e s f r o m 13.4~c at the entrance to the furnace to
4.8-5.3~c at the exit despite the sintering and a g g l o m e r a t i o n p r o c e s s e s . The quantity of dust (fractions
<0.5 ram) is s u b s t a n t i a l l y i n c r e a s e d : f r o m 1.6-1.8 to 14-16~c. This r a t i o of f r a c t i o n s in the fired dunite
p e r m i t s us to a r r a n g e a wide v a r i a t i o n in g r a i n size distribution during the production of r e f r a c t o r y m a -
t e r i a l s of m a g n e s i a - s i l i c a t e composition.
The quality of the f i r e d dunite is high, p o r o s i t y 5-10~c, loss on ignition 0.001-0.007~, which g r e a t l y
i m p r o v e s the r e q u i r e m e n t s placed on the technical conditions. However, it is n e c e s s a r y to note that the
firing p r o c e s s for dunite in a r o t a r y kiln is of low productivity and expensive, and t h e r e f o r e it is n e c e s -
s a r y to look for m o r e rational methods of burning the dunite.

291