THE FRICTION DRIVE FOR MODERN TWO-SUPPORT KILNS IEEE-IAS Cement pdtry Committee Kurt A. Geiger, Chief Design Engineer, F.L. Smidth Inc. Brian P. Keefe, Director of Eoaineering F.L. Smidth Inc. Gary R. Kotz, Sr Projed! Engine, F.L. Smidth Inc R.E. Freiherr von cen Consultant ABSTRACT ‘The proper selection of critical drives in @ cement plant is of the utmost importance as to how well the plant will function over its lifetime, The rotary kiln is at the heart of the cement making process. It is perhaps the single most critical piece of equipment in the cement plant This paper introduces self-aligning kiln roller supports as an innovative drive technology for modern 2. support kilns. Such kilns are statically determinant and it is possible to drive the kiln's rotation through its supporting rollers by means of this special roller design. As a consequence, the friction drive with AC variable frequency motors (or hydraulic motors) is quickly becoming the kiln drive of choice for all new 2- ‘support kiln installations, This paper will examine the operating, maintenance, and cost benefits of the friction drive (such as the elimination of the traditional ring gear and pinion). It will be shown that the new drive system thereby eliminates the traditional problems of alignment, wobble and lubrication of the kiln girth gear. Additionally, the civil construction costs are minimized as the drive system does not require a separate foundation It will be shown how the self-aligning kiln roller supports of a modern 2-support kiln will ensure reliable and efficient transmission of the driving power to the kiln uncer all operating conditions. INTRODUCTION ‘The rotary kiln, as shown in FIGURE 1, is a critical piece of equipment. It requires continuous operation for as long as possible, as any interruption will cause damage to the thermal integrity of the kiln ‘This damage is cumulative, and will eventually lead to extended down time and expensive refractory repair and replacement. The fundamental requirements for all kiln drives as well as the various alternatives for meeting these requirements are as follows: FIGURE 1: Modern 2-Support Kiln with Friction DriveDRIVE REQUIREMENTS From a process standpoint the kiln is used to make the chemical change from raw material to clinker. To do this it needs to be of variable speed. In addition, the kiln needs to be tured occasionally during preheat, cool down, and maintenance periods which is typically achieved with an auxiliary drive tied to an ‘emergency source of power to insure operational integrity. Kilns have been around for a long time, and the dynamics of the kiln are well understood as far as drive selection is concemed. This is generically defined by the speed torque curve shown in Figure 2. Percent of full—load torque on motor 250%: Heavy stort \ Easy stor Angle of llr rotation FIGURE 2: Typical Kiln Speed Torque Curve Friction drive kilns are specified with constant torque from minimum speed to nominal speed (Non 0 Pron) ‘and constant power from nominal speed to maximum speed (Mon tO Nina.) with typical speed range of ou 147 FP, Mmax= 1470 rpm aNd Noon = 980 tp, The kiln speed must be maintained within a relative accuracy of +1% within one complete revolution of the kiln, To achieve this, speed regulation of 1% of kiln reference speed within the speed range Of Run 10 ins fS required. In the speed range from 0.1 Na, tO Nrom the speed must be controlled with an accuracy Of 5% at 0.1 Minas improving to 1% at Nren. The need to provide adequate breakaway or starting torque for the kiln under less than ideal conditions such as poor alignment, clinker ring build-up or bearings which have not rotated and become fully lubricated is essential and a defining parameter for the kiln drive. This is addressed by typically requiring 250% starting torque for 10 seconds and 200% torque for 60 seconds based on normal operating torque. When a loaded kiln stops, it wll have a tendency to roll backwards due to the gravitational forces on the charge. This rollback can produce excessive speeds which can damage the auxiliary drive. This is controlled by a backstop and centrifugal brake. The backstop prevents rollback while the centrifugal brake allows the kiln load to be returned to the neutral position without overspeeding when the backstop is released. To prevent mechanical damage to the drive motors they should be designed for at least 1.2 times Nnax the maximum motor speedDRIVE ALTERNATIVES For the main drive there are three viable alternatives at this time. These include the following: + The AC Frequency Drive with Induction Motor. + The DC Drive + The Hydraulic Drive, Each of these can be sized to meet the process, operational, and mechanical requirements to operate the kiln. Each needs to be examined at the time of application for technological suitability, equipment cost. installation costs, maintenance costs, and lifetime operational cost (includes energy, reliability and lost Profit), A good example of this is the VED, which twenty years ago was not a viable option for a kiln drive. Today the preferred kiln drive for modern 2-support kilns is the integral friction drive with AC variable frequency drive, thus eliminating the ring gear and pinion. INTEGRAL FRICTION DRIVE The modern 2-support kiln is quickly becoming the choice for most new kiln installations. Early successes of two-support kiln technology have proven to be a viable industry-wide alternative to conventional three- Support kiln designs. in all cases, the process engineer tests the raw materials and then selects the optimum kiln volumetric loading that is most suitable for a particular application. With acceptable bumability and raw material characteristics, a two-support kiln is usually chosen. Most recent short precalciner kilns have been designed for volumetric loads close to 5.0 tpdim’ whereas traditional rotary kilns connected to a precalcining system generally were designed for a load of 4.5 tpdim’ or less. The major advantage of a two-support kiln is that there are fewer components to be maintained. The kiln shell and its supports do not experience additional stresses due to misalignment, differential pier settlement or thermal distortion of the kiln compared to a traditional three-support kiln. Elimination of one ‘support reduces initial capital costs as well as future maintenance costs for the shell, refractory, and roller Supports. Two-support kilns are larger in diameter than three-support kilns for the same production rate and volumetric loading, and therefore have lower thermal loading (expressed in Gcallhim*) than a traditional kiln with length-to-diameter ratio (/D' = 17), where the diameter is measured inside of the refractory lining of the kiln. This results in improved kiin burning zone refractory fe. Shorter overall kiln length saves space, lowers machine weight, and decreases foundation cost and erection time, The key design features of the kiln are as follows: + Self-aligning supports ‘+ _ Integral friction drive through the supporting rollers: These new technologies represent significant improvements over traditional kiln designs. Over the operating life of the kiln, high temperatures can distort the shell. Additionally, uneven coating and, especially, brief kiln shutdowns during heavy rainfalls may cause the kiln shell to bend (banana shape) This causes the riding rings to tit or wobble, which affects the contact between the supporting rollers and the riding rings. For a 3-support kiln such deformation may cause loss of contact with one or two of the ‘supporting rollers and increased loads on the other rollers. in comparison, a 2-support kiln will always. ‘maintain contact with all four supporting rollers. However, if the supporting roller suspension is of the conventional fixed type, the contact area between the roller surface and the tite surface may become very ‘small during kiln upset conditions, even if the supporting rollers were correctly aligned during normal‘operating conditions. ‘The contact is limited to a small portion of the roller face rather than across the entire face, and results in high contact pressure on a small part of the roller face rather than uniform pressure across the roller face. The high pressure can lead to damage of the supporting rollers, and riding ring due to excessive stresses that cause pittings and cracks. The uneven loading can also cause the support bearings to be overioaded as well. See FIGURE 3. ‘To avoid such problems the modern 2-support kiln is provided with self-adjusting, rocker yoke supports, The self-aligning support addresses this problem by allowing the roller to tilt and follow the riding ring. The roller bearings are attached to hinged arms which are, in turn, supported by an equalizing beam This arrangement allows the roller to move with the riding ring, which maintains full contact across the roller face, and equalizes the load on the supporting bearings. See FIGURE 4. an FIGURE 3: Traditional Roller Support FIGURE 4: Self-aigning support The principle of this kiln support system is illustrated by FIGURE 5 and FIGURE 6, The two bearings of each supporting roller are mounted on separate beams. The two beams are hinged to a common, fixed baseplate at one end and supported by a rocker yoke at the other end. Tiling of the rocker yoke ‘equalizes the load on the two bearings and makes the supporting roller se'f-aligning, FIGURE 5: Prnciple of Slt-Adjusting Kiln SupportThe self-aligning supports of the modern 2-support kiln has paved the way for a new kiln drive concept that saves costs and maintenance: Distortion of the shell affects the alignment of the girth gear and pinion as well as the riding rings and supporting rollers. By using self-aligning supporting rollers which maintain full face contact with the riding ring (even with a distorted shell) to turn the kiln, the friction drive eliminates the girth gear and pinion. The integral friction drive typically uses two electric motors driving the kiln through planetary reducers mounted on the supporting roller shafts. An alternative arrangement would be to use hydraulic motors mounted on the supporting roller shafts. Both designs have been used successfully. ‘As shown in FIGURE 7 and FIGURE 8, a planetary gear unit is mounted directly on an extension of the shaft of each of the two supporting roliers closest to the kiln inlet. Through an extension of the roller shaff, the components providing the drive torque are directly attached to the roller. The planetary gear connected to the roller shaft reduces the rotational speed of the electric motor to the speed of the roller The ratio between the supporting roller and riding ring diameters is the final drive reduction resulting in the desired kiln speed FIGURE 7: Electro-mechanical drive system via supporting rollersThe friction coefficient required to turn the kiln with the material charge is typically around 0.05. The material charge is a minor contrioutor to the kiln weight so, smaller material charges require an even lower friction coefficient. The formation of rings in the kiln can lead to an excessive charge, which in ‘combination with coating and other unbalances can increase the demand to about 0.08. During starting or barring, the motors can deliver torque of more than double the normal operating torque, but that is to be able to tum the kiln after long periods of time standing without lubrication. In this case however, the increased friction in the bearings of the two driven rollers does not have to be transmitted to the kiln The maximum friction between two dry steel surfaces is about 0.50. For railway locomotives however, @ common design figure is 0.33 by static and 0.25 for typical kiln speeds of about 1-2 mis. So there is plenty of margin before the rollers start slipping, Reaction torques from the gear unit are taken up by double-sided torque supports which offers a solution which frees the shaft completely from any transverse forces apart from the weight of the gear unit The torque suppor is bolted to a baseplate imbedded in the foundation. The two main electric motors (one for ach roller) are base mounted on an extension of the kiln pier. Between the motor and the planetary gear there is a cardan shaft which provides the ability to accommodate the movements of the roller. The barring device is mounted directly on the planetary gear. It is provided with a brake which is capable of keeping the kiln fixed in any position. Furthermore the barring device is automatically activated. This is done by using an overrunning coupling between the planetary gear and the barring gear and a centrifugal brake on the barring motor shaft, FIGURE 8: Perspective view of electro-mechanical drive system via supporting rollersThe new drive system eliminates the traditional problems of alignment, wobble and lubrication of the kiln girth gear. Additionally, the civil construction costs are minimized as the drive system does not require a separate foundation, The selt-aligning kiln roller supports of the modem 2-support kiln ensure reliable transmission of driving Power to the kiln under all operating conditions. The rate of wear on the supporting rollers caused by the friction drive is no larger than that caused by normal misalignment tolerances. The calculated value is in the order of 0.01 mm/year with practical experience bearing this out. APPLICATION WITH THE AC FREQUENCY DRIVE AND INDUCTION MOTORS Before the 2-support kin wit friction drive was developed only the ring gear drive arrangement was used. On smaller kilns with a single drive, the application of a single drive system was easily accomplished. On larger kiins requiring a dual drive configuration, the dual drive arrangement has presented some unique problems. * Motor current or load should be stabilized and reasonably balanced between the two motors throughout the speed range ‘+ Torsional oscillations and counter-torque oscillations may occur The undesirable oscillations in motor load were recognized more than twenty years ago. The effects may be seen as heavy vibration, noise and backlash in gearboxes. All contribute to the shortened life of the mechanical drive as well as the motors. Determining whether the cause of the vibration is mechanical or electrical in nature has often been disputed The reasons for the vibration on a dual kiln drive are shown in the following fundamentals: The torsional system is given by a three — inertia model and consists of two resonant frequencies, + The lower frequency resonance seen in FIGURE 9, has a pattern in which the two motor inertias vibrate in opposition (+ /-) to each other even ifthe load is quiet and constant * The higher frequency resonance seen in FIGURE 10, has a pattern in which the motor inertia vibrate not in opposition but with the same (+ / +) sign FIGURE 9: Vector Vibration Behavior on Lower Frequency ‘The lower frequency resonance has a pattern in which the two motor inertias vibrate in opposition (+ /-) to each other even if the load is quiet and constantMoToR- ton MoToR-2 FIGURE 10: Vector Vibration behavior in higher frequency The higher frequency resonance has a pattern in which the motor inertias vibrate not in opposition but with the same (+/+) sign ‘Several studies, papers and publications were made on this issue over the years. The most significant fone that has analyzed and described the problem into details and which has given solutions how to ‘overcome the problem was presented in IEEE / CIC Conference in 1988 in Quebec Canada. This paper was valid and has represented the standard solution up to today, unti the friction drive was implemented The solution was to be found in an additional integration of a superimposed resonance damping amplifier for very low frequencies in the range of 1 to § Hz. But stil, this problem of vibration’ in the gearboxes and how to overcome it was an issue after the ‘mentioned CIC publication in 1988 for many years, best explained with the fact that this problem was handled recently in a paper given on a IEEE CIC/ PCA meeting in 2001 FIGURE 11: Behavior of both motor currents without a resonance damping control on a DC drive application with a ring gear. The oscillating current appearing on certain speed range, provokes heavy vibrations in the gear boxes. é Ni i Www WY FIGURE 12. Behavior of both motor currents with a resonance damping control on a DC drive application with ring gear. Motor current is quiet and does not excite the mechanical system for vibration,Experience has shown the problem of resonance vibration has been reduced with the application of an ‘AC drive solution on a dual drive kiln. One of the first large dual drive kilns with a total installed drive Power of 1100 kW was installed in Ruedersdorf Cement in 1996 with a ring gear and an AC drive. It did rot show the same problems as seen with the DC drive on a ring gear. After some adjustments the drive could operate without an active damping control. The reason for this change in behavior is to be found in two facts: + The AC Induction motor does not have the same stiff characteristic as the DC motor. The AC Induction motor has an inherent comportment of a natural certain slip + The tuning facilites of the electronic controls have improved considerably over the years It is obvious that the differential damping control was an important breakthrough in the application of the DC dual drive kiln. Today with the application of the friction drive where torque is transmitted only by friction, the chance of exciting the mode 1 counter-oscillation in the motors is much less than on a gear drive where worn teeth can start a resonance, thus differential dampening may be smaller on a friction drive. Both modes of torsional vibrations may still be present on 2 dual friction drive but the magnitudes have been reduced. CONFIGURATION AND FUTURE OUTLOOK OF THE AC DRIVE IN THE APPLICATION OF THE FRICTION DRIVE The friction drive transmission opens up other AC drive system configurations in use today. Together with the fast development in new technologies in the AC Drive field and the increasing awareness for the reduction in creation of harmonic currents to the network with the use of Adjustable Speed Drives the Participation in active compensation of the reactive power in the network can be achieved, ‘The change from the ring gear operated kiln driven by DC drives to the friction drive operated kiln driven by AC drives gives a brilliant outlook for further innovations in this area. With the change in both mechanical and electrical technologies this configuration is much more feasible. Several regulation algorithm configurations are possible, such as the following + The Master Follower configuration, whereby the master leads the drive system and the follower duplicates the behavior of the master + The lead drive is responsible to set the speed and slave drive is torque controlled adapting the speed from the lead drive ‘The most successful control has come from common speed reference with the slave matching speed to the master and secondary load control to less than 5% difference between motors. AcoI E SYSTEM WITH INDIVIDUAL INVERTERS ‘Common drive configurations used on dual drives are shown in FIGURE 13 and FIGURE 14. A common transformer with three windings feeds either one converter and two inverters or two individual converteriinverter drives. In order to reduce the harmonic content introduced into the network the secondary windings of the transformer will be phase shifted by 30 degrees which is a standard procedure to eliminate the strong 5” and 7” harmonic currents. The first apparent harmonics which appear will bethe 11” and 13". To equally distribute load between the two motors a master slave configuration based ‘on speed reference is used. Fast communication between drives and an adequate regulation algorithm ‘ensure reasonable joad share and the elimination of oscillations. FIGURE 13. AC Drive System with One FIGURE 14. AC Drive System with Dual ‘Converter and Two Inverters Converterinverters AC DRIVE SYSTEM WITH ON! M M FIGURE 15: New Drive ‘System Possibility for Use with Friction Drive New system configurations are possible with the application of a friction drive. In the case of two motors of exactly the same design and make, and the same production run, it is possible to operate the kiln with a configuration shown in FIGURE 15, Only one two winding transformer or one three winding transformer would be used. The transformer feeds only one frequency converter / inverter system. Both motors will be connected in parallel to the inverter output. Because of the same slip behavior of both motors they will distribute the load inherently equally. This solution presents a lower investment cost than other arrangements, however, special attention must be paid to the protection on the motors such as; over current, thermal loading, stall protection, etc. In order to reduce the harmonic content introduced into the network, the secondary of the transformer windings will be phase shifted by 30 degrees, the same as described for dual drives with individual inverters, Based on new electrical drive system technologies and the easier application of the friction drive, new system configurations are possible today.AC DRIVE SYSTEM WITH AN ACTIVE FRONT END CONFIGURATION Only one two winding transformer will be used feeding the frequency Converter system. The rectifier section is built as an active front end. A \ Conventional diode rectifier is not used, but a configuration with IGBTS like in the inverter section is provided. Diodes are known as passive a elements, IGBTs are known as active elements, That's why the A converter section is known as “Active Front End’ (AFE), The inverter side of the drive system and motor configuration will remain the same as shown in FIGURE 16. AFE. How is the active front end different than the passive front end? it Because of the special starting requirements of the kiln (250% of INV normal current, see Figure 2), the drive power electronics are sized for range of 150% of normal drive power. This excess power electronics capacity can be put to use while under full production, With new drive technologies such as Active Front End two interesting functions may be realized at the same time. FIGURE 16: New System Configuration on Dual Kiln Application the starting phase and consequently are oversized for normal operation —t which covers 99.99% of operation time. The overdimensioning is in the a) a Reactive Power Compensation on the Network Instead of a Diode Rectifier, an Active Front End would be used. This Active Front End can (during the normal operation as mentioned above), be used to compensate the reactive power Created by other equipment. This means it could operate in a leading power factor configuration in the magnitude of about 150% of the installed drive power. Under some conditions it could be Used as an online power factor regulator. FIGURE 17 shows what has been described. Network | etve Power Capactive Power | rom he Network tothe Network Active Front End Drive Active Power for the Motor FIGURE 17; Relation between power taken out of the network, Power provided for the motor and capacitive power feeding back to the network : Motor2 Reduction in Harmonic Content from the Drive ‘When a drive with an Active Front End is applied, the harmonics generated are well within the limits permitted by IEEE 519 / 92. The configuration with an active front end is nearly equivalent to a 48 pulse design converter. it is common knowiedge that a 24 pulse design converter fulfils the IEEE 519 / 92 standards. The value of the AFE is that it will reduce the need for harmonic filtering for this drive system elsewhere an the network SUMMARY AND CONCLUSION This paper has presented the operating, maintenance, and cost benefits ofthe friction drive as an efficient and reliable alternative to the traditional ring gear and pinion. It is concluded that the friction crive with AC variable frequency motors (or hydraulic motors) is quickly becoming the kiln drive of choice for all new kiln installations. With the application of new technologies like AFE in the area of AC drives, a further step for high efficiency drive technology is possible References: D. M. Lake and J. L. Schaadt, ‘Application and Selection Criteria Evaluation of Cement Kiln Drives” IEEE-IAS/PCA Cement Industry Technical Conference. 2001 B. N. Paul and J. L. Schaadt, “Critical Drive Selection for a Cement Plant’, IEEE-IASIPCA Cement Industry Technical Conference, 2003. Charles 8. Mayer, “ A Recommended New Standard Electrical Supply and Control Configuration for ual- Kiln Drives” IEEE-IAS Technical Conference in Quebec Canada 1988 Reinhold A. Errath, “AC Technology on an upward trend in cement - no exclusive rights for DC Technology to drive Kilns anymore’ IEEE-IAS/PCA Cement Industry Technical Conference, 1996 in Los Angeles Maarten Holland, “AC DC Kilns" IEEE-IAS/PCA Cement Industry Technical Conference, 2001 in Vancouver Acknowledgements: W. M. Lewis, “Phoenix Cement Expansion Project’, Annual F.L..Smidth Inc. Profit Producing Seminar, Bethlehem, PA, October 2003 R. J. Calder, “Innovative Features of the FLS Rotax-2 Kiln’, F, L. Smidth Inc. Newsletter, Volume 02, Number 3 P.J. Bolton, P. Clayton and I,J. McEven, "Wear of Rail and Tire Steels Under Rolling/Sliding Conditions”, British Railways Board, ASME/ASLE transaction Vol. 25, 1, 17-24, San Francisco, August 1980 Knud T. Andersen, “Wear on Rollers and Margin Against Slippage” Correspondence, January 2004 F.L. Smidth A/S, Internal