How to start up & optimise a burner

Pyroprocessing 1/6
PR-PYR P06-02 V1

Introduction
ƒ Success in combustion optimisation involves a number of factors such as raw mix uniformity, fuel
delivery consistency in addition to burner adjustment. Each part provides an important contribution to
achieving a good combustion and these other parts should not be under-estimated when optimising
combustion.
ƒ Burner optimisation is the one of the most important steps to achieve a good combustion that could be
triggered by any of the following:
ƒ A new burner installation
ƒ A fuel change
ƒ A will to improve combustion
ƒ An objective assessment of the combustion can be made using the Combustion Success Criteria:
1 Vade-Mecum > Combustion & Fuels > Burner pipes> 7.07 Combustion Success Criteria

Safety aspects
ƒ Take care when looking into the kiln, take precautions against the following hazards:
ƒ Hot dust and gases blowing out from the hood
ƒ Hot surfaces of the kiln hood
ƒ High radiative heat from the kiln
ƒ Conduct a risk assessment before each occasion, and discuss with the kiln operator:
ƒ Confirm stable kiln conditions / no imminent changes are planned
ƒ Confirm stable hood pressure
ƒ Confirm preheater cleaning is not going to take place
ƒ Be aware of any air cannons that may affect the hood, isolate and discharge, if necessary and lock-
out
ƒ Plan a safe escape path, should it be necessary to move away from the hood quickly
ƒ Always go to the kiln accompanied, in case of incident
ƒ Always use a full face shield (of fire proof material) with protective blue glass to look at the flame
ƒ Always wear heat protective gauntlets
ƒ Limit the time looking into the kiln to a minimum

Prerequisites
ƒ Reliable kiln gases analysers (including SO2 in case of S/A >1.2)
ƒ Kiln shell scanner
ƒ No high alumina refractory in lower transition zone
ƒ Raw mix uniformity KFUI < 14
ƒ Stable fuel delivery, tph +/- 1% short term variation
ƒ Process Mastery
1 Vade-mecum for Quality > Chapter 6 - Ten basic facts on clinker

Tools
1 Lafarge Burner spreadsheet
 How to start up & optimise a burner
Pyroprocessing 2/6
PR-PYR P06-02 V1

Action Steps

The basic steps

ƒ Checking Phase: always check that the dimensions and conditions of the pipe meet the design. Check
the concentricity of the channels, check for any damage or cracks, check the pipe straightness, check
the pipe alignment with the kiln axis and check the calibration of airflow indicators. Check that swirl is
oriented such that air turns in same rotational direction as the kiln.
1 How to align a burner pipe (Refractory)
ƒ Compare the combustion indicators with the target. If results indicate a bad combustion decide :
ƒ What should be optimized? In the case of petcoke it is normally to reduce sulphur volatilisation
(reduce build ups) and to increase clinker reactivity (optimise alite crystal size), which requires a short
sharp flame. But it could also be to optimise coating profile or to optimise the kiln NOx level. Expect to
make some compromises.
ƒ Optimisation phase : adjustment of the burner settings to optimise combustion (see appendix for
adjustments and impact upon flame). For every modification on the burner there should be a period of
close follow up (sampling, observing, following the shell temperature, etc). Adjustment of the burner
insertion into the kiln affects the position of the flame in the kiln and the length of cooling zone. The
optimisation can take 1- 2 months.
ƒ At the end of the optimisation phase perform again an evaluation of the combustion indicators by
comparing with the previous situation. In case of improvement step to the next phase. Else, step back
and find a different solution to improve the situation.

1. Settings
ƒ Axial: at the beginning should be at 50 -70% of the target (depending on the target Impulse). During
optimization period the axial should increase step by step up to the target waiting for kiln response
before any other increase on axial or swirl. Wait 24 – 48 hours before making further changes.
ƒ Significant changes in fuel or feed needs an adjustment of the burner setting (critical – overheating of
refractory). Therefore a table for different fuel feed and mixes needs to be provided to guide the
operators.
ƒ Initial target for Swirl factor is 0.02 to 0.04.
ƒ It is recommended to take airflow measurements (with a Pitot tube) at different flow rates and update
the charts with the new airflow measurements. For high-pressure blowers, extreme care should be taken
to ensure this done in a safe manner. If flow measurements cannot be safely taken on the outlet (high
pressure) side of the blower, flow measurements can be taken at the blower intake with a vane
anemometer. A tapping with valve on the main pipe is a very safe method for taking static pressure
measurements. The manometer can be connected to the tapping, with the valve closed. Once
connected, the valve can be opened and the pressure recorded. Where ambient air temperatures can
change significantly, strongly recommend flowmeters with automatic temperature and static pressure
compensation (reports true Nm3/h). Removes seasonal and ambient temperature effects. Upon
commissioning, measure flow to verify flowmeters. Can also verify positive displacement blowers from
blower curves. Look for agreement 2 out of 3 measures minimum. 3/3 = very solid air flow readings.
ƒ For a new pipe, the burner should be positioned 250 – 600 mm from the kiln nose in cold conditions
(inside the kiln) or as recommended by supplier and/or technical centre. (For high momentum burners,
close to the nose ring there is a risk of liquid in the kiln discharge).

Procedure Template developed by

 How to start up & optimise a burner
Pyroprocessing 3/6
PR-PYR P06-02 V1

Action Steps

2. Follow-up
Kiln Shell temperature:
ƒ Observe coating formation
ƒ Follow-up on kiln shell temperature, particularly the occurrence of any high temperature areas, or any
very low temperature areas (possible ring formation)
ƒ Print temperature profile on regular 6-8 hour intervals
ƒ If high shell temperature in the lower transition zone or burning zone:
ƒ Consider decreasing the swirl air
ƒ Or increasing the axial air
Burner Status:
ƒ Record changes and wait for kiln response before any further increase on axial or swirl, avoid too
frequent adjustments
ƒ Determine burner settings standards and observe combustion efficiency: clinker SO3, hot meal SO3,
sulphur volatilization coefficient, free lime. If available, Rietveld % total Alite (burning degree), %
orthorhombic aluminate (high could mean localized reducing condition – good early indicator of flame
impingement)
ƒ Check O2, SOx, NOx, alite size, flame temperature, (chain inlet temperature), kiln amps variation, etc
ƒ Observe flame shape, ignition distance(black plume) and any signs of build up on the burner tip
ƒ Evaluate good combustion criteria
ƒ Calculate burner momentum & swirl using the:
1 Lafarge Burner spreadsheet

3. Check
Chlorine and SO3 balance
ƒ Take samples of kiln load, dust, clinker, kiln feed and fuels
ƒ Perform a sulphur and chlorine balance
ƒ Determine optimal frequency (1-2 sampling campaign for each modification)
Fuel fineness on coal/coke
ƒ Measure the fuel fineness once a day according to “Post Sevilla” recommendation
1 Combustion Manual (Post Sevilla1997)
Clinker analysis
ƒ Take clinker every 2-3 hours
ƒ Record / clinker SO3, Na Eq, S/A ratio, FeO for reducing condition
ƒ Clinker microscopy is useful if available. Also XRD/Rietveld.
Gas analysis
ƒ Observe variation on Sox, Nox and CO level
ƒ If sudden change in gas concentration, see Action Step 4: Troubleshooting

Procedure Template developed by

 How to start up & optimise a burner
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PR-PYR P06-02 V1

Action Steps

4. Trouble-shooting
SO2 and CO analyzers
ƒ When SO2 or CO levels increase for non-obvious reasons, check for build-ups at the tip, severe
refractory wear, airflow settings, transport air, dosing system, etc
NOx
ƒ Inexplicable low NOx is a good indicator of reducing conditions, which could be a result of tip build-up,
other tip plugging problems or burner misalignment
Pressure indications
ƒ Lower than normal pressure for a given airflow on one of the circuits, usually indicates that there is a
hole in one of the burner channels or damage to the tip.

Procedure Template developed by

 How to start up & optimise a burner
Pyroprocessing 5/6
PR-PYR P06-02 V1

Appendix

1. Combustion Success Criteria

Procedure Template developed by

 How to start up & optimise a burner
Pyroprocessing 6/6
PR-PYR P06-02 V1

Appendix

2. Lafarge burner adjustements

Procedure Template developed by