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Designed for smart modification!

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World Cement,


Andre Vos and Ingmar Holst, Claudius Peters, introduce a new development in clinker cooler technology that utilises standard parts to optimise production processes and minimise CO2 emissions.

Reducing CO2 emissions during cement production plays an increasingly large role in the economy of a cement plant and therefore influences key decisions concerning capital investments into existing facilities.

In keeping with the Paris Agreement, the European Union is supporting the industry with public funding to achieve the 1.5°C target within reach while monitoring the success of its support.

Based on the technical advantages of the ETA cooler it was successfully placed in a number of optimisation and CO2 reduction projects in existing cement plants supported by EU funding. One of these is the replacement of a grate cooler in Ceskomoravský cement’s Mokrá plant near Brno, which has been in operation since 1969. The age of the cooler became a burden on the plant’s bottom line due to its maintenance cost, inefficiency, and availability. The grate cooler is operated at clinker bed heights of approximately 600 mm which offers a limited benefit, referring to lower thermal efficiency at a higher cooling air demand. Both having a negative impact on the CO2 emissions of the pyro line.

To ensure the economic efficiency of the pyro line and to improve the sustainability of the facility, the decision was made to replace the existing cooler with a modern 5th generation clinker cooler, and a contract for a new Claudius Peters ETA Cooler was signed in July 2020.

Smart design

Maximise standard parts and proven solutions for a customised project

The design of the ETA Cooler is not only well suited for new kiln lines but also for the replacement of existing clinker coolers. The smart design of the cooler enables the utilisation of standardised parts for a brownfield modification while offering a solution tailored to the individual customer’s requirements.

The standardised parts ensure the quality, efficiency, and the robustness of the core machine.

The cast Mulden plates on the static inlet with protected air inlet are designed for low-pressure loss while preventing clogging during operation or due to maintenance work. The transport system is made in Germany and ensures the availability due to the robust design. This does not only apply to the support roller design but also to the moving floor (aerated lanes) which are equipped with a self-protecting layer of pebbles giving the heat, wear, and foreign material in the clinker no point of attack. The moving floor principle enables clinker bed heights of > 1 m during operation to maximise the retention time of the clinker and thermal efficiency, whilst requiring lower amounts of cooling air. Furthermore, it is important to underline the optimal width of the lanes to utilise the maximum width of the existing housing realising the maximum possible aeration area.

The design of the longitudinal sealings is standardised over the width of the cooler. It ensures the robustness against red river and clinker spillage and is protected in the side walls by the refractory.

The tailored design is focused on adapting the project-specific interfaces of the core machine’s existing surroundings. This is usually reflected in the design of the support structure, fan ducting, hydraulic piping, and in the case of the Mokrá plant, also the chloride bypass gas duct to the new clinker cooler.

The challenges referring to the design are similar for the replacement of a grate cooler or other clinker cooler types by an ETA cooler. Claudius Peters can draw from a pool of proven solutions for these customised projects, thanks to more than 90 ETA cooler modification projects. This gives the company the advantage of a matured learning curve since every new project adds to optimising the proven solutions and modification concepts.

For the specific project and the required turnaround time, the ETA lane units have been installed on a pre-erection support structure outside the existing cooler casing and were pulled inside to the intended position on hard-faced rollers.


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Read the article online at: https://www.worldcement.com/special-reports/20012023/designed-for-smart-modification/

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