The invention is concerned with a method for producing a cement comprising milled cement clinker and a supplementary cementitious material, wherein the method comprises the steps of: producing the milled cement clinker by a clinkerization process, comprising the steps of calcining and subsequently milling a limestone-based raw material; producing the supplementary cementitious material by calcining a raw material of the supplementary cementitious material at a temperature of less than 980° C. and subsequently milling the calcined raw material of the supplementary cementitious material, wherein the raw material of the supplementary cementitious material has an average particle size of 1 to 300 mm; and blending the milled cement clinker and the supplementary cementitious material; wherein the method is a continuous process comprising the step of calcining the raw material of the supplementary cementitious material in a kiln with a separate heating unit and/or combustion unit. Further, the invention is concerned with a method for producing a cement comprising milled cement clinker and a supplementary cementitious material, wherein the method comprises the steps of: producing the milled cement clinker by a clinkerization process, comprising the steps of calcining and subsequently milling a limestone-based raw material; producing the supplementary cementitious material by calcining a raw material of the supplementary cementitious material at a temperature of less than 980° C. and subsequently milling the calcined raw material of the supplementary cementitious material, wherein the raw material of the supplementary cementitious material has an average particle size of 1 to 300 mm, wherein at least 5 wt % of the particles have a particle size of above 4.75 mm; and blending the milled cement clinker and the supplementary cementitious material. The invention is also concerns a cement comprising milled cement clinker and a supplementary cementitious material, wherein the supplementary cementitious material comprises an amorphous constituent of more than 30 wt % as measured by XRD, wherein the supplementary cementitious material comprises less than 70 wt % of inert components selected from the group comprising mullite, spinel, feldspar, diopside, mica, or combinations thereof, and wherein the color of the cement in the range of 130-160, 130-160, 120-160, wherein the measurement of the cement color is conducted by a RGB2 colorimeter, wherein the colors are referenced to a RGB scale of 0 to 255.

Embodiments of gas distribution modules for use with rapid thermal processing (RTP) systems and methods of use thereof are provided herein. In some embodiments, a gas distribution module for use with a RTP chamber includes: a first carrier gas line and a first liquid line fluidly coupled to a mixer, the mixer having one or more control valves configured to mix a carrier gas from the first carrier gas line and a liquid from the first liquid line in a desired ratio to form a first mixture; a vaporizer coupled to the mixer and configured to receive the first mixture in a hollow internal volume, the vaporizer having a heater configured to vaporize the first mixture; and a first gas delivery line disposed between the vaporizer and the RTP chamber to deliver the vaporized first mixture to the RTP chamber.

A process for producing hot briquetted iron with increased solid carbonaceous material and/or flux includes: providing a shaft furnace of a direct reduction plant to reduce iron oxide with reducing gas; providing a hot briquette machine to produce hot briquetted iron; coupling a chute between a) a discharge exit of the shaft furnace for discharge of hot direct reduced iron and b) an entrance of the hot briquette machine; adding solid carbonaceous material and/or flux to the discharged hot direct reduced iron from the shaft furnace to produce a mixture of the discharged hot direct reduced iron and the solid carbonaceous material and/or flux before feeding to the hot briquette machine; and processing in the hot briquette machine to produce a product of hot briquetted iron with increased solid carbonaceous material content greater than about 3 weight percent and/or an increased flux content.

A process for producing graphite in a vertical graphitization furnace having at least one process chamber that bounds a heating zone, a temperature of 2200° C. to 3200° C. is generated in the heating zone, particulate graphitizable material is supplied to the process chamber through an inlet, graphitizable material is conveyed through the heating zone of the process chamber, in which it is graphitized to graphite, and graphite obtained is removed from the process chamber through an outlet. In some variants, graphitizable material wherein the particles have a particle size of less than 3 mm is used, and/or, a material column is formed throughout the heating zone of a particular process chamber, wherein graphitizable material, after being supplied through the inlet from the top, trickles through an intake zone of the process chamber onto the material column, and/or, a material column is formed in a stationary heating zone of a particular process chamber encompassed by the heating zone, wherein graphitizable material, after being supplied through the intake from the top, trickles through a drop heating zone likewise encompassed by the heating zone onto the material column, and/or, graphitizable material in one or more material vessels is conveyed through a particular process chamber and through the heating zone thereof. Also specified is a vertical graphitization furnace optimized.

One object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus for producing inorganic spheroidized particles which can significantly reduce the amount of warming gas generated and suppress the generation of soot during combustion. The present invention provides an apparatus (10) for producing inorganic spheroidized particles, including a burner (11) for producing inorganic spheroidized particles, a vertical spheroidizing furnace (15), an ammonia supply source (12), an oxygen supply source (13), an ammonia supply line (L1) located between the ammonia supply source (12) and the burner (11) for producing inorganic spheroidized particles, and an oxygen supply line (L2) located between the oxygen supply source (13) and the burner (11) for producing inorganic spheroidized particles.

One object of the present invention is to provide a burner for producing inorganic spheroidized particles which can efficiently melt and spheroidize even organic powder with a large particle size distribution. The present invention provides a burner for producing inorganic spheroidized particles, including; a raw material powder supply path configured to supply inorganic powder as raw material powder; a first fuel gas supply path (3A) configured to supply a first fuel gas; and a first combustion-supporting gas supply path (4A) configured to supply a first combustion-supporting gas; wherein the raw material powder supply path includes: a first supply path (2A) configured to extend in an axial direction of the burner (1); a first collision wall (2D) configured to be located at the top of the first supply path (2A); a plurality of second supply paths (2B) configured to be branched from the top of the first supply path (2A), and extend radially from the center of the burner (1); one or more dispersion chambers (2C) configured to be located at the top of the second supply path (2B), and have a space in which the cross-sectional area is larger than the cross-sectional area in the second supply path (2B); and one or more raw material ejection holes (2a) configured to communicate with the dispersion chamber (2C).

The present invention relates to a device for heat-treating solid material, in particular in granular form, wherein the device comprises a kiln and an external heat generator, wherein said kiln comprises at least one sloped sliding surface on which a bed of said solid material slides down within said kiln due to gravity while a hot gas generated by the external heat generator is led through said solid material to heat said solid material to a desired temperature in order to change the substance properties of said solid material. According to the invention, said external heat generator for generating said hot gas is external to said kiln, wherein said kiln further comprises at least one kiln gas inlet through which said hot gas enters said kiln, such that the necessary temperature of said hot gas can be controlled precisely in that said hot gas is generated in said external heat generator, ensuring that the solid material does not experience temperatures above an allowed maximum temperature, and further such that the solid material is not exposed to radiation from a burner.

The invention relates to a method for producing an expanded granulate from sand grain-shaped mineral material (1) with a propellant, wherein the material (1) is fed into a vertically upright furnace (2) from above and said material (1) falls along a drop section (4) through multiple heating zones (5) in a furnace shaft (3) of the furnace (2), wherein each heating zone (5) is heatable using at least one independently controllable heating element (6), and the material (1) is heated to a critical temperature at which the surfaces (7) of the sand grains (15) plasticize and the sand grains (15) are expanded by the propellant. In order to enable setting a closed surface of the expanded granulate in a purposeful fashion, it is provided in accordance with the invention that upon detection of a first reduction in the temperature of the material (1) between two successive positions (9) along the drop section (4) the heating elements (6) are controlled along the remaining drop section (4) depending on the critical temperature.

The invention relates to a method for producing an expanded granulate from sand grain-shaped mineral material (1) with a propellant, wherein the material (1) is fed into a vertically upright furnace (2) from above and said material (1) falls along a drop section (4) through multiple heating zones (5) in a furnace shaft (3) of the furnace (2), wherein each heating zone (5) is heatable using at least one independently controllable heating element (6), and the material (1) is heated to a critical temperature at which the surfaces (7) of the sand grains (15) plasticize and the sand grains (15) are expanded by the propellant. In order to enable setting a closed surface of the expanded granulate in a purposeful fashion, it is provided in accordance with the invention that upon detection of a first reduction in the temperature of the material (1) between two successive positions (9) along the drop section (4) the heating elements (6) are controlled along the remaining drop section (4) depending on the critical temperature.

It is an object of the present invention to allow a furnace core tube used for a heat treatment apparatus of a porous glass base material to be used for a long period of time.

A heat treatment apparatus includes: a furnace core tube made of silica glass; a heater provided adjacent to the furnace core tube, the heater heating a heating region; and a moving mechanism supporting a porous glass base material and relatively moving the porous glass base material with respect to the heater in the furnace core tube in a state where the heating region is heated by the heater to make the porous glass base material pass through the heating region. The heat treatment apparatus includes a thin-walled part provided in a region adjacent to a portion located in the heating region in the furnace core tube, the thin-walled part having a thickness of glass less than that of the portion located in the heating region.