A system for measuring temperatures of a preheater of a rotary kiln can include: at least one infrared imaging sensor for each level of the preheater; and an imaging analysis computer operably coupled with the at least one infrared imaging sensor of each level of the preheater. The imaging analysis computer can be configured to: obtain a 3D model of a preheater level of the preheater; obtain at least one infrared image of a fixed field of view of the preheater level of the preheater; analyze all pixels in the fixed field of view of the at least one infrared image for each pixel temperature; generate a 2D temperature model of the preheater level; overlaying the 2D temperature model over the 3D model to generate a virtual 3D preheater level temperature model; and providing a visual representation of the virtual 3D preheater level temperature model.

In methods of and/or plants for manufacturing cement clinker, the amount of chloride bypass exhaust gas 79 can be substantially decreased, when using previously cooled chloride bypass exhaust gas 81 and/or cooled kiln exhaust gas as coolant for the chloride bypass exhaust gas 39 prior to deducting the chloride bypass exhaust gas 39.

A system for melting a pelleted charge material including a furnace having a feed end configured to receive a solid pelleted charge material and a discharge end opposite the feed end configured to discharge a molten charge material and a slag, a conveyor configured to feed the pelleted charge material into the feed end of the furnace, at least one oxy-fuel burner positioned to direct heat into a melting zone near the feed end to heat and at least partially melt the pelleted charge material to form the molten charge material and slag, wherein the oxy-fuel burner uses an oxidant having at least 70% molecular oxygen, and at least one flue for exhausting burner combustion products from the furnace.

A thimble assembly for a cyclone separator comprising a plurality of carrier brackets separately mountable on a shelf of the separator along the perimeter of a circular exhaust opening, a plurality of segments vertically successively suspended from the brackets, the segments of an upper row being joined to the brackets, the segments of each successive lower row being joined to the segments of a row immediately above, each bracket exclusively serving a chord of an arc concentric with the circular opening that is substantially the same in length as the chord of an arc that a segment spans, a center-to-center chordal spacing of adjacent brackets being the same as a center-to-center distance of an adjacent pair of segments.

A thimble assembly for a cyclone separator comprising a plurality of mounting brackets separately mountable on a shelf of the separator along the perimeter of an exhaust opening, a plurality of segments vertically successively suspended from the brackets, the segments of an upper row being joined to the brackets, the segments of each successive lower row being joined to the segments of a row immediately above, each bracket exclusively serving a chord of an arc concentric with the preferably circular opening that is substantially the same in length as the chord of an arc that a segment spans, a center-to-center chordal spacing of adjacent brackets being the same as a center-to-center distance of an adjacent pair of segments.

A non-transitory computer readable media can cause the imaging analysis computer to: obtain a 3D model of a preheater level of the preheater; obtain at least one infrared image of a fixed field of view of the preheater level of the preheater; analyze all pixels in the fixed field of view of the at least one infrared image for each pixel temperature; generate a 2D temperature model of the preheater level; overlaying the 2D temperature model over the 3D model to generate a virtual 3D preheater level temperature model; and provide a visual representation of the virtual 3D preheater level temperature model.

A thimble assembly for a cyclone separator comprising a plurality of carrier brackets separately mountable on a shelf of the separator along the perimeter of a circular exhaust opening, a plurality of segments vertically successively suspended from the brackets, the segments of an upper row being joined to the brackets, the segments of each successive lower row being joined to the segments of row immediately above, each bracket exclusively serving a chord of an arc concentric with the circular opening that is substantially the same in length as the chord of an arc that a segment spans, a center-to-center chordal spacing of adjacent brackets being the same as a center-to-center distance of an adjacent pair of segments.

A material heating device comprises a rotary kiln, a plurality of heat exchange tubes, a hot air hood, a high-temperature gas input mechanism, an exhaust-gas collecting chamber, and an exhaust-gas output pipeline. The rotary kiln is provided with a material feed end and a material discharge end. The heat exchange tubes are in the rotary kiln. The hot air hood is outside the rotary kiln. The air inlet ends of the heat exchange tubes communicate with the hot air hood, and the air outlet ends of the heat exchange tubes communicate with the exhaust-gas collecting chamber. The exhaust-gas collecting chamber communicates with the exhaust-gas output pipeline. The hot air hood communicates with the high-temperature gas input mechanism, and the cavity between the heat exchange tubes and the heat insulation layer of the rotary kiln is a material channel. The heat exchange tubes are directly in contact with the material.

A powder metallurgical component has a chromium content of at least 80% by weight and pores and/or oxide inclusions which are present in the component. The number per unit area of a sum of pores and oxide inclusions at a cut surface through the component in at least one region is at least 10,000 per mm.sup.2.

A plant for production of cement clinker from raw meal, having a calciner for deacidification of the raw meal and a rotary furnace for sintering the deacidified raw meal to give cement clinker. The deacidified raw meal flows through a cyclone preheating stage into the rotary furnace. A reactor is provided upstream of the calciner on the flow path of the rotary furnace offgas to the calciner, to which an inlet for the rotary furnace offgas leads. A corresponding method of operating such a plant wherein fuel is added to the reactor in a superstoichiometric amount in relation to the residence time of the offgases in the reactor, such that carbon dioxide present in the offgases is reduced to carbon monoxide. At least one input air conduit for supplying input air, preferably coming from a tertiary air conduit, is provided at at least one point in the reactor.