Method and device for cooling and comminuting hot cement clinker

Abstract

A method and device for cooling and comminuting hot cement clinker in a cooler. The cooler has an inlet region for receiving the hot clinker, a recuperation region, a final cooling region having a clinker cooling device, an opening for blowing cooling air into the recuperation region, a tertiary air line for conducting away heated cooling air, an outlet region for discharging cooled clinker, and at least one conveyor to transport the clinker through the cooler. The hot clinker is tipped into the cooler through an input opening into the inlet region. The clinker is transported by the conveyor from the inlet region, through the recuperation region and the final cooling region to the outlet region, and ambient air is blown as cooling air into the recuperation region through the opening. Comminution of the clinker is provided by a device arranged in the recuperation region.

Claims

1-10. (canceled)

11. A method for cooling and comminuting hot cement clinker in a cooler wherein the cooler has at least one inlet region for receiving the hot cement clinker, a recuperation region for the heat-recovering cooling of the hot cement clinker, a final cooling region having at least one device for further cooling the cement clinker, at least one opening for blowing cooling air into the recuperation region, a tertiary-air line for conducting away heated cooling air, an outlet region for collecting and discharging cooled cement clinker, and at least one conveying means, through which flow is able to take place, for transporting the cement clinker through the cooler, comprising the steps: tipping the hot cement clinker into the cooler from above through at least one input opening in the at least one inlet region, transporting the hot cement clinker by the at least one conveying means from the at least one inlet region, through the recuperation region and the final cooling region, to the outlet region, blowing ambient air as cooling air into the recuperation region through the at least one opening, and conducting a part of the heated cooling air, as tertiary air, in the recuperation region away through a tertiary-air line above the recuperation region and conducting a further part of the heated cooling air, as secondary air, in the recuperation region out of the cooler through the input opening, and comminuting the cement clinker by at least one device, arranged in the recuperation region.

12. The method as claimed in claim 11, wherein the cement clinker is comminuted in the recuperation region by at least one roller crusher.

13. The method as claimed in claim 11, wherein the cement clinker is cooled in the final cooling region by ambient air as cooling air, which is blown into the final cooling region of the cooler substantially from bottom to top through at least one cooling-air opening, wherein the heated cooling air is conducted away from the final cooling region through an extraction opening.

14. The method as claimed in claim 13, wherein intermixing of the cooling air in the recuperation region with the cooling air in the final cooling region is largely prevented by a separating means provided between the recuperation region and the final cooling region and arranged outside the cement clinker located on the at least one conveying means.

15. The method as claimed in claim 11, wherein the cement clinker in the cooler is transported from the inlet region to the outlet region by at least one movable grating as the conveying means.

16. A device for cooling and comminuting hot cement clinker, comprising: a cooler with at least one input opening for receiving the hot cement clinker in at least one inlet region, at least one opening for blowing cooling air into a recuperation region adjoining the inlet region, a tertiary-air opening, arranged above the recuperation region, for conducting away a part of the heated cooling air through a tertiary-air line, a device for further cooling the cement clinker in a final cooling region, at least one conveyor, through which air flow is able to take place, configured to transport the cement clinker from the inlet region, through the recuperation region and the final cooling region bordering the recuperation region, into an outlet region, adjoining the final cooling region, configured to collect and discharge cooled cement clinker, and at least comminuting device for the cement clinker arranged in the recuperation region of the cooler.

17. The device as claimed in claim 16, wherein the cement clinker comminuting device is a roller crusher.

18. The device as claimed in claim 16, wherein the device for further cooling the cement clinker in the final cooling region comprises at least one cooling-air opening for blowing ambient air as cooling air into the final cooling region, wherein an extraction opening for conducting the heated cooling air out of the final cooling region is arranged above the final cooling region.

19. The device as claimed in claim 18, wherein a separator, configured to largely preventing intermixing of the cooling air in the recuperation region with the cooling air in the final cooling region, is arranged between the recuperation region and the final cooling region outside the cement clinker located on the conveyor.

20. The device as claimed in claim 16, wherein the at least one conveyor comprises at least one movable grating.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0015] The invention is explained in more detail by way of the following FIGURE, in which:

[0016] The FIGURE shows a device according to the invention for cooling and comminuting hot cement clinker in schematic cross section, in the exemplary embodiment with a roller crusher, air cooling in the final cooling region, a partition wall and movable gratings.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0017] The FIGURE schematically illustrates the path of the cement clinker 1 in a section of an installation for producing cement. From the preceding method step, hot cement clinker 1 passes from a rotary kiln 2 into the cooler 3 in that the hot cement clinker 1 is tipped downwardly into the inlet region 5 of the cooler 3 through the input opening 4. (The rotary kiln 2 is illustrated in a smaller manner in relation to the cooler 3.) The hot cement clinker 1 is transported through the cooler 3 (from left to right in the depiction) by way of a conveying means 6a, 6b, movable gratings 6b in the exemplary embodiment illustrated.

[0018] The hot cement clinker 1 passes from the inlet region 5 into the recuperation region 7 by sliding on an inclined plane (not illustrated). The exemplary embodiment shows two fans 8 for the recuperation region 7, the fans 8 drawing in cool ambient air 9 and blowing the air into the cooler 3 from below through in each case one opening 10. The cooling air 11 flows from bottom to top through intermediate spaces in the movable grating 6b and penetrates further upward through intermediate spaces in the cement clinker 1 present as bulk material. In the process, the cement clinker 1 is cooled and the cooling air 11 is correspondingly heated greatly. The heat extracted from the cement clinker bed is used for recovery in the overall process in that a part of the heated cooling air 11 is conducted into the tertiary-air line 13 through the tertiary-air opening 12. It flows back, as hot tertiary air 14, into the calciner (not indicated) which is arranged upstream of the rotary kiln 2. A further part of the heated cooling air 11 flows as secondary air 15 directly into the rotary kiln 2 through the inlet region 5.

[0019] Arranged in the recuperation region 7 is a device 16a, 16b for comminuting cement clinker 1. In the exemplary embodiment illustrated, this is a roller crusher 16b comprising two counterrotating rollers. By being transported on the movable grating 6b, the material bed comprising hot cement clinker 1 passes into the roller gap between the two rollers, wherein the roller gap is arranged with its longitudinal extent transversely to the direction of transportation and parallel to the grating 6b. As a result of the high pressure in the roller gap, the cement clinker 1 is broken into fragments of such a size that they can pass through the roller gap. They drop onto a further grating 6b downstream of the roller crusher 16b in the direction of material flow, the further grating 6b transporting them further through the recuperation region 7 of the cooler 3. The cooling air 11 likewise flows against both the comminuted material bed and against the roller crusher 16b, extracting heat therefrom and leaving the recuperation region 7 as secondary air 15 or tertiary air 14. The roller crusher 16b is expediently arranged in the front part of the recuperation region 7 with regard to the material flow (not true to scale in the depiction). In this way, effective and very uniform cooling of the hot cement clinker 1 that is present in relatively small pieces downstream of the roller crusher 16b occurs over a sufficiently long section in the recuperation region 7. Furthermore, the rollers do not as a result heat up so greatly as to be subjected to damage. The cooling air 11 is heated to a correspondingly great extent in this region.

[0020] After the cooling phase in the recuperation region 7, the cement clinker 1 is transported into the adjoining final cooling region 17 on a grating 6b. An air cooling system is likewise provided in the exemplary embodiment as the device 18a, 18b for further cooling the cement clinker 1 in the final cooling region 17. Ambient air 9 is drawn in by the fan 8, of which there is one in the exemplary embodiment, in the final cooling region 17, and is blown as cooling air 11 into the final cooling region 17 through the cooling-air opening 18b. In this way, uniform cooling of the cement clinker 1 takes place as it is being transported through the final cooling region 17.

[0021] In order to prevent intermixing of the flows of cooling air 11 from the recuperation region 7 and from the final cooling region 17 as much as possible, a partition wall 19b is arranged as separating means 19a, 19b between the recuperation region 7 and final cooling region 17 in the exemplary embodiment illustrated, said partition wall 19b reaching as far as the bulk material on the grating 6b on both sides. After the second cooling phase in the final cooling region 17, the cement clinker 1 reaches the outlet region 20, where it is discharged and is passed into the further procedure of cement production. The heated cooling air 11 from the final cooling region 17 is conducted away through an extraction opening 21 and can optionally be used for further processes on account of its heat (not depicted).

[0022] As is apparent from the foregoing specification, the invention is susceptible of being embodied with various alterations and modifications which may differ particularly from those that have been described in the preceding specification and description. It should be understood that I wish to embody within the scope of the patent warranted hereon all such modifications as reasonably and properly come within the scope of my contribution to the art.