KILNSIMU

Simulation Program for Industrial Rotary Kiln Systems

Introduction
The rotary kiln is concurrently used in several industries. The rotary drum provides an efficient means for both
heat and mass transfer in the processing of slurries and other condensed mixtures. The most well-known uses
are pigment and cement manufacture, as well as the lime calciner in the recovery cycle of the chemicals in the
wood pulping process. Other uses are in manufacture of oxides (zinc, lead), reduction of ores and waste
incineration. There is increasing interest in the complex chemistry of the rotary drums, as many of the raw
materials as well as the fuels used as heat sources vary in their chemical composition. This variation may lead
to undesired emissions in the off gas or to maintenance problems of the kiln. On the other hand, if the
operational conditions of the kilns remain sufficiently stable, their remote control and a centralised
maintenance for several kilns can be achieved. Such arrangements may lead to significant savings in the
operation cost of a production site.
In KilnSimu, the combination of reaction kinetics and heat transfer equations with the thermodynamic multi-
component calculation is used to model counter-current rotary drums with rather complex chemistries. In this
method, the rate-dependent phenomena of reaction kinetics and heat transfer are combined with the calculation
of the thermodynamic properties of both the gas and solid streams. As a consequence of the chosen method, a
maximum amount of both chemical and thermal information can be received from the system.

Features
• Simulation of multi-phase chemistry in counter-current or co-current rotary kilns.
• Possibility to combine reaction kinetics with the thermodynamic calculation.
• Heating mechanism may be direct (hot gas flow inside) or indirect heating (external heat source).
• The chemical system is defined with ChemSage format thermodynamic data-file
• Uses ChemApp software to calculate the thermodynamic equilibrium of the chemical system.
• Uses Excel interface to define the simulation inputs and outputs.
Material Bed
A rotary kiln consists of a revolving cylindrical shell slightly inclined toward the outlet. The length of the shell
typically varies from 10 to 100 m. Wet feed enters one end of the kiln and the dry material discharges from the
other. As the shell rotates, the material bed moves slowly down through to the interior of the shell.

Cross-section of rotary kiln

The bed velocity in rotary kiln is proportional to inner diameter, rotational speed and inclination of the kiln
and is inversely proportional to dynamic angle of repose of bed. In addition the bed velocity is inversely
proportional to the height of the bed or the holdup of the kiln.

Heat Transfer
There are three different heat transfer mechanisms in the rotary kiln
• Convection (from gas to bed and inner wall and outer wall to surroundings)
• Conduction (between bed and inner wall and inner and outer wall)
• Radiation (main heat transfer mechanism)

Radial heat transfer in rotary kiln

Thermodynamics
The thermodynamic state of a closed system can be defined with the Gibbs energy function. In constant
temperature and pressure the equilibrium state of the system is obtained by finding the minimum value of
Gibbs energy. Chemical species or phase constituents have compositions expressed as amounts of a number of
components (which usually are elements).
 Simple thermodynamic system used in calcination of TiO2-pigment.
The definitions of phases, phase constituents and their stoichiometries and thermodynamic data are given in a
thermodynamic system data-file that can be compiled by hand or using advanced thermodynamic software like
FactSage.
KilnSimu supports systems containing total of 30 elements and 1500 phase constituents.

Model Description
Besides rotary kiln unit the model may contain optional burner unit (otherwise fuel and air are fed to rotary
kiln). Model can contain also optional clinker cooler unit for cement kiln simulation. Part of the exit gas from
kiln can be recycled back to burner or hot end of the kiln.

Flowsheet representation of rotary kiln system.

Units may contain any number of feed flows and feed flows in turn may contain any number of gaseous and
condensed species.
The rotary kiln is divided into successive control volumes or cells. The volume elements of the bed and the
gas in the cells are described as open thermochemical systems, which transforms heat and mass with each
other. The equilibrium states of the volume elements are calculated by minimizing their Gibbs energy and by
taking into account the heat and mass transfer between the elements and their surroundings. It is also possible
to combine reaction kinetics with equilibrium. This is important as reactions in bed are constrained by local
mass transfer phenomena like diffusion.

Rotary kiln model (without burner and with recycle).

An axial plug flow model is used for both the bed and the gas. The variables in each cell are the temperature of
bed, gas, inner and outer wall and the mass flows of bed and gas constituents. The kiln is assumed to operate
in atmospheric pressure.
The whole system is solved iteratively by calculating the bed side and gas side in turns.

Reference Applications
KilnSimu has been successfully used for several industrial kiln systems:
• calcination of TiO2 (production of pigment)
• calcination of CaCO3 (lime kiln in pulp industry)
• production of cement
• reduction of ores (ilmenite)
• zinc oxide fuming (waelz kiln in zinc production)
• industrial waste incineration

Example Results: Production of Cement

The feed of a typical cement kiln consists of limestone and other, mainly oxide and silicate-based material,
which typically contain aluminium, calcium, magnesium and iron. The process goes through raw material
grinding, blending, pre-calcining, calcining (clinker formation), cooling and final product grinding. In the pre-
heating system the blended feed goes through preliminary steps, where the calcination of CaCO3 and
formation of calcium oxide takes place. In the actual cement kiln reaction between calcium oxide and other
material produces Ca-silicates and aluminates.
The phase formation study of a cement kiln will eventually help to control the furnace operation with different
raw material and fuel inputs. Use of alternative fuels, such as used car tyres may add minor constituents in the
multi-phase chemistry, and one must be able to follow the chemical behaviour of such constituents as trace
metals as well as sulphur and chlorine compounds.
 Reaction zones and typical temperatures in cement rotary kiln.

Composition of phases in rotary kiln with precalcined feed –direction of bed flow is from left to right.
Mass flows of solution phases in rotary kiln. Presence of slag phase is important in the formation of alite phase
(3CaO*SiO2). The liquid slag is usually formed between 1200-1250 degrees celsius.

Mass flows of gaseous species in clinker cooler (right side) and rotary kiln (left side). Air is fed to several
axial positions in the clinker cooler from bottom. There are two exit points in the middle of cooler and one
besides the rotary kiln. It is assumed that gas flow direction inside the cooler is always towards the nearest
exit. This is reason why there are mass flow peaks at the exit points. In the cooler the air is preheated before
entering the rotary kiln where it is used for fuel combustion.

For more information contact: karri.penttila@vtt.fi