Hydraulic-binder rotary-furnace operation

A method of limiting a thickness of rings formed in a rotary furnace for the production of a hydraulic binder and/or limiting speed of rings formed in a rotary furnace for the production of a hydraulic binder, comprising the steps of:

• providing a furnace having a substantially cylindrical shape with a longitudinal axis which is inclined, an upper end, a lower end and a substantially cylindrical wall, the length of the furnace being at least 9 times the diameter of the furnace, the furnace comprising a burner assembly at its lower end;
• rotating the furnace around the longitudinal axis;
• feeding a material to be pyroprocessed to the furnace at its upper end, the material to be pyroprocessed thereby traveling downwards through the furnace under the effect of gravity and being pyroprocessed in the furnace by heat generated by combustion of a main fuel in the furnace and leaving the furnace at its lower end as pyroprocessed hydraulic binder material;
• transferring the pyroprocessed material from the furnace to an air-cooled material cooler, to produce cooled pyroprocessed hydraulic binder material and heated air;
• injecting the main fuel and primary combustion oxidizer into the furnace with the burner assembly so as to generate partial combustion of the main fuel with the primary combustion oxidizer, feeding the heated air from the material cooler to the furnace at its lower end as secondary oxidizer so as to substantially complete combustion of the main fuel, directing a flame generated by combustion of the main fuel with the primary oxidizer and the secondary oxidizer substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of the furnace;
• evacuating flue gas from the upper end of the furnace;
• and
• varying a longitudinal temperature profile within the furnace during furnace operation by injecting, into the furnace, at least one fluid other than the main fuel, the primary oxidizer and the secondary oxidizer, said at least one fluid being selected from the group consisting of oxygen, air, CO2, recycled flue gas, and mixtures thereof, wherein variation of the longitudinal temperature profile is achieved by continuously or discontinuously varying at least one injection parameter of the injection of the at least one fluid other than the main fuel, the primary oxidizer and the secondary oxidizer that is injected into the furnace so as to limit a thickness of rings formed in the rotary furnace and/or a speed of ring formation in the rotary furnace.