Kiln construction
AssigneePPG Industries, Inc.
InventorsRobert A. Lawhon, James L. Karraker
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An apparatus for and method of adjusting the effective length of a rotary kiln. Preheating gas enters the kiln, passes over a portion of the material to be heated and exits the kiln through an axially extending exhaust duct. Changing the length of the duct modifies the amount of time the material is subjected to direct heating by the gas so that the effective heating length of the kiln is changed.
Claims12
A kiln for heating pulverulent material comprising:
- an elongated drum with an inner surface, a material inlet end and a material outlet end;
- an elongated exhaust duct having an outer wall;
- means for mounting said duct in said drum to extend generally axially within a portion of said drum from said inlet end towards said outlet end and terminating short of said of said outlet end to provide an elongated annular chamber between the inner wall of said drum and the outer wall of said duct;
- means to deposit said material in said chamber on the inner surface of said drum at a location adjacent said inlet end;
- and
- means to seal said annular chamber at said material inlet end of said elongated drum to provide a hot gas movement path having its course through said outlet and of said drum towards said inlet end, through said duct, and out of said kiln through said duct, said sealing means preventing hot gas from exiting said drum through said annular chamber so as to reduce circulation of said gas within said elongated annular chamber and entrainment of said material in said gas.
A method of heating material as it advances through a heating vessel comprising:
- providing an exhaust duct within and spaced from a portion of an elongated drum, said duct extending from a material loading end of said vessel towards a material outlet end of said vessel, said duct terminating short of said material outlet end, wherein said drum and duct form an elongated annular chamber;
- sealing the portion of said loading end of said vessel radially outwardly of said duct;
- depositing material to be heated within said annular chamber of said heating vessel at said loading end;
- advancing said material through said vessel towards said material outlet end;
- circulating hot gas in said heating vessel towards said loading end;
- and
- exhausting said gas from said loading end of said vessel through said duct, wherein said sealed portion of said loading end prevents hot gas from exiting said vessel through said annular chamber so that said hot gas enters said exhaust duct and exits said vessel through said duct, said material within said annular chamber being shielded from direct exposure to said hot gas and remaining material within said vessel being heated by direct exposure to said hot gas.
A kiln for heating pulverulent material comprising:
- an elongated drum with a material inlet end and a material outlet end;
- means to deposit said material on the inner surface of said drum at a material loading location adjacent said inlet end;
- and
- an adjustable length exhaust duct extending generally axially within said drum along a portion of the length of said kiln from said material inlet end toward and terminating short of said material outlet end;
- and
- means to seal that portion of said inlet end of said drum radially outwardly from said duct wherein hot gas moves through a portion of said drum and exits said drum through said exhaust duct, wherein said hot gas heats a portion of said material within said drum by passing thereover for a predetermined distance prior to exiting said drum through said duct so as to establish an effective heating length of said kiln, and further wherein said adjustable length duct allows said gas to pass over said material for varying distances so as to vary said effective heating length of said kiln.
A method of heating pulverulent material as it moves through a kiln comprising:
- depositing said material in said kiln;
- rotating said kiln to advance said material from a material inlet end to a material outlet end of said kiln;
- moving hot gas from said material outlet end through a first portion of said kiln to directly contact and heat a first portion of said material in said first portion of said kiln as said material moves towards said inlet end;
- and
- shielding a second portion of said material from said gas in a second portion of said kiln adjacent said first portion as said material advances towards said first portion, wherein said gas is isolated from said second portion of said material so as to prevent entrainment of said second portion of said material in said hot gas while said material is shielded within said second portion of said kiln.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.