Method and apparatus for heat treatment of pulverous material

An apparatus for the heat treatment of pulverous materials such as lime comprising,

• a preheater,
• a suspension calciner having first and second chambers each provided with a fuel inlet, said calciner being connected to the preheater such that combustion gases are passed from the calciner through the preheater counter-current to the material being passed through the preheater to the first chamber of the calciner,
• a cooler for receiving burnt material from the first chamber of the calciner,
• a separator arranged between a gas-material outlet of the first calciner chamber and the cooler, said separator adapted to separate the gas and material which exits from the first chamber and to pass the gas to the preheater, and to pass the material to a splitting means,
• said splitting means arranged to split the material into first and second portions and to pass the first portion directly to the cooler and to pass the second portion to the second calciner chamber, said splitting means being adapted to control the relative proportions of said first and second portions,
• said second calciner chamber having a gas-material outlet adapted to pass gas and material burned therein to said first calcining chamber.