New cooler installed at Lafarge Alpena plant: fuller controlled flow grate (CFG) clinker cooler

The decision to replace a major piece of process equipment is not easily arrived at. The short-term needs of the facility must be satisfied as well as the long-term strategies of the organization. The Lafarge Corporation Alpena Plant was faced with such a decision regarding their Kiln 19 clinker cooler. A change in raw materials was expected to increase production rates by 10%. The existing oscillating grate cooler did not have the capacity to handle the additional capacity. Other factors involved in the decision to replace the clinker cooler were escalating maintenance costs, obsolete parts, and poor operational efficiencies. The new clinker cooler utilizes air beam technology and has proven to meet all the requirements of the plant. The anticipated production increase was exceeded without negatively impacting the performance of the air beam cooler. Audited cooler losses were excellent at 207 MJ/t_KK (49 kcal/kg_KK). Power consumption results were 6.6 kWh/t_KK. Clinker discharge temperatures after the breaker are lower than 56°C above ambient. The fuel consumption reduction resulting from the cooler installation was approximately 3%