NEW COOLER INSTALLED AT LAFARGE ALPENA PLANT - FULLER CONTROLLED FLOWGRATE (CFG) CLINKER COOLER

The decision to replace a major piece of process equipment is not easi ly arrived at, The short-term needs of the facility must be satisfied as well as the long-term strategies of the organization, The Lafarge C orporation Alpena Plant was faced with such a decision regarding their Kiln 19 clinker cooler, A change in raw materials was expected to inc rease production rates by 10%, The existing oscillating grate cooler d id not have the capacity to handle the additional capacity, Other fact ors involved in the decision to replace the clinker cooler were escala ting maintenance costs, obsolete parts, and poor operational efficienc ies. The new clinker cooler utilizes air beam technology and has prove n to meet all the requirements of the plant, The anticipated productio n increase was exceeded without negatively impacting the performance o f 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) C linker discharge temperatures after the breaker are lower than 56 degr ees C above ambient, The fuel consumption reduction resulting from the cooler installation was approximately 3%.