Bulk Material Cooler with Segmented Cooling Zones
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing coolers for bulk materials, such as cement clinker, face inefficiencies when cooling both fine and coarse materials simultaneously, as coarse material can clog fine material coolers and reduce cooling efficiency, necessitating complex separation processes.
Innovation Solution
A cooler system with separate cooling regions for fine and coarse materials, utilizing a static or dynamic grate for separation and distinct pneumatic or mechanical conveying units to manage each material type, allowing for efficient cooling without complete separation, with the fine material cooler operating in crosscurrent with a cooling medium and the coarse material being cooled separately.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If a fine material cooler is used to cool both fine and coarse materials, then the cooling function is provided, but the cooling efficiency is significantly reduced and the cooler can become clogged by coarse material
Solution Approach 1:
The cooler is divided into two distinct functional zones: a fluidized bed cooler for fine material and a grate cooler for coarse material. This segmentation allows each zone to be optimized for its specific material type, preventing clogging in the fluidized bed while maintaining high cooling efficiency for both material types through separate cooling pathways
Solution Approach 2:
Coarse material is extracted from the fine material cooler system and directed to a separate grate cooler. By removing the coarse material component from the fluidized bed cooler, the system eliminates the clogging problem while maintaining the cooling function for fine material, and provides appropriate cooling for coarse material through the grate cooler
2Reliability
If complete separation of fine and coarse material is implemented in a separation cooler, then the fine material cooler can be filled exclusively with fine material, but the separation process becomes very complex
Solution Approach 1:
A dynamic grate is used in the separation region that can adjust its position and configuration based on material flow conditions. This dynamic element enables automatic separation of fine and coarse material based on their different physical properties, achieving effective material division without requiring complex mechanical separation systems
Solution Approach 2:
Pneumatic conveying systems are employed to transport separated fine material from the separation region to the fluidized bed cooler. This pneumatic transport mechanism provides an efficient and relatively simple method for material separation and conveyance compared to complex mechanical separation equipment
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Enables efficient cooling of bulk materials with reduced clogging risks and eliminates the need for complete separation of fine and coarse materials, maintaining high cooling efficiency and preventing clogging in the fine material cooler.
Implementation Method 1
the bulk material is flowed through by a cooling medium... the bulk material is then moved for the purpose of cooling from one end of the cooler to the other end and in the process is flowed through by cooling gas
Implementation Method 2
For the purpose of cooling a fine material, the use of a fluidized bed cooler is known, for example
Data Source
AI summary
A method can be used to cool bulk material in a fine material cooler. The method may involve admitting bulk material to be cooled into the fine material cooler through a material inlet, conveying the coarse material with a first mechanical or pneumatic conveying unit, and conveying the fine material with a second conveying unit in a conveying direction through the fine material cooler to a material outlet. The bulk material may have a fine material proportion of 70% to 95% and a coarse material proportion of 5% to 30%. The fine material may have a grain size of 10-5 mm to 4 mm, and the coarse material may have a grain size of 4 mm to 100 mm.