Clinker Inlet Distribution Grate for Cement Cooler Clogging
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Solution Overview
Problem
Clinker inlet distribution systems in cement clinker coolers often experience clogging due to hot, fine-grained clinker agglomeration, leading to costly shutdowns and high energy consumption from repetitive air cannon activations to clear clogs.
Innovation Solution
A clinker inlet distribution system featuring a stepped grate with static and movable grate elements, where the movable elements are orthogonally supported between static elements, allowing for the destabilization and removal of clinker agglomerates without reciprocating whole rows, reducing construction and energy costs.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If air cannons are activated repetitively to remove clogging clinker, then clogging is resolved, but energy consumption increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies the dynamics principle by making specific grate elements movable instead of fixed. These movable grate elements can be actively displaced to destabilize and remove clinker agglomerates (snowmen) from the chute. This dynamic mechanism provides reliable clogging removal through controlled movement of individual elements rather than requiring high-energy air cannon bursts, thereby reducing energy consumption while maintaining effectiveness.
2Reliability
If air cannons are installed to resolve clogging, then clogging issues can be addressed, but installation costs increase due to compressors and air tanks
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the essential function of clogging removal from the complex air cannon system (compressors, air tanks, nozzles) and implements it through simple movable grate elements. By taking out only the necessary mechanical movement capability and eliminating the expensive pneumatic infrastructure, the solution achieves comparable or superior clogging resolution with dramatically reduced installation and operational costs.
3Reliability
If whole rows of grate elements are reciprocated to remove snowmen, then clogging is cleared, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies segmentation by dividing the grate structure into fixed and movable individual elements or small groups. Instead of reciprocating entire rows of grate elements, only specific segmented portions are made movable to target and remove snowmen. This segmentation reduces the complexity of the reciprocation mechanism while maintaining effective snowman removal capability.
4Reliability
If large amounts of compressed air are injected to blow off snowmen, then clogging is removed, but the distance from air cannons to snowmen is too big for reliable resolution
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses movable grate elements as intermediaries between the fixed grate structure and the clinker flow. These intermediate elements can be actively displaced to directly contact and destabilize snowmen, providing effective clogging removal without requiring long-distance air injection. The movable elements serve as a mechanical mediator that bridges the gap between the drive mechanism and the clogged material.
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
Effectively prevents clogging by using gravity and cooling gas injection, while minimizing energy consumption and installation costs through targeted movement of isolated movable grate elements, ensuring continuous operation without shutting down the clinker line.
Implementation Method 1
a cooling gas is injected via grate openings of the cooling grate into the hot clinker bed residing on said cooling grate. Thereby, the cooling gas is heated and the clinker in turn is cooled down
Implementation Method 2
The heated cooling gas is withdrawn above the clinker bed and the heat of the cooling gas can be used as process heat
Implementation Method 3
The chute has at least two functions, namely to cool the clinker by injecting air into the clinker bed sliding down the chute
Data Source
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AI summary
A clinker inlet distribution grate for feeding a conveyer grate with clinker previously discharged from a kiln onto the clinker inlet distribution grate wherein the clinker inlet distribution grate comprises at least a chute with at least two grate elements being arranged one besides the other providing a chute enables to easily remove clinker agglomerations, so called snowmen if at least a first of said at least two grate elements is static and that at least a second of said at least two grate elements is movable orthogonally to the cross direction of the chute.