Numerical study on the thickness of the clinkerattached onto the alumina clinker rotary kiln refractories

A 3-D numerical study on the effects of attached clinker on temperature profile for refractory in sintering zone of an alumina rotary kiln (4.5 m in diameter, 90 m in height) is presented. The results show that, without attached clinker, the temperature of kiln shell is 232～270 ℃ higher. The temperature of kiln shell decreases from about 215 ℃ to 161 ℃ with the thickness of the attached clinker increasing from 200 mm to 300 mm. The service life of the refractory will be shortened when the attached clinker is too thin, whereas the output of clinker is limited when the attached clinker is too thick. For a large rotary kiln, the thickness of the attached clinker should be regulated between 200 to 300 mm according to the components of raw slurry and work conditions of kiln.