KilnLoq: A high temperature probe system built for difficult processes
A kiln inlet analyser system for real life kiln optimisation
Process conditions in the cement and minerals industries can be very harsh. Temperatures can reach up to 1400°C, and dust loads can be as high as 500-2000 g/m3. Strong and powerful equipment is required to operate in this kind of environment Handling the temperature and dust load, however, is a simple enough engineering task. All of our pyroprocess equipment is designed to handle these conditions. The real challenge comes when gas condenses in the raw material, which can happen if high concentrations of volatiles occur in the process. The result is sticky scaling on any surface exposed to the hot volatile-loaded gas – including the probe. Blockages can cause downtime of up to a couple of hours, during which you’re running your process blind. What’s the point of a gas analysis system that goes down when you need it the most? You need a better solution. One that recognises that unstable conditions occur and probes get blocked, but that hour-long outages are out of the question.
While exploring this problem, we came up with the simple and powerful design of the FLSmidth KilnLoq probe. It is robust and reliable. Perfectly suited to high-temperature, dust-laden conditions such as the kiln inlet or calciner exit. And it’s a solution that accepts that blockages happen, and deals with them immediately and effectively when they do. No long outtages. No expensive repair work. Just simple engineering. We borrowed some ideas from the design of the air cannon to create the patented One-Pipe layout of the probe: one straight pipe with unmatched cleaning power. There are no mechanical plungers or rotating parts. There are no complex mechanical solutions. Just one straight pipe through the probe that can be cleaned and returned to operation in less than 3 minutes. The result? Continuous gas analysis sampling that enables you to precisely monitor your process. Our kiln inlet analyser system measures critical gases in your kiln and enables you to react accordingly, to optimise your combustion process and reduce the occurrence of kiln stoppages.
Performance. Precision. A high temperature probe system that delivers.
Blockages in your gas analyser can prevent you from getting a reliable read. Gases condense, your probe surface gets scaled up, and before you know it you’ve lost two hours of measurements while the probe is manually cleaned. What was happening to your process during that time? You may never know.
We would love to tell you the KilnLoq gas analysis probe never gets blocked. But the reality is that all probes experience blockages. That is the nature of the high temperature, high dust environment we are dealing with. The KilnLoq probe system is built with an automatic cleaning process, which at most plants keeps the system running for a long time – but eventually it blocks and manual cleaning is required. Other probes with a more complicated design will take a long time to clean – time you can’t afford to lose. Our One-Pipe design is deliberately simple, enabling the KilnLoq probe to be cleaned and returned to use in less than 3 minutes. No other probe system on the market comes close for speed and ease of maintenance.
The patented One-Pipe design of the KilnLoq probe was inspired by the successful Air Blaster cleaning equipment. Just like an Air Blaster, One-Pipe has no bends, no kinks, no bulges: just a length of smooth, straight pipe. The probe runs the entire length of the pipe before connecting to a solenoid valve and an oversize air tank. Maintenance-friendly and capable of tackling any kiln inlet process, the air blaster-like design makes cleaning the probe quick and easy.
Since its launch in 2003, the KilnLoq gas analyser system has become the preferred probe system for the cement industry. Typically used in kiln inlets and calciner exits, the KilnLoq probe is designed to withstand the harsh, high-temperature environment of your pyro process.
