In Situ Velocity Measurements from an Industrial Rotary Kiln Incinerator (original) (raw)

1995, Journal of the Air & Waste Management Association

For the first time, velocities were measured inside a fieldscale rotary kiln incinerator. Combustion gas velocities and temperatures were measured at multiple points across a quadrant of the kiln near its exit using a bidirectional pressure probe and suction pyrometer. To accommodate the new bidirectional probe and gain access to the upper portion of the kiln, a lighter and stiffer positioning boom was designed. The kiln was directly fired using natural gas in a steady state mode. Results indicate strong vertical stratification of both velocity and temperature, with the highest values corresponding to the top of the kiln. Access restraints prevented the lower region of the kiln from being mapped. Horizontal variations in both temperature and velocity were insignificant. Operating conditions were varied by adjusting the amount of ambient air added to the front of the kiln. Increasing the flow of ambient air into the front of the kiln IMPLICATIONS Previous experimental work has shown that incinerator flows can be highly stratified in both temperature and chemical species. This latest work shows that the exit of a rotary kiln incinerator can also be highly stratified in velocity, and presents evidence that regions of reverse flow may exist. It is, therefore, important to consider the general velocity field when interpreting other measurements taken from the rotary kiln section of an incinerator. This is particularly important if single-point sampling is used to characterize the incineration process, so that stagnant areas and regions of reverse flow can be identified. This work presents a device and methodology for measuring velocities in high-temperature, particulate-laden turbulent flows. reduced the measured temperatures as expected, but did hot have as significant an effect on measured velocities. The quality of the results is examined by performing mass balances across the incinerator and by comparison to an existing numerical model. Both methods indicate that the experimental results are reasonable. BACKGROUND This study was performed at the Dow Chemical Company rotary kiln incinerator located in Plaquemine, Louisiana. This facility has been described by Cundy, et al. 1 Access to this kiln for experimental measurements is through an offaxis view port located at the back of the transition section between the exit of the rotary kiln incinerator and the entrance to the afterburner (see Figure 1). The refractory brick is 33 cm thick at this port, thus limiting boom movement.

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