The burning zone of a rotary lime kiln has the highest process and shell temperatures of anywhere in the kiln. Increasing production by increasing burning temperatures necessitates the selection of higher quality basic wear lining brick (improved thermochemical resistance) to optimise the refractory campaign life. Such bricks also have higher conductivity and, with minimal coating formation, shell temperatures are further increased. The resulting high shell temperature can cause shell deformation, increased energy consumption, loosening of the refractory lining and rotational and migration issues. Until now, dedicated insulation linings have not been used in such intensely thermomechanically stressful applications due to their inherent softness and fragility. Rotary kiln lime producers have to tolerate unacceptably high shell temperatures and energy consumption in order to achieve increased production targets. To correct this, a 13mm thick structural insulation board manufactured by Pyrotek, with world’s best thermomechanical properties, was trialed in order to reduce the shell temperatures. Its performance was assessed over a three year campaign.
