CEMCAP

Due to higher CO₂ concentrations in the burning atmosphere during oxyfuel operation, the calcination reaction of the cement clinker raw material is affected. This work package focuses on the suspension calcination tests under conditions that are relevant to the oxyfuel operation of a cement plant calciner. Four institutions and industrial partners take part in the investigations, namely University of Stuttgart, VDZ, IKN and Italcementi.

The calciner tests will be performed by University of Stuttgart in an electrically heated entrained flow reactor. The relevant boundary conditions and operation parameters for the test will be selected together with industrial partners. The entrained test facility will be altered and modified to fit the agreed boundary condition and operational parameters. It includes modification of the feeding and sampling system, as well as the addition of steam and impurities feeding lines.

The calciner test includes comparative tests under reference (air) and relevant oxyfuel conditions (e.g.: tests with variation of temperature between approx. 800°C-1000°C, residence time up to 10 s and CO₂ and H₂O partial pressure variations). The calcination tests will be performed with limestone as a reference material as well as with different industrial raw mix qualities (e.g.: variation of composition and particle size distribution).

The solid samples from different calciner tests will be sent to VDZ for further analysis to evaluate the degree of decarbonisation. In addition the tendency to form problematic deposits due to temperature shift in oxyfuel condition will also be evaluated.

Oxyfuel calciner performance characteristics are expected to generate valuable information that can be applied to the design of a future pilot oxyfuel calciner.