Optimations lime kiln control
Nothing says that a lime kiln shouldn’t always perform like it does when it’s at its best. It’s simply a matter of taking it to its optimal level of performance and keeping it there. Long response times and a process that deviates from the optimum as soon as it is left briefly unattended makes us humans not really up to the task.
The challenge with lime kiln control is that the two temperatures that can be measured in a rotary kiln are not independent of each other; therefore, two independent controllers cannot be used to control them. Optimation’s patented solution is both simple and ingenious and is based on what is referred to in control engineering as decoupling. In simple terms, average temperature and temperature difference in the kiln are calculated, and these two temperatures, unlike the measured temperatures, can with some clever tricks be made independent of each other and can therefore be controlled via ordinary PID controllers. In this way, complexity is eliminated, making it possible to implement control directly in the existing control system with no need for extra computational capacity.
Although the result is simple, the solution has been developed by means of advanced simulation. We create a digital twin of your kiln and use it to trim and adapt control of that specific kiln.
The interesting feature of our control is that we never have to compromise. The performance level of the lime kiln that results in the lowest energy use also results in the best lime, as well as minimal problems with dust and ring formation.
Optimation’s lime kiln control therefore delivers:
- Reduced energy consumption, typically 10%
- Consistently low residual carbonate content
- A dust-free kiln
- No ring formation
