An important stage of the cement production is the clinkerization process that occurs in the rotary kiln. Basically, the inputs of this equipment are the raw material, the fuel and the air. The output flows are basically the clinker and the combustion gases. In this study, the clinker production process by the dry process is analyzed. The considered feed of the rotary kiln is composed by 80% to 95% of lime, 5% to 20% clay and small quantities of iron ore. The fuel used in this study is coal. The main phenomena of the analyzed process are: water evaporation the residual free of the raw material, decomposition of magnesium carbonate, the carbon removal, the formation of the liquid phase C3A and C4AF, the formation of dicalcium silicate and formation of tricalcium silicate. The main objective of this study is to propose a mathematical model that describes the production process of the clinker in the rotary kiln. The algebraic model proposed was developed considering the mass and the energy balances of the system. The model was solved using a commercial program (Mathcad). The operational condition considered represents a typical condition adopted in the industry. Theobtained results describesthe analyzed systemsatisfactorily, especially the energy demand of the equipment.
Portland cement; rotary kiln; mathematical modeling; energy demand
