Rotary Kiln

218
Proceedings of the National Seminar & Exhibition

on Non-Destructive Evaluation
NDE 2009, December 10-12, 2009
Preventive Maintenance of Kiln Furnace used for Production of

Ceramic Insulators using Thermography
M. Mahesh, M. Swamy, K. Appa Rao, V.J. Thomas, G. Swaminathan* and M.S. Rawat
Corporate R & D, BHEL, *CTI Bangalore, BHEL
E-mail: [email protected]
ABSTRACT
Manufacturing of ceramic Insulators involves crushing of raw material, compaction to desired shape and size in green stage followed by firing
in the kiln furnace. In this furnace the product undergoes drying, baking, sintering and cooling. In case of malfunctioning of the furnace the
final product becomes defective resulting in material and energy loss.
Infrared thermography is a proven non destructive technique having application in various areas [1]. This paper describes using an infrared
camera for examination and monitoring of refractory- lined process kiln used for production of ceramic insulators. Refractory is a temperature-
resistant lining that is used for lining the kiln which operates at very high temperatures. The refractory lining protects the shell of the kiln
from the hot gas circulating inside the kiln. Failure of refractory linings can have very serious consequences.
Conventionally refractory repairs and replacements are being undertaken based on visual internal inspection during shut down. The present
study not only enabled us to identify areas of refractory lining requiring repairs and replacement but also revealed problems in cooling system
inside the lining which normally is not visible otherwise. Such predictive maintenance enables the operator to plan the work scope for a planned
shutdown well in advance. One of the main advantages of this technique is that the examination is done on-line.
Keywords: refractory, thermography, cooling effect, process, kiln, ceramic insulator
Introduction Zone b) Firing Zone and c) Sintering Zone. A gradual heating

is required to avoid preferential leakage of steam through
Industrial furnaces working at higher temperatures use vents thereby weakening the product leading to fracture.
fuel inside the furnace. Refractory lining/insulation lining is Drying Zone: In the drying zone temperature is
required to retain the heat inside the furnace thus improving maintained around 2000C.The moisture and any volatile matter
energy efficiency and reducing fuel energy costs. Kiln present over green ceramic surface goes off.
furnace, used for the production of ceramic insulator, has Firing Zone: In this zone the temperature is maintained
long tunnel shaped structure as shown in Fig. 1. This long up to 800oC. The moisture present deep inside the insulator
furnace is subdivided in to four zones. First zone is called dries up and quasi crystals of different oxides start forming.
drying zone where the temperature is maintained at around Sintering stage: In this zone the temperature is
150C to remove moisture from the green ceramic insulator. maintained up to 1200oC. All oxides are sintered and form a
Second zone is called baking zone with temperature around solid body of Insulator
800C where the oxides of insulators start to recrystalise and The corrosive gases flow at high velocity inside the
hence expansion and contraction takes place in the ceramic kiln. The refractory lining of kiln is provided to bear the
insulators. Third zone is called sintering zone with erosion and thermal insulation. The fluid dynamics of gas
temperature around 1100C where the oxides fuse to inside the kiln is maintained by kilns refractory lining.
become complete ceramic product. Fourth zone is called Wearing of the lining not only affects the product quality but
cooling zone where cooling is done to avoid sudden thermal also leads to loss of energy. Advancement has been made to
shocks. The refractory lining of the kiln is to insulate improve the property of the refractoriness by mixing various
the temperature from the surroundings and save energy grades of different oxides by the operational experience and
losses. The temperature on the outer surface of the kiln technological developments. However refractory lining failure
should be around 80C. Passive thermography is utilized for remains one of the most common reasons for unforced
condition monitoring of the kiln furnace in operation from shutdown of the kilns. The reliability of the kiln lining is one
outside. of the main criteria for efficient production/quality of the
product.
To improve the efficiency of the kiln lining various
Refractory lining failures arrangements have been made in Ceramic production kiln
incorporating thermocouples at different zones to record the
A Batch type furnace is used for the production of ceramic temperature. Various cooling methods have also been adopted
Insulators. The furnace is divided into three zones a) Drying to properly maintain inside temperature of the kiln.
NDE 2009, December 10-12,2009 219
Thermography principle and camera setup

The principle of thermography is to pick up the infrared
signals falling in the range of 1-4Micrometers or 7-11
Micrometers through germanium lens to Uncooled Bolometer.
The excitation energy received then processed with in the
camera to get converted into image. The images will have all
the information of different temperatures of the scanned body.
Before scanning the body the camera needs to calibrate like(
emissivity, atmospheric attenuation etc.) for particular
application. A complete scan of the entire length of kiln was
carried out by a non-contact thermography. Due to the large
number of measurement locations and difference in surface
temperature of the kiln at different temperature zones, it is
impractical to measure the emissivity and the reflected Fig. 2 : Loss of refractory lining near Firing Zone
ambient temperature at different locations. Emissivity at each
location was therefore set to ONE. A Thermography Camera
with standard features was used to examine the kiln furnace.
The camera works in far infrared spectrum i.e.9-11micrometer
and the camera has been provided with temperature ranges
-20C to-80C, 10-150C and 500-1500C. The camera is
provided with germanium lens with 20 Instantaneous field
of view. Telescopic lens was also used to see the kiln from
far off distance where accessibility was poor. The images
were captured in storage device called PCMCIA Personal
computer memory card international association. The images
were then analyzed using reporter software. When the camera
is initialized its level and span is adjusted. Thermal tuning or
focusing is carried out to reduce blurring of the image. Once Fig. 3 : Refractory Loss on the other side of Kiln
the image is thermally tuned camera can be used for
experimentation. operation of the kiln clearly indicates the erosion of refractory
internals by corrosive gases at these locations. Due to such
erosion of refractory internals, the non-uniform heat flow
Inspection results conditions can lead to crack formation in insulator.
Figure 1 shows the general outline of the kiln. The kiln Location 2
comprises of narrow portions at the beginning and end
portions with firing chamber in the middle. The kiln is lined Figure 4 shows the hood portion of the kiln that gives a
with fireclay bricks with different alumina composition. clear indication of excessive wear of the kiln. Doors are used
in the kiln furnace to remove the fallen insulator inside the
Location 1 kiln during the production process. The doors are supposed
to be thermally well insulated to avoid leaking of gases to
The outside surface of the kiln was examined by the outside atmosphere. In the present case thermography
thermography as shown schematically in Fig.1 The thermal images were recorded at the door position and the thermal
images were recorded and the images are processed by a
computer. From the temperature profile of Fig.2 and Fig.3 it
can be clearly seen that a maximum temperatures of 170C
was observed near the firing zone. Normally a temperature of
80C is maintained on the outside of the kiln. The
measurement of high temperature on the outer surface during
Fig. 1 : Schematic view of Kiln used for production of insulators Fig. 4 : Furnace Hood thinning of insulation
220 Mahesh et al. : Proceedings in the National Seminar & Exhibition on Non-Destructive Evaluation
Fig. 5 : Door not properly sealed

Fig. 8 : Photograph showing fall of inside refractory brick
Fig. 6 : Choked cooling tubes inside the kiln
Fig. 9 : Complete thinning of refractory lining
Fig. 7 : Inside view of from kiln from exit side Fig. 10 : Solid ash waste at the bottom of the chimney of the
kiln
image pattern is shown in Fig.5. A temperature of 170 i.e. the four nozzles, gas coming out of the nozzle can be seen
white region at the upper portion which may be due to through one nozzle. This shows that there is blockage of the
improper sealing/closing of the door. nozzle at the exit side and cooling gas is not able to pass to
the kiln. Such malfunctioning can be seen only with
Location 3 thermography during operation.
To improve the life of refractory lining and to maintain Location 4

inside temperature of the kiln it is cooled with the passage
of air/air-water through cooling nozzles. The nozzles are well The refractory are joined together by using insulated
distributed inside the kiln refractory lining and are not visible binder. Over and above there will be high refractory fine
to naked eye during opening. As shown in Fig. 6&7, out of powders mixed with binder pasted over the refractories from
NDE 2009, December 10-12, 2009 221
inside of the kiln. On continuous run the refractory lining lining as soon as possible to avoid energy losses. Present
deteriorate by corrosive gases inside the kiln. Fig.8 and 9 investigation has shown that thermography helps in
above shows preferential channel wearing at the boundaries understanding the condition of kiln during operation. This
of the refractory lining study has not only helped in identifying faults with refractory
The build-up of solids at the bottom was due to a lining but also helped in improving maintenance of cooling
change in process conditions in the furnace firebox that nozzle and sealing arrangement.
produced solid ash which accumulated in the bottom of the
ducting elbow and can be seen as shown in Fig.10.
References
Summary 1. Update on Infrared Applications for Steam Turbine Condenser

Systems Mark A. Lanius* PECO Energy Company, Peach Bottom
The insulation lining of the kiln is heavily damaged in Atomic Power Station MS A2-1N, 1848 Lay Rd., Delta, PA
portions like hood, firing zone and sintering zone. The kiln 17314 USA
is maintained in the positive pressure to keep it away from 2. Thomas R A, Thermography monitoring handbook, Machine
entry of atmospheric gases. However the leaking of the gases and System Condition Monitoring Series, Coxmoor Publishing
through doors which cannot be seen otherwise by any means Company, (1999).
has to be avoided. After thorough examination of the kiln it 3. Maldague X P V, Theory & practice of infrared technology for
was recommended to stop the kiln and change the furnace non-destructive testing, John Wiley & Son, (2001).

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218

Proceedings of the National Seminar & Exhibition

Preventive Maintenance of Kiln Furnace used for Production of

Introduction Zone b) Firing Zone and c) Sintering Zone. A gradual heating

Thermography principle and camera setup

Fig. 5 : Door not properly sealed

Fig. 6 : Choked cooling tubes inside the kiln

Fig. 9 : Complete thinning of refractory lining

To improve the life of refractory lining and to maintain Location 4

Summary 1. Update on Infrared Applications for Steam Turbine Condenser

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