Patent Description:
Conveying particulate matter is a common problem in many technical fields and many different apparatuses and means have been suggested. In cases where the particulate matter is extremely hot or cold, abrasive, corrosive or for other reasons difficult to handle by mechanical conveying means like screw or belt conveyors a common approach is to fluidize the particulate matter and then let it slide (air-gravity conveying) or to blow the fluidized matter (air-jet conveying). If fluidization is an option or not, depends on the so called "Geldari group" to which the material is associated. As found by D. Geldart, particulate materials can be characterized by their ability to be fluidized: "The behavior of solids fluidized by gases falls into four clearly recognizable groups, characterized by density difference (ρs - ρf) and mean particle size. The most easily recognizable features of the groups are: powders in group A exhibit dense phase expansion after minimumfluidization and prior to the commen[ce]ment of bubbling; those in group B bubble of the minimum fluidization velocity: those in group C are difficult to fluidize of all and those in group D can form stable spouted beds.

One example of a Geldart group C material is cement clinker raw meal ('raw meal' for short), which is an intermediate product in modern cement clinker lines. Raw meal may be uncalcined, partially calcined or at least almost fully calcined. In present state of the art cement clinker lines, the hot calcined raw meal exits a direct heat exchanger, the so called calciner, and is transported by the fumes produced in the calciner (fume jet transport) to a cyclone. In the cyclone, the hot raw meal is separated from the fumes and falls down into the raw-meal inlet of the kiln. A problem of this process is the CO<NUM> emission of the direct heat exchange calciner and the kiln: It has been estimated that about <NUM>% of the overall man-made CO<NUM> emission is associated to the cement clinker manufacturing process (<NPL>). As already apparent, the CO<NUM> emission of the cement clinker process is in part inherent to the process, as limestone (CaCOs) is calcined into lime (CaO) in the calciner, thereby releasing CO<NUM>. The corresponding chemical reaction is described by the formula CaCO<NUM> + heat4 CaO + CO<NUM> and is thus an endothermal chemical reaction. This reaction is herein referred to as calcination. Another portion of the CO<NUM> is produced by burning fuel to provide the thermal energy driving the above endothermic calcination in the calciner, to sinter the lime with the other constituents of the raw meal to clinker in the kiln and to produce the electrical power for operating the plant. Depending on the design and operating parameters of a cement clinker line, approximately <NUM>-<NUM>% of the released CO<NUM> are released in the calcination step. The other approximately <NUM>-<NUM>% are released by said burning fuel (see e.g.,<NPL>).

It has been suggested to capture and store the CO<NUM> produced in the clinker manufacturing process. A promising approach for capturing the CO<NUM> is the so-called Regenerative Calcium Cycle (RCC). The RCC consists essentially of capturing CO<NUM> in flue gases by an exothermal reaction of the CO<NUM> with CaO to CaCOs. The reaction reads CaO + CO<NUM> → CaCO<NUM> +heat, is thus exothermal and referred to as carbonation. Subsequently, the CaCO<NUM> is decarbonized (i.e., calcined) in a calciner, thereby releasing CO<NUM> and CaO, enabling to thereby obtain at least essentially pure CO<NUM>. The CO<NUM> can be stored, e.g., in geological formations (commonly referred to as CO<NUM>-sequestration) or used in other processes. In any case it is not released to the environment. The CaO can be subjected to carbonation, again. As suggested in <CIT>, the RCC can be integrated into the cement clinker process, i.e., the calciner for (pre-)calcination of the raw meal is the source of the CaO being required in the carbonation step of the RCC. The CaCOs obtained in the carbonation step is subsequently provided to the calciner to obtain fresh CaO, i.e., a portion of the CaO / CaCO<NUM> circles in the process. In this approach, preheated raw meal is provided to a calciner, wherein in this process the calciner is necessarily an indirect heat exchanger for heating the CaCOs. This enables to remove almost pure CO<NUM> from the calciner. This almost pure CO<NUM> can be stored or used for other industrial or agricultural purposes. A first portion of the calcined raw meal is provided to the kiln to complete the transformation of the raw meal into clinker. The remaining portion of the calcined raw meal is provided to a carbonator. In the carbonator, the CaO in the calcined raw meal reacts with the CO<NUM> contained in the flue gases from the kiln to CaCOs. The flue gases from the kiln are thus subjected to CO<NUM>-removal. The CO<NUM> bound in CaCOs produced in the carbonator is added to the raw meal entering the calciner, where the CO<NUM> is released. Thus, essentially all CO<NUM> being produced in the cement clinker process can be separated and stored or used as source for the chemical industry.

<CIT> suggests a kiln for converting raw meal into cement clinker. The kiln has two portions, namely an elongated, stationary, inclined through having a perforated floor for supporting the raw meal and a rotary kiln for sintering calcined raw meal into clinker. In the through, the raw meal is first preheated and subsequently calcined by providing a flow of a hot gas from a combustion chamber below the perforated floor into the raw meal. From the calciner section of the through the calcined raw meal is directly provided to the inlet of the rotary kiln.

<CIT> suggests a cement clinker plant with a U-shaped reactor for drying municipal waste by the addition of preheated raw meal in a first leg of the U-shaped reactor. In the second leg, the dried waste is pyrolyzed. The such obtained product gas is provided to a calciner. The two legs are connected by an inclined perforated floor via which gas is injected in pulses to enhance a flow of material from the first to the second leg.

The invention is based on the observation that the teaching of <CIT> is conceptual and that its practical implementation reveals new technical problems one of which is to convey the calcined raw material meal - a Geldart group C material - to the kiln's raw meal inlet (kiln inlet, for short) without cooling it down, as the calcined raw meal is no longer transported by the fumes of the calciner. The technically simplest solution would be to store the calcined raw meal until it cooled down to a temperature allowing for an easy handling of the calcined raw meal. This approach, however, is inefficient as the raw meal has to be heated up again requiring heating installations and causing a significant increase in energy consumption. The object of the invention is thus to provide a slide plate, a slide and a method for conveying a Geldart group C material, like e.g., calcined raw meal as provided, e.g., by an RCC process, to a kiln inlet while keeping installation cost as well as operating costs for the apparatus low.

The solution of the problem is provided by the slide plate, the slide segment and the method of the respective claims. Advantageous embodiments are subjects of the dependent claims.

The solution is based on the observation, that pre-calcined raw meal is a Geldart group C powder and hence very difficult, if not impossible to fluidize without additional mechanical agitation due to the cohesion between the powder particles. A fluidization-based air-gravity conveying mechanism is thus not promising. As well due to the cohesion, chutes or slides for calcined raw meal require a slope of at least <NUM>°. These chutes have been used, but their slope imposes constraints on the relative vertical positions of the kiln inlet and the calciner outlet, as the horizontal distance is in practice dictated by the location of the already existing preheater tower. The required height of the calciner outlet has a huge impact on the installation costs for the calciner and the chute. Further, with an increase of the height of the calciner, the length of the chute increases and thus the energy losses as well. One may consider an air-jet conveyor mechanism enabling a horizontal or even upward raw meal transportation, but operating costs increase significantly as either the air jet has to be preheated to the raw meal temperature of typically <NUM> to <NUM> or the raw meal is cooled down by the air jet. In addition, the energy consumption for driving correspondingly dimensioned fans is non negligible as well as the installation costs. Conveying screws will not withstand the corrosion and have to be cooled, which again requires reheating of the calcined raw meal.

A solution to the above summarized problem is a slide plate for a slide for Geldart group C materials (or other types of particulate matter), wherein the slide plate has a longitudinal axis. At this point it is noted that the application of the invention is not limited to the RCC, but can instead be used in many other applications and enables to reduce construction heights being defined by conventional chute heights. The longitudinal axis is preferably essentially parallel to the conveying direction of the Geldart group C material being transported using the slide plate. The slide plate ('plate', for short) has an up-facing surface for supporting a Geldart group C material, like, e.g., hot calcined raw meal. The plate further has a lower surface, being at the opposite side of the plate than the up-facing surface. The plate further has a front-side surface facing preferably at least essentially towards the conveying direction and a rear-side surface facing preferably at least essentially against the conveying direction. The front-side surface and the rear-side surface may connect the up-facing surface and the lower surface. The slide plate is preferably made of and/or at least comprise a ceramic refractory. The ceramic refractory has a number of through holes providing a fluid communication between fluid inlets in the lower surface and fluid outlets in the up-facing surface. This slide plate allows to provide a preferably very gentle gas flow, which flows essentially in between of the up-facing surface and a Geldart group C material being deposited on top of the up-facing surface. The gas flow almost forms a gas cushion in between of the Geldart group C material and the up-facing surface, thereby reducing the critical angle of the slide for the Geldart group C material on the plate. In practice the gas cushion is not perfect, as gas finds its way through the bed of the Geldart group C material. The process is, however, believed to be understood as a bed of Geldart group C material being formed by coherence of the material floating on the gas cushion. This picture is obviously simplified but already provides an idea why the slope of the slide can be reduced significantly below <NUM>° relative to the horizontal.

The invention can be used not only for conveying hot Geldart group C materials, but as well to convey cold Geldart group C Materials, e.g., uncalcined raw meal. The invention can for example as be used in a preheater tower of a cement clinker line to connect/convey raw meal from one preheater stage to the next one. In this example the height of the preheater tower can be reduced, which again leads to a significant reduction of the construction costs.

Only to avoid misunderstandings, the critical angle of the slide is the angle at which the Geldart group C material starts sliding over the grate plate, i.e., at lower inclinations of the up-facing surface of the slide plate, the Geldart group C material accumulates on the slide plate, while at steeper angles, the Geldart group C material slides down the slide plate.

In a preferred example, a distance d between the boundaries limiting at least one of the through holes in the conveying direction is at or in between of <NUM> and <NUM>, hence <NUM>mm ≥ d ≥ <NUM>; preferably <NUM>mm > d ≥ <NUM>mm, even more preferred <NUM>mm ≥ d ≥ <NUM>mm. The relatively small dimension d of the through holes ensures that the flow rate through the plate is low and that the pressure difference, i.e., the pressure drop, between the pressures below the lower surface and the up-facing surface of the plate is greater than the pressure drop between the bottom of the Geldart group C material on the up-facing surface and the space above the Geldart group C material. Hence, the gas flow is essentially defined by the slide plate and the flow inhomogeneities are reduced. Preferred example values of the distance d are d = <NUM>mm or d = <NUM>mm, hence particularly preferred <NUM>mm ≥ d ≥ <NUM>mm.

In a particularly preferred example, at least one of the through holes (particularly preferred the majority of the through holes or even all through holes) is a slot with a slot width w and a slot clearance d, wherein the slot width w extends perpendicular within an angle of ±α and α∈{<NUM>°,<NUM>°,<NUM>°,<NUM>°,<NUM>°,<NUM>°,<NUM>°,<NUM>°,<NUM>°} to the longitudinal axis and wherein the slot width w is greater than the slot clearance d, (w > d). For example, the width w may be a number n of times greater than the clearance d (d · n = w) and n > m, m ∈ {<NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>}. These slots provide for a homogenous air cushion below the particulate matter, which may be even a Geldart group C material.

The slot clearance d is thus at least essentially the distance d between the boundaries limiting at least one of the through holes, namely the respective slot in the conveying direction.

In operation, the slide plate may preferably have a gas flow rate jg through the slide plates at or below <NUM>Nm<NUM> per second [s] and area [m<NUM>] of the support surface of the plate, i.e. <MAT>, wherein Nm<NUM> stands for a cubic meter of the gas under normal conditions, being standard pressure pN = <NUM>hPa and standard temperature T = <NUM> and m<NUM> references to the size of the support surface of the slide plate. In a particularly preferred example is the gas flow rate at or below one of <MAT>, <MAT>. Lower values are preferred. These low gas flow rates are sufficient to significantly reduce the critical angle of the slide for the Geldart group C material on the slide plate, thereby reducing fan installation and operating costs. Further, potentially unintended interaction between the gas and the particulate matter, an example of which are Geldart group C materials, are reduced. In the example of conveying hot raw meal, e.g., from a calciner outlet to a kiln inlet, cooling of the hot raw meal is reduced, even if gas at ambient or only slightly elevated temperatures is used to form the gas cushion. In a preferred example, the gas may be heated prior to injection it into the through holes of the slide plate. In practice the support surface of the slide plate is the portion of the up-facing surface onto which the particulate matter slides in operation of the slide. For example, the slide plate may be located to separate an upper channel and a lower channel of a slide segment or a slide, wherein the bottom surface of the upper channel may be provided by at least a portion of the slide plate's up facing surface. The portion of the slide plate contributing to the bottom surface is the support surface of the slide plate. In a functional language, the portion of the slide plate being configured to support the particulate matter to be conveyed by the slide is the support surface. In some examples, the entire up-facing surface may be considered as the support surface. In other examples, the slide plate may extend into a slot of a side wall of the slide, e.g., into a slot defined by refractory cladding of the slide. In these other examples, the portion of the up-facing surface which engages into the slot is not configured to support the particulate matter and hence this engaging portion does not contribute to the support surface of the slide plate. In operation, the Geldart group-C material slides down the upper channel and gas reducing the friction between the slide surface and the Geldart group-C material is provided via the lower channel to the through holes in the at least one slide plate.

Preferably, the support surface may be a strip surface extending at least essentially in the center of the up-facing surface and connecting the front-side surface and the rear-side surface. The width of the strip may be defined by the spacing of sidewalls of the slide. In case these side walls are not (yet) present, the width of the strip may be defined by the width of the area having the through holes.

Preferably, the pressure gradient Δp↑ between the bottom-facing surface of the slide plate and the up-facing surface of the slide plate is smaller than or equal 2kPa. In case the slide plate separates a lower ventilation channel extending below the slide plate from an upper channel above the slide plate, the pressure gradient is Δp↑ = pl - pu ≤ <NUM>kPa, wherein pl and pu denote the gas pressures in the lower and the upper channels, respectively. Particularly preferred, the pressure gradientΔp↑ is smaller than these 2kPa, e.g., Δp↑ ≤ <NUM>kPa, p↑ ≤ <NUM>kPa, p↑ ≤ <NUM>kPa. A lower boundary for the pressure gradient can be found experimentally: If the Geldart group C material flow stops or fluctuates the lower boundary is found. The lower boundary depends on the Geldart group C material to be conveyed, the surface roughness of the slide plate and the thickness of the layer to name most relevant factors. Further, the lower boundary decreases with an increasing slope angle of the slide. Obviously, if there is no pressure gradient Δp↑ the gas flow through the through holes stops, i.e., Δp↑ > <NUM>Pa, preferably Δp↑ ≥ <NUM>Pa, Δp↑ ≥ <NUM>kPa, Δp↑ ≥ <NUM>kPa or Δp↑ ≥ <NUM>kPa.

A fluid outlet of at least one of the through holes is closer to the front-end side surface than the fluid inlet of said at least one of the through holes of the slide plate. The gas flow exiting the through hole thus has a momentum in the conveying direction. Accordingly, the gas flow or at least a portion of the gas flow follows the up-facing surface of the slide plate in the conveying direction (Coanda effect). In a particular preferred example, at least the forward boundary of the through hole, i.e., at least the wall segment defining the forward-facing end of the through hole, merges at least essentially tangentially into the up-facing surface. Thereby, the gas flow adheres particularly well to the up-facing surface, enabling to further reduce the gas flow rate and hence maintain an even higher temperature of the Geldart group C material on the up-facing surface of the plate.

Preferably, the bottom side of the slide plate has at least one recess and/or protrusion providing a first stop surface facing towards the front-end surface and/or a second stop surface facing towards the rear-end surface. This recess and/or protrusion enable/s to define the location of the slide plate on an inclined support structure having corresponding protrusions and/or recesses, respectively. The support structure may be referred to as a slide plate support.

The slide plate may be used as a support plate for hot Geldart group C materials of a conveyor slide ('slide', for short). For example, the slide may comprise a housing with a housing wall and the housing wall may enclose a circumferentially closed channel. The housing may comprise a slide plate support, supporting the slide plate in the channel. The slide plate may separate at least a segment of the channel into an upper channel and a lower channel. The lower surface may provide a ceiling of the lower channel. The up-facing surface may provide a bottom of the upper channel. The at least one through hole of the at least one slide plate provides for a fluid communication between the upper channel and the lower channel. The channels can as well be referred to as conduits, i.e., they have at least essentially parallel channel axes.

For example, the slide plate support may be a refractory cladding inside the housing, thereby defining the width of the channel. This width may as well be width w of the strip surface of the slide plate being mentioned above.

A first side portion of the lower surface may reside on a first portion of the slide plate support. A second side portion of the bottom side surface may reside on a second portion of the slide plate support. Thus, a middle portion of the lower surface may be in between of the first side portion and the second side portion. This middle portion provides the lower end of the (at least one) through hole in the slide plate.

As indicated above, the slide plate may comprise at least one recess and/or protrusion, e.g., at its bottom side. The slide plate support, e.g., the refractory cladding may have at least one protrusion and/or recess, respectively, wherein the protrusion engages into the recess and provides for a positive locking of the slide plate on the slide plate support. Thereby the slide plate can be maintained at its intended position.

The up-facing surface of the at least one slide plate may support a refractory cladding of the upper channel. For example, the slide plate may as well or alternatively have at least one protrusion and/or recess on its up-facing side. This protrusion and/or recess may engage into and/or be engaged by a recess or a protrusion, respectively of a refractory cladding, thereby preventing the refractory cladding and the slide plate from sliding relative to each other.

The extension of the at least one protrusion parallel to the longitudinal axis is preferably at least <NUM> smaller, preferably at least <NUM> smaller than the extension of the recess into which the protrusion engages as well measured parallel to the longitudinal axis. The slide plate support and the slide plate can thus move relative to each other within the boundaries of the gap being defined by the difference of the extension parallel to the longitudinal axis. This increases the longevity of the slide as tensile stress is reduced. Similarly, in case of a protrusion-recess engagement between the slide plate and a refractory cladding above the slide plate, the extension of the at least one protrusion parallel to the longitudinal axis is preferably at least <NUM> smaller, preferably at least <NUM> smaller than the extension of the recess into which the protrusion engages as well measured parallel to the longitudinal axis.

In a preferred example, the up-facing surface of at least one, at least two or of all the sliding plate(s) has/have a slope smaller than <NUM>° relative to the horizontal. Preferably, the slope is smaller than <NUM>° or <NUM>° or <NUM>° relative to the horizontal. <NUM>° has shown in experiments as a slope still enabling a safe transport of the hot Geldart group C material and a very low gas flow, i.e., very low cooling losses. The lower limit for the minimum slope angle still providing for reliable transport depends on the gas flow rate and the material to be conveyed. According to presently available experimental data it is believed that <NUM>° (or even slightly lower, e.g., <NUM>°, <NUM>°) can be considered as a lower boundary for Geldart group-C materials like raw meal, but operation at these low slope angles requires as an increase of the gas flow rate per surface area through the through holes. Such increase can be obtained by increasing the pressure drop p↑, if necessary, above the maximum values indicated herein. Such an increase of the gas flow rate has the disadvantage of an increase in operation cost and in case hot Geldart group-C material is conveyed that cooling of the conveyed material is enhanced, unless the gas is heated prior to be injected into the through holes. The slope may be lowered further, e.g., by anti-stiction coatings of the up-facing surface, a further reduction of the axial distance of the through holes or other measures reducing the friction between the slide and the material to be conveyed.

Further, the most upstream slide plate or number of upstream slide plates may have a slope being greater than the slope of at least one of the at least one downstream slide plates. This increased angle ensures that the hot Geldart group C material starts slipping over the most upstream grate plate(s). Stiction is overcome and subsequently the reduced slope is sufficient to maintain the Geldart group C material in motion while keeping the gas flow through the through holes low.

In addition or alternatively, the most upstream slide plate or number of upstream slide plates may have more through holes and/or through holes with an increased cross section than at least one of the at least one downstream slide plates. Both measures increase the gas flow rate per surface area of the at least one respective upstream slide plate at a given pressure differential between the upper and the lower side of the slide plate and thereby contribute to avoid congestions of the slide, while keeping the gas flow through the downstream slide plates small. Experiments have shown that the risk for slide congestions is higher in the vicinity of the inlet portion of the slide than in the middle section of the outlet portion. Thus, the risk for slide congestions can be significantly reduced by increasing the slope of (only) the upstream and/or a (preferably small) number of upstream slide plates, as suggested in the previous paragraph and/or by increasing the gas flow per surface area through this upstream or a (preferably small) number of upstream slide plates. The still small total gas flow through the slide plates contributes to low operating costs and further in case of conveying a hot Geldart group-C material unintended cooling by the gas flow is maintained at a very low level.

Another possibility to increase the gas flow through only the most upstream slide plate or number of upstream slide plates is to separate the lower gas channel extending at the lower side of the slide plates in at least two compartments, e.g., by a separating wall. Hence the lower gas channel may have an upstream compartment below the upstream slide plate(s) and a downstream compartment below the upstream slide plate(s), being separated by the separation wall. By providing a higher gas flow per slide surface to the compartment below the upstream slide plates than to the compartment below the downstream slide plates the gas flow through the upstream slide plate(s) can be increased, in addition or alternatively to other measures.

The upper channel of the slide preferably comprises at least one gas opening, wherein the gas opening is connected via at least one control valve to a compressed gas source, as well referred to as "reservoir of compressed gas" or "compressed gas reservoir". The compressed gas source is configured to provide a gas at a pressure above the gas pressure in the upper channel when the control valve is closed. Preferred values for the gas pressure provided by the gas source when the valve is closed are at or above <NUM>kPa, and/or 100kPa and/or <NUM>00kPa and/or <NUM>00kPa and/or <NUM>00kPa and/or <NUM>00kPa and/or <NUM>kPa, and/or <NUM>MPa above the pressure pu in the upper channel. A fluid line may connect the compressed gas source and the gas opening. The control valve is configured to control the gas flow from the compressed gas source to the gas opening in the upper channel. In other words, the control valve is located in the fluid path from the compressed gas reservoir to the gas opening in the upper channel. Opening the control valve enables to provide a burst of gas to flow from the compressed gas source through the at least one gas opening. This burst of gas may serve to unclog the upper channel in case of being congested. The duration of the burst of gas is preferably short, e.g., smaller or equal to <NUM>ms and/or <NUM>ms and/or <NUM>ms and/or <NUM>s and/or <NUM>s and/or <NUM>s and/or <NUM>s and/or <NUM>s and or <NUM>s.

As already apparent, the at least one gas opening is preferably located at the upstream end of the upper channel and/or in at least one of the side walls in the upper third, quarter, fifth or tenth part of the slide. In a preferred example the gas opening is located in a part of the side wall delimiting the upper channel. In a particularly preferred example the opening is located in a part of the side wall being adjacent to the most upstream or the second most upstream slide plate.

The cross section of the at least one gas opening is preferably a multiple of a cross section of a through hole in the slide plates, e.g., greater or equal than <NUM> times and/or <NUM> times and/or <NUM> times and/or <NUM> times, <NUM> times and/or <NUM> times than the cross section of a through hole of the slide plates. Hence, the gas flow through the gas opening can be much higher than the gas flow through a through hole in a slide plate.

Multiple slide plates may be aligned to form a slide surface. In a preferred example, a gasket or any other kind of seal is located in between of aligned slide plates. Thereby, an unintended gas flow from below the slide plate into the particulate matter can be avoided and the power requirement of the fans for operating the slide is further reduced. Further a potentially unintended interaction of the gas with the particulate matter (e.g., cooling) is reduced as well.

The slide plates can be manufactured by casting a slip (including engobes) of a ceramic refractory in a mold having at least a bottom and side walls. After curing, the such obtained greenware may be subjected to a heat treatment, often referred to as "firing". The heat treatment converts the greenware into a ceramic refractory material. This method hence enables to provide a heat resistant slide plate of a ceramic refractory.

In a preferred example, a positive form may be inserted into the mold prior to curing the slip into greenware. The shape of the positive form preferably corresponds to the shape of at least one of the through holes of the slide plate to be manufactured. In this sense, the positive form is a positive form of at least one through hole.

The positive form is preferably made of a heat degradable material, e.g., of a cellulose-based material and/or of polymer- based material like plastic. In this context any material which disintegrates during the heat treatment for converting the greenware into a ceramic is considered heat degradable. The degradation may be due to evaporation and/or a chemical reaction like burning, pyrolysis or the like. Alternatively, the positive form may be made of a soluble material, enabling to dissolve the positive before or after firing the greenware. In all these cases, the at least one positive form disintegrates during the heat treatment and/or while being subjected to a corresponding solvent and due to the disintegration frees the corresponding at least one through hole during the heat treatment. Hence, after the heat treatment and/or the treatment of the semi-finished slide plate with the solvent, the slide plate has a through hole at the location and orientation being where the at least one positive form was located prior to the heat treatment. For example, many polymeric plastics can be considered as heat degradable material.

The at least one positive form can be held in place and hence be supported by a rack extending above the mold. In addition or alternatively, the mold may have at least one support opening configured to receive an end section of the at least one positive form. Thus, when mounted, a portion of the positive form may engage into the support opening, thereby being supported by the mold in a predefined location and in a predefined orientation. An advantage of this method is that the at least one positive form extends over the inner contour of the mold and hence after deforming of the greenware over the contour of the slide plate. Thereby, it can be avoided that the through hole is unintendedly plugged by greenware and subsequently by refractory.

The problems mentioned initially are as well solved by a method of conveying hot Geldart group C material on a slide with a slide surface having at least one, preferably a number of through holes. The method may comprise depositing the Geldart group C material on an up-facing surface of the slide, e.g., on an up-facing side of a slide plate. The method may further comprise the step of providing a gas flow rate jg of or less than <NUM>Nm<NUM> of gas per second [s] and surface area [m<NUM>] of the slide surface through the holes to an up-facing surface of the slide. In preferred examples jg is at or below one of <MAT>, <MAT>.

Summarizing, the claimed invention enables to reduce the angle of slides for conveying hot Geldart group C powders, e.g., calcined raw meal, down to about <NUM>° or even below (measured relative to the horizontal). Some of the advantageous embodiments being described in the dependent claims enable to reduce the angle even further to about <NUM>°, thereby reducing installation costs and due to the low gas flow through the through holes as well operating costs.

In the following, the invention will be described by way of example, without limitation of the general inventive concept, on examples of embodiment with reference to the drawings.

The segment of the slide <NUM> in <FIG> may as well be considered as a short slide <NUM>, but in practice mostly a number of the depicted segments may be connected to form a longer slide for a Geldart group C material. Thus, a slide <NUM> may have a number (at least one) of the depicted segments. The slide <NUM> extends at least essentially parallel to the longitudinal axis <NUM> and is configured to convey a Geldart group C material in the conveying direction <NUM>.

The slide in <FIG> has a housing <NUM> with a housing wall <NUM>. The housing wall <NUM> may be, e.g., of sheet metal, being easy to process. The housing wall may preferably have an upper housing portion <NUM> and a lower housing portion <NUM>, which may be (preferably releasably) attached to each other thereby enclosing a channel with an upper portion <NUM> and a lower portion <NUM> (see <FIG>). As shown, the upper housing portion <NUM> and the lower housing portion <NUM> may have an upper flange <NUM> and a lower flange <NUM>, respectively, enabling to (preferably releasably) attach the upper housing portion <NUM> and the lower housing portion <NUM> to each other. In addition or alternatively, the slide <NUM> may have a front-end flange <NUM> and a rear end flange <NUM>. Preferably, the front face of the front-end flange <NUM> is a at least a portion of a projection of the rear face of the rear end flange <NUM> parallel to the longitudinal axis <NUM>. This eases to connect slides <NUM> together by simply connecting the front-end flange <NUM> of a first slide <NUM> to a rear-end flange <NUM> of a second slide <NUM>, thereby forming a correspondingly longer slide <NUM> and converting the first and the second slides <NUM> into slide segments. Of course, the rear face of the rear-end flange <NUM> may as well be a portion of a projection of the front face of the front-end flange <NUM> parallel to the longitudinal axis <NUM>.

Inside the housing wall <NUM> is preferably an insulation layer <NUM>, as shown in particular in <FIG> and <FIG>. The insulation layer <NUM> may be, e.g., of a Calcium Silicate material or of any other material having a low heat transfer coefficient. In a particularly preferred example, the insulation layer <NUM> may be made of or comprise microporous insulation material, these materials offer rather low thermal conductivities κ in the range of approximately <MAT>. When using conventional isolation material, the thickness of the insulation layer <NUM> is preferably increased accordingly.

The insulation layer <NUM> has an upper insulating portion <NUM> being located in the upper portion of the housing wall <NUM> and a lower insulating portion <NUM> being located in the lower portion of the housing wall <NUM>. Each of the two insulation portions forms a U-profile with a middle leg to which two side legs are attached. If mounted, as shown in <FIG> and <FIG>, the free ends of the side legs of the upper insulation portion may face the corresponding free ends of the side legs of the lower insulation portion.

The housing <NUM> may preferably have a refractory cladding <NUM>. The upper housing portion may have an upper cladding and the lower portion housing may have a lower cladding. As can be seen in <FIG>, the refractory cladding <NUM> protects the optional insulation layer <NUM> from abrasion by the Geldart group C material. In case the insulation material <NUM> has been omitted the optional refractory cladding <NUM> may protect the housing wall <NUM>. Thus, the refractory cladding <NUM> may be inside the housing wall <NUM>. The optional insulation material <NUM> may be in between of the refractory cladding <NUM> and the housing wall <NUM>.

The lower portion of the refractory cladding may have a U-shaped cross section with a cladding middle leg <NUM> and two cladding side legs <NUM>. The cladding middle leg <NUM> may be supported on the up-facing surface of the middle leg of the optional lower insulating portion <NUM>, as shown. In case the insulating portion <NUM> has been omitted, the cladding middle leg may be supported on or by the bottom of the lower portion of the housing wall <NUM>. The two cladding side legs <NUM> of the lower portion of the refractory cladding <NUM>, lower cladding side legs <NUM>, for short, may extend towards the upper portion of the housing wall <NUM>. The lower cladding side legs <NUM> may each provide an up-facing surface. The up-facing surface of the cladding side legs <NUM> may support a slide plate <NUM>.

The slide plate <NUM> extends along the longitudinal axis <NUM> and has an up-facing surface <NUM> for supporting a Geldart group C material, like e.g., hot calcined raw meal. The slide plate <NUM> as well has a lower surface <NUM>, a front-side surface <NUM> and a rear-side surface <NUM>. The slide plate <NUM> may be made of a ceramic refractory.

The lower surface <NUM> of the plate <NUM> has side portions which may reside on the lower cladding side legs <NUM>. Thus, the lower cladding side legs <NUM> may support the slide plate <NUM>.

The lower cladding portion and the slide plate <NUM> may enclose a lower channel <NUM>. For example, the lower channel <NUM> may be delimited by a center stripe of the lower surface <NUM> of the slide plate <NUM>, the inwards facing surfaces of the lower cladding side legs <NUM> and the up-facing surface of the lower cladding middle leg <NUM> (see <FIG>). The center stripe of the lower surface <NUM> of the plate <NUM> is thus in between of the side portions of the lower surface <NUM> of the plate <NUM> residing on the up-facing surfaces of the lower cladding side legs <NUM> (see <FIG>).

As can be seen in <FIG> the lower cladding side legs <NUM> may have protrusions <NUM> engaging in complementary shaped recesses <NUM> in the lower surface <NUM> of the slide plate, preventing the slide plate <NUM> to slide parallel to the longitudinal axis <NUM>. The maximum extension of the protrusions is preferably slightly smaller than the space provided by the corresponding recess to thereby allow the slide plate <NUM> to float with the limits given by the distance between the extensions of the protrusions and the recesses on the lower refractory side legs <NUM>. In between of the up-facing surface <NUM> of the slide plate <NUM> and the upper cladding side legs is preferably a gasket.

The housing may further form an upper channel <NUM>. Like in the depicted example, the housing may have an upper cladding <NUM>. The upper cladding may have an inverted U-shape with a middle leg <NUM> from which two side legs <NUM> extend downwards to the up-facing surface of the slide plate <NUM>. The lower side of the middle leg <NUM> defines the ceiling of the upper channel <NUM>. A portion of the up-facing surface <NUM> of the slide plate, the so called the center stripe of the up-facing surface <NUM> of the plate <NUM> provides the bottom of the upper channel <NUM> and the inward facing sides of the upper cladding side legs <NUM> define the width of the upper channel <NUM> and in this example as well the width of the center stripe. The width of the upper channel <NUM> is preferably at least essentially the same as the width of the lower channel <NUM>.

As shown in <FIG>, the slide plate <NUM> may preferably have a number of through holes <NUM> extending from an inlet opening <NUM> in the slide plate's lower surface <NUM> to an outlet opening <NUM> in the slide plate's up-facing surface <NUM>. Like in the depicted preferred example, the through holes <NUM> may be slots with a slot width w extending at least essentially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis <NUM>. The slot clearance d is preferably at least essentially constant along the slot width. As can be seen, the slot width w is preferably a multiple m of the slot clearance d, wherein m is greater than <NUM> and not necessarily an integer, i.e., m > <NUM> and m ∈ R, wherein R denotes the set of real numbers. The through holes are inclined in the conveying direction, i.e., the outlet opening <NUM> is closer to the front-side surface <NUM> of the slide plate <NUM> than the inlet opening <NUM> of the respective through hole. This inclination of the through holes <NUM> has shown to reduce the gas flow rate required to maintain the Geldart group C material flowing.

It has been observed that the particles of Geldart group C materials form brittle but very soft clusters. These clusters may be considered as cohesion bound agglomerates of particulate matter. The reduction of the critical angle is believed to be caused by a gas cushion being formed by the gas flow between the slide plate and clusters of the bed of particulate matter. Holes, crevasses, or other kind of interstices have been observed to form between these clusters by the gas flow. The gas then flows through these interstices to the upper side of the bed being formed by the particulate material. Thus, the particulate material is not fluidized by the gas flow. The gas cushion so to speak reduces the cohesion of the particulate matter to the slide plate's top surface and hence reduces the friction. In other words, the gas flow via the through holes <NUM> provides for a reduction of the cohesion of the particulate matter to the top surface <NUM> of the slide plate <NUM> and hence reduces the friction between the top surface <NUM> and the bed of particulate matter. This reduced friction directly translates in a significant decrease of the required minimum slope angle of the slide. Slope angles of or below <NUM>°, <NUM>°, <NUM>°, <NUM>°and <NUM>° have been found to be steep enough to reliably provide for conveying even Geldart group C materials. An increase in gas flow rate through the through holes provides for a reduction of the minimum slope angle for a reliable conveying of Geldart group C materials.

In operation, a flow of a Geldart group C material may be unloaded to a first end portion of the upper channel <NUM>. The Geldart group C material may thus be deposited on the up-facing surface <NUM> of the slide plate <NUM>. Further, the lower channel <NUM> may be provided with a gas pressure pl, greater than the gas pressure pu in the upper channel <NUM>, hence preferably pl > pu. Due to the pressure gradient Δp↑ = pl - pu, a gas flow through the through holes <NUM> is provided. The gas flow reduces the cohesion between the Geldart group C material (or any other particulate matter) and the up-facing surface <NUM> of the slide plate <NUM>. The Geldart group C material may thus slide down an only slightly inclined slide. Slightly inclined means herein that inclinations of or below <NUM>°, <NUM>°, <NUM>°, <NUM>°and <NUM>° relative to the horizontal can be realized, some experiments showed a possible reduction down to <NUM>° and slightly below this slope. These inclinations are much smaller than the inclination of the prior art slides, which usually have a slope of at least <NUM>° and contribute to a significant reduction of the construction costs of the corresponding plant.

Preferably, the housing <NUM> has an inspection and maintenance opening <NUM> being shown closed in <FIG>, <FIG>, <FIG>, <FIG>. The opening <NUM> may as well be used as gas inlet opening to provide a gas flow to the lower channel <NUM>.

<FIG> show another slide segment <NUM> of a Geldart group C material conveying slide. The slide segment of <FIG> may be mounted and is hence preferably configured to be mounted to the rear end of a slide segment of <FIG>. For example, the rear-end flange <NUM> of the slide segment of <FIG> and <FIG> may be bolted to the front-end flange <NUM> of the another slide segment <NUM> as shown in <FIG>.

The slide segment in <FIG> has a housing <NUM> with an inlet <NUM> for receiving particulate matter, e.g., a Geldart group C material. As can be seen best in <FIG>, the inlet <NUM> is above a slide plate <NUM> and enables to feed the particulate matter into an upper channel <NUM>. The bottom of the upper channel <NUM> is delimited by slide plates <NUM> and <NUM>, having through holes <NUM> which are shown only in <FIG>, as the section plane A-A extends through an optionally continuous land. The slide plates <NUM> and <NUM> are essentially identical to the slide plates <NUM> of the slide segment in <FIG>, details of which being depicted in <FIG> and the description of the slide plates <NUM> as provided in the context of <FIG> may be read as well on the slide plates <NUM> and <NUM> as shown in <FIG> and <FIG>.

The slide plate <NUM> in <FIG> and <FIG> is upstream of the slide plate <NUM> and may have preferably have a steeper slope angle than the downstream slide plate <NUM>. This increased slope angle contributes to an even more reliable operation of the slide and reduced mean slope of the slide. Experiments showed that slide congestions (e.g., due to sticky particulate matter) start always at the upstream end of the slide. Once the particulate matter flows down the slide, lower angles (less steep slopes) are sufficient to maintain even a Geldart group C material in motion. Thus, the steeper slope angle of the upstream slide plate <NUM> enables to further reduce the slope angle of subsequent slide plates <NUM>, thereby further reducing the height required to install a slide with a given horizontal extension. In any embodiment the upstream slide plate <NUM> may have a higher number of through holes and/or through holes with a greater gross section than the immediate or another downstream slide plate. Both measures contribute to increase of the gas flow rate through the upstream slide plate <NUM> and thereby to reduce the risk of slide congestions.

Very similar to the slide segment <NUM> in <FIG>, the upper channel <NUM> is preferably delimited to the top and to the sides by a refractory cladding <NUM> comprising upper cladding side legs <NUM> and upper cladding middle legs <NUM>. In between of the outer housing wall <NUM> and the refractory cladding <NUM> may preferably be an insulation layer <NUM> (see <FIG>).

The slide plates <NUM> and <NUM> in <FIG> separate the upper channel <NUM> from a lower channel <NUM>. Hence the lower channel <NUM> extends below the slide plates <NUM> and <NUM>. As well very similar to the lower channel in <FIG>, the bottom and the sides of the lower channel <NUM> are delimited by a lower cladding middle leg <NUM> in between of two lower cladding side legs <NUM>. Again, an optional insulation layer <NUM> may preferably be located in between of the housing wall <NUM> and the portions of the lower cladding.

The lower channel <NUM> may extend into a gas inlet <NUM> and may hence be in fluid communication with the gas inlet <NUM> (see <FIG>). By attaching a gas source to the gas inlet <NUM>, a gas can be inserted into the lower channel <NUM> and thereby a pressure gradient between the lower channel <NUM> and the upper channel <NUM> can be provided. Accordingly, a portion of the gas may flow through the through holes <NUM> to the up facing surface <NUM> of the slide plates <NUM>, <NUM> and may reduce the friction between the slide plates <NUM>, <NUM> and the particulate matter which may have been inserted into the upper channel <NUM> via the particulate matter inlet <NUM>.

As already apparent, already a single slide segment <NUM> be it the slide segment <NUM> of <FIG> or the slide segment <NUM> of <FIG> may each be used as a slide, if the distance via which material is to be conveyed is sufficiently short. In case the distance is longer, multiple slide segments may be attached to each other to thereby constitute an accordingly longer slide.

The terms "at least essentially constant", "at least essentially the same as" or the like as used above are to be understood that constant or the same dimensions, respectively, are preferred, but deviations can be accepted. Typically, acceptable deviations are within one of ±<NUM>%, ±<NUM>%, ±<NUM>%, ±<NUM>%, ±<NUM>% and ±<NUM>% wherein lower values are preferred.

Claim 1:
A slide plate (<NUM>, <NUM>) for a slide (<NUM>) for Geldart group C materials, wherein the slide plate (<NUM>) has a longitudinal axis (<NUM>) an up-facing surface (<NUM>) for supporting the Geldart group C material, a lower surface (<NUM>), a front-side surface (<NUM>) and a rear-side surface (<NUM>), wherein the slide plate (<NUM>) is made of a ceramic refractory and wherein the ceramic refractory has a number of through holes (<NUM>) providing a fluid communication between fluid inlets (<NUM>) in the lower surface (<NUM>) and fluid outlets (<NUM>) in the up-facing surface (<NUM>), characterized in that the fluid outlet (<NUM>) of at least one of the through holes (<NUM>) is closer to the front-end side surface than the fluid inlet (<NUM>) of said at least one of the through holes (<NUM>).