Patent Description:
A cement plant is equipped with a cooler apparatus that conveys high-temperature cement clinker produced through preheating, calcination, and firing while cooling down the cement clinker. One example of such a cooler apparatus is a cooler disclosed by Patent Literature <NUM>. The cooler of Patent Literature <NUM> is a walking floor type cooler apparatus, in which a plurality of cooling grates are arranged adjacently to each other. The plurality of cooling grates are movable forward and rearward independently of each other. By controlling the forward movement and rearward movement of each cooling grate, high-temperature cement clinker on the plurality of cooling grates is conveyed.

The cooler of Patent Literature <NUM> conveys the cement clinker, for example, by the following method. Specifically, all the plurality of cooling grates are moved forward to convey the cement clinker supported on the plurality of cooling grates. Thereafter, the plurality of cooling grates are moved rearward one by one independently to bring all the cooling grates back to their original positions. After the cooling grates are brought back to their original positions, all the plurality of cooling grates are moved forward again. By repeating this, the cement clinker is conveyed intermittently.

As described above, in the case of a walking floor type cooler apparatus, such as the cooler of Patent Literature <NUM>, it is necessary to move the cooling grates in a reciprocating manner when conveying the cement clinker. When the cooling grates move in a reciprocating manner, basically the cement clinker moves together with the cooling grates since the cement clinker receives frictional resistance from the cooling grates. Accordingly, when the cooling grates are moved rearward, the cement clinker on the cooling grates is also brought back rearward together with the cooling grates. The greater the amount of cement clinker brought back rearward together with the cooling grates, the lower the conveyance efficiency of the cooler.

In view of the above, an object of the present invention is to provide a cooler apparatus that makes it possible to improve the efficiency in conveying the granular conveyed material.

A cooler apparatus of the present invention is a cooler apparatus for cooling, by using cooling air, a high-temperature granular conveyed material that is deposited to form a layer while conveying the granular conveyed material in a conveying direction. The cooler apparatus includes: a plurality of cooling grate lines that are arranged adjacently to each other in a width direction orthogonal to the conveying direction, the plurality of cooling grate lines being configured to support the granular conveyed material via a dead layer formed by a granular buried material having a lower temperature than a temperature of the granular conveyed material, and to move in a reciprocating manner in the conveying direction and a reverse direction thereto to convey the granular conveyed material; and a damming member disposed above at least one of the plurality of cooling grate lines and buried in the layer of the granular conveyed material, the damming member being configured to move in the conveying direction and the reverse direction relative to the at least one cooling grate line when the at least one cooling grate line moves in the reciprocating manner, and to dam up the granular conveyed material when the at least one cooling grate line moves in the reverse direction relative to the damming member. The damming member is configured such that the granular conveyed material moves onto and beyond the damming member more easily when the at least one cooling grate line moves in the conveying direction relative to the damming member than when the at least one cooling grate line moves in the reverse direction relative to the damming member.

According to the present invention, when the at least one cooling grate line moves in the reverse direction relative to the damming member, the high-temperature granular conveyed material that is brought back in the reverse direction can be dammed up by the damming member. However, due to the installation of the damming member, when the at least one cooling grate line moves in the conveying direction relative to the damming member, the granular conveyed material is pushed back in the reverse direction by the damming member. In this respect, the damming member is formed in such a manner that the granular conveyed material moves onto and beyond the damming member more easily when the at least one cooling grate line moves in the conveying direction relative to the damming member than when the at least one cooling grate line moves in the reverse direction relative to the damming member. Accordingly, the amount of granular conveyed material pushed back by the damming member can be reduced compared to a case where the damming member is not formed in such a manner. Thus, the amount of granular conveyed material pushed back by the damming member in the reverse direction from the damming member can be reduced while damming up the granular conveyed material brought back in the reverse direction by the damming member. This makes it possible to improve the conveyance efficiency of the cooler apparatus.

In the above invention, the damming member may include a damming surface facing in the conveying direction, the damming surface being configured to dam up the granular conveyed material, and the damming surface may be inclined upward in the reverse direction.

According to the above configuration, the granular conveyed material can be dammed up while dispersing the load that the damming member receives from the granular conveyed material.

In the above invention, the damming member may include a push-back surface facing in the reverse direction, the push-back surface being formed such that the granular conveyed material moves onto the push-back surface. The push-back surface may be inclined upward in the conveying direction. An angle of the push-back surface may be less than an angle of the damming surface.

According to the above configuration, the amount of granular conveyed material pushed back by the push-back surface in the reverse direction from the damming member can be reduced, which makes it possible to improve the conveyance efficiency of the cooler apparatus.

In the above invention, the cooler apparatus may include a coupling member configured to couple the damming member and a different one of the cooling grate lines different from the at least one cooling grate line.

According to the above configuration, the damming member can be moved in the reciprocating manner together with the different cooling grate line. Accordingly, no drive device for moving the damming member is required, which makes it possible to reduce the number of components. Moreover, for example, when the plurality of cooling grate lines are moved together in the conveying direction, the damming member can be moved in the conveying direction together with the plurality of cooling grate lines. That is, the damming member can be moved in the conveying direction together with the granular conveyed material, and this makes it possible to prevent a situation where the operation of conveying the granular conveyed material in the conveying direction is hindered. Thus, lowering of conveyance efficiency when conveying the granular conveyed material in the conveying direction can be suppressed.

In the above invention, the different cooling grate line may include a plurality of inner partition plates that are arranged and spaced apart from each other in the conveying direction, the plurality of inner partition plates being configured to inhibit movement of the dead layer. The coupling member may be provided on the plurality of inner partition plates via an attachment member.

According to the above configuration, the coupling member is attached to the inner partition plates via the attachment member. Since the coupling member can be thus attached to the inner partition plates, increase in the number of components can be suppressed.

In the above invention, the cooler apparatus may include a controller configured to control movement of the plurality of cooling grate lines to cause the plurality of cooling grate lines to move in the reciprocating manner. The controller may be configured to: cause all the plurality of cooling grate lines to move in the conveying direction; then cause the at least one cooling grate line to move in the reverse direction; and thereafter cause the different cooling grate line to move in the reverse direction.

The above configuration makes it possible to perform conveyance work with high conveyance efficiency.

In the above invention, the damming member may be disposed above and spaced apart from the at least one cooling grate line, such that a gap is formed between the damming member and the at least one cooling grate line.

The above configuration makes it possible to prevent a situation where the at least one cooling grate line becomes unable to move due to the granular conveyed material getting caught between the coupling member and the at least one cooling grate line.

In the above invention, the plurality of cooling grate lines may convey the granular conveyed material to a discharge outlet by moving in the reciprocating manner. The damming member may be disposed at a position that is closer to the discharge outlet than to a center of the cooling grate lines.

According to the above configuration, the amount of granular conveyed material brought back in the reverse direction together with the cooling grate lines can be reduced, and a greater amount of granular conveyed material can be dammed up effectively. This makes it possible to further improve the efficiency in conveying the granular conveyed material.

In the above invention, the different cooling grate line may be positioned at both sides of the at least one cooling grate line in the width direction.

The above configuration makes it possible to prevent the damming member from being disposed near both ends of the cooler apparatus in the width direction. Accordingly, in the active layer, which is a layer formed by the deposited granular conveyed material, a greater amount of granular conveyed material can be deposited on both sides of the active layer in the width direction.

The present invention intends to provide a cooler apparatus that makes it possible to improve the efficiency in conveying the granular conveyed material.

The above and other objects, features, and advantages of the present invention will more fully be apparent from the following detailed description of a preferred embodiment with accompanying drawings.

Hereinafter, a cooler apparatus <NUM> of an embodiment according to the present invention is described with reference to the drawings. It should be noted that directions mentioned in the description below are used for the sake of convenience of the description, but do not suggest that the orientation and the like of the components of the present invention are limited to such directions. The cooler apparatus <NUM> described below is merely an embodiment of the present invention, which is limited by the appended set of claims.

Cement is produced through the following steps: a raw meal grinding step of grinding cement raw meal containing limestone, clay, silica stone, iron, and so forth; a pyroprocessing step of firing the ground cement raw meal; and a finishing step that is the final step. These three steps are performed in a cement plant. In the pyroprocessing step, which is one of these three steps, the ground cement raw meal is fired and cooled down, and thereby granular cement clinker is produced. <FIG> shows a pyroprocessing facility <NUM> of the cement plant, and shows a part where the pyroprocessing step in cement manufacturing is performed. The pyroprocessing facility <NUM> performs preheating, calcination, and firing of the cement raw meal that has been ground in the raw meal grinding step, and cools down the granular cement clinker that is in a high-temperature state due to the firing.

The part where the pyroprocessing step is performed is hereinafter described in further detail. The pyroprocessing facility <NUM> includes a preheater <NUM>, and the preheater <NUM> includes a plurality of cyclones <NUM>. The cyclones <NUM> are arranged vertically in a staged manner. Each cyclone <NUM> causes exhaust gas therein to flow upward to the cyclone <NUM> of the upper stage (see dashed arrows in <FIG>), separates cement raw meal fed therein by a swirl flow, and feeds the separated cement raw meal into the cyclone <NUM> of the lower stage (see solid arrows in <FIG>). The cyclone <NUM> positioned immediately above the cyclone <NUM> of the lowermost stage feeds the cement raw meal into a precalciner <NUM>. The precalciner <NUM> includes a burner. By heat from the burner and heat from exhaust gas described below, the precalciner <NUM> causes a reaction by which carbon dioxide is separated from the fed cement raw meal (i.e., calcination reaction). The cement raw meal subjected to the calcination reaction in the precalciner <NUM> is led to the cyclone <NUM> of the lowermost stage as described below, and the cement raw meal in the lowermost cyclone <NUM> is supplied to a rotary kiln <NUM>.

The rotary kiln <NUM> is formed in a horizontally long cylindrical shape, and is several tens of meters long or longer. The rotary kiln <NUM> is disposed such that it is slightly inclined downward from an inlet positioned at the cyclone <NUM> side toward an outlet positioned at the forward end side. Therefore, by rotating the rotary kiln <NUM> about its axis, the cement raw meal present at the inlet side is conveyed toward the outlet side. A combustor <NUM> is provided at the outlet of the rotary kiln <NUM>. The combustor <NUM> generates a high-temperature flame, and fires the cement raw meal.

Also, the combustor <NUM> injects high-temperature combustion gas toward the inlet side, and the combustion gas injected by the combustor <NUM> flows in the rotary kiln <NUM> toward the inlet while firing the cement raw meal. The combustion gas that flows as high-temperature exhaust gas forms a jet flow. The jet flow flows upward in the precalciner <NUM> from the lower end of the precalciner <NUM> (see dashed arrows in <FIG>), and causes the cement raw meal fed in the precalciner <NUM> to flow upward. The cement raw meal is heated to about <NUM> by the exhaust gas and the burner, that is, the cement raw meal is calcined. The cement raw meal flowing upward flows together with the exhaust gas into the cyclone <NUM> of the lowermost stage, in which the exhaust gas and the cement raw meal that have flowed therein are separated from each other. The separated cement raw meal is supplied to the rotary kiln <NUM>, and the separated exhaust gas is caused to flow upward to the cyclone <NUM> positioned immediately above the cyclone <NUM> of the lowermost stage. The exhaust gas flowing upward exchanges heat, in each cyclone <NUM>, with the cement raw meal fed therein to heat the cement raw meal. Then, the exhaust gas is separated from the cement raw meal again. The separated exhaust gas flows further upward to the cyclone <NUM> positioned above to repeat the heat exchange. Then, the exhaust gas is discharged to the atmosphere from the cyclone <NUM> of the uppermost stage.

In the pyroprocessing facility <NUM> configured as above, the cement raw meal is fed therein at a position near the cyclone <NUM> of the uppermost stage; the fed cement raw meal is sufficiently preheated while exchanging heat with the exhaust gas, and moves downward to the cyclone <NUM> positioned immediately above the cyclone <NUM> of the lowermost stage; and then the cement raw meal is fed into the precalciner <NUM>. In the precalciner <NUM>, the cement raw meal is calcined by the burner and the high-temperature gas. Thereafter, the cement raw meal is led to the cyclone <NUM> of the lowermost stage, in which the cement raw meal is separated from the exhaust gas and supplied to the rotary kiln <NUM>. The supplied cement raw meal is conveyed toward the outlet side while being subjected to the firing in the rotary kiln <NUM>. As a result of performing the preheating, calcination, and firing in this manner, the cement clinker is formed. The cooler apparatus <NUM> is provided at the outlet of the rotary kiln <NUM>, and the formed cement clinker is discharged from the outlet of the rotary kiln <NUM> to the cooler apparatus <NUM>.

The cooler apparatus <NUM> is configured to cool down the cement clinker (high-temperature granular conveyed material) discharged from the rotary kiln <NUM> while conveying the cement clinker in a predetermined conveying direction. As shown in <FIG>, the cooler apparatus <NUM> having such functions includes a fixed inclined grate <NUM> and a plurality of cooling grate lines <NUM> as main components. The cooler apparatus <NUM> further includes a damming member <NUM> and a coupling member <NUM> as shown in <FIG>. As shown in <FIG>, the fixed inclined grate <NUM> is disposed immediately under the outlet of the rotary kiln <NUM>. The fixed inclined grate <NUM> is inclined downward in the conveying direction from the outlet side of the rotary kiln <NUM>. Accordingly, the granular cement clinker discharged from the outlet of the rotary kiln <NUM> falls in the conveying direction in a manner to roll down on the fixed inclined grate <NUM>.

At the forward end of the fixed inclined grate <NUM> in the conveying direction, the plurality of cooling grate lines (in the present embodiment, three cooling grate lines) <NUM> are provided. The cement clinker is deposited on the three cooling grate lines <NUM> and forms a clinker bed <NUM> (see two-dot chain lines in <FIG>). The cooling grate lines <NUM> are structures each extending in the conveying direction, and are arranged side by side adjacently to each other in a lateral direction orthogonal to the conveying direction (hereinafter, the lateral direction is also referred to as "the width direction"). The clinker bed <NUM> entirely covers the three cooling grate lines <NUM>.

The cooler apparatus <NUM> is a walking floor type cooler apparatus. That is, the cooling grate lines <NUM> include an unshown truck provided therebelow, and are configured to be movable in a reciprocating manner by means of the truck in the conveying direction and the direction reverse thereto (hereinafter, simply "the reverse direction"). The cooler apparatus <NUM> repeatedly moves the cooling grate lines <NUM> in a reciprocating manner as described below, thereby conveying the cement clinker in the conveying direction. Specifically, in the cooler apparatus <NUM>, first, all the cooling grate lines <NUM> arranged in the width direction are moved forward, and then non-adjacent cooling grate lines <NUM> are moved rearward a plurality of times separately. By moving the three cooling grate lines <NUM> in this manner, the cement clinker can be conveyed in the conveying direction. The cement clinker thus conveyed eventually reaches a discharge outlet 12a, which is positioned beyond the forward end of the cooling grate lines <NUM>, and falls downward from the discharge outlet 12a. An unshown crusher is disposed immediately under the discharge outlet 12a, and the cement clinker is crushed by the crusher into finer pieces.

Hereinafter, the configuration of the cooling grate lines <NUM> is described in further detail. It should be noted that, fundamentally, the three cooling grate lines <NUM> have the same configuration. Therefore, the configuration of only one of the cooling grate lines <NUM> is described below, while the description of the other two cooling grate lines <NUM> is omitted.

As shown in <FIG>, each cooling grate line <NUM> is a strip-shaped structure extending from one end to the other end in the conveying direction. Each cooling grate line <NUM> includes a plurality of casings <NUM> and a plurality of coupled grate units <NUM>. For the sake of convenience of the description, <FIG> only shows the forwardmost casing <NUM> of each cooling grate line <NUM>. As shown in <FIG>, the casing <NUM> is a roughly rectangular casing with an upper opening, and extends in the conveying direction. Specifically, the casing <NUM> includes a pair of side walls 17a and 17b. The pair of side walls 17a and 17b extends in the conveying direction, and is disposed such that the side walls 17a and 17b face each other in the width direction. A coupled grate unit <NUM> is disposed between the pair of side walls 17a and 17b, such that the coupled grate unit <NUM> fits between the pair of side walls 17a and 17b. When seen in a plan view, the coupled grate unit <NUM> has a shape that is substantially the same as the shape of the upper opening of the casing <NUM>, and the coupled grate unit <NUM> fits in the casing <NUM>.

The coupled grate unit <NUM> disposed in this manner is spaced apart upward from a bottom 17c of the casing <NUM>, and a lower space <NUM> is formed between the bottom 17c of the casing <NUM> and the coupled grate unit <NUM>. The lower space <NUM> is connected to a cooling air supply unit <NUM> (see <FIG>), and cooling air is supplied from the cooling air supply unit <NUM> to the lower space <NUM>. A plurality of cooling passages <NUM>, which will be described below, are formed in the coupled grate unit <NUM>. The cooling air in the lower space <NUM> is released to the clinker bed <NUM> through the plurality of cooling passages <NUM>. In this manner, the clinker bed <NUM> is cooled down. Hereinafter, one example of the configuration of the coupled grate unit <NUM> is described in further detail with reference to <FIG> and <FIG>.

As shown in <FIG> and <FIG>, the coupled grate unit <NUM> is formed by a plurality of cooling grates <NUM>. In the present embodiment, each of the cooling grates <NUM> is a chevron-shaped grate including: a pair of attachment plates <NUM>; two end support plates <NUM>; a plurality of middle support plates <NUM>; and a plurality of covering members <NUM>. It should be noted that the details of the configuration of the coupled grate unit <NUM> are omitted in <FIG>. The same is true of <FIG> and <FIG>, which will be referred to below. The pair of attachment plates <NUM> extends in the conveying direction, and each attachment plate <NUM> is strip-shaped when seen in a side view. The attachment plates <NUM> are arranged such that they face each other and are spaced apart from each other in the width direction. The two end support plates <NUM> and the plurality of middle support plates <NUM> extend between the pair of attachment plates <NUM> in a bridging manner.

Each of the two end support plates <NUM> is formed by angle steel whose cross section is L shaped when seen in the width direction, and includes a web 22a and a flange 22b. The web 22a and the flange 22b are integrated together such that they are orthogonal to each other, and the flange 22b extends upward. The two end support plates <NUM> are arranged such that their flanges 22b face each other and are spaced apart from each other in the conveying direction. Between the two end support plates <NUM> thus arranged, the plurality of middle support plates <NUM> are arranged.

Each of the plurality of middle support plates <NUM> is formed by U-steel whose cross section is channel-shaped when seen in the width direction, and includes a web 23a and two flanges 23b. The two flanges 23b are integrated with both ends of the web 23a in the conveying direction, respectively, and extend upward from both the ends of the web 23a. The plurality of middle support plates <NUM> are arranged side by side in the conveying direction at regular intervals, such that the adjacent flanges 23b face each other. Among the plurality of middle support plates <NUM>, the middle support plate <NUM> positioned at one end and the middle support plate <NUM> positioned at the other end in the conveying direction are each disposed so as to be spaced apart from the adjacent end support plate <NUM> in the conveying direction, such that one of the flanges 23b of each of these middle support plates <NUM> faces the flange 22b of the adjacent end support plate <NUM>.

The two end support plates <NUM> and the plurality of middle support plates <NUM>, which are arranged side by side as thus described, are provided with slits <NUM>. The slits <NUM> are formed such that each slit <NUM> is formed between the adjacent plates <NUM> and <NUM> or between the adjacent plates <NUM>. Each slit <NUM> extends in the vertical direction, and the lower opening of each slit <NUM> is connected to the lower space <NUM>. The covering members <NUM> cover the upper side of the slits <NUM>. Each covering member <NUM> is an angle steel member whose cross section is roughly inverted V-shaped when seen in the width direction, and each covering member <NUM> extends in the width direction. Each covering member <NUM> extends from one attachment plate <NUM> to the other attachment plate <NUM>, and is placed on top of two adjacent flanges 23b (or on top of two adjacent flanges 22b and 23b) via a plurality of spacers <NUM>. The plurality of spacers <NUM> are formed to be shorter than the covering members <NUM>, and the spacers <NUM> are arranged side by side and spaced apart from each other in the width direction. That is, a gap is formed between each adjacent pair of spacers <NUM>, and thus a plurality of gaps are formed between each covering member <NUM> and its corresponding flanges 23b or its corresponding flanges 22b and 23b. The plurality of gaps and the slits <NUM> form the cooling passages <NUM>, and as mentioned above, the cooling air in the lower space <NUM> is supplied to the clinker bed <NUM> through the cooling passages <NUM>.

The plurality of cooling grates <NUM> thus configured are arranged in the conveying direction, such that gaps <NUM> are formed each between the cooling grates <NUM>. Fixed plates <NUM> are provided, each of which extends in a bridging manner between the webs 22a of the adjacent end support plates <NUM> so as to cover a corresponding one of the gaps <NUM>. Each fixed plate <NUM> is roughly strip-shaped when seen in a plan view, and has a length that is substantially the same as the length of each end support plate <NUM> in the orthogonal direction. Both ends of the fixed plate <NUM> in the conveying direction are welded to respective ends of the adjacent webs 22a. In this manner, two adjacent cooling grates <NUM> are coupled together by the fixed plate <NUM>. By thus coupling the plurality of cooling grates <NUM> together, the coupled grate unit <NUM> is formed. Both ends of the fixed plate <NUM> in the width direction are welded to the pair of side walls 17a and 17b of the casing <NUM>, respectively.

In the coupled grate unit <NUM> thus configured, on each of the right and left sides thereof, a line of attachment plates <NUM> is formed, which is formed by a plurality of attachment plates <NUM> coupled together. These lines of attachment plates <NUM> are welded to the pair of side walls 17a and 17b, respectively. In this way, the coupled grate unit <NUM> is mounted to the pair of side walls 17a and 17b of the casing <NUM> so as to extend therebetween in a bridging manner. The plurality of casings <NUM>, each of which is thus configured, are arranged side by side in the conveying direction, and their end portions adjacent to each other are fastened together by bolts or the like. In this manner, each cooling grate line <NUM> extending from the fixed inclined grate <NUM> to the discharge outlet 12a is configured.

The three cooling grate lines <NUM>, each of which is configured as described above, are arranged side by side in the width direction as previously mentioned. To be more specific, as shown in <FIG>, the adjacent cooling grate lines <NUM> are arranged such that their side walls 17a and 17b face each other in the width direction, and such that a gap <NUM> is formed between the adjacent side walls 17a and 17b so as to prevent the side walls 17a and 17b from contacting each other. Also, in the cooler apparatus <NUM>, one of the adjacent side walls 17a and 17b is provided with a cover (not shown) so that cement clinker will not get into the gap <NUM>.

In the cooler apparatus <NUM> thus configured, cement clinker is deposited on the plurality of cooling grate lines <NUM>, and thereby the clinker bed <NUM> is formed on the plurality of cooling grate lines <NUM>. The clinker bed <NUM> is formed by two layers that are a dead layer <NUM> and an active layer <NUM>. The dead layer <NUM> is a layer formed by low-temperature cement clinker (low-temperature granular buried material) having a lower temperature than the temperature of cement clinker that is the granular conveyed material (hereinafter, "conveyed clinker"). The dead layer <NUM> is formed as a result of the low-temperature cement clinker being deposited in the cooling grate lines <NUM> (i.e., deposited on the support plates <NUM> and <NUM>). The active layer <NUM> is a layer formed by high-temperature conveyed clinker, and is formed over the dead layer <NUM> as a result of the high-temperature conveyed clinker being deposited over the dead layer <NUM>. That is, the cooling grate lines <NUM> (support plates <NUM> and <NUM>) support the high-temperature conveyed clinker via the dead layer <NUM>, and the cooling grate lines <NUM> (support plates <NUM> and <NUM>) are protected from the high-temperature conveyed clinker by the dead layer <NUM>. The cooling grate lines <NUM> include a plurality of inner partition plates <NUM> and <NUM>, which are intended for preventing the dead layer <NUM> in the cooling grate lines <NUM> from moving.

Each of the plurality of inner partition plates <NUM> and <NUM> is a plate-shaped member that is roughly trapezoidal when seen in a front view from one side in the conveying direction as shown in <FIG>. As shown in <FIG> and <FIG>, the plurality of inner partition plates <NUM> and <NUM> are arranged in each cooling grate line <NUM> at a predetermined pitch. To be more specific, as shown in <FIG> and <FIG>, each of the inner partition plates <NUM> and <NUM> is provided on its corresponding fixed plate <NUM> and the pair of side walls 17a and 17b, and extends upward from the fixed plate <NUM>. It should be noted that, in <FIG>, the chevron-shaped grates (i.e., the support plates <NUM> and <NUM>, the covering members <NUM>, etc.) are omitted for the sake of convenience of the description. The same is true of <FIG>, which will be referred to below. The plurality of inner partition plates <NUM> and <NUM> are arranged at the pitch that is substantially the same as the length of each cooling grate <NUM> in the conveying direction. The upper ends of all the plurality of inner partition plates <NUM>, excluding two inner partition plates <NUM> described below, are positioned evenly at the same height.

The cooler apparatus <NUM> thus configured further includes a controller <NUM>. It should be noted that the controller <NUM> includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit), ROM (Read Only Memory), RAM (Random Access Memory), etc. (which are not shown). The ROM stores, for example, a program to be executed by the CPU and various fixed data. The program to be executed by the CPU is, for example, stored in any of various storage media, such as a flexible disc, a CD-ROM, and a memory card, and installed on the ROM from any of these storage media. Data necessary for executing the program is stored in the RAM temporarily.

The controller <NUM> controls the movement of the unshown truck to cause the three cooling grate lines <NUM> to move independently of each other in the conveying direction and the reverse direction in a reciprocating manner. By causing the cooling grate lines <NUM> to move in the reciprocating manner, the controller <NUM> moves the active layer <NUM> in the conveying direction, thereby conveying the conveyed clinker forming the active layer <NUM> to the discharge outlet 12a. In the cooler apparatus <NUM>, while the conveyed clinker is being conveyed, cooling air is supplied from the cooling air supply unit <NUM> to the lower space <NUM>. Accordingly, while the conveyed clinker is being conveyed toward the discharge outlet 12a, the conveyed clinker can be cooled down by the cooling air. In the description below, operations of the cooler apparatus <NUM> thus configured are described.

In the cooler apparatus <NUM>, as shown in <FIG>, the granular conveyed clinker discharged from the rotary kiln <NUM> is received on the fixed inclined grate <NUM> and rolls toward the cooling grate lines <NUM>. As a result of the conveyed clinker being continuously discharged from the rotary kiln <NUM>, the conveyed clinker is deposited on the cooling grate lines <NUM> to form the active layer <NUM> on the cooling grate lines <NUM>. The cooler apparatus <NUM> includes the cooling air supply unit <NUM> (a fan), and cooling air is supplied from the cooling air supply unit <NUM> to the lower space <NUM>. The cooling air is released from the lower space <NUM> to the dead layer <NUM> through the plurality of cooling passages <NUM>, and reaches the active layer <NUM> through the dead layer <NUM>. The cooling air flows further upward while exchanging heat with the high-temperature conveyed clinker, and eventually the cooling air is released above from the active layer <NUM>. The temperature of the air released above from the active layer <NUM> is high due to the heat exchange with the conveyed clinker. Part of the released air is discharged from the cooler apparatus <NUM>, and is introduced directly into the kiln <NUM>, or into the precalciner <NUM> through a discharge pipe <NUM>.

Hereinafter, the steps of conveying the conveyed clinker, which is thus cooled down, are described with reference to <FIG> and <FIG>. That is, in the cooler apparatus <NUM>, the controller <NUM> first causes all the cooling grate lines <NUM> to move forward by a predetermined distance (see <FIG>). As a result, the active layer <NUM> moves forward in the conveying direction. Next, the controller <NUM> causes one of the three cooling grate lines <NUM> to move rearward by a predetermined distance (see <FIG>), and after the one cooling grate line <NUM> has moved rearward, causes another one of the cooling grate lines <NUM> to move rearward by a predetermined distance (see <FIG>). Finally, the controller <NUM> causes the remaining one cooling grate line <NUM> to move rearward (see <FIG>). In this manner, the active layer <NUM> can be moved in the conveying direction relative to the three cooling grate lines <NUM>, and thereafter the three cooling grate lines <NUM> can be brought back to their initial positions. The controller <NUM> causes the three cooling grate lines <NUM> to repeat these movements, and thereby the conveyed clinker is conveyed toward the discharge outlet 12a.

In the cooler apparatus <NUM>, when the three cooling grate lines <NUM> are moved, frictional resistance occurs between the dead layer <NUM> and the active layer <NUM>. Therefore, each of the cooling grate lines <NUM> is moved rearward separately in order to inhibit the active layer <NUM> from being brought back. However, even though each cooling grate line <NUM> is moved rearward separately, a certain amount of conveyed clinker is dragged by the cooling grate line <NUM> moved rearward, and is thereby brought back in the reverse direction. In order to reduce the amount of conveyed clinker thus brought back in the reverse direction, the cooler apparatus <NUM> includes the damming member <NUM> as shown in <FIG>.

The damming member <NUM> is disposed corresponding to at least one of the cooling grate lines <NUM>. When the at least one cooling grate line <NUM> corresponding to the damming member <NUM> moves rearward in the reverse direction, the conveyed clinker that is brought back in the reverse direction is dammed up by the damming member <NUM>. To be more specific, the cooler apparatus <NUM> of the present embodiment includes one damming member <NUM>, and the damming member <NUM> is, as shown in <FIG>, disposed corresponding to a cooling grate line <NUM>, which is positioned in the middle among the three cooling grate lines <NUM>. Hereinafter, in some cases, among the three cooling grate lines <NUM>, the cooling grate line positioned in the middle is referred to as the cooling grate line <NUM>; the cooling grate line positioned on one side in the width direction is referred to as the cooling grate line <NUM>; and the cooling grate line positioned on the other side in the width direction is referred to as the cooling grate line 12R.

The damming member <NUM> is disposed at the forward end side of the cooling grate line <NUM>, i.e., close to the discharge outlet 12a. In the present embodiment, the damming member <NUM> is disposed such that the position thereof is away from the discharge outlet 12a by a distance X, which is slightly greater than the length of a cooling grate <NUM> in the conveying direction. Preferably, the distance X is set in relation to the width W of the cooling grate line <NUM>, such that <NUM> ≤ X / W ≤ <NUM>. However, the distance X is not limited within such a range, but may be greater than or less than the range. The damming member <NUM> disposed at such a position is coupled to the cooling grate line <NUM> via the coupling member <NUM>.

As shown in <FIG>, the coupling member <NUM> is a plate-shaped member extending in the width direction and having a rectangular shape when seen in a plan view. The coupling member <NUM> is provided with the damming member <NUM> on its one end portion in the width direction, and the other end portion of the coupling member <NUM> is joined to the cooling grate line <NUM>. To be more specific, when seen in a plan view, the cooling grate line <NUM> includes a pair of inner partition plates <NUM> disposed at positions corresponding to the damming member <NUM> (in the present embodiment, disposed at positions on one side of the damming member <NUM> in the width direction). The other end portion of the coupling member <NUM> is attached via an attachment member <NUM> to the pair of inner partition plates <NUM> (more specifically, attached to a pair of reinforcing plates <NUM>, which extends between the pair of inner partition plates <NUM> in a bridging manner to reinforce the pair of inner partition plates <NUM>). The attachment member <NUM> is a plate-shaped member extending in the conveying direction and having a rectangular shape when seen in a plan view. The attachment member <NUM> is attached such that the attachment member <NUM> is sandwiched between the pair of reinforcing plates <NUM>, and such that the attachment member <NUM> extends between the pair of reinforcing plates <NUM> in a bridging manner. The other end portion of the coupling member <NUM> is placed on the upper surface of the attachment member <NUM>, and is fixed to the upper surface of the attachment member <NUM> by means of bolts, welding, etc..

In this manner, the coupling member <NUM> is attached to the pair of inner partition plates <NUM> via the pair of reinforcing plates <NUM> and the attachment member <NUM>, and the damming member <NUM> is provided on the one end portion of the coupling member <NUM> in the width direction. Accordingly, a load that the damming member <NUM> receives when the corresponding cooling grate line <NUM> moves relative to the damming member <NUM> is transmitted to the pair of inner partition plates <NUM> via the coupling member <NUM>, the attachment member <NUM>, and the pair of reinforcing plates <NUM>. Therefore, preferably, the pair of inner partition plates <NUM> is configured to have high rigidity so as to be able to bear the load. For this reason, the pair of inner partition plates <NUM> is formed such that the thickness thereof is greater than the thickness of the other plurality of inner partition plates <NUM>. The lower end portions of the pair of inner partition plates <NUM> are long in the width direction, and both ends of each lower end portion in the width direction are welded and fixed to the pair of side walls 17a and 17b of the casing <NUM>, respectively. The pair of inner partition plates <NUM> is configured in this manner so as to have high strength and so as to be fixed to the cooling grate line <NUM> with high fixing strength.

As shown in <FIG> and <FIG>, the upper ends of the pair of inner partition plates <NUM> are positioned higher than the upper ends of the other inner partition plates <NUM>. Similarly, the upper ends of the pair of reinforcing plates <NUM> are positioned higher than the upper ends of the other inner partition plates <NUM> by a height H1. Accordingly, the lower surface of the coupling member <NUM> is positioned higher than the upper ends of the plurality of inner partition plates <NUM> by the height H1. The height H1 is set to be, for example, three times or more (in the present embodiment, five times) as great as the average grain diameter of the conveyed clinker, thereby preventing a situation where the cooling grate lines <NUM> become unable to move due to the conveyed clinker getting caught between the coupling member <NUM> and any of the inner partition plates <NUM>. The coupling member <NUM> further includes two ribs 14a and 14b extending in the width direction, and the coupling member <NUM> is reinforced by the two ribs 14a and 14b. As previously mentioned, the coupling member <NUM> thus reinforced is provided with the damming member <NUM> on its distal end portion.

As described above, the damming member <NUM> is intended for damming up the conveyed clinker that is brought back in the reverse direction. In the present embodiment, as shown in <FIG>, the damming member <NUM> is a plate-shaped member having a triangular shape when seen in a side view (see also <FIG>). To be more specific, the damming member <NUM> includes a damming plate <NUM> and a push-back plate <NUM>. The damming plate <NUM> is a flat plate extending in the width direction and having a roughly rectangular shape when seen in a front view (see <FIG>). In the present embodiment, the width of the damming plate <NUM> is substantially the same as the width of each inner partition plate <NUM> (see also <FIG>). At the distal end portion of the coupling member <NUM>, the damming plate <NUM> having such a shape is fixed to the forward end portion of the coupling member <NUM> in the conveying direction by welding or the like, such that the damming plate <NUM> is inclined so as to lean in the reverse direction. The upper end portion of the damming plate <NUM> is butted against the upper end portion of the push-back plate <NUM>.

The push-back plate <NUM> is a flat plate extending in the width direction and having a roughly rectangular shape when seen in a rear view in the conveying direction. In the present embodiment, the width of the push-back plate <NUM> is substantially the same as the width of the damming plate <NUM> and the width of each inner partition plate <NUM> (see also <FIG>). At the distal end portion of the coupling member <NUM>, the push-back plate <NUM> having such a shape is fixed to the rear end portion of the coupling member <NUM> in the conveying direction by welding or the like, such that the push-back plate <NUM> is inclined so as to lean in the conveying direction. The upper end portion of the push-back plate <NUM> thus disposed is butted against the upper end portion of the damming plate <NUM> as mentioned above, and these upper end portions are joined together by welding or the like. In this manner, the damming member <NUM> in a triangular prismatic shape is configured such that, in the conveying direction, the damming plate <NUM> is disposed at the forward side and the push-back plate <NUM> is disposed at the rearward side.

The damming member <NUM> in such a shape includes a damming surface <NUM> and a push-back surface <NUM>. The damming surface <NUM> is the main surface of the damming plate <NUM>, and faces in the conveying direction. The push-back surface <NUM> is the main surface of the push-back plate <NUM>, and faces in the reverse direction. The damming member <NUM> has a ridge that is formed at a position that is shifted from the center of the coupling member <NUM> in the conveying direction, and an inclination angle α of the damming plate <NUM> is greater than an inclination angle β of the push-back plate <NUM>. That is, the inclination angle α of the damming surface <NUM> is greater than the inclination angle β of the push-back surface <NUM>, and the damming surface <NUM> is raised to a greater degree than the push-back surface <NUM>. The inclination angle α is an angle formed by the upper surface of the coupling member <NUM> and the damming surface <NUM>, and is set, for example, within the range of <NUM>° ≤ α ≤ <NUM>°. Also, the inclination angle β is an angle formed by the upper surface of the coupling member <NUM> and the push-back surface <NUM>, and is set, for example, within the range of <NUM>° < β ≤ <NUM>°. It should be noted that the inclination angles α and β are set in consideration of a height H2 described below, the position where the damming member <NUM> is disposed, strength, conveyance efficiency, etc..

In the present embodiment, each of the damming surface <NUM> and the push-back surface <NUM> is formed by inclining a flat surface. However, these surfaces to be inclined need not be flat surfaces. For example, the damming surface <NUM> and the push-back surface <NUM> may be inclined such that, when seen in the width direction, the damming surface <NUM> and the push-back surface <NUM> are curved in an arc-like shape. Thus, the way in which each of the damming surface <NUM> and the push-back surface <NUM> is inclined need not be linear inclination when seen in the width direction.

When the cooling grate line <NUM>, which is coupled to the damming member <NUM> thus configured, moves in the conveying direction, the damming member <NUM> moves in the conveying direction together with the cooling grate line <NUM> (two-dot chain lines of <FIG> indicate only the movement of the damming member <NUM>), and when the cooling grate line <NUM> stops, the damming member <NUM> stops together with the cooling grate line <NUM>. Since the damming member <NUM> is disposed such that the damming member <NUM> is movable relative to the corresponding cooling grate line <NUM>, the damming member <NUM> can be kept in a stopped state even when the cooling grate line <NUM> moves rearward in the reverse direction. Further, when the cooling grate line <NUM> is in a stopped state, if the cooling grate line <NUM> moves in the reverse direction, the damming member <NUM> moves rearward in the reverse direction together with the cooling grate line <NUM> while moving relative to the cooling grate line <NUM>.

The damming member <NUM> configured to move in this manner is buried in the active layer <NUM> formed on the three cooling grate lines <NUM> while the conveyed clinker is being conveyed. When the cooling grate line <NUM> moves rearward in the reverse direction, the conveyed clinker that is brought back in the reverse direction due to the rearward movement of the cooling grate line <NUM> is dammed up by the damming surface <NUM>. On the other hand, when the cooling grate line <NUM> is in a stopped state, if the damming member <NUM> moves in the reverse direction, a slight amount of conveyed clinker is pushed back in the reverse direction by the push-back surface <NUM>. In this respect, the push-back surface <NUM> is formed in such a manner that, when the damming member <NUM> is moved relative to the cooling grate line <NUM>, the conveyed clinker moves onto the push-back surface <NUM> more easily than onto the damming surface <NUM>. Accordingly, the amount of conveyed clinker pushed back in the reverse direction can be reduced compared to a case where the push-back surface <NUM> is not formed in such a manner. That is, the push-back surface <NUM> is formed such that the amount of conveyed clinker moving onto (or moving onto and beyond) the push-back surface <NUM> is greater than the amount of conveyed clinker moving onto (or moving onto and beyond) the damming surface <NUM>, which dams up the conveyed clinker, i.e., the conveyed clinker moves onto (or moves onto and beyond) the push-back surface <NUM> more easily than onto (or onto and beyond) the damming surface <NUM>. Thus, the amount of conveyed clinker pushed back by the push-back surface <NUM> can be reduced while damming up the conveyed clinker brought back in the reverse direction by the damming surface <NUM>. This makes it possible to improve the efficiency in conveying the conveyed clinker in the cooler apparatus <NUM>. Hereinafter, functions that the damming member <NUM> exert when the conveyed clinker is conveyed are described in further detail with reference to <FIG> and <FIG>.

As described above, in the cooler apparatus <NUM>, the controller <NUM> first causes all the cooling grate lines <NUM> to move forward by a predetermined distance (see <FIG>). Next, the controller <NUM> causes the middle cooling grate line <NUM> to move rearward by a predetermined distance (see <FIG>). At the time, the conveyed clinker of the active layer <NUM> deposited on the cooling grate line <NUM> is dragged by the cooling grate line <NUM>, and thereby caused to move rearward together with the cooling grate line <NUM>. In the active layer <NUM>, the damming member <NUM> is disposed above the cooling grate line <NUM>. When the cooling grate line <NUM> moves rearward, the damming member <NUM> remains stopped together with the cooling grate line <NUM>. Accordingly, the conveyed clinker of the active layer <NUM> moving rearward, more specifically, the conveyed clinker positioned in the active layer <NUM> near the dead layer <NUM>, is dammed up by the damming member <NUM>. This makes it possible to inhibit the conveyed clinker positioned above the damming member <NUM> from being dragged by the cooling grate line <NUM>. In other words, the damming member <NUM> applies resisting force against the active layer <NUM>, which is caused to move rearward, and thereby the conveyed clinker of the active layer <NUM> can be inhibited from moving rearward in the reverse direction.

The resisting force applied against the active layer <NUM> can be adjusted depending on the height H2 of the damming member <NUM>. That is, the resisting force applied against the active layer <NUM> can be increased by increasing the height H2 of the damming member <NUM>, and thereby a large amount of conveyed clinker can be dammed up, which makes it possible to inhibit the active layer <NUM> from moving rearward. It should be noted that, as shown in <FIG>, the height H2 of the damming member <NUM> is the height from the upper surface of the coupling member <NUM> to the ridge of the damming member <NUM>. For example, the height H2 is not less than <NUM> and not greater than <NUM>. In the present embodiment, the height H2 is <NUM>, for example.

It should be noted that when the cooling grate line <NUM> moves rearward in the reverse direction, the conveyed clinker that is dammed up by the upper part of the damming member <NUM> is pushed in the reverse direction by the conveyed clinker that is positioned in the conveying direction from the dammed-up clinker. Here, depending on the magnitude of pushing force pushing the conveyed clinker in the reverse direction, the pushed conveyed clinker may move upward along the damming surface <NUM> of the damming member <NUM>, and consequently move beyond the damming surface <NUM>. The pushing force pushing the conveyed clinker in the reverse direction increases/decreases in accordance with, for example, the height of the active layer <NUM> and the position where the damming member <NUM> is disposed (i.e., the distance from the discharge outlet 12a to the position of the damming member <NUM>). Therefore, preferably, the height H2 of the damming member <NUM> is set also in accordance with, for example, the height of the active layer <NUM> and the position where the damming member <NUM> is disposed (i.e., the distance from the discharge outlet 12a to the position of the damming member <NUM>). It should be noted that, in the cooler apparatus <NUM> of the present embodiment, the damming member <NUM> is disposed close to the discharge outlet 12a in consideration of the magnitude of the pushing force pushing the dammed-up conveyed clinker. In this manner, the amount of conveyed clinker brought back in the reverse direction together with the cooling grate line <NUM> can be reduced effectively, which makes it possible to improve the efficiency in conveying the conveyed clinker.

Also by increasing the inclination angle α of the damming surface <NUM>, the amount of conveyed clinker moving beyond the damming surface <NUM> can be reduced. In this manner, similar to the case where the height H2 of the damming member <NUM> is increased, the resisting force against the active layer <NUM> can be increased, and thereby the active layer <NUM> can be inhibited from moving rearward. However, in the case where the inclination angle α of the damming surface <NUM> is increased, the load on the damming surface <NUM> in its thickness direction is increased, accordingly. For this reason, it becomes necessary to increase the thickness of the damming plate <NUM> in order to bear the load. Consequently, the weight of the damming member <NUM> and the weight of, for example, the coupling member <NUM> supporting the damming member <NUM> increase; the manufacturing cost increases; and the conveyance efficiency is lowered. Therefore, in consideration of factors such as the resisting force against the active layer <NUM> and necessary strength of the damming member <NUM>, it is preferable to set the inclination angle α of the damming surface <NUM> within the range of <NUM>° ≤ α ≤ <NUM>°. It should be noted that, in the present embodiment, the inclination angle α of the damming surface <NUM> is set to about <NUM>°. As thus described, the damming member <NUM> is capable of inhibiting the active layer <NUM> from moving rearward when the cooling grate line <NUM> is moved rearward.

After the cooling grate line <NUM> is brought back to its initial position, the controller <NUM> causes the cooling grate line <NUM> to move rearward (see <FIG>). When the cooling grate line <NUM> moves rearward, part of the conveyed clinker on the cooling grate line <NUM> is dragged by the cooling grate line <NUM> to move in the reverse direction. Also, when the cooling grate line <NUM> moves rearward, the damming member <NUM> moves rearward together with the cooling grate line <NUM>. The damming member <NUM> is buried in the active layer <NUM>, and when the damming member <NUM> moves rearward, the damming member <NUM> moves in the reverse direction within the active layer <NUM>. In this manner, the damming member <NUM> moves relative to the active layer <NUM>. The push-back surface <NUM> of the damming member <NUM> faces in the reverse direction, and when the damming member <NUM> moves relative to the active layer <NUM>, the damming member <NUM> moves in the reverse direction, with the push-back surface <NUM> being at the head thereof. At the time, the damming member <NUM> pushes the active layer <NUM> in the reverse direction by the push-back surface <NUM>, and also, moves within the active layer <NUM> by pushing through the active layer <NUM> vertically by the push-back surface <NUM>.

The active layer <NUM> receives frictional resistance from, for example, the dead layer <NUM> and the cooling grate lines <NUM>, and basically stays thereon. However, as a result of the damming member <NUM> pushing the active layer <NUM>, the conveyed clinker on the cooling grate line <NUM> slightly moves in the reverse direction together with the conveyed clinker on the cooling grate line <NUM>. The amount of conveyed clinker making such slight movement corresponds to the load that the active layer <NUM> receives from the push-back surface <NUM> during the slight movement of the conveyed clinker. Therefore, the amount of conveyed clinker making such slight movement can be reduced by reducing the load. That is, since the load can be reduced by reducing the height of the push-back surface <NUM>, i.e., the height H2 of the damming member <NUM>, it is preferable to set the height H2 of the damming member <NUM> to a small value.

However, as previously described, when the cooling grate line <NUM> is moved rearward, it is preferable that the height H2 of the damming member <NUM> be great so that the resisting force against the active layer <NUM> will be great. That is, the height H2 of the damming member <NUM> is set in consideration of a tradeoff between the amount of conveyed clinker dammed up by the damming member <NUM> when the cooling grate line <NUM> moves rearward and the amount of conveyed clinker pushed back in the reverse direction by the damming member <NUM> when the cooling grate line <NUM> moves rearward. Thus, the height H2 of the damming member <NUM> is set such that the amount of conveyed clinker dammed up by the damming member <NUM> will be greater than the amount of conveyed clinker pushed back in the reverse direction by the damming member <NUM>. With such setting of the height H2, the efficiency in conveying the conveyed clinker can be improved.

By setting the inclination angle β of the push-back surface <NUM> to be small, the pushing force pushing the active layer <NUM> can be made small, which allows the conveyed clinker to easily move onto and beyond the push-back surface <NUM>. In this manner, similar to the case where the height H2 of the damming member <NUM> is set to be small, the amount of conveyed clinker pushed back in the reverse direction can be made small. In particular, by setting the inclination angle β of the push-back surface <NUM> to be less than the inclination angle α of the damming surface <NUM>, the amount of conveyed clinker dammed up by the damming member <NUM> when the cooling grate line <NUM> moves rearward can be made greater than the amount of conveyed clinker pushed back in the reverse direction by the damming member <NUM> when the cooling grate line <NUM> moves rearward, and thereby the conveyance efficiency can be improved.

It should be noted that when the inclination angle β of the push-back surface <NUM> is reduced, the length of the push-back surface <NUM> in the reverse direction is increased, accordingly. Consequently, the weight of the damming member <NUM> and the weight of, for example, the coupling member <NUM> supporting the damming member <NUM> increase; the manufacturing cost increases; and the conveyance efficiency is lowered. Therefore, in consideration of factors such as the manufacturing cost and conveyance efficiency, it is preferable to set the inclination angle β of the push-back surface <NUM> within the range of <NUM>° ≤ β ≤ <NUM>°. It should be noted that, in the present embodiment, the inclination angle β of the push-back surface <NUM> is set to about <NUM>°. As thus described, the damming member <NUM> is designed such that the amount of conveyed clinker pushed back in the reverse direction when the cooling grate line <NUM> is moved rearward can be reduced, and thereby lowering of conveyance efficiency is suppressed.

After the cooling grate line <NUM> is thus moved rearward and brought back to its initial position, the cooling grate line 12R is moved rearward to its initial position (see <FIG>). After all the three cooling grate lines <NUM> are brought back to their initial values, the three cooling grate lines <NUM> are moved forward again, and then the three cooling grate lines <NUM> are moved rearward one by one sequentially, starting from the cooling grate line <NUM>. By repeating these operations, the conveyed clinker can be conveyed to the discharge outlet 12a and discharged from the discharge outlet 12a.

In the cooler apparatus <NUM> of the present embodiment, the cooling grate line <NUM> and the damming member <NUM> are coupled together by the coupling member <NUM>, and the damming member <NUM> can be moved in a reciprocating manner together with the cooling grate line <NUM>. Accordingly, no drive device for moving the damming member <NUM> is required, which makes it possible to reduce the number of components. Moreover, when the cooling grate line <NUM> and the cooling grate line <NUM> are moved together in the conveying direction, the damming member <NUM> can also be moved together with the cooling grate line <NUM> and the cooling grate line <NUM>. That is, the damming member <NUM> can be moved in the conveying direction together with the conveyed clinker, and this makes it possible to prevent a situation where the operation of conveying the conveyed clinker is hindered. Thus, lowering of conveyance efficiency due to the installation of the damming member <NUM> can be suppressed.

In the cooler apparatus <NUM> of the present embodiment, the attachment member <NUM> is provided on the pair of adjacent inner partition plates <NUM> via the pair of reinforcing plates <NUM>, and in addition, the coupling member <NUM> is attached to the attachment member <NUM>. Since the coupling member <NUM> can be thus attached to the inner partition plates <NUM>, increase in the number of components can be suppressed.

In the cooler apparatus <NUM> of the present embodiment, the damming member <NUM> is provided above only the middle cooling grate line <NUM>, and no damming member <NUM> is provided above the cooling grate lines <NUM> and 12R, which are arranged at both sides of the cooler apparatus <NUM> in the width direction. By disposing the damming member <NUM> in this manner, the amount of conveyed clinker that is brought back when each of the cooling grate lines <NUM> and 12R is brought back to its initial position can be made greater than the amount of conveyed clinker that is brought back when the cooling grate line <NUM> is brought back to its initial position. In this manner, the deposition amount of conveyed clinker in the vicinity of both sides of the cooler apparatus <NUM> in the width direction can be made greater than the deposition amount of conveyed clinker in the vicinity of the center of the cooler apparatus <NUM> in the width direction. That is, in the active layer <NUM>, a greater amount of conveyed clinker can be deposited on both sides of the cooler apparatus <NUM> in the width direction, and thereby the height of the active layer <NUM> can be made greater at both sides of the cooler apparatus <NUM> in the width direction.

The cooler apparatus <NUM> of the present embodiment is configured by arranging the three cooling grate lines <NUM> side by side. However, as an alternative, the cooler apparatus <NUM> may be configured by arranging more than three cooling grate lines side by side. For example, as shown in <FIG>, a cooler apparatus 1A may be configured by arranging six cooling grate lines <NUM> to <NUM> side by side. It should be noted that the cooling grate lines <NUM> to <NUM> are configured in the same manner as the cooling grate lines <NUM> of the cooler apparatus <NUM> of the present embodiment. Therefore, the reference signs of the components of the cooling grate lines <NUM> to <NUM> are omitted in <FIG>. The cooler apparatus 1A includes three damming members <NUM>. Two of the damming members <NUM> are attached to the cooling grate lines <NUM> and <NUM>, respectively, via the coupling members <NUM>. Among the cooling grate lines <NUM> to <NUM>, the cooling grate line <NUM> is positioned nearest to one side of the cooler apparatus 1A in the width direction, and the cooling grate line <NUM> is positioned nearest to the other side of the cooler apparatus 1A in the width direction. The remaining one damming member <NUM> is attached to the cooling grate line <NUM> via the coupling member <NUM>. The cooling grate line <NUM> is positioned at the other side of the central part of the cooler apparatus 1A in the width direction. Thus, also in the cooler apparatus 1A, no damming member <NUM> is disposed above the cooling grate lines <NUM> and <NUM>, which are positioned nearest to the one side and the other side of the cooler apparatus 1A in the width direction, respectively, and thereby the conveyed clinker of the active layer is deposited also in the vicinity of both sides of the cooler apparatus 1A in the width direction.

In the cooler apparatus <NUM> of the present embodiment, the damming member <NUM> is attached to the cooling grate line <NUM> via the coupling member <NUM>. However, it is not essential that the damming member <NUM> be attached to the cooling grate line <NUM>. For example, the configuration of a cooler apparatus 1B as shown in <FIG> may be adopted. Specifically, the cooler apparatus 1B includes side walls 1a. One side wall 1a and the other side wall 1a are positioned outside the plurality of cooling grate lines <NUM> at one side and the other side of the plurality of cooling grate lines <NUM> in the width direction, respectively. A coupling member 14B is disposed such that the coupling member 14B extends between the side walls 1a in a bridging manner. A plurality of damming members <NUM> are provided on the upper surface of the coupling member 14B, such that the plurality of damming members <NUM> are positioned above the plurality of cooling grate lines <NUM>, respectively. By thus disposing the coupling member 14B such that the coupling member 14B extends between the side walls 1a in a bridging manner, the damming members <NUM> can be arranged above all the plurality of cooling grate lines <NUM>, respectively, which makes it possible to further improve the conveyance efficiency.

The cooler apparatus <NUM> of the present embodiment adopts the damming member <NUM> extending in the width direction and having a triangular prismatic shape. However, the shape and structure of the damming member <NUM> are not thus limited. For example, the damming member <NUM> may be configured to be extendable/retractable or foldable in the vertical direction. The damming member <NUM> may be configured to extend upward when the corresponding cooling grate line <NUM> moves in the reverse direction, and retract downward when the cooling grate line <NUM> coupled to the damming member <NUM> moves in the reverse direction. Alternatively, the damming member may be configured as a movable flap that may be raised upward when the corresponding cooling grate line <NUM> moves in the reverse direction, and may be lowered downward when the cooling grate line <NUM> coupled to the damming member <NUM> moves in the reverse direction. Further alternatively, the damming member may be configured as a gear or the like that may be rotatably provided on the coupling member <NUM> via a one-way clutch. In this case, when the corresponding cooling grate line <NUM> moves in the reverse direction, the damming member does not rotate, but applies resisting force against the active layer <NUM>, whereas when the cooling grate line <NUM> coupled to the damming member <NUM> moves in the reverse direction, the damming member rotates in accordance with the movement of the active layer <NUM> without applying resisting force against the active layer <NUM>.

The cooler apparatus <NUM> of the present embodiment adopts chevron-shaped grates as the cooling grates <NUM>. However, the cooling grates <NUM> are not necessarily limited to chevron-shaped grates. Known cooling grates in various shapes are adoptable, and the shape of the cooling grates to be adopted is not limited to the shape of the above-described chevron-shaped grates.

Claim 1:
A cooler apparatus for cooling, by using cooling air, a high-temperature granular conveyed material that is deposited to form a layer (<NUM>) while conveying the granular conveyed material in a conveying direction, the cooler apparatus comprising:
a plurality of cooling grate lines (<NUM>) that are arranged adjacently to each other in a width direction orthogonal to the conveying direction, the plurality of cooling grate lines (<NUM>) supporting the granular conveyed material via a dead layer (<NUM>) formed by a granular buried material having a lower temperature than a temperature of the granular conveyed material, and to move in a reciprocating manner in the conveying direction and a reverse direction thereto to convey the granular conveyed material; and
a damming member (<NUM>) disposed above at least one (<NUM>) of the plurality of cooling grate lines (<NUM>) and buried in the layer of the granular conveyed material (<NUM>),
characterized in that
the damming member (<NUM>) is configured to move in the conveying direction and the reverse direction relative to the at least one cooling grate line (<NUM>) when the at least one cooling grate line (<NUM>) moves in the reciprocating manner, and
the damming member (<NUM>) is configured such that the granular conveyed material moves onto and beyond the damming member (<NUM>) more easily when the at least one cooling grate line (<NUM>) moves in the conveying direction relative to the damming member (<NUM>) than when the at least one cooling grate line (<NUM>) moves in the reverse direction relative to the damming member (<NUM>).