Patent ID: 8205565

Claim:
A method for burning whole tires in a kiln, comprising: providing a kiln having an inlet end, a discharge end and a burning zone there between; providing a cement clinker feedstock at the inlet end; rotating the kiln so that the feedstock works its way toward the discharge end; providing a device for propelling whole waste tires in line with the kiln and displaced a first predetermined distance from the kiln discharge end, the device comprising: a lower accelerating assembly comprising a plurality of rotatable elements, each element having an axis of rotation substantially normal to an intended flight path of a tire; an upper accelerating assembly comprising a plurality of rotatable elements, each element having an axis of rotation substantially normal to an intended flight path of the tire and associated with a rotatable element in the lower assembly; at least one prime mover for supplying rotational energy to the upper and lower accelerating assemblies and for rotating in opposite directions a plurality of the upper elements and a plurality of the associated lower elements; a frame having a lower portion supporting the lower accelerating assembly, an upper portion supporting the upper accelerating assembly and an intermediate portion for locating the upper assembly a second predetermined distance from the lower assembly so that the tire is accelerated by the oppositely rotating elements and propelled substantially along a predetermined trajectory; a drive system adapted to impart differing velocities to at least two of the plurality of associated rotatable elements in the upper and lower assemblies; and a control system for the at least one prime mover adapted to control the velocities of the rotatable elements; feeding the tire into the device; driving at least two of the plurality of associated rotatable elements at differing velocities at the same time so that the tire is accelerated to its final exit velocity as it is propelled along the lower and upper assemblies by contact with the associated rotatable elements at least two of which have differing velocities; propelling the tire from the device across the first predetermined distance and into the kiln discharge end so that the tire lands within a predetermined region within the burning zone; and burning the tire within the kiln.