Patent ID: 7354266

Claim:
A rotary kiln for pyroprocessing particulate material, comprising: a cylindrical kiln shell mounted for rotation about a central axis, the kiln shell having an input end and a discharge end and being inclined downwardly toward the discharge end enabling the particulate material to be pyroprocessed within an open interior of the kiln shell as the kiln shell rotates; a plurality of insert retainers each mounted to the kiln shell near the discharge end of the kiln shell, each insert retainer including a plurality of mounting slots each having a pair of spaced sidewalls defining a receiving cavity; and a plurality of breaker inserts each receivable within one of the receiving cavities of the plurality of mounting slots such that the breaker inserts extend radially into the open interior of the kiln shell, each of the breaker inserts being removably mounted within one of the mounting slots such that each of the breaker inserts can be independently removed and replaced from within the receiving cavities of the insert retainer.