Rotary Kiln Monitoring with Shell Temperature Visualization and Process Analytics

ABSTRACT
Rotary kilns are energy-intensive unit operations that perform important functions in a variety of industrial processes
including cement production, pyrometallurgy, and kraft pulping. As a critical reactor in the recovery circuit of kraft
pulp mills it is essential for rotary lime kiln operation to be optimized to meet economic and environmental
objectives. Rotary lime kilns are increasingly outfitted with advanced sensing technology, such as thermal cameras,
to provide additional insights into operation, maintenance, and process troubleshooting. Maximizing the value
extracted from this additional data requires operation-specific strategies towards data collection, processing, and
visualization. In this work we describe a novel strategy for rotary kiln monitoring that combines traditional process
analytics with interactive visualization of large quantities of kiln shell temperature data. The proposed strategy was
specifically developed to support investigation of ring formation but ultimately it has proven to be a valuable
resource for monitoring and managing rotary kiln operations. This paper describes our interactive visualization
strategy, demonstrates how it can be enhanced by process analytics to investigate ring formation with industrial data, and provides open-source resources for interested users.

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