Method and device for detecting straightness deviations and/or deformations in a rotary kiln

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9719724-B2
Application number	US-201214129421-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 15, 2012
Priority date	Jun 27, 2011
Publication date	Aug 1, 2017
Grant date	Aug 1, 2017

Abstract

A method for detecting straightness deviations and/deformations in a rotary kiln ( 1 ), the rotary drum ( 4 ) of which includes bearing rings ( 6 ) spaced apart from one another in the axial direction and respectively supported on rollers ( 7 ), involves scanning the outer surface area ( 5 ) of the rotary drum ( 4 ), the bearing rings ( 6 ), the rollers ( 7 ) and/or the shafts ( 17 ) of the rollers ( 7 ) in a contactless fashion with the aid of at least one scanning device ( 12 ) such that three-dimensional position data regarding the scanned objects is obtained, and evaluating the three-dimensional position data with respect to the occurrence of a deviation of the rotary kiln axis ( 3 ) from a straight line, a deviation of the rotary drum ( 4 ) from a cylindrical shape and/or a deviation of the rotational axes ( 8 ) of the rollers from a line extending parallel to the rotary kiln axis ( 3 ). A device for detecting straightness deviations and/or deformations in a rotary kiln ( 1 ) is also provided.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A rotary kiln with a device for detecting straightness deviations and deformations of the rotary kiln, wherein
the rotary kiln includes a rotary drum having bearing rings spaced apart from one another in the axial direction and respectively supported on rollers, roller shafts and shaft end extensions of the rollers,
the device for detecting straightness deviations and deformations of the rotary kiln comprises scanning devices that operate in a contactless fashion configured to scan (a) the outer surface area of the rotary drum, (b) the bearing rings, and (c) at least one of: the rollers, the roller shafts, or the shaft end extensions of the rollers such that three-dimensional position data regarding the scanned objects is obtained,
an arithmetic unit in communication with the scanning devices, wherein the three-dimensional position data is fed to the arithmetic unit that features an evaluation circuit in order to evaluate the three-dimensional position data with respect to the occurrence of a deviation of at least two of (i) the rotary kiln axis from a straight line, (ii) a deviation of the rotary drum from a cylindrical shape and (iii) a deviation of the rotational axes of the rollers from a line extending parallel to the rotary kiln axis,
wherein the coverage area of the at least one of the scanning devices corresponds to an axial section of the rotary kiln,
the scanning devices are distributed along the length of the rotary kiln, wherein at least one stationary reference point or at least one reference object is arranged within the coverage area of each scanning device distributed along that length, and
the arithmetic unit is configured for correlating the three-dimensional position data with the respective reference point in order to obtain relative position data, and for combining and jointly evaluating the relative position data of several axial sections.

2. The rotary kiln according to claim 1 , wherein at least one of the scanning devices comprises a 3D laser scanner.

3. The rotary kiln according to claim 1 , wherein at least one of the scanning device is arranged on each side of the rotary kiln.

4. The rotary kiln according to claim 1 , wherein the position data is fed to the arithmetic unit, the arithmetic unit features processing means for computationally adapting a circle to the points on the circumference of each bearing ring, for determining the centre of each circle, for computationally obtaining the kiln axis as the connection between the centres and for comparing the kiln axis with a straight line; and output means, in cooperation with the arithmetic unit, in order to output possible deviations of the kiln axis from a straight line.

5. The rotary kiln according to claim 1 , wherein the device for detecting straightness deviations and deformation of the rotary kiln includes at least one rotational angle sensor for acquiring rotational angle data representing the instantaneous rotational angle of the rotary drum or one pulse sensor for determining the rotation of the rotary drum, wherein the position data and the rotational angle data is fed to the arithmetic unit, and the position data is linked with the rotational angle data that represents the instantaneous rotational angle of the rotary drum at the time of the scan of the respective surface point.

6. The rotary kiln according to claim 5 , wherein the arithmetic unit includes processing means to generate a three-dimensional model of the rotary drum from the three-dimensional position data representing the surface points and the respectively assigned rotational angle data.

7. The rotary kiln according to claim 6 , wherein the processing means includes comparing the three-dimensional model with a cylindrical comparison model; and the arithmetic unit includes output means that cooperates with the processing means in order to output local deviations of the three-dimensional model from the comparison model.

8. The rotary kiln according to claim 1 , wherein reference objects are arranged at the ends of roller shafts, the reference objects comprise spheres, and the device for detecting straightness deviations and deformation of the rotary kiln has at least one scanning device having coverage including reference objects on a roller shaft.

9. The rotary kiln according to claim 8 , wherein the processing means of the arithmetic unit is additionally designed for computationally obtaining the rotational axis of the rollers as the connection between the reference objects and for determining the parallelism of the rotational axis with the kiln axis; and the output means cooperates with the arithmetic unit in order to output deviations from said parallelism.

10. The rotary kiln according to claim 1 , wherein the rotary kiln is a clinker kiln for cement manufacturing or a lime kiln for lime manufacturing.

11. The rotary kiln according to claim 1 , wherein the arithmetic unit evaluates three-dimensional position data with respect to the occurrence of two of said deviations (i), (ii) and (iii).

12. The rotary kiln according to claim 1 , wherein the arithmetic unit evaluates three-dimensional position data with respect to the occurrence of all three of said deviations (i), (ii) and (iii).

13. A rotary kiln with a device for detecting straightness deviations and deformations of the rotary kiln,
the rotary kiln having (i) a rotary drum having bearing rings that are spaced apart from one another in the axial direction and respectively supported on rollers having roller shafts and shaft end extensions of the rollers; (ii) axial sections along the length of the rotary kiln; and (iii) a rotary axis;
the device for detecting straightness deviations and deformations of the rotary kiln comprising at least one scanning device configured to be displaced along the length of the rotary kiln to a scanning position, the at least one scanning device having a scanning coverage area, the at least one scanning device configured so that axial sections are scanned, the at least one scanning device configured and arranged to scan the outer surface area of the rotary drum, the bearing rings, the rollers, the shafts, or shaft end extensions of the rollers in a contactless fashion for the axial sections scanned within the scanning coverage area as the at least one scanning device is displaced along the length of the rotary kiln, whereby three-dimensional position data regarding the scanned objects is obtained;
at least one stationary reference point or at least one reference object within the scanning coverage area for the scanning position;
an arithmetic unit connected to the at least one scanning device, wherein the three-dimensional position data from the at least one scanning device is fed to the arithmetic unit that has an evaluation circuit for evaluating the three-dimensional position data with respect to the occurrence of a deviation of the rotary axis from a straight line, a deviation of the rotary drum from a cylindrical shape and a deviation of the rotational axes of the rollers from a line extending parallel to the rotary axis, and
the arithmetic unit correlating the three-dimensional position data with the respective stationary reference point or the respective reference object to obtain relative position data and combining and jointly evaluating the relative position data for each of the axial sections that is scanned.

Assignees

• Stutz Thomas
• Holcim Technology Ltd

Inventors

• Stutz Thomas

Classifications

• G01B21/20

  for measuring contours or curvatures, e.g. determining profile · CPC title

• F27D21/02

  Observation or illuminating devices · CPC title

• G01B11/2513

  with several lines being projected in more than one direction, e.g. grids, patterns · CPC title

• F27D21/00

  Arrangement of monitoring devices; Arrangement of safety devices · CPC title

• G01B11/16

  for measuring the deformation in a solid, e.g. optical strain gauge · CPC title