Method of operating a rotary calciner retrofitted to coal-firing

Claim 1

A method for operating a rotary calciner designed to process trona ore with oil or natural gas-firing and retrofitted to include coal-firing, which comprises (a) burning coal with air in a coal furnace to yield combustion gases whose temperature is below the softening point of the coal ash; (b) directing the coal-combustion gases, from which entrained fly ash particles have been removed, into proximity to a natural gas or oil booster burner; (c) burning sufficient natural gas or oil in the booster burner, in the presence of the coal combustion gases but not in direct contact with the trona ore, to raise the temperature of the resultant combined combustion gases to at least 2300° F. but not more than 3000° F.; (d) limiting the relative amount of natural gas or oil burned with respect to the coal such that at least half of the heat value in the resultant combined combustion gases is supplied from the coal combustion; and (e) introducing the resultant combined combustion gases into a rotary calciner, whereby up to a design capacity rate of material is processed by contact with such hot combustion gases.

Claim 2

A method for operating a rotary calciner designed to process trona ore with oil or natural gas-firing and retrofitted to include coal-firing, which comprises (a) burning coal with air in a coal furnace to yield combustion gases whose temperature is below the softening point of the coal ash; (b) directing the coal-combustion gases, from which entrained fly ash particles have been removed, into proximity to a natural gas or oil booster burner; (c) burning sufficient natural gas or oil in the booster burner, in the presence of the coal combustion gases but not in direct contact with the trona ore, to raise the temperature of the resultant combined combustion gases to at least 2300° F. but not more than 3000° F.; (d) limiting the relative amount of natural gas or oil burned with respect to the coal such that at least half of the heat value in the resultant combined combustion gases is supplied from the coal combustion; and (e) introducing the resultant combined combustion gases into a rotary calciner, whereby up to a design capacity rate of material is processed by contact with such hot combustion gases.