229: Chapter 229 Cement Produced!

The transmission device consists of a Steam Engine, a reducer, a coupling, a small gear, and a large gear ring.

The Steam Engine transmits power to the small gear through the reducer; the small gear meshes with the large gear ring fixed on the kiln shell, driving the kiln shell to rotate at a certain speed.

The transmission device is also equipped with a speed control unit, which can adjust the rotation speed of the kiln shell according to production needs.

Sealing devices are installed at both ends of the kiln shell to prevent the leakage of hot gas and dust from inside the kiln, while also preventing outside air from entering.

The combustion device is located at the kiln head, providing heat to the kiln so that the materials can be calcined at high temperatures.

The combustion device mainly includes coal injection pipes and burners; by adjusting the amount of coal injected and the ventilation volume, the combustion temperature and flame shape can be controlled to meet the technical requirements for Cement Clinker calcination.

The preheating device usually employs a preheater, which utilizes the heat from the waste gas discharged from the kiln tail to preheat the raw material, raising its temperature and reducing energy consumption.

Common preheaters include cyclone preheaters and vertical shaft preheaters, which consist of multiple preheating units connected by pipes, allowing the raw material to undergo sufficient heat exchange with the waste gas within the preheater.

The cooling device is located at the kiln head and is used to cool the calcined clinker.

The cooling device not only improves the quality and grindability of the clinker but also recovers the heat carried away by the clinker to preheat the air, thereby increasing combustion efficiency.

Zhao Fusu frowned.

This Cement Rotary Kiln was more complicated than he had imagined!

If he had to develop it from scratch, it would likely take a considerable amount of time!

Even though it would take the Right Worthy King a long time to drive a million cattle from Yinshan to the Qinglan Grassland...

Zhao Fusu was afraid that by the time the Right Worthy King arrived at the Qinglan Grassland with his million cattle, his Cement Rotary Kiln still wouldn't be finished.

"System, oh System, can't you just give me a steam-powered Cement Rotary Kiln?"

Zhao Fusu muttered as he looked at the check-in page for today, which he hadn't used yet.

He hadn't even built the Steel Mill in Shangjun yet.

Asking him to produce a steam Cement Rotary Kiln here—he wouldn't be able to do it without several months of work.

How could he wait several months!

He desperately needed time right now!

Zhao Fusu gritted his teeth, hoping that after hearing his inner thoughts, the system would make arrangements and give him the steam Cement Rotary Kiln he needed through the check-in.

After letting out a breath, Zhao Fusu clicked to check in.

"Congratulations to the host for a successful check-in."

"Congratulations to the host for obtaining one steam Cement Rotary Kiln through the check-in."

The pleasant voice of the system echoed in Zhao Fusu's mind.

"Six six six, amazing!"

Zhao Fusu hadn't expected that just by muttering a sentence, the system would actually give him a steam Cement Rotary Kiln.

"System, thank you so much!"

Zhao Fusu said with immense gratitude.

"You are welcome."

The system's pleasant voice surfaced in Zhao Fusu's mind again.

The corners of Zhao Fusu's mouth curled up; his system was actually intelligent!

Good, good, good!

Zhao Fusu immediately went to arrange the matters for cement production.

Within the designated Industrial Zone, he summoned the massive steam Cement Rotary Kiln.

The dimensions were quite large; the kiln shell reached a staggering length of 50 meters and a diameter of 3 meters!

Looking at this behemoth, Zhao Fusu couldn't help but swallow hard.

With such a large volume, the amount of cement it produced would surely be impressive!

However, for the Steam Engine to push such a big fellow into rotation, it would likely require burning fuel for a long time.

While Zhao Fusu had people build a factory building to cover the steam Cement Rotary Kiln, he also sent people to collect the raw materials for cement production.

Once the limestone, clay, iron ore, and coal were collected, they were crushed to reduce their particle size, facilitating subsequent grinding and homogenization.

To ensure the uniformity of the raw material components, Zhao Fusu used a pre-homogenization yard to homogenize the materials.

Through stacking and reclaiming operations, the chemical components of the raw materials were preliminarily homogenized before entering the grinding process, reducing the impact of component fluctuations on subsequent production.

After mixing the crushed and pre-homogenized raw materials in a certain proportion, they were ground to create cement Raw Meal.

Once the Raw Meal was prepared, the most critical step was to turn it into clinker.

This was a true test of skill!

Zhao Fusu first had a large amount of cement Raw Meal placed into the kiln.

Then, he had the Steam Engine started.

Once the Steam Engine could drive the massive rotary kiln to rotate, he began having people ignite the fire at the kiln head.

Pulverized coal fuel was injected at the kiln head and mixed with air for combustion, providing the heat required for calcination.

By adjusting the coal injection and ventilation, the combustion temperature and flame shape were controlled.

The steam Cement Rotary Kiln provided by the system had a thermometer, making it convenient for Zhao Fusu to control the temperature.

When the internal furnace temperature reached 1430 degrees, Zhao Fusu stopped the coal injection and air blast, maintaining this temperature for calcination to allow for a large-scale reaction to generate C3S.

This period lasted 5 to 25 minutes.

Zhao Fusu burned it for 25 minutes before finally stopping the fire.

He was trying his best to maximize the C3S content in the Cement Clinker and increase the cement's grade.

The Cement Grade is an indicator of cement strength.

The higher the grade, the higher the degree of firmness after the cement is mixed with water, set, and hardened.

After the calcined clinker was discharged from the rotary kiln, it entered a cooler for cooling.

The purpose of the cooler was to rapidly cool the clinker, improving its quality and grindability, while simultaneously recovering the heat carried away by the clinker to preheat the combustion air and improve combustion efficiency.

After the Cement Clinker had cooled, it was mixed with other materials and ground to finally form cement.

Zhao Fusu grabbed a handful of cement with his hand.

His hand felt hot and stinging as it was corroded by the cement.

Based on his experience moving bricks and working as a laborer on construction sites, this kind of bluish-black cement had a relatively high grade.

The corners of Zhao Fusu's mouth curled up; he was in a good mood.

He guessed this was because the temperature was sufficient and the calcination time was long enough to react and generate a large amount of C3S.

"Husband, what is this thing?"

Wang Xia blinked her beautiful eyes, staring at the cement in Zhao Fusu's hand, her pretty face full of curiosity.

"Cement!"

"Man-made stone!"

Zhao Fusu said, "After mixing this cement with water, sand, and stones, its hardness becomes just like stone!"

"Re—really?"

Wang Xia looked at the bluish-black cement in his hand, somewhat incredulous that this powder could have such a magical effect.

"Try the effect and you'll know."

Zhao Fusu said with a smile.

He guessed the grade was roughly 52.5, which could be used for pouring floor slabs.

As for the exact grade, he didn't have the machinery to test it.

But having spent a long time on construction sites, he could roughly judge the cement's grade by striking it with a sledgehammer.