Home › Forums › Open Discussion › What is that?! (Ash Grove Cement)
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September 13, 2018 at 8:26 pm #928182
22bladesParticipantToday’s edition of What is That?!
If you’re eastbound on the High-Span and look to the right at the Ash Grove Cement plant, there is this giant “Rocket Launcher” type thing-gizmo-doohickey-whatchmacallit spinning around. I’ll save you the smart comments of “it’s to make cement”. Really though; what on earth is that thing spinning around?!
https://www.google.com/maps/@47.5680854,-122.3430717,267m/data=!3m1!1e3?hl=en
September 14, 2018 at 2:18 am #928212
mark47nParticipantThe “…thing spinning around” is the calcining kiln. It’s a more modern design than the one that has been idled at Lafarge, on the other side of the river, which is around 600′ long. The cyclones on the end help to distribute the heat (around 1900f) to calcine the raw meal, which enters the furnace on the end next to the preheat tower (west end of the kiln). The product is called clinker, which is a fancy word for chunks of cement. These are cooled on a great conveyor and stored until they need to be ground in a ball mill (a large rotating tube filled with various sizes of steel balls ranging from 1.5″ to around 5″).
September 14, 2018 at 7:23 am #928220
22bladesParticipantmark47n,
Thanks! I’ve been fascinated by it and my partner is tired of me gawking at it. It always amazes me how people will come up with such a device for a particular need. That is some piece of mechanical engineering!I grew up on a navy base with a shipyard & they would have an open house every year. As a kid, it was always fascinating. I wish more businesses (including my workplace) would have more open houses for intrigued 60+ year old kids like me. Again thanks for taking the time to explain it. My partner thanks you as well! :-)
- This reply was modified 6 years, 7 months ago by 22blades. Reason: Grammar
September 14, 2018 at 1:19 pm #928245
mark47nParticipantNucor has weekly tours that are open to the public (over 18). It’s prey cool.
September 14, 2018 at 4:44 pm #928258
22bladesParticipantHey thanks! That’s exciting & we will certainly do it! I might even drag my elderly father along if it’s possible. He worked in a steel mill as a high schooler in Pittsburgh.
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