Best Practices for Operating and Maintaining Lime Slaker Equipment

What is Lime Slaker

The lime slaker equipment is used to convert quicklime into slaked lime powder, and it has applications in various industries such as metallurgy, chemical, and construction. Lime slaker is designed into various models with different capacities and types, such as rotary drum lime slaker and u-shape tank slaker, 3 stage lime slaking system.  Here AGICO will introduce details of the working principles of lime slaker equipment, lime slaker equipment structure, hydration process, and key operational tips.

Main Equipment for Lime Slaking 

Lime slaking plant is manufactured with the main parts of storage tank, lime slaker, steam pipe, and discharge port. Among them, the storage tank is the storage and pretreatment equipment of quicklime, the lime slaker is the key equipment to realize the hydration process, steam pipe provides the necessary water supply steam for the hydration process, and the discharge port is used to discharge the slaked lime.

Working Principle Of Lime Slaker Equipment

The working principle of lime slaker is mainly used to realize hydration reaction with water vapor under high temperature and high-pressure conditions. After quicklime is conveyed to the lime slaker, the hydration process will start immediately with the water vapor under high pressure.  After about 20-30 minutes, the quicklime is slaked into slaked lime powder and discharged from the discharge port.

Chemical Process of Lime Hydration

Why use high-temperature water vapor with high pressure? First, water vapor reacts chemically with quicklime, so the quicklime's calcium oxide is converted into calcium hydroxide. At the same time, a large amount of heat energy is released. Secondly, water vapor under high temperatures and high-pressure conditions can accelerate the reaction rate between quicklime and water vapor, making quicklime easier to hydrate into slaked lime.

Instructions For Lime Slaker Equipment Operation

When operating lime slaker equipment, the following points should be noted:

• The quality and particle size of quicklime: It has large influence on the hydration effect. Generally speaking, high-quality quicklime contains lower impurities and carbonate content and is easier to hydrate. At the same time, the smaller the particle size, the larger the specific surface area, and the larger the reaction area, which is a key factor in increasing the hydration speed.
• The temperature and pressure of water vapor: This is the second key factor in accelerating the hydration process. During the operation, it is necessary to control the appropriate temperature and pressure conditions according to the characteristics and quality of quicklime, to ensure that water vapor and quicklime react fully and efficiently.
• Hydration time: It is also an important factor affecting the hydration effect. Generally speaking, the longer the hydration time, the higher the degree of hydration of quicklime. However, excessively long hydration time can result in energy waste and equipment wear, so controlling the hydration time can reduce the cost in the hydration process.
• Equipment maintenance: Lime slaker equipment is a large-scale mechanical equipment that requires regular maintenance to ensure its normal operation. Specifically, the equipment needs to be regularly inspected, cleaned, repaired, and replaced with wearing parts to ensure the stability and reliability of the equipment.

Safety Operating Procedures For Lime Slaker Equipment

Personal Safety Protection

• Before you prepare quicklime, it is essential to wear protective equipment such as dust masks, earplugs, and goggles. You should wear dust masks and work clothes if limestone powder is airborne.
• When operating the Quicklime slaker, it's important to maintain a clean and hygienic operating environment. The production site and its surroundings should be kept tidy to prevent safety incidents.
• When lime slaker is working, worker shall wear personal protective equipment such as protective clothing and safety shoes. Wearing slippers, high heels, etc. during operation is strictly prohibited.

Operational Safety Steps

• Wait for 10 seconds before entering the lime slaker area.
• The operation should be carried out under the guidance of a designated person and following the regulations. It is strictly forbidden to operate arbitrarily or adjust the system parameters privately.
• During the production process, if you encounter any problems that cannot be solved, you should stop the operation immediately and seek professional assistance to solve the problem.

Prevent Safety Accidents

• Before starting the quicklime slaker, the equipment should be inspected and ensured to be operating normally.
• During operation, it is strictly forbidden to discard any objects to avoid blocking the discharge port.
• On-site facilities shall meet operational requirements and comply with standard specifications and operating procedures.

Maintenance Procedures For Lime Slaker Equipments

Preparation Before Maintenance

1. 1. Before cleaning the quicklime slaker, turn off the power supply. Then, manually check for any limestone blocks inside the slaker.
2. 2. Before cleaning, it is necessary to check the inside of the fly ash collector and the muffler of the quicklime slaker, and clean the accumulated ash and foreign matter to avoid blockage.

Maintenance Steps

1. 1. Clean the sewage in the sedimentation tank and clean the foreign matter in the reaction extractor to ensure the normal operation of the equipment.
2. 2. Check whether all parts are loose or falling off. If there are any problems, repair or replace them in time.
3. 3. Check whether the inlet and outlet pipes, sensors, valves and other components are assembled tightly enough and whether the fans, blowers, and gearboxes are adequately lubricated.

Post-Maintenance Operations

1. After maintenance is completed, the equipment needs to be tested and inspected to ensure that the equipment is operating normally.
2. In case of equipment failure, it is essential to power down and alert professional technicians for maintenance.

The operators of limestone slaking equipment are required to understand the working principle as well as the chemical process of lime hydration, although the working principle is simple, the lime slaker operation shall be controlled precisely in lime feeding, water supply, time for hydration process. If you want to know more about limestone slaking equipment and operation tips from AGICO, don’t hesitate to send a message now!