Dipl.-Wirtsch.-Ing. (TU) Jens Amberg

Air energy meter – initial practical experience at a brickyard

At brickworks, the medium “process air” transports large amounts of energy. Only in rare cases, however, are the airflow volumes and energy quantities continuously monitored. With a “Luftmeister” air energy meter, though, volume flow and heat rate can be quantified even in sophisticated process-air applications. The device also calculates the amount of energy passing through the air duct at any given time. Taking as an example the fully functional prototype installed at the Röben plant in Bannberscheid, this report elucidates the technology and recounts some initial field experience.

At a typical brickwork, the volumetric flows of diverse media need to be kept under surveillance. As a rule, this serves to facilitate the task of operational energy management. For any energy intensive industrial enterprise, this is not merely a hollow gesture but a matter of high cost relevance.

In most cases, this concerted array of logged data lacks one additional media flow: that of process air. Practically every conceivable brickyard has numerous large air ducts with diameters reaching 1 500 to 2 000 mm or more. Often, the conducted air displays temperatures on the order of 600 °C. Hence,...

Related articles:

Issue 1/2016 Dipl.-Wirtsch.-Ing. Jens Amberg

Monitoring air-energy flow in the brick and tile industry

Over the past few years, most producing companies in the brick and tile industry have implemented an energy management system. Whether a company proceeds according to DIN EN 50001, as the leading...

more
Issue 8/2016

Air-energy monitoring in a brickworks – first experience from the field

In the production of clay bricks and roofing tiles, reliably temperature-controlled air flows must be supplied to the process. In numerous process steps, waste heat is produced, which is mostly...

more
Issue 8/2015

Air volume monitoring as a component of energy­ management­

In practically any and all brickworks, large volumes of air have to be handled. While the pertinent processes are checked and evaluated as part of the acceptance inspection, they are hardly ever...

more
Issue 1-2/2011 In memory of Dr.-Ing. Karsten Junge gewidmet Dr.-Ing. Karsten Junge

The solid-solid recuperator – a forced-convection tunnel kiln for higher energy efficiency

1 Introduction In principle, the manufacture of ceramic products requires no energy, because sintering is an energetically neutral pro­cess. For endothermic reactions, however, such as limestone...

more
Issue 11/2012

On the preparation of energy balances for brick and tile-making plants (Part 3)

11 Performance of measurements Now, following the information provided with regard to the measuring instruments required for gathering data, let us turn our attention to the actual performance of...

more