DESIGN, CONSTRUCTION AND

AUTOMATION OF TUNNEL KILNS

Automatic Control and Instrumentation

CONTROL OF THERMAL PROCESSES

Professor Rolando Villalobos Miranda

7D1

Carlos Abraham Casas 13300051

Andrea Guillermina Castellanos Landa 13300054
Gabriel Rodríguez 13300
Miguel Ángel Hernández Márquez 13300153
Beto Atlahuac 13300
Juan Pablo Rico Pérez 13300
Introduction
The tunnel oven is an efficient oven when you need to either heat or cook food,
dehydrate fruits, you can even add steam to the cooking for better results since
sometimes the food could dry out.

This type of oven is easy to use and low maintenance since what comes into
contact with the material to be heated is a band that can be metal or a refractory
hearth tape.

It is a very useful oven in food industries that need to make products in large
quantities since you can add systems that make it automatic, you can automate the
quantities of material that are introduced into the oven, the working temperature,
the speed of the conveyor belt in response to working temperature. Some ovens
incorporate a vaporization or devaporization system either so that the food does
not dry out or to dehydrate fruits.

As previously mentioned, this oven makes the food cooking process more efficient
since large industries, when producing mass, need their food to come out in perfect
condition, in the shortest time possible and with the minimum amount of labor.
work that is possible since for them it represents a smaller amount in terms of what
it costs them to make the product.

Another of the great advantages that this oven has is that it is quite clean since the
food only comes into contact with a metal band. There are several types of band
depending on how the food is going to be introduced, either in a mold or on the
same belt. .

Justification
We carry out this work because we find it quite interesting how it is that with an
oven so simple in terms of construction and handling, activities can be carried out
that can save time and work for large industries.

It is an oven which can be made automated in many aspects, which would provide
great benefits to the companies that use them.

Another aspect why we chose this type of oven is that it is very common in food
industries.

We hope to better understand how the oven works as well as make it more
attractive and productive for companies.

Goals
 Carry out research on what the tunnel oven is to better understand its
operation.
 Develop a simulation of the tunnel oven.
 Develop a tunnel kiln design.
 Develop a tunnel kiln control system.
 Develop a representative model of what the oven is, its parts and a small
demonstration of what an automaton can be made.
 Explain the advantages and disadvantages of this type of oven.
 Demonstrate that this type of oven is a good alternative for all those
companies that are developing so that their processes are more efficient,
safe and that they leave them with great profits.
Historical background
The first successful tunnel kiln was designed by O. Bock in England and patented
in 1877 The Bock kiln had a sand seal similar to those used today, but had the
disadvantage of being too short to provide good firing of the pottery. Another
difficulty in the first attempts to build tunnel kilns was the burning of the fuel, since
fuel oil or gas burners had not yet appeared. Bock's kiln was fed by pouring coal
through openings in the crown of the kiln, which was then burned among the load
of bricks.

As stated by Hosny Z. (2004) after starting up the first tunnel kiln in the brick
industry in Germany in 1953, it became evident that the actual energy consumption
was much higher than the ideal which is 550 kJ. /kg. Since then, a series of works
have been carried out that seek to improve aspects of the ovens such as: RW firing
techniques Richards (1990) and H. Lingl (1998), reduction of false R air leaks.
Riedel, (1989), pollution control J. Dennisen (1998). In addition, mathematical
models have been developed to investigate the effects of designs and operating
parameters on the furnace, such as the work carried out by S. Vogat (1991), A.I.
Hurst (1992), A.E. Van Duuren (1994) and many energy conservation techniques
in industrial furnaces have been suggested and implemented such as the work
carried out by A. Saber (1787), MG Carvalho (1997), M. Swidan (1997).
Tunnel Kiln

Definition: As its name indicates, its special construction is in the form of a tunnel,
where the load travels from one end of the oven to the other on a conveyor belt.
The Tunnel Oven is an oven model that incorporates the most modern heating
techniques. In the Continuous Oven or Tunnel Oven, the product to be fired enters
through one end and exits through the other, and gas, diesel oil or, if working at
lower temperatures, electric radiators can be used as fuel. It is also possible to find
both heat sources combined.

Heat Transmission: The cooking method can be of two types:

 Radiant (or direct) where the material is in contact with the heat source, the
heat transmission being around 80% by radiation and the other 20% would be
by convection. This way of working is usually used more for gas ovens, where
the flame will be in direct contact with the pieces, [35].
 Convection (or indirect) where the material is out of reach of the heat source.
This type of oven can be any of those mentioned above, although using gas or
diesel oil, convection can be done using a remote flame or by heating tubes or
plates.

Features: These ovens are easy to use and low maintenance, which guarantees
the absence of problems during their long operational life. They are designed to
cover any manufacturing need in industries. They have a fixed hearth moving the
pieces to be fired.

Use: In the industry, the furnace with the highest performance for large production
is the car tunnel furnace. In this type of kiln the ceramics are slowly transported on
wheelbarrows through the tunnel.

This type of furnace has a large number of applications, such as quenching,

annealing, tempering, carburizing, preheating, hardening, artificial aging, soft
annealing or tempering, drying,... But in each of the examples mentioned there is a
common objective, to adapt the profile of the temperature curve so that the
application minimizes the effect of poor temperature distribution.

Advantages: The great advantage of the tunnel oven is that no heat is lost in the
periodic heating and cooling of the oven itself. The constant temperature also
extends the life of the oven, since it is not subject to the alternating expansion and
contraction caused by heating and cooling. The cooking cycle can be easily
adjusted by controlling the speed of the carts.
Operation: During the heating cycle the trucks approach the hot zone in the center.
And then they head for the exit at the cold end. The movement of the cars inside
the oven is continuous and uniform.

Three main zones are distinguished throughout the tunnel kiln:

1.- preheating zone,

2.- cooking zone
3.- Cooling zone.

On both sides of the cooking area, located in the central part of the tunnel, there
are burners, which can be fuel or gas.

The heating of the material is, in this way, gradual up to the maximum temperature.
Once the cooking zone has been crossed, gradual cooling occurs by means of a
current of air that circulates in countercurrent and is introduced into the oven by
means of fans.

It includes five perfectly defined periods:

1. Preliminary heating (drying and heating):

The preliminary heating area is preceded by an intake antechamber into which
the cars with the raw materials to be baked are introduced. When the
antechamber door is opened, an interior metal guillotine door prevents cold air
from entering the oven. The antechamber is followed by the preliminary heating
zone into which the combustion fumes enter through several openings located
on the furnace floor. By throttling the passage of smoke to a greater or lesser
extent, the heating temperature will be regulated.
2. Cooking:
In the cooking area of the oven there are numerous burners for the combustion
of the gas generated in the gas generator and a series of auxiliary air inlets.

3. First cooling zone:

 The first cooling zone is characterized by the considerable thickness of its outer
walls, avoiding exaggerated losses due to irradiation and excessively rapid
cooling of the cooked products.
4. Second cooling zone:
The second cooling zone is characterized by its much thinner walls than in the
previous zone, so that heat losses through the masonry are greater and vertical
ducts for the passage of fresh air allow the regulation of cooling. This air is
evacuated to the outside by induced draft of a fan located on the oven vault.
5. Third cooling zone:
The third cooling zone or exit antechamber is separated from the previous one
by a metal guillotine door that prevents the access of cold air, when the furnace
discharge door is opened, for the exit of the cars. It is made up of a thin-walled
chamber, or better yet, made of iron sheet.
The free flame tunnel oven is the most classic and simple of the tunnel ovens. It is
made up of a straight gallery with a relatively small section and a length that can
reach 130 meters. The gallery is provided with doors on both sides
Tunnel Kiln Design.
Cyclothermal Warming:

Through this indirect heating system, the heating gases are completely separated
from the cooking chamber, that is, they do not come into contact with the product.
Traveling through the upper and lower radiators, the heating gases transmit their
heat to the cooking chamber, while a circulation fan carries them back to the
combustion chamber. It is here where, mixing with the hot gases recently produced
by the burner, they are sent back to the radiators to heat the cooking chamber,
thereby achieving significant energy savings.

Materials:

The choice of material was based on efficiency and the operation of the oven for
better and productive work. Many of the materials mentioned may vary due to the
factors mentioned previously.

The body is constructed using a metal frame with a removable casing. The side
linings can be made of PVC or stainless steel on the outside and galvanized on the
inside, the cover is made of galvanized sheet. The entrance and exit of the oven,
as well as the steam hoods, are made of stainless steel. The entry and exit doors
are adjustable vertically, depending on the height of the product to be cooked.

Air Circulation System:

It is common to divide the oven into several temperature zones where the use of
forced air circulation to avoid sudden changes is essential. The heat and air flow
system inside the oven tunnel generates a convection effect, ensuring that the
cooking of the product masses is uniform. You can find ovens with horizontal or
vertical air circulation to adapt to the load.

Heating System:
The number and dimensions of the burners will vary depending on the length,
width and height of the oven tunnel and also the masses of the product to be
cooked. It is advisable to have a considerable height and properly distribute the
heaters.

The arrangement of these may vary depending on the type of burners and the area
in which they are located, for example it indicates that in the preheating or low
temperature area it is necessary to improve the heat transfer rate. To do this, it is
convenient to inject high-velocity air through the upper part of the oven and place
high-power heat sources in the lower part of the oven so that the air jet breaks this
distribution. While in the high temperature zone, or simply, cooking zone, other
types of heaters that enhance heat transfer by radiation should be used. Another
example can be found where it is indicated that the heaters must be arranged
transversely at the upper and lower levels, projecting the heat towards the upper
and lower faces of the chain or conveyor belt.

Transportation systems:

The Tunnel Oven is made up of a continuously moving belt, on which the product
is placed. The different alternatives that we can use depending on the type of
product to be manufactured are the following.

METAL TAPE WITHOUT GUIDES: Allows the product

to be cooked on the belt itself, thanks to its compact
weave.
GUIDED METAL TAPE:
Ideal for baking products
in molds, due to the guides that the belt has on the
main drums of the entrance and the exit from the
oven, no centering system for the belt being
necessary.
REFRACTORY FLOOR
TAPE: For certain products that require
special conditions on the floor of the product. It
combines the benefits of salt ovens with the
productivity of tunnel ovens.
Construction of Tunnel Kiln.

The figure is a basic diagram of the pilot plant, formed by the oven and the
conveyor belt.

In the oven we have 3 ceramic heaters in the upper part, and 6 fans, as well as 2
“blowers” on the sides over the inlet and outlet openings. Using heaters and fans
we can control the heat supplied to the objects that pass through the conveyor belt,
and with blowers we control the air flow between the inlet and outlet, which directly
affects the heated objects.

Along the route we have 6 temperature sensors. The design of the belt has been
made so that the objects take approximately 2.5 minutes to pass from the entrance
to the exit.