GRANULATION PLANT FOR PRODUCTION OF SINGLE FIRED LIGHT TILES

Obiettivo

Aim is to install a plant for the preparation of raw material used in the production of single fired light tiles utilizing a new manufacturing process in order to save energy. At present wet milling (40 % water) is used.
In the new plant a dry milling is followed by the granulation of milled material (13 % water max.). Drying in a fluid bed drier and a screening complete the preparation process. Mills and granulator are controlled by a microprocessor.
The plant is innovative and was installed in a factory at Solignano - MO (I) in August 1988. The thermal (more than 40%) and electrical energy savings arise because the wet process is superseded by the dry one.
The project is designed to check the technological feasibility of single-fired whiteware tiles with powders prepared by dry grinding plus granulation system and study the rationalization of the use of energy sources in a ceramic factory.
From the technological point of view, the demonstrative project has shown that the innovative system is feasible.
From the energetic point of view, the following values for the various eleemnts are obtained:
ACTUAL FIGURE
* Electrical energy saving : 0.05 GWh/year
* Thermal energy saving : 340.58 TOE/year
PREVISIONAL FIGURE
* Electrical energy saving : none
* Thermal energy saving : 1465 TOE/year
It is of interest and important for the ceramic floor and wall tile industry to be able to adopt innovative technologies which today seems to show particularly interesting possibilities for improvement in regard to energy consumption is that of the preparation of raw materials, for which technological solutions are being sought as alternatives to the expensive processes of wet grinding and spray drying. The most promising technology seems to be that of dry grinding followed by granulation. This technology is potentially capable of providing powders for dust pressing with flow characteristics and characteristics of compactness and capacity to fill the molds not very different from those of raw materials obtained by wet grinding and spray drying, but with unquestionably lower energy costs. The economic-energy point of view is not and must not be the only one used to evaluate and termine the competitiveness of a technology.
Indeed, the technical and aesthetic quality of the final product plays a role of absolute pre-eminence, and even considerations of energy costs can take second place with respect to interest in producing and putting products on the market which, for example, have better physicochemical properties or particularly attractive appearances.
All these observations and considerations were taken into account when programming the present study which is not limited to just the verification of the energetic aspects of the granulation technology, but rather also includes a critical examination of its influence on the quality of the product. In this way, indications can be obtained in regard to the limits in the application of granulation technology.
An overall evaluation will be made of the performance of the system developed and studied and the quality of the product plays a particularly important role in making such an evaluation.
The objective of the research program is to develop a granulation system, as a demonstration project, for use in preparation of the raw materials for the manufacture of single fired, within ware tile. This system, presently in the phase of realization, is described schematically in the next section. Along with the realization of the granulation system, in the first phase of the research activity, a preliminary, systematic study also was made of the raw materials and mixes to be used when studying the performance of the granulation system devised. Such a preliminary study is necessary to obtain precise and documented criteria for choosing the most suitable mix, from the point of view of product quality and cost, for the technology being tested. This work was first carried out on a laboratory scale and then on a semi-industrial scale using a pilot system for granulation which operated according to principles essentially the same as those of the demonstration system in the process of being realized.
In successive experimentation preparation of the powders for whiteware mixes was developed on an industrial scale.

Programma(i)

ENG-ENDEMO C - Programme (EEC) of demonstration projects and industrial pilot projects (EEC) in the energy field, 1985-1989

Argomento(i)

3.4 - INDUSTRY

Invito a presentare proposte

Data not available

Meccanismo di finanziamento

DEM - Demonstration contracts

Coordinatore

GMV Dinamica SpA

Contributo UE

Nessun dato

Indirizzo

Via G. Barbolini 43
42014 Castellarano Reggio nell'Emilia
Italia

Costo totale