Kiln Control and Monitoring

The system was designed for the control and monitoring of a continuously operating Glost tunnel kiln used for the firing of pottery. The kiln is split into eight temperature controlled zones, each of which is controlled by a discrete PID controller. The controllers are all then networked back to the supervisory computer.

Any number of recipes can be entered into the system, each containing: the controller setpoints; a ramp rate; and an indication of typical use for the recipe. The operator can select from the defined recipes for different product runs. The system will then automatically ramp to the required temperatures at the defined ramp rates.

Also available are standard recipes to accommodate startups, run downs and normal operations. During kiln firing, signals are continuously checked against their allowed limits and any resulting alarms are logged. Alarms are also indicated on the permanent alarm banner and through an alarm beacon.

A facility is available to allow the operator to enter details about the cars entering the kiln, such as total weight. Using knowledge of the empty weights of each car, the system calculates other values such as fuel usage for the car.

If you have a kiln control and monitoring application and would like more information please contact us.