Lecture 1 : The Gamut

The Gamut

In the color space ( Gamut ) there are 2 directions

of colors:
Black →White ( L in the scale )
Gray → primary vivid colors
( cyan \ magenta \ yellow )
( ab in the scale )
The glaze, by its own chemical components, can
vary the L from 5 to 80.
The kiln internal atmosphere may vary the
L ± 20 ( = inks consumption ± 20% ).

The Gamut relation with the kiln oxygen

( - L +ab = more vivid ( -ab = more gray

colors and more white) covering any vivid color )
Pink Orange Black Gray
Yellow Cyan Blue Dead green

The Gamut relation with other kiln gasses ( F – S – CO2 – CO - H2O )

++++ Blue \ Gray F It is a neglected gas always inside the methan gas. It is heavy and tends to lay on
kiln bottom and has to be removed.
++ Green \ Gray S In traces is always inside the methan gas, and often is some plastic clays. It is quite
difficult to be cleared in pre-heating.
++++ Gray CO2 It is normal to have CO2, but it is important the removal from the chimney and
never by cooling, otherwise the firing zone and the rapid coolig are affected.
++++ Gray CO It is rare whenever the combustion is incomplete
++++ Orange \ Green H2O There is a lot in the kiln beginning, to be removed avoiding water dropping
 Lecture 2 : The Tiles convey

Kiln tile convey by rollers

The movement of the tile inside the kiln is done by the mean of rotating alumina-ceramic rollers.
 Considering the circulation of air into and around the tiles
the roller system is quite efficient: in fact the air is
almost free to move around .
 On the opposite side the system produces difficulties in
keeping the tiles aligned ( → size differences )
 And on the opposite side the system produces difficulties
in creating differences between top and bottom
pressures, differences required by the process to inflate oxygen and to remove smoke and gasses . The air
inside the kiln is too free to move everywhere, due to the free spaces between tiles and between tiles and the
kiln walls.
The rows in entrance

The only way to keep the tile aligned inside the kiln is to have a
perfect row at the kiln entrance. Absolutely we need
that the tiles runs in a straight direction, and it is possible only
when the tiles in a row touch each other, self guiding each other.
A rhomb instead of a square creates a lot of irregular empty
spaces, and a lot of touches by corners instead of sides. The result: more difficulties to have regular kiln pressures, and
corners up \ down.
It is advisable to reduce the speed at the rows formation (by inverters ), otherwise too fast belts makes empty and
irregular areas.
The columns in entrance

Very different are the necessities with the tile columns. Very often it is required a certain distance between rows
otherwise in some parts of the kiln the tiles push each other, deforming themselves.
On the other side it is important to notice that more is the distance more difficult is to create a difference of pressure
between top and bottom of the kiln. It is advisable to keep the minimum as possible till the pre-heating zone
included, and later what it is needed. Till 900° the tile even pushed by another tile cannot deform because it is not
under sintering at all.
The tile body behaviour
Color influence Required
Kiln
description in case of bad roller
Temperature
performance speed
0 Kiln entrance average
1 0 to 250° Glazing water
- 0,1 %
More the tiles are close, less tiles borders cracks.
2 250 – 600° Chemical water + orange average
3 650 – 900° Organic materials removal.
.Only close tiles allows a significant difference of pressure
+ + gray \ green average
from top to bottom, that is necessary to wash CO2 out
from bottom.
4 900 - 1050° Expansion
+ 2%
The tiles expand and they need space enough
5 1100 – 1200° Shrinkage
Here oxygen is very critical, and some gap between the + + gray \ blue + 1,8 %
tiles is necessary to avoid touching and deformation
6 1200 - 620° Rapid cooling
+ 1,8 →
Here the tiles solidify again, and they are very sensitive to + + gray \ violet
1%
oxygen and air winds. Speed slows down.
7 620 – 500° Critical cooling average
8 500 – 0° Slow cooling + 3%
 Lecture 3 : Kiln pressures

Kiln scheme

300 780 930 1000 1200 1200 1180 720 620 480 100
= - 0,1 - 0,1 = = = = = = + 2 + 2 + 2 + 1,9 + 1,8 + 1,8 + 1 = = = = +3 +3 +3 +3
Kiln speeds

The pressure fires and cool the tiles

Everybody thinks that to fire is enough to have temperature. This is true only in a very long firing kiln ( > 24 hrs ). In our
case we are working with firing cycles shorter then 1 hr: and it is important how fast the heat, generated by the burners, is
going inside the tile.
The science tells us that higher the pressure faster is the heat penetration into the tile.
At T° >1100° a + 0,1 mm\H2O in firing zone is equivalent to 2’ longer the same zone ( same as 1 more firing module ),
or 10° higher in temperature. In our case + 0,25 pressure means 2,5 modules or 5’ more in firing.
Not only, higher pressure makes much higher consistency in tile size and tile colors inside the row, with less
differences between the central tile and the side one.
The same it happens in rapid cooling, where the fresh air pressure plays for the consistency.
The kiln pressure is the result of the balance of :
 Suction from kiln entrance
 Suction from cooling
 Hot air inlet through the burners
 Fresh air inlet by burners
 Fresh air inlet in rapid cooling ( the direction and oxygen )
 Fresh air inlet in slow cooling
Kiln pressures scheme

From the scheme important matters have to be underlined:

 Firing on top is always on pressure otherwise we don’t fire enough the tile
 Firing on bottom is always in slight negative pressure, to remove the smoke of the burners from bottom, but still
not too much de-pressure otherwise we don’t fire the body. The glaze and printing are well fired under
pressure and oxygen while the body bottom is much less fired. The system requires fast firing body.
 The beginning of rapid cooling should always be in pressure to guarantee planarity stability ( and not
cracks ), but also consistent color shades. Oxygen is not the issue : a lot of air is going into.
 In the expansion it is important to remove gasses from bottom, having big negative pressure on bottom in
comparison the smuch smaller negative pressure on top.
 In the de-gas zone is same as in the expansion zone but the top burners just inflate air – oxygen to enrich the
atmosphera inside the kiln.
 Lecture 4 : gasses removal

Water removal at kiln beginning

In order to clear the water from the tiles the heat should penetrate quickly into
the tiles. As explained before to penetrate quickly we need pressure, and
unfortunately we are close to the sucking chimney that creates de-pressure. We
can have 3 tools: opening A, windows C, and the most efficient inflating pipe B.
It is the most efficient because it squeezes the hot wind against the tile.

The 2nd important problem in kiln beginning is that the temperature cannot be
too high, otherwise the tiles explode.
In the same time the internal roof cannot be too cold otherwise there will be a water condensation and dropping from
the roof. Blowing pipe B helps a lot, because it cools after the main vapour zone and creates pressure ( A and B not ) able
to move the winds partially from top to bottom. A tile is better to be dried sucking from bottom instead of top.

CO2 removal in pre-heating

The only way the be sure to remove all organic substances of the body is to
inflate air ( extra oxygen ) on top in the degasification zone ( 780° ~ 940° ).
This can be done using the top burners not with gas, but with air only.

Not only, it is very important to force the CO2 smoke going from top to bottom,
being sure to have in that zone a difference in negative pressure > 0,5
mm\H2O. Such situation make a tile “washing” because the oxygen is obliged
to pass through the tiles going downward.

Heavy gasses removal

The heavy gasses ( F and S ) tend firmly

to lay on the bottom of the kiln. They are
generated everywhere into the kiln, but
finally they tend to lay just in the pre-
heating, moved there by the chimney
suction, but without chance to jump the
bottom step located between the pre-kiln
and the pre-heating zones.

The step should be smoothen down to allow the heavy gasses to jump up.

Not only, in the de-gas zone bottom some ray burners helps a lot to move the too quiet gasses. In fact the Ray burners,
having a very directional flame, can continuously move what is on floor of the kiln. For this reason the Ray burners
called green cleaners.

Rapid cooling air as a way to stop the heavy gasses

Many reasons impose to keep a positive pressure in the

beginning of rapid cooling:
 Allow pressure in the firing zone
 Cool even the tile row because in pressure, gaining a
more close planarity between the tiles
 Better gamut because extra oxygen and pressure are
there
 All floating gasses in the kiln floor cannot go toward the slow cooling, because blocked by the pressure.
 Lecture 5 : kiln controls

Records of pressure
Date Firing
Firing Rapid Chimney Heat
As explained before the check of the kiln pressure is very 14-10 zone up
zone
cooling suction recycle
important to: 2013 down
 Get planarity stable in a row of tiles 02 am + 0,25 - 0,1 + 0,1 18 24
 Gain the best Gamut and less digital inks 06 am + 0,25 - 0,05 + 0,15 17 23
consumption 10 am + 0,3 - 0,0 + 0,2 16 23
 To move correctly all the gasses inside the kiln
14 pm + 0,25 - 0,05 + 0,15 17 23
The check should be done every 4 hours in the kiln 18 pm + 0,2 - 0,05 + 0,15 17 23
critical areas. The scheme aside is used in other factories 22 pm + 0,25 - 0,05 + 0,15 17 23
to guide the kiln operators.

Necessity of a proper gauge set

A digital gauge makes the job quite easier and fast. In

addition such gauge is able to detect 0,01 mm\ H2O, very
precisely, while the manual manometer roughly detects 0,1
mm\ H2O. In our case a min 0,05 scale is required.

Tests to control the kiln behaviour

There is the necessity to test the Gamut

behaviour of the kiln every day. The
test indicates anomalies of gasses inside
the kiln.

A suitable color chart is as the one

aside. The glaze should be the running
glaze.

Pls note that this job should be done

daily by the kiln operators. Just in case
of some changes done in the kiln (
pressures, air to the burners, suction )
the test should be repeated.

Examination tests

The tests are giving as a color \ planarity problem to be solved. Each test gives some entry data:
 Description of the problem
 Some numerical data already detected
The answer requires:
 Collection of more data ( by manometer, by watching the rows entering, by checking burners, etc )
 Logical conclusion
 Correct action to be done

Cestari Mauro, august2014