A tunnel kiln is a continuous kiln used in large manufacturing operations to process materials like bricks, tiles, and ceramics. It can be heated with electric or gas-fired units and has various designs for specific environmental conditions.
A tunnel kiln is a type of continuous kiln that is typically open at both ends and heated centrally. Materials, such as bricks, can be passed through the device continuously, allowing for processing of large volumes without shutting down the kiln between batches. The simplest tunnel kiln consists of a single heat source at the center of the device, with the materials heating slowly and subsequently cooling as they pass through. More complex versions can be sealed from the outside atmosphere, provide multiple stages of heating and cooling, and offer a variety of internal atmospheric conditions.
The tunnel kiln has a variety of applications in many different industries, but is typically used in large manufacturing operations. It may use a moving belt as a method of carrying through the device, a truck system, a pusher plate, or a number of other options. Regardless of the particular design, the purpose of the device tends to be to process a large amount of material continuously.
Several methods can be used to heat tunnel ovens. Typical sources of heat are electric heaters and gas-fired units, even with dual heating systems. Some can also save energy by capturing heat at the cooling end and recirculating it to help preheat the materials entering the device.
Materials like bricks, tiles, and ceramics are some common products that can be mass-produced with the help of a tunnel kiln. Products like these can also be fired using an intermittent kiln, although this involves loading the device, sealing and unloading for each new batch. Tunnel kilns offer the advantage of a continuous process, such that some materials begin to heat at one end of the device, while others are fired in the middle and still others cool at the end.
More complicated tunnel furnaces can be designed to process other types of materials that require specific environmental conditions. This may result in a tunnel kiln with tightly controlled atmospheric and thermal specifications. Some designs may incorporate multiple temperature zones and atmosphere types into a single unit. These highly regulated systems can be used to process things like solar cells, oxygen sensors and rare earth elements. Electronic components, such as varistors, thermistors and capacitors, can also be processed, while other industries can create advanced ceramics or various phosphors.
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