Direxa Engineering successfully concludes projects
General Shale (Wienerberger) Rome plant – coal-to-gas conversion for kiln
With the price of gas having dipped down dramatically in the USA over the last few years, General Shale has recently converted a coal-fired kiln into gas firing at its Rome, Georgia (USA) facility. Direxa Engineering was entrusted with supplying the new gas burners, the supervision of their installation and the computer control of the new setup, which was integrated into the existing control system. By working closely together General Shale and Direxa Engineering were able to switch from coal to gas firing almost “on the fly”, with the kiln being stopped only for a few hours on a few occasions.
CSR Vermont clay roofing tile plant – cooling modification
With increasing energy costs in Australia, and the addition of a carbon tax last year, CSR decided to improve the heat recovery from the kiln to the dryer at its Vermont/Victoria plant in Australia. Following extensive consultation, Direxa Engineering was entrusted with the design and installation of a kiln high-temperature heat recovery system and distributing this heat into the dryer at strategic locations. The modification was completed over the Christmas/New Year plant shutdown period. The result is an impressive approx. 20% saving in gas.
Boral USA – robotic dehacker for the Bessemer plant
ASI of Knoxville, Arkansas, the automatic handling machinery engineering company for the brick industry and other industries, was engaged by Boral Bricks to build a new automatic unloading/packaging line for its Bessemer, Alabama plant. In turn ASI retained Direxa Engineering to provide the robotic part of the machinery with integration of the robots (which stacks the brick packs) into the main control system of the machinery. This project was completed early this year.
Cast casing kiln for Artil, Angola
Direxa Engineering secured an order from the Artil Ltda Company in Angola for the supply of a cast casing kiln, complete with ventilation, firing equipment and kiln cars, capable of producing 200 tonnes brick per day. The kiln’s pre-fabricated panels were cast in China, working in close relation with JC Steele & Sons Asia (JC Steele & Sons is part owner of Direxa Engineering). The panels have been delivered as well as most of the equipment and, the site assembly has started. Commissioning of the kiln is expected to take place early 2014.
Hollow block plant for the Incerpaz Group, Santa Cruz, Bolivia
In 2012 Direxa Engineering received the order for a plant to produce hollow blocks from one of the leading clay product manufacturers in Bolivia, the Incerpaz Group. By working very closely with the customer, Direxa was able to build a plant with state-of-the-art technology while maximizing the amount of equipment sourced and built locally (through the customer’s own internal resources), thus keeping the cost at a minimum. The plant is fully automatic, with robotic setting and unloading/packaging, a cast casing kiln and a rapid dryer. It is designed to produce 400 tonnes products per day and is currently being commissioned, with completion planned for the end of 2013.
Direxa Engineering Brazil growing significantly
The Brazilian subsidiary of Direxa Engineering is seeing its hard work pay off – growth is noticeable! Direxa Engineering in Brazil has developed its own line of high-efficiency dryer ventilation systems and a highly versatile and reliable sawdust firing system. Direxa Engineering Brazil is enjoying on average a half dozen dryer and kiln upgrade projects on a permanent basis. Occasional bigger projects also come along on a regular basis, including a complete dryer for Ceramicá Rohr in Rio Grande do Sul (completion in late 2013) and another complete brick plant for the Incerpaz Group, outside Bolivia, in the State of Sao Paulo, Brazil.
Direxa Engineering promoting revolutionary gasifier
Direxa Engineering is the official licensee for the ceramic industry for a revolutionary gasifying system, the EJ-2 gasifier, developed and manufactured by Enerjetik LLC based in Denver, Colorado. This gasifier is really unique and offers the following advantages over competitive products:
› Flexibility of feedstock (any biomass, domestic waste, sewage sludge)
› High overall efficiency (up to 88% of available energy converted to syngas)
› High calorific value of gas produced (syngas), up to 450 Btu/ft3 (4 000 kcal/m3)
› Syngas produced is clean, without tar, which allows distribution at ambient temperature without clogging the lines. The syngas produced is clean enough to be sent to an internal combustion gas engine to produce electricity
› Syngas is produced and delivered under pressure, with possibility of buffer storage
› The fast cooling of the ash and gas prevents the formation of dioxins
› The little ash produced is very rich in carbon and can be re-introduced into the ceramic body
