Automatic Control of Coupled Brick Kilns

This work focuses on the design of a new overall electronic control system set to coupled brick kilns to obtain good energy efficiency, reduce greenhouse gas emission (GHGE) and adoptable by brick workers. This system is a good option due to reduced cooking time as well as less pollutant emissions to the atmosphere, less fuel consumption, and earnings increase for workers. The automatic control system received input voltage signals from two arrays of three thermocouples, one located near the bottom of the kiln and the other near to the top. The arrays let obtain data of the heat distribution in the kiln, in the way of having a complete brick burning. Output signal was used to control an AC motor. The automatic control system allows the chimney door to be closed and opened to go out the exhaust gases to the atmosphere or to carry out to a second kiln to preheat the crude bricks. The automatic control system was designed using Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA), with this system it was reached a higher efficiency energy.