NEW FORMS OF KILNS.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume XLIII, Issue 9793, 8 February 1923, Page 3

NEW FORMS OF KILNS.

The kiln is one of the oldest of heating appliances, having been in use for centuries in the production of bricks, pottery, tiles, and similar articles, in many respects it remained unchanged until recent years, when gas provided an appropriate alternative to coal fuel. One of the chief British firms engaged in the manufacture of plant for making coal gas has recently developed several forms of gas-using kilns. One is for the production of fire bricks, and is cleverly designed to ensure a proper burning of tho materials, together with a high economy in fuel. It is of the continuous type—that is to say, the heat is never allowed to subside—and a notable feature is that the heat of the bricks already fired is utilised in warming the air which feeds the gas flames. The products of combustion are also utilised in warming the bricks before they are fired. The same firm has introduced several improvements in the tunnel type of kiln, which consists essentially of a long chamber through which the goods to be fired are slowly moved so that their temperature is raised very gradually up to the firing point and reduced very gradually thereafter.