Energy-Environmental Diagnosis of the Ceramic Sector Companies in

the Metropolitan Area of Cucuta, Norte de Santander, Colombia

Juan Isidro Díaz 1.4, a *, Jorge Sanchez Molina 2,4, b and Jose G. Prato 3,4, c
1
Mechanical Engineering Department. National Experimental University of Táchira, San
Cristobal, Venezuela
2
Research Center of Ceramic Materials Francisco de Paula Santander University. Cucuta,
Colombia
3
School Chemical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering Andes University, Merida, Venezuela
4
Research Group in Ceramic Technology [GITEC], Francisco de Paula Santander University.
Cucuta, Colombia
jidiaz@unet.edu.ve, bj_sanchezmolina@yahoo.es, cpratoj@gmail.com
a

Keywords: energy, ceramic, kiln, Colombia, coal, brick

Abstract. To design an energy reduction strategy is necessary to determine the state of the
consumer by analyzing companies’ energy indicators. This document presents the energy
assessment of the beehive kilns in forty-four (44) companies, and the energy features of the
average beehive kiln are described based on 205 analyzed kilns. The diagnosis was made on the
following items: information for energy service supplies, information on energy management,
energy culture, process facilities, industry basics and environmental management of their waste
and emissions. Based on the data gathered from the assessment is shown a summary that
involves the energy indicators associated with the management of thermal and electric power on
the companies assessed, these were classified into three segments: micro, small, medium and
large. High consumption is associated with using low energy efficiency kilns, lack of
maintenance practices and the absence of management of energy consumption indicators. Most
of the visited companies (71%) have neither maintenance department nor
maintenance plans, besides this, the 97.73% of the population surveyed had no knowledge of
ISO 50001: Standard Energy Management Systems and the advantages of their application. As
for waste recovery, only the use of waste burning (grog) as aggregate in the dough looked up to
5% and rice husk was used as initiator fuel burning beehive kilns.
Introduction
In the case of the ceramic industry in Cucuta, power control is not a widespread issue, observed
only in some companies, which are characterized for most processes are not technically
advanced. Therefore, the development of a formal and objective analysis is necessary, so that an
energy assessment for small, medium and even large companies in the region can be established.
In general, the ceramic sector handles two types of technologies among which are those that are
not part of a specific production process, commonly referred as horizontal technologies and,
vertical technologies that address those actions exclusive to the ceramic materials field that tends
to minimize energy consumption of the process. [1].
To study the energy efficiency of the ceramic sector is necessary to consider the various
definitions available, among which we find:
• Ability to produce greater results with fewer resources [2].
• Ability to achieve higher benefits with fewer resources and less impact on the
environment [3].
• Reduction or energy consumption keeping the same energy services without diminishing
our comfort and life quality, protecting the environment, ensuring the supply and
promoting sustainable behavior in their use [4].
Analyzing the ceramic production process is found that high energy consumption depends on the
machinery involved in the process and the level of mechanization of the analyzed installation,
although in the preparation process of raw materials and molding energy consumption has an
effect on the specific energy consumption, is in the drying and firing where the most weight
(between 25 and 40%) [5] depending on product type and technology, which is reflected in the
final price of the product.
Another factor that must be considered to be efficient, is the fuel used in thermal processes
because each fuel has its own features and / or specific properties, therefore each will have
different energy performance during combustion. Hence, the analysis and selection of these
becomes another aspect to work with, if is to improve processes, it must be considered the
advantages and disadvantages of each fuel, for this case study is considered full coal-which
advantages are: Average price and availability in the area, some disadvantages are: significant air
pollution during combustion and complex handling in the pre-combustion.
It is also important to determine the energy consumption of each equipment involved in
manufacturing process of the ceramic sector.

Moreover, the production process associated with the ceramic industry involves the generation of
usable by-products, were quantified during visits to the plants and the types of products and the
amount of each of them were determined.

Methodology for Energy Assessment

For diagnostic purposes, the following provisions were taken into account:
Population. Diagnosis considers as population study, the ceramic sector companies from
Cucuta and metropolitan area registered in chamber of commerce respectively, that is a total of
49 companies.
Sample. The number of companies to be assessed according to the total obtained from the
database of the chamber of commerce of Cucuta, was 44. This value was set at a rate of 95%
confidence and a margin of error of 5%.
Techniques for data collection. Two techniques were used to collect data from different
companies:
Surveys. This technique allowed to obtain the data related to energy control currently handled in
the ceramic sector Cucuta and metropolitan area.
Inspection. consists on visual determination, no questions asked to workers.

Analysis and Presentation of Results

For the calculation of some variables necessary to determine the energy efficiency of equipment
and facilities, mass and energy balances along with mathematical operations to determine other
values of interest were used. The information is presented using tables and pie charts, as
applicable.

Energy diagnosis. The ceramic sector in the city of San José de Cucuta and metropolitan area
consist of a variable number of companies.

Sector distribution. Companies that are part of this sector, basically can be categorized into
four segments based on production capacity [6]: Large companies (5%), medium companies
(16%), small businesses (59%) and micro enterprise (20%). By the time of diagnosis were
registered a total of 49 in Cucuta Chamber of Commerce. The companies visited follow this
geographical distribution: San José de Cucuta (28.57%), Villa del Rosario (20.41%), El Zulia
(30.61%), Patios (20.41%).

Production process. The production process for ceramic products, is similar in all companies
from the sector visited, settling mainly in 7 threads: 1) extraction, 2) preparation, 3) Load and
milling, 4) Kneading and molding 5) Dry 6) Firing and 7) Packaging.

Diagnosis implementation and analysis. The energy assessment was applied to a total of 44
companies and covers the different segments presented below:
Information on energy services supplies. This segment includes only two representative data
regarding monthly coal consumption (Ton) and power (kW).

Information related to energy management. Contains information concerning the energy

management of the selected companies, goals, and maintenance.

Energy culture. Knowledge management and implementation of the ISO 50001 standard.

Facilities process. Includes data related to the activities or operations performed and equipment
used for this purpose.

Overview and specifications of the industry. Questions about energy consumption in the
sector, number of kilns and number of fires. Given the extensive features of the diagnosis will be
presented as a summary the most relevant data highlighting which are separated by the size of
the companies for better comparison
 Table 1. Summary of Results for Companies According to Their Size

Medium and Large

Micro Company Small Business
Variable Businesses
Average Deviation Prom. Deviation Prom. Deviation
Number of
fires 2,11 ± 1.09 4,61 ± 2.75 42.5 ± 14.92
[Units]
Duration of
burning 72 ± 11.97 76,10 ± 11.66 60 ± 16.50
[Hours]
Number of
Kilns 1,66 ± 0.81 3,23 ± 2.08 15 ± 6,614
[Units]
Quantity of
coal burned 15,83 ± 4.11 21,23 ± 7.53 17.75 ± 2.63
[Tons]
Finished
product 242.5 ± 140.94 484.09 ± 328.46 3.43 1596.44 ±
[Tons]
Materials
provided 244.4 ± 139.20 520.57 ± 340.12 4011 2145.56 ±
[Tons]
Kiln charge
time 67,33 ± 17.44 46,38 ± 28.49 10 ± 5.20
[Hours]
Electric
power ±
3654.5 2157.63 ± 15778.87 147.14 ± 14725.37
consumption 11363.07
[Kw / month]
Energy value
864.62 ± 740.64 2199.8 1409.30 ± 17922 3142.96 ±
[€]
Total amount
of coal 34.5 ± 16.84 95.07 ± 71.24 664 ± 327.24
[Ton]
Value ton of
coal 56,21 ± 4.28 54,29 ± 5.89 54,30 ± 8.04
(€ / Ton)
Energy indicators.

For the energy aspect, the use of indicators is related savings measures or strategies that may be
proposed and implemented in the ceramic sector.

(a) (b)

(c)

Figure 1. Management of Energy Indicators in (a) Micro, (b) Small Businesses, (c)
Medium and Large Companies

In the particular case of the ceramic industry in Cucuta and its metropolitan area using energy
indicators is very low (see Figure 1), limited only to a few companies, which typically handle the
following indicators.

• Kg of coal / kg of finished product.

• kW of energy / kg of finished product.

The average values will be established from the data calculated for the samples obtained in the
energy diagnosis. These are presented for each of the industry categories (micro, small, medium
and large).

Table 2. Energy indicators by category for the sector

Company Category
INDICATOR
Micro Small Medium and Large
kg of C. / kg of f.p. 0.1422 0.1964 0.1930
kW of E. / kg of f.p. 15,07 32,59 42,79

Where: Kg: Kilogram; C: Coal; E: Energy; f.p.: production

Evaluation of Energy Efficiency

The energy efficiency of a kiln, considering the useful percentage of the total energy supplied to
the system and the amount of energy wasted, the economic losses associated with the firing
process. From the energy point of view it has:

Qs=Qu+P (1)

Where: Qs: Power supplied to the system. Qu: useful energy. P: Total Losses

The concept of efficiency (n) of a kiln can be established by the ratio of useful energy and the
energy supplied to the system by adding certain fuel such as coal, in the case of intermittent kilns
as it the beehive model.
𝑸𝑼 ∗𝟏𝟎𝟎%
𝜼= (2)
𝑸𝑺

As is to be expected this efficiency varies around a kiln to another, depending on diverse factors
such as the type and quality of fuel, besides the type, condition, and any updates that owns the
kiln used for the development of the process, such a point that the efficiency of a tunnel kiln is
about 40% [7] greater than a pampas kiln, due to the clear differences between these two.

Table 3. Characteristics of the average beehive kiln Metropolitan Area of Cucuta

Beehive Kiln
Diameter (m) 11 Average duration of burning (h) 72,64
Average monthly burning / kiln 1,88 Average Tons of Coal / Burning 19.6
Average Kiln Capacity (Ton) 103 Average load time (h) 42.9

For the development of the calculations it was taken as reference, the beehive kiln of reversed
flame (Table 3), and from taken data from 205 kilns located in the companies where the survey
was done being that this kiln is the most widely used in the area.

Distribution of the Kiln Energy Consumption

The beehive kiln with inverted flame are kilns that have low power efficiency due to the great
variety of losses that can occur in the development of the firing process. Losses are calculated by
an energy balance involving the difference between the heat input to the process and the
summary of all of the heat used to heat the load, walls and the flue gas fireplace and more. To
calculate the following average values were taken: 26,881 kg of coal burning and an approximate
calorific value of 30046.35 kJ / kg coal:
 Losses for
Losses by dome
fumes

Losses by walls

Heat to remove the Heat per load of

dampness of the material material to be baked
Losses for coal
dampness

Figure 2. Beehive Kiln Energy Consumption (inside).

The kiln energy efficiency, calculated from the obtained data in previous studies [8-9] is equivalent
to 13.93% of the total energy, thus proving, high inefficiency, intermittent kilns feature in the
development of ceramic process.

Table 4. Average overall energy distribution of the beehive kiln.

Description Value (KJ) Percentage%

Heat per intangible 180,439,949.6 30,21
Heat losses (P) 333,583,951.8 55.85
Useful energy (Q U) 83,201,870.15 13.93
Total or supplied energy (Q S) 597,285,500 100

The information contained in this table represents a simple mathematical average of actual data
previously obtained, but serves to establish baseline values for the sector through which the
companies can compare in conditions and operating characteristics similar to the energy reality
of their beehive kilns.

Current Status of Maintenance and Management of Industrial Waste in the Brick Industry
in Cucuta Metropolitan Area.

Being made several questions related to maintenance was evident that in most of the visited
companies (71%) there is not a maintenance department or specific maintenance plans that allow
an organized managing. Specifically for the planning and implementation of maintenance
programs, could be evidenced that only 29% of the companies have a program of this kind by a
maintenance manager in charge, which is also responsible of energy matters in 50% of cases.
After visiting the companies was determined that there are no waste management systems in
these companies, waste recovery is not applied, only by-products of burning (fireclay) as
aggregate in the paste are used up to 5%. The most often used industrial waste is rice husk as
burning startup fuel in beehive kilns. This husk can be pressed into briquettes or in its natural
state, which means transportation and handling problems because of its low density.

Conclusions

The implementation of the energy diagnosis allowed us to determine that there is no energy
culture in ceramic companies in this region, highlighting the lack of an energy policy
formulation (26%) and reduction targets management (52%).

The average company has two kilns and does 1.88 burning takes monthly for a period of 71.63
hours per kiln and a load of 103 tons of crude material. Consume an amount of 12,793 Kw /
month, which pays € 1,957.80, while coal consumption is 62.73 tons, which pays € 55.45 / ton.
There are no waste management systems adapted to the ceramic industry to enable a proper
waste disposal and the appraisal of waste produced in these companies. They only use burning
waste (fireclay) as aggregate in the paste are used up to 5% and the residue more often used as
startup fuel is rice husk.

Acknowledgments

The Clay Manufacturers Association of Norte de Santander, the Chamber of Commerce of

Cúcuta and the Ceramic Materials Research Center, Francisco de Paula Santander University,
Cucuta, Colombia for their collaboration in this project "Energy audit of ceramic sector in
Cucuta.”

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