Approximate reading time: Five minutes

The 36th HISPALYT session ended June 2 after an intensive programme of conferences, presentations from industry providers (among them, Beralmar) and also recreational activities such as tours of the Fuente Rey and Peñuela properties.

Some of the observations about the 36th HISPALYT meeting are as follows:

- The 2007 demand for ceramic materials is expected to equal demand in 2006.

- Most recent investments focus mostly on quality improvement, product added value and environmental responsibility and sustainability.

- Continued industry interest in limiting energy expenditure.

The first HISPALYT Golf Tournament, sponsored by Beralmar, resulted in the following finalists:

1. Mr. Víctor Yagüe, from Cerámica de Teruel (CETESA)
2. Mr. Ignacio Diaz, from Hermanos Díaz Redondo (HDR)
3. Mr. Javier Rico from TABICESA.

The city of Bailén (in the province of Jaén) is home to the greatest concentration of structural ceramics manufacturers in the Iberian peninsula, with over 40 factories in a town with a population of 19,000. Of these 40 factories, nine already have Beralmar Promatic or Micromatic solid fuel firing systems. In addition, two LADRIBAILEN kilns have been equipped with these systems in June.

The equipment installed at LADRIBAILEN are two MICROMATIC systems with micronised fuel storage silos and a closed circuit of distribution and fuel injection. The two LADRIBAILEN kilns produce 400 tons of thermoblock each, using exclusively natural gas until recently. After the installation of the MICROMATIC systems, natural gas is used only for preheating, which accounts for 30% of the kiln’s energy consumption.

Currently, about 70 ceramics works in Spain are equipped with Beralmar PROMATIC or MICROMATIC systems.

BERALMAR has developed a new biogas firing facility for CERÀMICA PIERA. This manufacturer already had two kilns at its production plant in Hostalets de Pierola (Barcelona), using hybrid biogas and natural gas burners built by BERALMAR, and once again has chosen a biogas firing line for the plant’s third kiln.

Biogas used at CERÀMICA PIERA comes from the Can Mata landfill site 1.5 km from the plant. Biogas is mainly made up of methane, with calorific power of some 4,700 Kcal/m3. Biogas burners have to adjust for this poor heat generation by injecting a higher biogas/air flow than for natural gas burners, and also due to corrosiveness of some of its components. In addition, biogas burner sets are dual-purpose, in other words, they can switch to natural gas at any time. This is essential given that biogas supplies are not always constant, so in the event of biogas pressure loss, the automatic fire control system automatically orders a fuel change, which is done quite frequently with no need for human intervention.