Project duration: 2024 – Ongoing
Location: Zlaté Moravce
Fig. Hot Water Storage Tank
Our new customer, Wienerberger, commissioned us to provide project completion and implementation of a brick drying system that had become outdated and inefficient. The project was delivered as a turnkey contract, covering everything from the development of project documentation across all disciplines, through the supply and installation of the civil works, technology, HVAC, electrical switchboards and cabling, measurement and control systems, up to pressure and functional tests, commissioning, and complete documentation.
Main Project Objectives:
- Separation of the technological drying process from the firing process in the tunnel kiln. Production practice has shown that it is more efficient to regulate the kiln and dryer independently. The new technical solution reflects this.
- Reduction of natural gas consumption for drying needs. Instead of burning fossil fuels, the new solution uses heat from heat pumps, helping the client save not only operating costs but also reduce environmental impact.
Scope of our Activities:
- Preparation of project documentation for all disciplines (concrete structures, architecture, statics, steel structures, sanitary systems, gas, mechanical technology, power distribution, measurement and control, HVAC);
- In-house fabrication of equipment – hot water accumulation tank;
- Supply and installation of technological equipment, including assembly – heat pumps with a total output of 1,265 kW, cooling towers, circulation pumps, automatic pressure station, filters, accumulation tanks, heat exchangers, electric steam boiler, burner assemblies, duct cooling units, industrial fans, and hot water treatment system;
- Supply and installation of tanks (pressure / non-pressure, plastic / metal), pipeline systems (plastic, carbon steel, stainless steel), fittings (plastic / stainless steel), supports (galvanized / hot-dip galvanized), and steel structures;
- Construction works – construction of a new building for the heat pumps, including the design and installation of a new cable bridge, roof reconstruction, replacement of stairs and transformer station access ramps;
- Construction of new roads and sidewalks around the new building;
- Thermal insulation of building structures (drying unit), chimney, and technology — all completed with in-house resources;
- Electrical works – replacement of three 1,600 kVA dry-type transformers, replacement of switchboards, installation of lightning protection systems, lighting installation, HVAC power supply, power distribution systems, and power supply for non-technological parts (roller doors, outdoor lighting);
- Instrumentation and Control (I&C) works – control and automation of technological processes in the drying unit and operation of the heat pumps, including emergency systems.
Fig. DualPac combined heat pumps
Fig. Welding of a hot water storage tank
Documentation
We prepared and delivered technical reports, structural reports, equipment lists, datasheets, hydraulic calculations, design documentation, layouts, P&IDs, equipment and installation drawings, 3D models, and complete accompanying technical documentation (ATD).
Project Result
The new solution helps the Client make the drying process more efficient by integrating new heat pumps that provide three to five times more heat than the original system. Previously, drying relied exclusively on waste heat from the cooling zone of the tunnel kiln and two additional gas burners. The old setup also caused technical issues in the operation of both the kiln and the dryer.
From an environmental perspective, the project will significantly reduce the Client’s natural gas consumption, previously the main heat source for firing and drying ceramic products. As a result, we help the client reduce environmental impact while also lowering operating costs.
