In the last 15 years heat engineering at refractories plants has undergone qualitative changes: The obsolescent kilns were replaced mainly with tunnel and rotary kilns, natural gas has replaced solid fuel, and the peak firing temperatures have been increased by 100–200°C. This has resulted in an improvement in the cost-benefit indices of the production process, in the quality of the refractories, and in the working conditions.
Further progess in heat engineering will take the form of the introduction of high-temperature tunnel, shaft, and drum-and-layer kilns, a more efficient utilization of the energy resources, the mechanization and automation of the production process, the optimization of the firing process, and more efficient environmental protection.
Translated from Ogneupory, No. 10, pp. 50–53, October, 1977.