Engineering services and hot gas circulation systems for optimizing tunnel kilns and dryers in the brick industry
KERATEK GmbH
Bad EssenNew on Amplifa
Engineering office for the construction materials industry
KERATEK GmbH, based in Bad Essen, is an engineering office for the construction materials industry processing concrete and clay. The company was founded in 2003 by Christian Gäbelein and restructured in 2012 in its present form as Keratek GmbH; since 2015 the company has been headquartered in Bad Essen-Wittlage. Its services include the optimization and conversion of existing production plants, process engineering consulting for dryer and kiln optimization, condition assessments via quick-scan weak-point analysis, and full project management for plant and factory new builds. In addition, KERATEK develops and markets its own plant technology: hot gas intensive circulators such as Turboblock 800, Turbo Duo, Turbo Kompakt 500 and the Venturi jet nozzle Turbo Jet for improving heat transfer in tunnel kilns, as well as the KeraLog data logger for operational monitoring of fans and drives. Customers include companies in the brick and ceramics industry, among them Steuler Holding GmbH. Another key focus is energy optimization and consulting on alternative fuels on the path to CO2 neutrality.
- Site
- Bad Essen
- Processes
- Plant optimization / optimization of existing production plants (construction materials industry), Process engineering consulting for dryer and kiln optimization, Dryer optimization, Tunnel kiln optimization (hot gas intensive circulation for heating and cooling zone), Tunnel kiln new build and tunnel kiln enclosure in steel construction with sandwich panels (project, Full project management for plant conversions and new builds as well as factory new builds/plant, Process engineering and energy optimization, alternative fuels (path to CO2 neutrality), Operational monitoring of fans and drives (vibrations, bearing and medium temperatures,
- Materials
- Bricks / ceramic raw materials (construction materials industry), Steel, Concrete / clay (processing construction materials industry), Steel construction, Ceramic products / bricks, Concrete and clay, Hot gas intensive circulation
- Founded
- 2003
- Industries
- Construction materials industry, Ceramics industry (bricks)
- 01
Quick-Scan: condition assessment and weak-point analysis of the existing plant
- 02
Process engineering and energy consulting as well as development of
- 03
Engineering and design of the optimization measure or the new plant
- 04
Project management and support of implementation with suppliers and partners
- 05
Commissioning and acceptance
- 06
Operational monitoring with the KeraLog data logger
Processes and plant technology
Steel construction
Tunnel kiln enclosures and plant conversions are executed in steel construction, among other things with sandwich panels.
Ceramic products / bricks
The main application of kiln and dryer optimization is the kiln load consisting of bricks and ceramic raw materials.
Concrete and clay
A specialized optimization area is the construction materials industry processing concrete and clay.
Hot gas intensive circulation
Proprietary circulator systems extract hot gases from the ceiling area of the tunnel kiln and blow them back at high velocity to improve heat transfer.
Location
Bad Essen
DEHeadquarters, engineering office and development of plant technology
Own plant products
Inside the production
Industries
Processes & technical limits
| Processes | Tolerance | Max. part | Weight | Lot size | Materials |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Plant optimization / optimization of existing production plants (construction materials industry)Engineering | – | – | – | – | – |
| Process engineering consulting for dryer and kiln optimizationEngineering | – | – | – | – | – |
| Dryer optimizationEngineering | – | – | – | – | – |
| Tunnel kiln optimization (hot gas intensive circulation for heating and cooling zone)Engineering | – | – | – | – | – |
| Tunnel kiln new build and tunnel kiln enclosure in steel construction with sandwich panels (projectEngineering | – | – | – | – | Stahl, Sandwichplatten |
| Full project management for plant conversions and new builds as well as factory new builds/plantEngineering | – | – | – | – | – |
| Process engineering and energy optimization, alternative fuels (path to CO2 neutrality)Engineering | – | – | – | – | – |
| Operational monitoring of fans and drives (vibrations, bearing and medium temperatures,Testing | – | – | – | – | – |
5 Anlagen & Maschinen
| Machine | Manufacturer / model | Quantity | Working area | Year built | Site |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hot gas intensive circulator | KERATEK Turboblock 800 | – | – | – | – |
| Hot gas circulator for heating zone and pre-firing | KERATEK Turbo Duo | – | – | – | – |
| Hot gas circulator | KERATEK Turbo Kompakt 500 | – | – | – | – |
| Venturi jet nozzle | KERATEK Turbo Jet | – | – | – | – |
| Data logger | KERATEK KeraLog | – | – | – | – |
Additional services
Reference customers
Company history
- 2003
Founding of an engineering office by Christian Gäbelein after more than 10 years in a management position at a large German construction materials manufacturer; specialization in optimization projects in the construction materials industry processing concrete and clay.
- 2008
Meeting of Karl-Heinz Brakemeier, international brickmaking expert, via an advertisement in the 'ZI'.
- 2009
Start of the cooperation between Gäbelein and Brakemeier.
- 2012
Founding of the 'new' Keratek GmbH.
- 2015
Relocation of the company headquarters to Bad Essen-Wittlage shortly before CERAMITEC.
- 2020
Dr. Wolf Reschke strengthens the team as a process and chemical engineer with a focus on optimizing existing kilns and dryers.