VSBK Technology

Sameer Maithel
Director’s Forum, Nam Dinh, Vietnam, August 2007
Vietnam Sustainable Brick Project
Presentation Outline
• Introducing VSBK.
• Why VSBK is the most energy-efficient
brick kiln ?
• Improvements in VSBK since its
introduction in Vietnam in 2001.
• Conclusions.
VSBK- Working Principle
VSBK- Operation

Unloading Bricks

Loading of bricks and Coal feeding

VSBK: Minimum Coal Consumption

2.5

170 kg/1000 brick

2
M J /k g o f fire d b ric k

1.5 110 kg/1000 brick

1
60 kg/1000 brick

0.5

0
VSBK Tunnel kiln Traditional kiln
Why VSBK is More Efficient ?
1. Hot Flue Gases
2. Moisture in
Green Bricks
Main Heat Losses
in a Brick Kiln
Air Brick
[Link]
from Brick Wall

4. Hot Fired
Bricks
Why VSBK is More Efficient ?
1. Efficient heat transfer
Flue gases at between bricks and air
100 oC

Air Brick

Fired bricks
at 100 oC
Why VSBK is More Efficient ?

2. No kiln car

In tunnel kilns, 15-20 %

of the energy is lost in
the kiln car coming out
of the tunnel kiln
Why VSBK is More Efficient ?

3. Kiln is well
insulated on all
the sides
Why VSBK is More Efficient ?

4. No air leakages; optimum amount of air

VSBK origin in China

• 1996 (30,000
kilns)
• Popular in rural
areas
• No chimneys;
environment
performance
very poor.
VSBKs in China
VSBK Spread in Asia

Map of Asia
Russia

e
Kazakhstan

Mongolia

Georgia Uzbekistan
Kyrgyzstan
Armenia North
Azerbaijan Korea
rkey Turkmenistan Tajikistan

South
Korea
Syria China Japan
Afghanistan
anon Iraq
Iran (30,000 kilns -1996)
Jordan
Kuwait Pakistan
Nepal
Bhutan

Qatar
UAE Bangladesh
Taiwan
India
Saudi Oman Myanmar Vietnam
Arabia (Burma)

80 kilns Laos
Macau

Yemen
Thailand
300 kilns
Philippines
Eritrea
(1996-2007) Cambodia
(2001-2007)
Djibouti
Spratly
Islands
Ethiopia Sri Pacific Islands
Scale Lanka (Palau)
250 0 250 500 750 Miles
Somalia Brunei
Improved VSBKs in Vietnam

2001 2007

First VSBK under Model VSBK with technical

UNDP project, Xuan assistance from VSBP, Vu Ban,
Quan commune, Nam Dinh
Hanoi
Improved VSBKs in Vietnam: Clean Work
Environment
• Taller and bigger Chimneys
• Two-layer flue ducts
• Openings in the roof and the
walls of the top working platform.
•Use of 90-100% internal fuel

Clean work environment

Improvements in VSBK: Firing of
Hollow Bricks
• Vietnam is the
first country to
fire a variety of
hollow bricks.
• Hollow bricks
are better as
they save clay,
energy and
produce bricks
with better
insulation
properties
Improved VSBKs in Vietnam: Improvements
in Construction

•Factory made refractory

flue ducts.
•Holes for filling-up the
insulation

Factory made refractory flue ducts

Holes for filling-up the insulation

Improved VSBKs in Vietnam: Mechanization
of VSBK

Winch to pull trolley

Hydraulic system for unloading

Winch for lifting

Conclusions
• Vietnam today has best VSBKs in the world.
• Since its introduction in 2001, VSBK has
emerged as an attractive option for
small/medium scale brick production: 1- 6 million
bricks/year.
• It is the most energy efficient kiln with good
environment performance.
• It can be used for firing various types of hollow
bricks
• VSBP has been working to develop sustainable
and profitable VSBK business models.
Thank You !!

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