Abstract: PCT No. PCT/DE78/00042 Sec. 371 Date Sept. 10, 1979 Sec. 102(e) Date Sept. 10, 1979 PCT Filed Dec. 22, 1978 PCT Pub. No. WO79/00492 PCT Pub. Date July 26, 1979To fire a tunnel kiln with coal, the coal is stored in a preferably airtight bunker, and transported, by means of airtightly enclosed conveyor belts or chains connected to the bunker, to coal injectors operating as burners, which are provided in and distributed over the width of the firing zone of the kiln and connected to an air supply line, wherefrom compressed air is fed intermittently into the injectors, to blow in the coal which is there placed in a metered amount.

Abstract: A method of controlling the heating gases in a kiln having a firing zone and at least one adjacent zone which, for example, may be a preheating zone and/or an after-heating zone, comprises directing combustion products into the firing zone to generate high temperature gases therein and withdrawing a portion of the gases generated after giving up some of the heat in the firing zone upwardly through an exhaust gas flue and sensing the temperature in at least one select location in said kiln and regulating the quantity of gases withdrawn in accordance with the temperature which is sensed. The kiln advantageously includes a preheating zone before the firing zone and an afterheating zone thereafter arranged in a straight line. Burners are arranged to fire downwardly in the firing zone and all of the zones are connected to discharge through a flue.