Advanced Numerical Modeling for the Optimization of the Drying Process of Ceramic Tiles in Vertical Dryers

The drying of ceramic tiles is a critical phase of the production process, with a significant impact on both the quality of the finished product and overall energy efficiency. Among the different types of systems, vertical dryers are a very popular technology, characterized by significant energy consumption that affects up to 10% of the total energy needs of the ceramic industry. In this thesis, a numerical model of the EVA410c vertical dryer was developed and validated, with the aim of extending a pre-existing model, including the phenomena of mass transfer and the process of evaporation of moisture from tiles, in order to make it a predictively usable tool, allowing to simulate and monitor the main operating and energy parameters of the machine. The work was structured as follows: after a preliminary phase of study of the ceramic process, with a focus on the drying phase of the tiles and the AMESIM simulation software, it was necessary to carry out a chemical-physical characterization of the evaporation process, through experimental tests and measurements of the operating parameters, in order to be able to recreate as faithfully as possible, a complex process such as the evaporation of moisture from tiles. The data collected have made it possible to define an experimental correlation, which will govern the phenomenon of evaporation of moisture within the model, through an evaporative block, capable of simulating the characteristic curves of the process, thus allowing to study the main energy KPIs and operating parameters of the machine. The validation of the model, carried out by comparing the simulation results with the real ones collected in the plant, showed excellent reliability, making the model a potential energy efficiency tool.