Building materials autoclave

The building materials autoclave cures products such as aerated concrete under steam pressure and high temperature to give them strength. The steam pressure spreads the pores evenly, helping reach the intended gas-to-concrete ratio and durable building elements. It is used for aerated concrete, concrete beams, gypsum building elements and sand-lime bricks, and for curing natural or artificial stone. TSB Energy builds these steam-heated autoclaves for 1–70 bar, with diameters of up to 5500 mm and lengths of up to 61 m.

The autoclave is designed to PED 2014/68/EU, ASME VIII Div. 1, EAC (GOST), EN 13445 and AD 2000-Merkblatt, horizontal or vertical, with one or two doors worked by a manual or hydraulic-pneumatic lever. The shell is P355GH/P460NL plate and the jaws are forged P355NH or S235JR/S355JR, ultrasonically tested and fatigue-analysed before assembly. 100 mm of high-density insulation covers the whole structure, and proportional valve control prevents unnecessary heat input. Proportional pressurisation and loading systems complete a turnkey package; the skid-mounted unit needs only power and a steam supply.

Safety features include overpressure protection, sensor-monitored front door locking, Pilz safety relays, a mechanical door lock and emergency shutdown. A patented safety engages mechanically above 0.1 bar and keeps the door closed until the pressure is zero; the drain valve and safety lever must be opened before the door. The PLC monitors all safety devices, alarms appear on the HMI, and the status of the autoclave can be read remotely over Modbus, Modbus TCP/IP or PROFINET.