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Evidence Guide: PMC552030C - Operate a firing kiln

Student: __________________________________________________

Signature: _________________________________________________

Tips for gathering evidence to demonstrate your skills

The important thing to remember when gathering evidence is that the more evidence the better - that is, the more evidence you gather to demonstrate your skills, the more confident an assessor can be that you have learned the skills not just at one point in time, but are continuing to apply and develop those skills (as opposed to just learning for the test!). Furthermore, one piece of evidence that you collect will not usualy demonstrate all the required criteria for a unit of competency, whereas multiple overlapping pieces of evidence will usually do the trick!

From the Wiki University

 

PMC552030C - Operate a firing kiln

What evidence can you provide to prove your understanding of each of the following citeria?

Prepare the firing equipment

  1. Determine the firing requirements from the production program
  2. Identify and set up the kiln cars or furniture
  3. Ensure kiln refractories are within specification, including kiln cars, kiln lining and refractories at burners, as appropriate
  4. Ensure the firing equipment is safe to use
  5. Check for fuel feed obstructions and clear burner pathways
Determine the firing requirements from the production program

Completed
Date:

Teacher:
Evidence:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Identify and set up the kiln cars or furniture

Completed
Date:

Teacher:
Evidence:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ensure kiln refractories are within specification, including kiln cars, kiln lining and refractories at burners, as appropriate

Completed
Date:

Teacher:
Evidence:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ensure the firing equipment is safe to use

Completed
Date:

Teacher:
Evidence:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Check for fuel feed obstructions and clear burner pathways

Completed
Date:

Teacher:
Evidence:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Load kiln

  1. Ensure products are set or stacked to specification
  2. Ensure correct stacking pattern is used
  3. Ensure adequate space is allowed around each item
  4. Use kiln space effectively
Ensure products are set or stacked to specification

Completed
Date:

Teacher:
Evidence:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ensure correct stacking pattern is used

Completed
Date:

Teacher:
Evidence:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ensure adequate space is allowed around each item

Completed
Date:

Teacher:
Evidence:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Use kiln space effectively

Completed
Date:

Teacher:
Evidence:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Monitor kiln operation

  1. Monitor kiln firing to ensure temperature rise and fall rate is to specification
  2. Monitor and record kiln car movement, or kiln contents
  3. Monitor and adjust kiln heating equipment (elements or burners) and record temperature gradient details
  4. Monitor the kiln atmosphere
  5. Monitor for correct operation of kiln
  6. Move kiln car or kiln contents to the appropriate storage area
  7. Check and record condition of products leaving the kiln
Monitor kiln firing to ensure temperature rise and fall rate is to specification

Completed
Date:

Teacher:
Evidence:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Monitor and record kiln car movement, or kiln contents

Completed
Date:

Teacher:
Evidence:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Monitor and adjust kiln heating equipment (elements or burners) and record temperature gradient details

Completed
Date:

Teacher:
Evidence:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Monitor the kiln atmosphere

Completed
Date:

Teacher:
Evidence:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Monitor for correct operation of kiln

Completed
Date:

Teacher:
Evidence:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Move kiln car or kiln contents to the appropriate storage area

Completed
Date:

Teacher:
Evidence:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Check and record condition of products leaving the kiln

Completed
Date:

Teacher:
Evidence:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Rectify routine problems

  1. Identify the range of faults that can occur during the operation
  2. Determine and rectify fault causes in accordance with procedures/work instructions
  3. Identify and rectify equipment failure causes in accordance with procedures/work instructions
  4. Ensure appropriate records and log books of equipment operations are maintained to meet procedures/work instructions
  5. Identify non-routine problems and report to designated person
Identify the range of faults that can occur during the operation

Completed
Date:

Teacher:
Evidence:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Determine and rectify fault causes in accordance with procedures/work instructions

Completed
Date:

Teacher:
Evidence:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Identify and rectify equipment failure causes in accordance with procedures/work instructions

Completed
Date:

Teacher:
Evidence:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ensure appropriate records and log books of equipment operations are maintained to meet procedures/work instructions

Completed
Date:

Teacher:
Evidence:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Identify non-routine problems and report to designated person

Completed
Date:

Teacher:
Evidence:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Control hazards

  1. Identify hazards in kiln work area
  2. Assess the risks arising from those hazards
  3. Implement measures to control those risks in line with procedures and duty of care
Identify hazards in kiln work area

Completed
Date:

Teacher:
Evidence:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Assess the risks arising from those hazards

Completed
Date:

Teacher:
Evidence:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Implement measures to control those risks in line with procedures and duty of care

Completed
Date:

Teacher:
Evidence:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Assessed

Teacher: ___________________________________ Date: _________

Signature: ________________________________________________

Comments:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Instructions to Assessors

Evidence Guide

The Evidence Guide provides advice on assessment and must be read in conjunction with the performance criteria, required skills and knowledge, range statement and the Assessment Guidelines for the Training Package.

Overview of assessment

The unit will be assessed in as holistic a manner as is practical and may be integrated with the assessment of other relevant units of competency.

Critical aspects for assessment and evidence required to demonstrate competency in this unit

Assessment for this unit of competency will be on an operating plant.

It is essential that the equipment be understood and that the importance of critical material properties, settings and readings is known. Competence must be demonstrated in the ability to recognise and analyse potential situations requiring action and then in implementing appropriate corrective action.

Consistent performance should be demonstrated. In particular look to see that:

kiln or kiln car is loaded to requirements

kiln firing is to requirements

temperature rise/fall rates are to specification.

Competence must be demonstrated in the operation of all ancillary equipment to the level required for this unit of competency.

Context of and specific resources for assessment

Assessment will require access to an operating plant over an extended period of time, or a suitable method of gathering evidence of operating ability over a range of situations.

Assessment will occur over a range of situations which will include disruptions to normal, smooth operation.

Simulation or case studies/scenarios may be required to allow for timely assessment of parts of this unit of competency. Simulation should be based on the actual plant and will include 'walk-throughs' of the relevant competency components. A bank of scenarios/case studies/what ifs and questions will be required to probe the reasoning behind observable actions.

Method of assessment

In all plants it may be appropriate to assess this unit concurrently with relevant teamwork and communication units.

Individual enterprises may choose to add prerequisites and co-requisites relevant to their processes.

Guidance information for assessment

Assessment processes and techniques must be culturally appropriate and appropriate to the language and literacy capacity of the candidate and the work being performed.

Required Skills and Knowledge

Required skills

Required skills include:

recognising conditions which will lead to out of specification operation

implementing enterprise procedures within time constraints and in a manner relevant to the correct use of the equipment

conveying information relevant to the operation clearly and effectively

maintaining appropriate levels of quality assurance

reading and numeracy to interpret workplace documents and technical information

Required knowledge

Required knowledge includes:

stages and critical transitions during the firing process

kiln temperature profile and deviations allowed

importance of stacking patterns

consequences of variations in the firing process

underlying causes of faults such as precipitated by:

firing/temperature profile

drying

materials

stacking or distribution of product in kiln

Range Statement

The range statement relates to the unit of competency as a whole. It allows for different work environments and situations that may affect performance. Bold italicised wording, if used in the performance criteria, is detailed below. Essential operating conditions that may be present with training and assessment (depending on the work situation, needs of the candidate, accessibility of the item, and local industry and regional contexts) may also be included.

Procedures

All operations are performed in accordance with standard procedures and work instructions

Clay and ceramic products

Clay and ceramic products may include:

bricks

tiles and pipes

ceramic products

crockery

sanitary ware

insulators or thermal ceramics

Equipment and unit operations

This unit includes all such items of equipment and unit operations which form part of the kiln system. These may include:

kilns: batch, tunnel, top-hat, shuttle and roller hearth

kilns: oil, gas, electric, coal and wood fired

optical and thermocouple pyrometers

kiln cars, racking or other kiln furniture

PLCs, control panels, control computers

Typical problems

Typical problems may include:

ensuring moisture content of product prior to firing is within specification

furnace temperature profile variations

distribution of product in kiln or on kiln car

correct transition through quartz inversion, as appropriate

distortion of refractories or mechanical failures

Occupational health and safety (OHS)

The identification and control of hazards and the application of OHS are to be in accordance with current, applicable legislation and regulations, and company procedures