A control process for controlling a production process for calcined clays with a calciner including, capture of at least one temperature in the calciner, taking of at least one sample of the calcined clay, production of a reproducible size distribution of the sample, adjustment of the sample mass, conditioning of the sample to a first measuring temperature and of an alkali to a first measuring temperature, combining of the sample with an alkali, temporal capture of the energy generated by the sample-alkali mixture, quantitative evaluation of the time-energy profile captured for the first exothermic reaction and determination of the amount of energy released by the sample, correlation of the amount of energy captured with the temperature and residence time captured, and comparison with previously captured combinations, temperature and residence time values.