Raw materials with prescribed properties — additional resources for increasing glass-furnace efficiency and float-glass quality

Abstract

The results of a study of the quality variability of float-glass produced with top-grade equipment and technology are presented and the reasons for the fluctuations are analyzed. It is concluded on the basis of the analysis that consistently high-quality product cannot be obtained without increasing the quality of the raw materials used for making batch. In our opinion, the best way to solve this problem is to tighten the specifications for the raw-materials components used for glass batch and to set high, firmly established quality specifications.

Effect of Batch Initial Velocity on the Glass Furnace Efficiency

“…The need for high temperature to create and maintain the viscous flow, homogenisation of the glass melt, and maintenance of the process to allow continuous output of glass of the right quality are the contributors to the energy intensive activities that are involved in continuous glass manufacturing. This in turn has resulted in design of large container glass furnaces which have high energy consumption, low specific performance, and high CO 2 emissions where the most efficient furnaces in the container glass sector have a specific primary energy consumption of 3.8 GJ /tonne of glass at a level of 50% cullet in the batch making even very small improvements in efficiency by operation optimisation a value adding activity [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14].…”