Simulation of glass furnace with increased production by increasing fuel supply and introducing electric boosting

Abstract

Based on the furnace with production of 600 t/d, two methods of increasing fuel supply and introducing electric boosting are investigated to increase glass production. The heat flux from combustion chamber to glass tank, temperature distribution of glass furnace, and the glass convection flow are presented, which influences the performance of glass furnace. The glass quality is evaluated with the melting index and mixing index, while the efficiencies of batch melting process and fining process are evaluated with the sand dissolution index and fining index, respectively. The results show that the method of increasing fuel supply is appropriate and efficient to increase the production less than 650 t/d. To further increase production about 700 t/d, the method of introducing electric power is preferred on the condition that the glass quality and lifetime of glass furnace are ensured. Optimization of furnace design and electric boosting parameters are required for the production more than 700 t/d. This investigation is expected to guide the optimized design of glass furnace to increase glass production.

Conversion degree and heat transfer in the cold cap and their effect on glass production rate in an electric melter

“…Common mathematical representations of glass melters compute temperature and velocity fields in the molten glass and the furnace atmosphere to optimize energy consumption and conditions for producing a homogeneous glass using production rate as an input and rather than as a result of the simulation 1–8 . This can only be achieved if the cold cap, a mass of reacting material that floats on the glass melt surface, is realistically described by a mathematical model that uses the reaction kinetics to describe the spatial distribution of feed‐to‐glass conversion inside the cold cap.…”

Dynamic high‐temperature crystallization and processing properties of industrial soda–lime–silica glasses

“…The delta between gob and liquidus temperatures ( T 3G — T L ) provides valuable information in assessing the practicality of working with reformulated or newly designed glass compositions 11 . Positive sign of delta can be related to better workability properties as such positive variation in delta reduces the likelihood of devitrification product formation not only in forehearths but also at the melting tank bottom where the glass melt temperatures can be approximately 200°C lower than the furnace hot spot 36 . On the other hand, the delta between gob and liquidus temperature for T‐ and C‐group glasses (Table 3)—that is, ∼251°C and 188°C for T 2 and C 1 glass, respectively—appears to be very conservative and high, and this might enable technologists to further optimize and reduce melting and conditioning temperatures to reduce energy consumption, CO 2 footprint, and refractory corrosion rates.…”

“…11 Positive sign of delta can be related to better workability properties as such positive variation in delta reduces the likelihood of devitrification product formation not only in forehearths but also at the melting tank bottom where the glass melt temperatures can be approximately 200 • C lower than the furnace hot spot. 36 On the other hand, the delta between gob and liquidus temperature for T-and C-group glasses (Table 3)-that is, ∼251 • C and 188 • C for T 2 and C 1 glass, respectively-appears to be very conservative and high, and this might enable technologists to further optimize and reduce melting and conditioning tempera-tures to reduce energy consumption, CO 2 footprint, and refractory corrosion rates. Note that delta between T 3G and T L for T-group glasses is much more pronounced than that of C-group glasses, and this can be attributed to considerably low liquidus temperatures of T-group glasses.…”

Model for batch-to-glass conversion: coupling the heat transfer with conversion kinetics

“…Recently, a kinetic analysis of glass-batch melting was reported by Ueda et al [29] who demonstrated that the processes occurring during the batch conversion, such as batch reactions, gas evolution, silica dissolution, and foaming, depend on the heating rate in a corelated manner, thus making it possible to select one key process as a gauge of the batch conversion extent (alternatively, conversion extent can be based on reaction heat [32]). For soda-lime batches, such as a container glass batch that Ueda et al [29] investigated, the progress in silica dissolution appears a suitable candidate because silica is present throughout the whole melting process, existing everywhere in the batch body, while the residues of silica particles continue to dissolve within the glass melt, where they assist melt fining [33,34].…”