Glass Preheating Heat Exchanger Barrier
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional glassmaking methods waste energy due to high temperatures in flue gas exceeding the material's handling capabilities, leading to inefficient heat exchange and potential sticking issues with glassmaking materials during oxy-fuel combustion.
Innovation Solution
A heat exchange unit design that allows direct heat transfer from high-temperature oxy-fuel combustion products to glassmaking materials without significant temperature reduction, using a barrier to maintain the surface temperature below 871° C (1600° F) to prevent adherence, enabling efficient energy recovery and material processing.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of energy
If high-temperature combustion products from oxy-fuel combustion are used to preheat glassmaking material, then energy efficiency is improved, but the glassmaking material becomes adherent and sticky causing reduced throughput and plugging
Solution Approach 1:
A refractory barrier is introduced as an intermediary between the hot combustion products and the glassmaking material. The barrier absorbs and re-radiates heat at its surface, allowing the material to be heated indirectly without direct contact with high-temperature gases that would cause sticking and plugging, thus maintaining high throughput while recovering energy
2Productivity
If the temperature of combustion products is reduced before heat exchange with glassmaking material, then material adherence is prevented, but energy recovery efficiency is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The refractory barrier creates a localized heat transfer interface where heat is transferred at controlled temperatures. The barrier surface absorbs high-temperature radiation from combustion products and re-radiates at lower temperatures to the material, providing different temperature zones at different locations to prevent sticking while maintaining energy recovery
3Device complexity
If conventional air-fired combustion is used, then equipment complexity is reduced, but flame temperature and heat transfer efficiency are lower
Solution Approach 1:
Oxygen-enriched air (at least 35 volume percent oxygen) is used as the oxidant instead of conventional air. This increases the flame temperature and heat transfer efficiency, allowing for shorter melting times and higher productivity, while the refractory barrier manages the resulting higher temperatures to prevent material adherence
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This approach allows for efficient heat exchange at higher temperatures, reducing energy waste and preventing material sticking, thereby enhancing the energy efficiency and throughput of glassmaking operations while maintaining equipment integrity.
Implementation Method 1
heat exchange with the glassmaking material to form heated glassmaking material
Implementation Method 2
heat from the hot combustion products passes through a barrier to the glassmaking material
Implementation Method 3
heat exchange unit, heat exchange with the glassmaking material
Data Source
AI summary
Heat in a stream of combustion products obtained from a glassmelting furnace heated by oxy-fuel combustion is passed to incoming glassmaking materials in a heat exchanger without requiring reduction of the temperature of the stream yet without causing softening of the glassmaking material.