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Suppliers of refractory and refractory services have a key role in the glass industry and can assist glassmakers through the transition by leveraging their refractory expertise and innovation capabilities.
FREMONT, CA: The glass industry faces new paradigm-shifting challenges, including carbon neutrality and circularity, in addition to the traditional challenges of producing high-quality glass at an affordable price. In the years to come, the glass industry will have to achieve low-carbon glass production. The government and many companies have set clear targets for achieving carbon neutrality in the coming decades, and the glass industry must participate.
A second key challenge for the glass industry is the circular economy. Besides increasing the use of cullet, furnace lifecycles should consider the refractory recycling process and end-of-life considerations. The performance of glass furnaces depends on refractory solutions. Glass furnaces play a key role in supporting glassmakers in these new challenges.
Services to support the shift to carbon-neutrality: Carbon-neutral glass still faces many obstacles to industrial production. Renewable energy sources are the most significant. Several players in the industry are testing and developing two main contenders - electricity and hydrogen. Many other options are also being considered, including biogas and biofuels.
Although there is uncertainty about the impact of switching fuels on glass furnace refractories, it is clear that a more flexible energy mix will be necessary, particularly during the transition.
Refractories: It will be essential to anticipate and make the best refractory choices based on numerical simulation services based on an expert understanding of refractories. The corrosion model assesses the impact of parameters such as refractory composition, cooling efficiency, and glass temperature profile on refractory lifetime. A numerical simulation service helps select the most appropriate refractory solution for glass furnace conditions.
It is also important to consider real-time monitoring of furnaces because of the changes in operating conditions that have never been seen at this scale before. Using sensors in refractories will allow the operation of furnaces to be monitored in real-time, triggering adjustments to operating conditions and, in some cases prompting preventative maintenance.
Higher-performance refractory solutions: A shift to carbon neutrality will require higher refractory performance due to technology and measures that enable the move - such as electric boosting, increased insulation at both glass contact and superstructures, and hydrogen combustion technology.
A higher thermal insulation and oxy-combustion technology result in an increased exudation and corrosion in superstructures. Refractory products meet these requirements with several high-quality products. Combining AZS with high alumina or high zirconia fused cast materials has proven to be highly effective in coping with more soliciting furnace conditions.
