Glass Melting Technology: A Technical and Economic ... - OSTI

Introduction
In the course of generating this report the team of Principal Investigators, reviewers and
editors developed additional materials that were not a part of the original concept, but
that were felt to add substantial value to the overall document. Section II contains these
sections:
• A Primer on Glassmaking
Author Phil Ross, bringing extensive experience with and knowledge of the glassmaking
process to the table, developed this very valuable chapter on the technology of melting
glass. This “primer” will serve as an overview to any student of glass interested in a
more complete understanding of the physics and chemistry of glass melting. As such, it
is an invaluable tool that is offered to the glass industry of today and the future.
• Automation and Instrumentation for Glass Manufacturing
This Chapter evolved from discussions regarding the direction our industry is taking:
towards higher technology approaches and greater fuel and resource efficiency. It was
felt that an important part of this evolution must be the development of integral and
comprehensive systems to permit control and management of a sensitive and complex
process with less and less human intervention (which can be a source of inconsistencies
or error). Automation and instrumentation is developing in this country, but has not
received major attention across the industry. We called on a team of experts in the field
to offer some ideas and suggestions with regards to the opportunities that exist or are
being developed to remove more and more uncertainties from the process and to move
towards lowering costs and increasing “fill rates” to approach statistical optimums.
• Developments in Glass Melting Technology
While the TEA report was being produced, time passed and the increasing
communication and collaboration that came with the activation of the GMIC, combined
with the DOE’s recent emphasis on “Grand Challenges”, led to the initiation of several
research projects that, if successful, promise to lead to major change and progress in the
industry. The three projects that have evolved from this change are included in this
document to illustrate the direction the industry is taking. The fourth section is an
excellent theoretical paper on the concept of segmenting the melting system written by
Dr. Ruud Beerkens, a renowned glass industry professional based at the TNO in the
Netherlands.
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