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

3.A. Submerged Combustion Melting
Next Generation Melting System (NGMS)
The Project
Energy-Efficient Glass MeltingThe Next Generation Melter System
(Report for 4 th quarter 2003)
Gas Technology Institute
with A.C. Leadbetter and Son Inc., Fluent Inc., Praxair Inc
and NYSERDA
USDOE award (DE-FC36-03GO13092)
Objective
The objective of this project is to demonstrate a high intensity glass melter, based on the
submerged combustion melting technology. This melter will serve as the melting and
homogenization section of a segmented, lower-capital cost, energy-efficient Next
Generation Glass Melting System (NGMS). After this project, the melter will be ready to
move toward commercial trials for some glasses needing little refining (fiberglass, etc.).
For other glasses, a second project Phase or glass industry research is anticipated to
develop the fining stage of the NGMS process. Overall goals of this project are:
• Design and fabrication of a 1 ton/h pilot-scale submerged combustion glass melter,
• Extensive melting of container, fiber, flat, and specialty glass formulations,
• Detailed analysis of the product glasses,
• Preparation of a Fluent-supported CFD model of the melter to be used in parallel with
further development of the NGMS technology,
• Physical modeling of the NGMS process to determine energy savings, cost savings,
environmental improvements, and use of waste heat for production of needed oxygen,
• Development of a commercialization plan and timeline for further, needed
components and integration of the NGMS technology.
The project team recognizes that further work will be needed after this project to bring
the critically-needed NGMS into industrial use. To expedite that development, the work
in this project is focusing in three areas needed to demonstrate the melting and
homogenization steps of the NGMS technology and to prepare for further work to
commercialize NGMS. These work areas are:
• Design, fabrication, and operation of a pilot-scale melter with analysis of
product glass,
• Supported Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) modeling on the melter
that is available to all users,
• Physical modeling and energy balances for the full NGMS with specific
planning for further steps leading to commercial implementation.
Work in each project year is divided into tasks with milestones at the end of many of the
Tasks. The integrated Task Schedule enables project team members to assign labor
appropriately and to follow a critical path to reach all milestones and objectives toward
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