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

Appendix B Glossary
amortization: Accounting procedure that gradually reduces the cost value of a limited life or intangible asset
through periodic charges to income. For fixed assets the term used is “depreciation.”
AZS: Refractory materials composed from a combination of alumina, zirconia, and silica produced using the fusion
casting process, these high-density, low-porosity refractories are used in glass furnaces because of their excellent
resistance to the corrosion of molten glass.
bag house: A chamber containing an arrangement of bag filters for the removal of particles from a process exhaust
stream.
batch: A mixture of the individual raw materials combined in specified amounts to produce the desired glass type
that is ready to be delivered into a glass furnace, or the individual raw materials weighed but unmixed.
batch carryover: The movement of solid particles of batch material on the surface of the melt within the glass
furnace due to the velocity and momentum of combustion products. Batch carryover results in decreased heat
transfer and an increase in the amount of solid batch particles in stack exhaust. See also batch.
batch preheating: The process of heating the batch before it is delivered into the glass furnace. See also batch.
batch wetting: The process of wetting the batch with water to minimize airborne dust before it is delivered into the
glass furnace. See also batch.
beneficiation: Any process that is used to improve the physical or chemical properties of the batch. Examples
include crushing, screening, cullet sorting, etc. See also batch.
best available control technology (BACT): In environmental policy, refers to the use of state-of-the-art control
and treatment technology to achieve the lowest possible emissions rate.
blister: A relatively large bubble remaining in finished glass. See also bubble.
bottle blowing machine: An automated machine that forms glass bottles by blowing air into a molten glass gob that
sits inside a metal mold, causing the gob to take the shape of the mold. The most common of these machines is the
independent section (IS) machine. See also gob.
briquetting: The process of compacting the glass batch material into cubes or other shapes to reduce dust
emissions. See also pelletizing.
bubble: A gaseous inclusion in a finished glass product. This visible defect is most often caused by insufficient
refining during the melting process. Large bubbles are referred to as blisters and small bubbles as seeds.
bubblers: Water-cooled nozzles located on the bottom of a glass furnace that are used to introduce large air bubbles
into the glass melt to improve homogeneity of the melt and eliminate fine seed bubbles by drawing cold glass closer
to the surface of the melt.
capital productivity: The measure of how well physical capital (machinery and buildings) is used in providing
goods and services.
checker: An open structure of firebrick that serves as a heat exchanger for regenerative glass furnaces. See also
regenerator.
conditioning: A phase during the glass melting process where soluble bubbles are reabsorbed into the melt. The
conditioning phase is preceded by primary melting and refining stages.
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