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

Fiberglass insulation sales are expected to grow slightly with the increase in new residential
construction and concerns about energy consumption. Textile and reinforcement glass fiber sales
are cyclical, corresponding to the nation’s economic trends. The specialty glass segment, which
is composed of a number of sub-segments, represents the largest dollar value segment for US
consumer and industrial markets. Specialty glass growth prospects vary greatly by sub-segment.
Across its different segments, the industry must develop cost-saving measures for capital
improvements, energy costs, and emissions regulations that will make investment more
attractive. Industry-wide problems—historic rivalry among companies within the industry,
competition from low-cost imported glass products, high costs of production, high capital
expenses, aversion to risk, high energy costs, and government environmental regulations—
require visionary solutions and corporate collaboration if these problems are to be solved. All
segments share concerns for environmental compliance and delivery of high-quality glass to
downstream operations. Yet broad-based industry collaboration is precluded by differences in
raw materials, glass chemistries, quality requirements, quality measurement metrics, fabrication
methods, process accessibility, and flexibility of operations.
Collaboration throughout the glass industry in the US has been limited. This reluctance to
collaborate is due in part to the differences in types of glass produced and furnace size within the
individual manufacturing segments. Historically. competitiveness and antitrust concerns have
also limited collaborative efforts. Industry leaders have indicated greater willingness to
collaborate on advanced melting concepts when risk and precompetitive research costs are
shared. The collaboration undertaken with the Submerged Combustion Melter Project, partially
funded by the DOE, is perhaps a harbinger of the revitalization of this critical industry. (See
Section Two, Chapter 3.)
Some advances in energy savings have been successful—higher temperature-resistant
refractories, greater furnace insulation, improved combustion efficiency, preheating of
combustion air from wasted heat recovery, and process control technology. Energy consumption
for glass melting has been reduced considerably over the last 30 years. Glass manufacturers have
developed energy-saving technology to the most cost-effective degree possible at present and are
not inclined to advance research unless predictions for future availability and cost of energy
change drastically.
Environmental regulations for gaseous and particulate emissions from glass furnaces are
stringent and becoming more so. Cost of compliance varies, depending on method of control
selected, the level of reduction to be obtained, and the way in which measures are integrated into
the operation of the furnace. Complying with these regulations can be costly and can decrease
capital productivity severely by adding capital costs for operations and materials with no
increase in production.
A greater willingness to collaborate on precompetitive advanced melting concepts is essential. In
the early stages of more revolutionary projects, risk and cost could be shared, possibly through
stronger and more effective government-industry-academic partnerships. Ultimately, if the glass
industry is to survive as a vital industry of the future in the United States, business and technical
leaders must develop a common view of the forces that will stimulate the industry in the future
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