It is well-known that in industrial glass melting systems, two main categories of ovens are highly dominant. Such categories are characterized by two different technologies, both concerned with heat-recovery from waste-gases. Regenerative: ovens in which air & waste-gases flow separately in the same path, where the heat exchange is delivered by the refractory distributed around that ensures a suitable heat accretion. Recuperative: ovens in which waste-gases & air flow continuously in separate paths, where the heat can be exchanged through the interface surface. The present paper introduces & outlines an alternative hybrid solution for traditional glass melting systems, in which air preheating is performed by means of a suitably designed succession of regenerative & recuperative systems. A proper design of the two systems allows optimal extraction of heat from waste gases & a surplus of hot, clean air flow. Restrictions on heat exchange in regenerative systems are concerned with the preheated air temperature limit. Although this may reach the waste gas temperature, it cannot be exceeded. In order to avoid this problem, the Centauro hybrid solution allows heat efficiency to be increased for some of the preheated air, with the possibility of employing hot, clean excess air inside or outside the melting process.
