Flat Glass Melt Tank Monitoring

Energy consumption represents around 21% of the total cost of float glass production. The glass melting tank is where the process starts, with sand, limestone, soda ash and cullet fed into a furnace for melting. Furnaces can use fossil fuels or electricity for the heating process, which represents about 80% of the total energy use. This article describes how improved monitoring of the glass temperature can help ensure product uniformity and improve efficiency by controlling the melting process and thus reducing cycle time.