Fuel Savings With High Emissivity Coatings

High performance, high emissivity coatings have been applied to the crowns and superstructures of wool glass, composite glass, and soda-lime glass furnaces. These coatings have increased the radiant heating component of glass melting, resulting in fuel savings in excess of 7%. This paper discusses how increasing emissivity results in lower fuel usage. Issues such as glass contamination, alkali resistance, and coating life re also discussed. The results of extended trials of these materials at Owens Corning and Libbey are presented.