During the last few years, there are an increasing number of demands on refractory materials for the checkers of soda-lime-glass furnaces. Especially the need for fulfilling new environmental regulations, as well as the demand for energy savings. The working conditions of a glass furnace are different and even the use of special procedures for waste gas treatment e.g. the 3R-method are influencing waste gas conditions and therefore, the attack on the regenerator checker refractories has changed. In addition ot oxidizing conditions, more and more reducing atmospheres can be found and, even more dangerous, changing conditions are observed over the life time of a furnace. The regenerator checker refractory materials that one can get on today's market often do not fulfil this demand and fail under current conditions. Therefore, the refractory industry are developing new products. By the new materials: Rubinal PZ, Rubinal MAR and Rubinal ESP, for the first time, materials are available which are eligible as a "switch-hitter" for oxidizing as well as reducing conditions with good results. This paper recapitulates conditions for checker materials, up-to-date regenerator lining recommendations, and new material developments.
