The OPTIMELT™ Thermochemical Regenerator (TCR) process is an advanced heat recovery technology for oxy-fuel fired glass furnaces. This enhanced technology utilizes conventional regenerators and endothermic reforming reactions between fuel and Recycled Flue Gas (RFG) to recover flue gas exhaust heat. The OPTIMELT™ Thermo-Chemical Regenerator (TCR) technology stores waste heat from the hot flue gas and uses this energy to reform a mixture of natural gas and recirculated flue gas to hot syngas. The TCR system has successfully reduced natural gas and oxygen consumption by 15 to 18% relative to the oxy-fuel baselines depending on glass type and cullet rate. This paper summarizes the extensive operating experience with the installation and includes operational data, glass quality, and emission results. The thermochemical regenerative heat recovery process has been shown to be able to operate reliably without any production losses or glass quality issues under frequent product changeover schedules. Due to its positive impact on production and quality, this technology is now in the early commercialization stage and the tools and engineering for scale-up are being developed.
