Commercial success in glass melting requires sensors to monitor process efficiency, to measure product quality & for condition monitoring. Innovative sensors, such as oxygen sensors in the waste gas & advanced temperature sensors in the furnace crown, aim to reduce energy usage at source. Development is still required to reduce the cost of the technology & the level of maintenance required. Product property measurements, such as defect detection & optical transmission, aim to improve the quality to the customer. Development is still required to relate these measurements to the glass melting control variables, such as fuel flow & furnace temperature, in order to reduce the cost of quality at source. Condition monitoring techniques, such as raw material identification & refractory wear measurement.
