Modeling of the aging of glass furnace regenerators

Abstract

Α model has been developed to predict the decrease of the thermal performance of glass furnace regenerators due to fouling by flue gas condensates. The model consists of four parts: a) description of the thermal performance (heat transfer) of regenerator checkers; b) description of the heat transfer in the furnace combustion chamber; c) determination of volatilization of sulfur, chloride and sodium components from the melt; d) modeling of chemical reactions in and deposition from flue gases in the regenerator. The aging and the reduction of the thermal efficiency due to fouling has been predicted: - for different checkerwork constructions or refractory types; - as a function of pull rate; - as a function of glass melt temperatures; - as a function of applied cullet fraction. Depending on the different conditions, the predicted increase in energy consumption is about 1 up to more than 3 %/year, mainly due to fouling. Cruciform and chimney block checkers seem to be less sensitive for this fouhng than basketweave packings. As molten glass temperatures increase, dust emissions and fouling rates are going up. According to the model calculations, a higher cullet fraction in the batch will lead to reduced aging rates of the regenerators. The model is in quite good agreement with practical observations in industrial furnaces.