Skip to main content
European Commission logo print header
Content archived on 2022-12-27

VERTICAL GLASS MELTER

Objective

To demonstrate the commercial feasibility of a radical furnace for the production of high quality glass with energy saving and lower emissions to air. To further demonstrate that such a furnace may be used for the vitrification of hazardous wastes, incorporating heavy metals into glass and destroying organic pollutants.
The environment aspects of the furnace are fundamented to its success, i.e. lower energy usage, lower polluting effects. Lower energy usage per unit of output is achieved by re-cycling more of the useful heat and mixing of the raw material and flame by use of infra sound.

The process is basically a radical adaptation of a traditional glass making furnace.
A tower is constructed above the glass bath, and the raw materials and secondary air are fed continuously into the furnace at the top of the tower. An infra sound wave (15 cps and 140 decibels) is introduced into the air stream. This has the effect of creating a pulse accelerating/decelerating the air stream at 70 metres/secx2 every 1/15 seconds i.e. a very efficient mixing arrangement.
The fuel is injected some way down the tower around the circumference of the tower and mixes with the air and the raw materials. The sound wave has the effect on the fuel and air of creating a type of "plasma" through which the raw materials, still semi-suspended, must pass. Because the raw material feed has been "broken" by the sound wave, rapid transfer takes place causing the raw materials to become semi-molten before reaching the furnace proper. Heat recovery is achieved by passing the off gas through pebble bed regenerators, consisting of ceramic balls which extract the heat from the off gas whilst simultaneously helping to cleanse the off gases.
Every 90 seconds the off gas and unheated combustion air are alternated through two pebble beds situated in parallel. One pebble bed on the cooling cycle heats the combustion from ambient to 1400 deg. C. while the other cools the off gases to 200 deg. C.
This project is completely innovative and it relies on each component part doing its job efficiently for the project to be successful in meeting the energy savings and reducing polluting effects.

Call for proposal

Data not available

Coordinator

Stadium Developments Ltd
EU contribution
No data
Address
Welton Grange
HU15 1NB Brough
United Kingdom

See on map

Total cost
No data