Improving energy efficiency, cost reduction and preservation of glass furnace lifetime are of key importance to maintain glass as a cost-competitive product with an environmentally sound footprint. More strict legislation and increased pressure on improved sustainability directs to near-stoichiometric combustion affecting evaporation, carry-over and corrosion processes in glass furnaces. To secure furnace lifetime, a combined approach of industrial process measurements, combustion and glass modeling, and advanced refractory testing is applied to identify weak spots and propose modified process settings to run glass furnaces in safe mode.

The paper presents a practical approach to support glass industry in minimizing refractory corrosion.