Investigation of temperature fields of a glass furnace
Authors: Zhuchenko Anatolii , Sytnikov Oleksii 
Published: July 2022

The pricing policy of the fuel and energy market is constantly growing. The urgency of research is to adjust the optimization of fuel consumption in the glass furnace to obtain the maximum economic effect of production.
Using the developed mathematical model of the glass furnace, the analysis was carried out: temperature modes of the furnace, temperature fields of glass and masonry. The temperature distribution in the sections of the glass furnace is performed by means of simulation modeling.
The object of research consists of glass mass, gas space, masonry and divided into conditional sections (zones), according to the installation of temperature measuring instruments. In cross sections, the main ones are those that correspond to the position of the burners. In sections on the layers of glass mass, the starting point of the measurement is the surface of the glass mass, and the final bottom of the furnace. The longitudinal sections show the melting behavior of the charge pieces to the state of homogeneity - the transition of glass mass from the loading point of the charge to full melting. The dynamics of glass mass temperature change in the depth of the glass mass layer is the heating curve, the lower the layer considered - the lower the temperature due to the distance from the burners, but within one layer the temperature increases the closer the section to the point. Glass furnace refers to reversible - switching burners to the left or right group. Accordingly, the reverse switching takes place according to a given algorithm, which consists in adjusting the operating time of the group of burners depending on the temperature of the glass mass. The temperature distribution in the glass mass according to the temperature field at a depth of 0.1 m from the upper level of the glass mass is lower by 5-6% from the data of technological regulations. To do this, increased fuel consumption on the burners of the left group, made it possible to optimize fuel consumption. The study of the temperature field of the vault masonry made it possible to avoid problems with overheating and possible collapse of the masonry. Heating of the masonry within the permissible limits from a temperature of 10000C at the edges of the vault and 13800C in the central zone. The cross-section shows the loading channel of the charge, which borders the gas space, so the charge at the entrance to the cooking zone of the furnace receives additional heating and reduces fuel consumption in the first zone for heating the charge. The temperature distribution in the surface layer of the glass mass contains inhomogeneity in the first zone, to achieve uniformity increases fuel consumption on the first pair of burners, which optimizes the consumption of other pairs of burners and prevents excessive gas consumption. The overlap of two thirds of the corresponding plane when leaving the burner of the first section is increased from the required by 5%. In the second section, due to underheating of the selected plane, the value of fuel consumption increased by 12%. The temperature distribution is the lowest in the loading zone, the highest - after the third zone to the fifth (in the cave point). If the composition of the charge is changed (the action of uncontrolled perturbation), and the gas flow through the burners remains unchanged, it is impossible to achieve the value of temperature fields in accordance with the technological regulations.
A scientific novelty is the study of cross-sections of glass mass in different planes, made it possible to analyze the temperature fields of glass mass at points where it is technologically impossible to organize measurements.