High-Intensity Plasma Glass Melter Final Technical Report

Technical Report · Fri Oct 27 00:00:00 EDT 2006

DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/894643· OSTI ID:894643

Gonterman, J Ronald; Weinstein, Michael A

The purpose of this project was to demonstrate the energy efficiency and reduced emissions that can be obtained with a dual torch DC plasma transferred arc-melting system. Plasmelt Glass Technologies, LLC was formed to solicit and execute the project, which utilize a full-scale test melter system. The system is similar to the one that was originally constructed by Johns Manville, but Plasmelt has added significant improvements to the torch design and melter system that has extended the original JM short torch lives. The original JM design has been shown to achieve melt rates 5 to 10 times faster than conventional gas or electric melting, with improved energy efficiency and reduced emissions. This project began on 7/28/2003 and ended 7/27/06. A laboratory scale melter was designed, constructed, and operated to conduct multiple experimental melting trials on various glass compositions. Glass quality was assessed. Although the melter design is generic and equally applicable to all sectors within the glass industry, the development of this melter has focused primarily on fiberglass with additional exploratory melting trials of frits, specialty, and minerals-melting applications. Throughput, energy efficiency, and glass quality have been shown to be heavily dependent on the selected glass composition. During this project, Plasmelt completed the proof-of-concept work in our Boulder, CO Lab to show the technical feasibility of this transferred-arc plasma melter. Late in the project, the work was focused on developing the processes and evaluating the economic viability of plasma melting aimed at the specific glasses of interest to specific client companies. Post project work is on going with client companies to address broader non-glass materials such as refractories and industrial minerals. Exploratory melting trials have been conducted on several glasses of commercial interest including: C-glass, E-glass, S-Glass, AR-Glass, B-glass, Lighting Glass, NE-Glass, and various frits. Exploratory melts of non-glassy materials, such as wollastonite, zirconium silicate, and alumino-silicate melts were successfully done indicating that plasma melting has potential application beyond glass. Experimental results were generated that show the high quality of plasma-melted fiberglass compositions, such as E-glass, can result in good fiberizing performance. Fiberizing performance and tensile strength data were achieved during the project to support this conclusion. High seed counts are a feature of the current lab scale melter and must be dealt with via other means, since fining work was outside the scope of this project.

• Research Organization: Plasmelt Glass Technologies, LLC, 2845 29th Street, Boulder, CO 80301
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE Office of Industrial Technologies (OIT) - (EE-20)
• DOE Contract Number: FC36-03GO13093
• OSTI ID: 894643
• Report Number(s): DOE-GO13093; TRN: US200719%%893
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE
42 ENGINEERING
CERAMIC MELTERS
DESIGN
ECONOMICS
ENERGY EFFICIENCY
FIBERGLASS
GLASS
GLASS INDUSTRY
MELTING
PERFORMANCE
PLASMA
REFRACTORIES
SEEDS
TENSILE PROPERTIES
VIABILITY
ZIRCONIUM SILICATES
glass melting
plasma
plasma glass melting
plasma torches
plasma electrodes
glass quality
glass chemistry
glass volatilization
energy balance
pilot melter
Plasmelt
JM
AGY
BTU/ton
pounds per hour
modeling
torch life
torch stability
glass fiberizing
glass fibers
E-glass
AR-glass
S-glass
C-glass
frit
glass nuggets
glass patties
energy efficiency
kilowatts per pound