Glass ProcessesCaroline Hsia, Jackie Allen, Althea Rosen, James Davis

Overview

● The Many Uses of Glass● Equipment & Technology● Advantages & Disadvantages● Economics● The Future of Glass● Case study: CFLs

○ Equipment & Technology○ Advantages○ Economics○ The future

● Conclusion

The Uses of GlassFour main types of glass:

● Glass packaging○ Bottles, jars, and other containers

● Fiberglass○ Insulation for buildings and OEM applications○ Textile fibers used as reinforcements for plastics

● Flat glass○ Windows, automobile windshields, mirrors, tabletops

● Specialty glass○ Table- and ovenware○ Flat panel display glass○ Light bulbs○ Television tubes○ Fiber optics○ Scientific and medical equipment.

Glass Processes● Rolled

○ Patterned Flat Glass○ Wired Glass

● Float○ Flat Glass

■ Buildings & Vehicles● Blown

○ Bottles○ Jars○ Bowls/Chinaware

● Spun ○ Specialty Products

■ Figurines, Christmas Ornaments, etc.

Equipment & Technology

General Types of Equipment● Furnace

○ Molten glass formed● Forming

○ Individual Section (IS) Machine● Annealing Oven

○ Lehr ● Coating

○ Usually two coatings● Cutting

○ After glass is processed, it is then cut to desired size

Advantages of Glass

● 100% recycling capability● Environmentally friendly manufacturing processes and

products ● Exceptional chemical durability● Multi-faceted optical properties● Many diverse, unique applications● Least expensive form of packaging in food industry● Does not diffuse into contents of packaging, like polymers

Disadvantages of Glass

● Long distance distribution is hard due to the weight of glass● Some specialty glass such as TV tubes does not justify

recycling due to insufficient volume○ Causes environmental problems primarily in 3rd world

countries● Manufacturing facilities are specialized

○ Facilities for one type of glass cannot be easily adapted to produce other types

● Brittle● Glass production is energy intensive and often expensive● Unlike polymers, it is hard to enhance or incorporate new

properties in glass

Advantages of Different Glass Processes

● Rolling○ The only way to mass produce wired glass

● Float glass○ Can range in thicknesses between .4mm and 25mm○ Can produce clear, tinted, and coated glass

● Blown glass○ Best way to form hollow work pieces○ Automated production can produce 600 containers/min.

● Spun glass○ The best way to use glass as an insulator○ Can be used to fortify other materials

Disadvantages of Glass Processes

Glass processes are very specific and rarely interchangeable

● Rolling○ Very limited variety of glass products can be made○ Not the preferred method to produce flat sheets of glass

● Float glass○ Propensity to shatter○ All specifications and additional work must be done

before toughening process● Blown glass

○ Limited to hollow parts○ Wall thickness hard to control

● Spun glass○ Poses health hazards: irritation of eyes, skin, lungs

Economics

Economics

Economics

Economics

- 4 main segments = $1.6 billion in energy per year

- ~ 14% total production costs

- ~ 38% production costs = heating process

- Improvements: - Heat generation - Heat containment - Heat transfer - Waste heat recovery

The Future of Glass

Where is The Money? 1. 7% batch preparation2. 54% refining3. 25% forming4. 14% finishing

What New Technology is Here? 1. Rain bed preparation2. Oxy-fuel melting 3. Material Based Ion Exchange

Rain Bed Preparation

● Glass particles fall● Hot gass rises● Higher surface area/

volume ● Reusing hot gas from

furnace● saves 0.5 MMBtu/ton

Oxy-fuel Improvements

● Direction of heat● Penetration● Improved efficiency ● Consistency in heating● Water saturation

Ion Exchange

● Create glass, then heat treat

● Create glass and change composition

● More energy savings○ 1MMBtu/ton

Case Study: Compact Florescent Lights

Advantages of CFLs:● CFLs use 1/5th the

energy of incandescent light bulbs

● CFLs last 6 to 10 times longer than incandescent bulbs

● CFLs produce 75% less heat than incandescent bulbs

CFLs: Economics

CFLs: Process, Equipment & Technology

Process● Spun Glass

Equipment used in CFL Process● Bending● Annealing● Cleaning● Coating ● Sealing

CFLs: How It's Made

The Future of CFLs

Rain Bed Technology● Reducing the Cost of CFLs● More Green

Oxy-fuel Improvements● Further reduce cost● Better for the Environment

Questions?

References1. "Glass - Industry of The Future" NREL, Office of Industrial

Technologies2. http://eelndom1.ee.doe.gov/OIT/oitpdf.

nsf/Files/ionexchange.pdf/$file/ionexchange.pdf3. http://www.osti.gov/glas/Glass%20R&D%20Project%

20Factsheets/Cullet%20Preheater.pdf4. http://www.ceramicindustry.

com/Articles/Feature_Article/0d1a52c7f1ac7010VgnVCM100000f932a8c0____

5. http://www.energystar.gov/index.cfm?fuseaction=find_a_product.showProductGroup&pgw_code=LB