THE EVALUATION OF THE PERFORMANCE OF A GLASS MELTING FURNACE IN TERMS OF ENERGY CONSUMPTION

The price of energy in Thailand is higher than in other countries in ASEAN. This is a threat for glass industries in Thailand because they consume substantial amounts of energy in a high temperature melting process, i.e. 1500-1600 degrees C. Fifty percent of total costs is spent on energy and 80% of total energy is used in a glass melting furnace. Energy reduction in a glass melting furnace should be taken into account. However, before employing the proposed energy conservation scheme, it is essential to identify the existing furnace performance in terms of energy consumption in order to know where the problems are that should be solved and to be able to assess the effectiveness of the scheme. In this study, the glass furnace performance is evaluated by balancing the energy (heat) used in the furnace. The heat balances of 2 furnaces, which arc operated under different conditions, are calculated. The output of this project will be used as a guideline for the industry to optimize the energy in the furnace.