ADVERTORIALS
OPTIMISING ENERGY IN ELECTRIC BOOSTING AND MELTING SYSTEMS
L
ike all industries, pressure to decarbonise is imminent. And glass manufacturing is no exception, with the objective to attain carbon neutrality by 2050. Not only does decarbonisation benefit wider industry and society, but when done correctly, also provides efficiency and cost benefits. In this article, Mikael Le Guern, Global Glass Business Development Manager at Eurotherm, a company acquired by industrial technology company Watlow, explains how installing power boxes close to furnace electrodes can help glassmakers improve energy efficiency and reduce costs, compared to traditional power system designs.
As a result of pressure to decarbonise, we are seeing more requirements to significantly increase electrical boosting for facilities all over the world. Certainly, for large glass production companies, their total CO2 emissions are the aggregate emissions of all their plants and facilities globally.
With furnace campaigns lasting between ten and 18 years before the next rebuild or cold repair and with only a few upcoming greenfield projects, the opportunities for these companies to implement carbon-reducing solutions are limited. Currently, whenever a repair is due, many glass companies are already considering their options to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, particularly by increasing electrical boosting. The other movement happening in the marketplace is that all types of glass producers are looking into these issues. Years ago, the size of the furnaces and type of glass made it possible to implement small to medium size electrical boosting, on average between two and five megawatts (MW). Now, not only has the required size of electrical boosting systems grown from a few megawatts (MW) to over ten MW and beyond, but this trend is happening across most types of glass production, including float glass furnaces.
A proven technology
It’s recognised that electrical melting and boosting are not the only technologies available to reduce GHG emissions. The two other main energy options being investigated by the industry are hydrogen and biofuel. There is plenty of research into this and there are some very promising tests and industrial implementations on glass furnaces.
In terms of technological readiness, infrastructure, production and capacity, hydrogen and biofuels are unlikely to be suitable short-term or even midterm solutions for the industry’s energy and CO2 challenges. Therefore, it’s believed that the future systems will be based on a hybrid mix of solutions varying by region and industry. The benefit of electrical melting is that it is not only a proven technology, but it’s already available today for large-scale glass furnaces all over the world. As a result, we expect that by between 2030 to 2040, electrical boosting, or melting, will represent more than 50 per cent of the total melting energy for most new and cold-repaired glass furnaces, including for float glass.
WATLOW +43 6244 201 29-0
www.watlow.com
72
TECHNOMET-CONTROL is available as standard in four sizes from 230 x 180 mm to 420 x 300 mm and is just 95 mm deep. The standard colour is traffic grey A (RAL 7042) or traffic grey A/traffic white (RAL 7042/9016). Custom colours are also available on request.
Accessories include front panels, internal mounting plates, wall mounting kits and a pole mounting bracket (for poles Ð50 mm or larger).
METCASE can supply TECHNOMET-CONTROL fully customised to individual requirements.
View the METCASE website for more information:
https://www.metcase.co.uk/en/Metal-Enclosures/Technomet-Control.htm
METCASE ENCLOSURES 01489 583858
sales@metcase.co.uk
February 2024 Instrumentation Monthly
NEW TECHNOMET-CONTROL VESA-MOUNT ENCLOSURES FOR HMI/CONTROL ELECTRONICS
M
ETCASE has launched elegant new TECHNOMET-CONTROL aluminium enclosures for electronic control systems, panel PCs and HMI electronics. They are specifically designed for mounting on standard VESA brackets/arms, walls, machines and round poles.
TECHNOMET-CONTROL is ideal for indoor applications such as industrial machine control, test and measurement, point-of-sale and security equipment. It is suitable specifically for Siemens TP displays but can also house other manufacturers’ touch screens and displays.
The modern cohesive design features diecast front and rear bezels which fit flush with the case body. Snap-on trims hide all the assembly screws. The enclosures are easy and cost-effective to customise in any size, with plenty of space for connectors.
The recessed front panel protects displays/keypads. At the rear VESA MIS-D 100 mounting points are provided for fitting to an off-the-shelf VESA control arm or wall bracket.
Inside, the assembly extrusions have M3 holes and guide rails to hold internal plates, and the rear panel has M3 PCB pillars. All the case panels are fitted with M4 threaded pillars for earth connections.
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80
