The regenerator is a key thermal equipment of glass furnace, and plays an important role in waste heat recovery, energy saving and emission reduction. Its technical performance directly affects the thermal efficiency, energy consumption and operating stability of glass melting furnace, while the selection and optimization of refractory materials determine the life and maintenance cost of the regenerator.
1. The role of regenerator in glass furnace
The regenerator is an important part of glass furnace, and its main functions include:
✔ Waste heat recovery: through periodic reversing, the heat of exhaust gas is used to preheat the combustion air or gas, improve combustion efficiency and reduce energy consumption.
✔ Stabilize furnace temperature: reduce temperature fluctuations and ensure the stability of glass melting process.
✔ Reduce emissions: high temperature combustion can reduce the generation of pollutants such as CO and NOx, which meets environmental protection requirements.
Modern glass furnaces usually adopt a double regenerator system, which alternately absorbs and releases heat to achieve continuous and efficient heat recovery.
2. Structure and key technologies of heat storage chamber
2.1 Basic structure
The heat storage chamber is mainly composed of the following parts:
☛Grid body: core heat exchange component, built of refractory bricks into a honeycomb structure to increase the heat exchange area.
☛ Furnace wall and arch: use high refractory materials to prevent high temperature deformation and erosion.
☛Reversing system: control the flow switching of exhaust gas and air, usually every 15 to 30 minutes.
2.2 Key factors affecting heat storage efficiency**
⑴ Grid body structure: including Siemens type, Richter type, etc., affecting airflow distribution and heat exchange efficiency.
⑵ Reversing cycle: too long will cause heat loss, too short will increase reversing energy consumption.
⑶ Airflow uniformity: poor distribution will cause local overheating or blockage, and the flue design needs to be optimized.
3. Selection and Challenges of Refractory Materials for Regenerators
The performance of refractory materials directly affects the life and thermal efficiency of the regenerator, and mainly needs to meet the following requirements:
✪High temperature stability (>1500℃)
✪Resistance to thermal shock (frequent temperature changes)
✪Resistance to chemical corrosion (resistance to alkali vapor, sulfide, etc.)
3.1 Commonly used refractory materials
A. Magnesium-aluminum spinel bricks: high refractoriness (>1800℃), excellent alkali corrosion resistance, mostly used for upper lattice and furnace wall
B. High-purity magnesium bricks: high temperature resistance but poor thermal shock resistance, easily corroded by SiO₂, mostly used for medium temperature lattice
C. Zirconia corundum bricks (AZS): strong corrosion resistance, but high cost, mostly used in key high temperature parts
D. Clay bricks: low cost, but limited temperature resistance (<1300℃), mostly used in low temperature areas or auxiliary structures
3.2 Common problems and improvement measures
☺Lattice blockage: alkali vapor condensation leads to slagging, and materials need to be optimized (such as using low porosity magnesium-aluminum bricks).
☺Refractory layer spalling: thermal shock leads to cracks, and nano-modified materials can be introduced to improve thermal shock resistance.
☺ Chemical erosion: use high-purity raw materials to reduce impurity reactions.
4. New progress in regenerator technology
1. Honeycomb ceramic regenerator: lighter than traditional checker bricks, with higher heat exchange efficiency, suitable for oxygen-enriched combustion technology.
2. Intelligent reversing control: Optimize the reversing cycle based on AI algorithm to reduce heat loss.
3. Composite refractory materials: such as MgO-ZrO₂-SiC composite materials, which have both erosion resistance and thermal shock resistance.
4. Deep utilization of waste heat: Regenerator + waste heat boiler combined system to further improve energy utilization.
5. Future development trends
●Green and low-carbonization: Combine hydrogen combustion, pure oxygen combustion and other technologies to reduce carbon emissions.
● Long-life design: Develop higher-performance refractory materials to extend the overhaul cycle of regenerators.
● Digital monitoring: Use infrared thermal imagers and sensors to monitor the status of regenerators in real time and predict maintenance needs.
6. Conclusion
Regenerator technology is the core of energy saving and consumption reduction of glass kilns. Its performance depends on structural design, refractory material selection and operation management. In the future, with the development of new materials and intelligent control technologies, heat storage chambers will develop in the direction of greater efficiency, greater environmental protection, and longer life, providing important support for the sustainable development of the glass industry.
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