The use of infrared thermometers in the glass industry - the glass industry
Infrared probes are used to measure the temperature of kilns, glass in furnaces, melting pools, heat storage chambers, clarification pools, material channels, droplets, molds, float lines, annealing furnaces, as well as cooling and coating areas. Effective temperature measurement reflects the condition of the heating or cooling process, such as whether the heat storage chamber has become too hot or too cold, whether the temperature in the tin bath and annealing furnace area is correct, and so on. Careful inspection of the melting state to the cooling process can ensure that glass maintains its characteristics in every manufacturing process.
Furnace
There are two types of furnaces, one is a horizontal flame furnace and the other is a horseshoe flame furnace. The direction of the flame cycle in the furnace is changed, and the heat storage chamber is able to heat the combustion air, thereby improving fuel efficiency. The grid bricks in one side of the heat storage chamber are heated by the hot gas discharged from the furnace. When the grid bricks reach an appropriate temperature, the flame direction is changed, and this side of the heat storage chamber becomes the combustion supporting air heated into the furnace, running alternately.
To ensure the best operational efficiency, the thermometer is installed at the top and bottom of each heat storage chamber, which can initiate the reversal of air and flame at the optimal time. Using probes to monitor the corrosion of grid bricks and refractory materials is crucial for arranging hot and cold repairs according to plan, as it can avoid the passive situation of huge expenses caused by emergency shutdown. The exterior of the furnace body and heat storage chamber is regularly inspected by portable thermometers to detect hot spots caused by erosion of refractory bricks and prevent leakage of glass liquid.
Measure the temperature at the small furnace arch and bridge wall to maximize the service life of the refractory material at that location. The probe can accurately locate and measure temperature for each brick, avoiding false measurements caused by furnace flames.
Flat glass
In the production of flat glass, temperature monitoring in each process is crucial. Incorrect temperature or rapid temperature changes in the annealing furnace can cause uneven swelling and shrinkage of the glass, leading to annealing. The annealing furnace has multiple temperature control zones. In the tin bath section, probes are installed at each location to ensure accurate glass temperature. The probe with ThermoJacketTM air-cooled protective cover is installed in each area to maintain a flat glass surface and consistent lateral temperature from edge to edge. Install the Mp50 line scanner between the tin bath and the annealing furnace, at specific locations and exits of the annealing furnace, to scan the temperature at various points across the width of the glass. Any surface flame deficiency, such as rupture, localized thinning or thickening, or temperature difference in the surrounding glass due to cooling at the bubble point, will display colorful images in real-time on the computer screen.
Bottles and containers
Molten glass flows from the furnace to one or more channels (depending on production scale), where the glass needs to maintain a uniform temperature. At the end of the material path, the droplets fall into the mold and are formed by blowing (using compressed air) or by pressing with a core mold and forming mold.
Maintaining the appropriate temperature of the molten glass in the channel is crucial to ensure proper uniformity of the glass at the outlet. When the material droplet is formed and leaves the bowl mouth, it must have a suitable viscosity (a temperature change of 1 degree Celsius will cause a 1% change in viscosity). The infrared fiber optic probe is installed along the direction of the material channel to monitor and control the temperature of each section.
The temperature of each control area in the annealing furnace must be strictly monitored and controlled to maintain the annealing quality of the products. If the product is too hot when leaving the annealing furnace, it will be damaged in subsequent processes or crack when encountering external cold air. If the products inside the annealing furnace cool too quickly, it can also cause cracking or damage. If cold end surface treatment is applied to bottles, cans, and containers, the products at the outlet also need to maintain an appropriate temperature.
