Oct 21 2005
CERAM, the internationally renowned centre for materials and technology, is offering computational modelling design services to help firms within the glass manufacturing industry ensure that their furnaces are up to scratch when it comes to performance.
The technologies and techniques offered by experts at Stoke based CERAM, ensure that refractory structures, vital to mechanisms and processes within the furnace, are operating to their full potential and are not at risk of failure or even collapse.
Two and three-dimensional design methods are offered as part of CERAM’s modelling package, making the design process simpler to understand whilst also highlighting potential threats to operational performance. For an even more detailed view, automated parametric geometry is used to simulate the number and height of individual bricks and joints. These factors can then be subjected to numerous environmental changes to simulate performance under varying stress conditions.
Dr Simon George of CERAM believes that the firm’s modelling package for glass furnace design is certainly something that those within the industry should consider taking advantage of.
He comments: “Research has shown that the specific design of a refractory structure can have a dramatic effect on the items manufactured inside it.
In fact, it is estimated that over 90% of the furnace’s functionality can be attributable to the design of the refractory structure.
At CERAM, we have the technology and expertise to offer firms valuable insight and advice regarding refractory design – information which, given such statistics, could have long term operational and cost benefits for them.”
As part of its research, experts at CERAM have compiled case study evidence on process performance and furnace life as well as data on the most likely cause of furnace collapse; particular attention has been paid to the refractory arch.
For more information on how improved designed processes and computational modelling can work for you, visit www.ceram.com/modelling.
http://www.ceram.com/