Team Up to Advance Sustainable Glass Production with Innovative Annealing Lehr
The Project
Our Customer:
Glass Futures is a research and technology membership organization based in the United Kingdom driving innovation and sustainability in the glass industry by identifying and delivering routes to industrial decarbonization in the glass industry.
Challenges for the Customer:
Faced with limited space at their St. Helens facility, Glass Futures aimed to develop a state-of-the-art, low-energy glass production pilot line. They sought a renowned equipment supplier with a commitment to energy-efficient technologies to provide an annealing lehr, cutting system, and control system—all within their spatial constraints and sustainability requirements.
The Solution:
Grenzebach rose to the challenge by delivering a 25-meter annealing lehr, complemented by a cutting system and a control system for precise metrology and temperature measurements. The innovative annealing lehr design features five zones. The radiation cooling in zones A-C is carried out by one piece heat exchangers. In zones F the convection cooling is realized by optimized nozzles, to increase cooling performance while maximizing energy efficiency and glass quality.
Solution Package in Detail:
- Grenzebach’s new annealing lehr in small-scale
- Cold end (cutting system with samples and disposal)
- Control system for visualization (line overview, zone controls, cutting controls) and controlling (heating and cooling control and transportation speed) along the annealing lehr and the cold end
Advantages for Our Customer:
Flexible Annealing Point
Up to 50 - 70 % Less Energy Consumption
Controlled Cooling Capacity
Minimized Risk of Scratches
“Grenzebach’s annealing lehr combines high glass quality with low energy consumption. With its individually controllable heating and cooling sections the annealing lehr allows us a precise adaptation of the cooling capacity to specific production requirements. A flexible annealing zone makes it possible to maintain the glass stress within the ideal range. As a result, high quality glass is ensured while reducing energy consumption.”