An industrial manufacturer of glassware using a unique float glass vertical furnace process needed to avoid furnace downtime problems resulting from excess corrosion. This issue gradually leads to restriction of combustion air and fouling of flue gas flow passages, reducing the “pull rate” of required air supply.

The downtime to reline furnace corrosion can cost up to $2.1 million per week. Many factors contribute to corrosion rate including quality of glass, location of heating anodes, and “pull rate” compared to design. Position of anodes is optimized for glass quality and operating conditions. Operating furnaces at or above their design rate causes accelerated corrosion. Coping with the heat is the most common process problem in glassware manufacturing. Non-uniform heating, and currents caused by rapid melting of raw material, causes deformation of the glass in the quenching (cool-down) process.