Reducing risk of failures in glass furnace refractories.

Deterioration of refractories can increase fuel costs and may cause glass breakouts or failure, which is why it is vitally important to maintain the condition of a glass furnace refractory as it will ensure safety and process efficiency.

The LWIR-640 monitoring system from AMETEK Land monitors the exterior of the melt tank and identifies any hot areas that may indicate refractory damage. It also gives an early warning of potential glass breakouts.

Philippe Kerbois, Global Industry Manager – Glass, said: “Around 70% of container glass production costs come from energy, so preventing cracks and lost heat produces significant savings. Early detection of glass breakouts enhances plant safety, so using thermal imaging solutions from AMETEK Land ensures fast detection of glass breakouts, allowing for early maintenance, increased safety, and longer lifespan of the tank.”

This long-wavelength thermal imager provides a full temperature measurement range of -20 to 1000 °C (-4 to 1832 °F) in three ranges with a choice of different optics and lenses. It combines cutting-edge, high-resolution radiometric camera technology with sophisticated data processing and powerful software support, delivering detailed thermal images with unrivalled precision.

The thermal imaging provided by the LWIR-640 camera allows a continuous view of the entire target at any distance. Thermal data generated by the camera is presented in real-time, making it faster and easier to detect anomalous hot spots, alerting plant staff to take immediate action.

In addition to providing a fast-response safety monitoring system, the LWIR-640 solution also supplies the thermal data necessary to detect damage or wear to the refractory lining. This allows corrective maintenance to be scheduled at the least disruptive times. By increasing the reliability of safety monitoring, the LWIR-640 system can also reduce insurance premiums for an added return on investment.

Continuous thermal imaging can also be used for accurate interior monitoring using the NIR-B-2K borescope thermal imaging system, establishing temperature trends throughout the furnace. It also detects cooler spots, which may indicate refractory damage.

LWIR-640 and NIR-B-2K thermal imagery can be combined within AMETEK Land’s advanced thermal imaging software, IMAGEPro, to show a view into the furnace for thermal distribution and batch coverage functions, as well as monitoring the outside of the furnace for hot spots.

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