Refractory Selection for the Container Glass Furnace

Container glass is a type of glass for the production of glass containers, such as bottles, jars, drinkware, and bowls. With the increasing of the demand for the container glass, the quality requirement for the container glass is higher too. Refractory is one of the most important factors that affect the quality of the container glass.

Container glass is made by melting silica sand, soda ash and limestone. Various secondary ingredients are added to control color, provide ultra-violet protection and enhance the working properties of the molten glass. Container glass has a lower MgO and Na2O content than flat glass, and a higher SiO2, CaO, and Al2O3 content. Its melting temperature is up to 1580～1600℃.

The raw materials is continuously fed to a furnace where it is melted to molten glass. Molten glass is continuously withdrawn through a submerged throat where it proceeds to the refiner area of the furnace and cooled. Then the molten glass is delivered to the individual bottle-making machines via the forehearths and fed into the molds of the bottle-making machine.

Generally, container glass furnaces employ silica brick in the crown, due to its good mechanical properties at high temperature and good creep resistance. Sometimes, fused cast AZS 33# is also used in the superstructure. The drawback is the exudation of the glass phase, which will cause glass defects such as stones and stripes. Reducing the glass phase can effectively reduce the exudation of the glass phase. Fused cast AZS with a lower glass phase is developed for the use of superstructure. Fused cast alumina block is also used in the crown of the glass furnace, especially the oxygen-fuel furnace, due to its good resistance to glass liquid corrosion and alkali vapor and low blistering and stoning potential.

In the glass contact areas, fused cast AZS is used. The higher the content of ZrO2, the better the corrosion resistance. Fused cast AZS 41# is widely used in the demanding areas such as sidewalls, doghouses, throat, bottom budding, dam blocks, and electric block corners.

Fused cast AZS , alpha-beta fused cast alumina block and sintered brick are used in the channel of the container glass. Fused cast AZS has good corrosion at high temperature, but the drawback is the potential of glass defects. when the requirement of the glass is higher, alpha-beta fused cast alumina block is used. However, under 1350℃, it is recommended to use fused cast AZS.

In the regenerator, the chamber work mainly uses sintered tubular block and fused cast cross block. Basic sintered tubular block is used more widely due to stable mechanical structure and low possibility of clogging. Low porosity fireclay brick is used in the lower parts, direct-bonded magnesia brick in the middle part, 95 magnesia brick in the upper part and 97 magnesia brick or sintered AZS brick in the top part.

Zhengzhou Sunrise is a refractory material supplier from China, offering high quality refractory materials for glass furnaces, including fused cast AZS block, fused cast alumina block, fused cast high zirconia block, mullite brick, zircon brick, alumina bubble brick, magnesia brick, sillimanite brick, corundum brick, low porosity fireclay brick, high alumina brick, all kinds of glass furnace ramming masses, etc..