AMETEK Land to Present on In-Furnace Thermal Surveys at 80th Conference on Glass Problems

As part of the technical session on Sensors and Control, happening from 2 to 4 pm on October 30, Mark Bennett, Glass Sector Lead at AMETEK Land, alongside Neil Simpson, Consultant of Simpson Combustion & Energy, will present “Not Just a Pretty Picture – In-Furnace Thermal Imaging” including contributions from Dr. Fiona Turner, Physics Section Manager at AMETEK Land and John Naughton, Technical Director, at Allied Glass Containers Ltd.

The presentation looks at how the development of in-furnace thermal imaging has taken the glass industry from manual single temperature measurements at minimum 20-minute intervals to 325,000 continuous automatic temperature measurements. The speakers will then discuss how AMETEK Land’s NIR-B Glass system, initially developed as a fixed continuously operating thermal imager on a furnace, is now being installed temporarily in peep sites and used for furnace thermal surveys.



Bennett comments “By installing the NIR-B Glass in existing peep sites, it is possible to look at most of the internal furnace superstructure. An instantaneous thermal image during a non-firing reversal is sufficient to identify several problems with the refractory that may not be obvious by optical inspection alone.”



In soda lime applications, the ability to identify areas of silica refractory temperature below 1388°C shows where NaOH can condense and refractory temperature below 1000°C can indicate a hole. The presentation will show how by using the NIR-B Glass helped identify small ratholes as part of a thermal survey prior to being visible.

In addition to furnace asset protection, it will look at how an NIR-B Glass thermal survey has clear benefits in terms of plant and personnel safety, staff training, validation of CFD models and general troubleshooting for quality and/or combustion.



In this presentation, the views at three longitudinal locations will be discussed in combination with a static camera to compare both refractory and flame images in an end-fired furnace case study. Perhaps uniquely by utilising an innovative patent-pending method developed by AMETEK Land, there is the ability to measure the glass surface temperature in the furnace.



Customers of AMETEK Land recognise that NIR-B Glass is an essential part of maintaining high-quality glass production and extending the campaign life of a furnace. Data from the NIR-B Glass is used to improve response times, and then to identify and troubleshoot furnace operations to improve yield and to achieve higher pull and lower specific energy.



For glass producers, this results in increased asset life and improved furnace optimisation. Temperature measurement at critical locations in the production process is essential in glass manufacturing and processing.

AMETEK Land’s NIR-B Glass is a short wavelength, radiometric, infrared borescope imaging camera that is designed to produce high-definition thermal images with around 325,000 accurate temperature measurement points in the field of view. The camera measures temperatures in the range of 1000° to 1800°C (1832° to 3272°F) and is suitable for float glass, container glass, borosilicate glass and fibre glass melt furnaces.



Alongside the NIR-B Glass, AMETEK Land manufactures a range of temperature measurement instruments, specifically designed for the glass industry.

About Glass Problems

The 80th Conference on Glass Problems (GPC) is organised by the Glass Manufacturing Industry Council and Alfred University and is endorsed by The American Ceramic Society.



GPC is one of the glass industry’s leading international conferences and exhibitions. It brings together industry leaders and suppliers providing them an opportunity to showcase latest products, technologies and innovations to the entire glass value-added chain. Find out more about the event here.