Allied Glass has started work on the furnace repair of the G1 furnace at its Knottingley site.
This is the first furnace to be developed by Allied’s own in-house Engineering Project Management team. The old furnace had been built in 1999 and had a repair in 2008.
After a 12-month tendering process, the team has sourced premium European refractory materials for the build and selected technologies from European equipment suppliers including Sorg, ACSI and STG.
A sealed doghouse and batch charger, a low-NOx combustion system, integrated waste gas oxygen control, a PLC control system and new gas metering and control skids are some of the components designed to give better process control for improved production performance.
The company said these changes deliver the Best Available Techniques for NOx reduction to meet limits outlined in the recently adopted Glass Bref.
The new furnace has also improved insulation and a re-designed combustion space to provide better energy efficiency.
The furnace will feed five IS machines, including one fed by a colouring forehearth. This production line received a £3 million upgrade in 2012, when the forehearth capacity was increased and a new IS machine and inspection line installed.
The new furnace is expected to start producing glass on February 20th.
