The Sorg group has completed the repair of furnace B at Slovenian glass manufacturer Steklarna Hrastnik.
Steklarna Hrastnik appointed the group to assist the construction of its furnace B, which replaced an old melting furnace also built by Sorg in 2014 for the production of flint glass.
The new furnace B represents the expansion and modernisation of the plant, particularly in terms of environmental and energy aspects.
The regenerative end-port furnace was redesigned and expanded to increase performance, the furnace design was brought up to the latest standards, and the boosting system, in the form of barrier and melting boosters, was designed in such a way that the electricity share in the melting energy can be increased to 40% at a later point in time.
The furnace is charged with batch via an IRD-Doghouse and an EME-NEND 2 batch charger.
The refining bank ensures the required glass quality.
During the furnace construction, attention was paid to the minimal need for adjustments to the steel structure.
To further reduce the CO2 footprint, the system is intended to be converted to operation with hydrogen in the future.
Nikolaus Sorg provided a comprehensive engineering package for the refractory material and steel construction necessary for repairing the melting tank, distribution channel, and four forehearths.
Additionally, it delivered heating and cooling systems, SCADA, and other necessary components for the furnace and glass conditioning system.
Nikolaus Sorg also conducted assembly and commissioning services as part of its scope of delivery.
EME conducted an audit and conceptual engineering.
Based on this it then proceeded to upgrade the dosing units in the batch plants and modernise the cullet return system, installing a new single fork linked scraper.
EME also delivered and installed a system for charging external PCR (post-consumer recycled) cullet.
This system includes a charging hopper, sieving, and crushing system, storage silo, and belt scale, all of which were included in the contract.
SKS was responsible for the draining and demolition of the old furnace as well as the installation of the new refractory material and modification of the existing steel structure.
The most challenging part was the lifting of the furnace and forehearth steel structure by 400mm.
This allowed the customer to reuse most of the existing steel structure and provided a substantial cost saving for them.
The heating up and filling took place according to the time schedule.
During the complete project period, SKS was present on-site with a team of up to 80 technicians, including site manager and health and safety officer.
