Sodium silicate, also known as water glass, is widely used in industrial production. As the core equipment for sodium silicate production, the structure of the melting furnace has a vital impact on production efficiency and energy consumption. Next, let us explore the most common regenerative structure in domestic sodium silicate melting furnaces!
The regenerator, as an efficient waste heat recovery system, plays a vital role in the sodium silicate melting furnace. It uses a special refractory material, checker bricks, as a heat storage body to accurately capture and store the heat energy in the high-temperature flue gas discharged from the melting furnace. When these high-temperature exhaust gases reach a temperature of 1400~1500℃ and flow through the checker bricks of the regenerator, the heat is effectively absorbed and accumulated in the checker bricks, thereby gradually increasing its temperature.
Subsequently, during the flame reversal process, the heat accumulated in the checker bricks is released to preheat the gas and air entering the melting furnace. Through this heat exchange process, the coal gas can be preheated to 800~1000℃, while the air can reach a preheating temperature of 1000~1200℃. This preheating effect not only ensures that the flame has a high enough temperature to meet the melting conditions of sodium silicate, but also reduces the temperature of the exhaust gas to about 600℃ when it is discharged from the regenerator, thereby realizing the efficient recovery and utilization of heat energy.
In order to further optimize the performance of the regenerator and extend its service life, researchers and engineers continue to explore and innovate. In domestic sodium silicate melting furnaces, the regenerator has a variety of design forms, each of which is designed to improve its thermal efficiency and stability. Among them, the connected structure, separated structure, semi-separated structure, two-small furnace connected structure, two-stage structure and fully connected structure are the most common designs. These carefully designed regenerator structures not only improve the recovery rate of heat energy, but also provide a strong guarantee for the energy saving and efficient operation of the sodium silicate melting furnace.
PART.01
Connected structure
In the design concept of sodium silicate melting furnace, there is a structure that designs the air regenerator and the gas regenerator under the small furnace on one side as a connected single-chamber structure. The original intention of this design may be to simplify the structure and facilitate airflow. However, in actual application, we found that this connected design has obvious disadvantages.
The main problem is that the airflow is difficult to be evenly distributed in the connected chamber. Due to the lack of effective airflow separation and guidance mechanism, the airflow is prone to form vortices or short circuits in certain areas, resulting in excessive airflow speed and high temperature in local areas. This local overheating phenomenon will accelerate the thermal deterioration and damage of the checker bricks, seriously affecting the service life and performance of the regenerator.
Therefore, although this connected regenerator design is relatively simple in structure, it has been gradually eliminated in actual application due to its uneven airflow distribution and easy to cause local overheating. We prefer to adopt a more advanced design with more uniform airflow distribution to ensure the stable operation and efficient energy consumption of the sodium silicate melting furnace.
PART.02
Partitioned structure
The design of the regenerator on one side of the sodium silicate melting furnace is quite ingenious. It adopts a partitioned design based on each small furnace to form several independent chambers that are not connected to each other. The subtlety of this design is that it allows the gas distribution to be precisely adjusted through the gates on each branch flue, thereby achieving effective connection with the gas and air branch flues.
From a professional point of view, the significant advantage of this structure is the flexibility and accuracy of gas distribution. By simply adjusting the gate, the operator can easily control the gas flow in each independent chamber to meet the needs of different smelting stages. In addition, the design also facilitates hot repairs, because the construction of the independent chamber makes local repairs possible without stopping the furnace or affecting the normal operation of other areas.
However, this partitioned design also has certain limitations. Although the setting of the partition wall realizes the independent distribution of gas, it also occupies part of the space, resulting in a reduction in the effective volume of the grid body. This means that in the same space, the heat storage capacity of the grid body may be affected to a certain extent.
Nevertheless, this regenerator design is widely adopted due to its flexibility and maintainability, and has become one of the most common structures in sodium silicate melting furnaces. In actual operation, through reasonable gas distribution and optimized configuration of the grid body, its effectiveness can be maximized to ensure efficient and stable operation of the melting furnace.
PART.03
Semi-partitioned structure
The semi-partitioned structure is unique in the design of the regenerator of the sodium silicate melting furnace. Specifically, this structure divides the flue part above the grate arch into units of each small furnace. This design not only retains the independence of each small furnace, but also allows flexible gas distribution adjustment when necessary.
It is worth noting that the regenerator itself is not completely divided, or only divided to a certain extent in the lower part, while the upper part remains connected. This design takes into account both the uniformity of gas flow and the convenience of operation and maintenance. In actual operation, the regulating gate of gas distribution is still set on the branch flue, so that the gas flow of each small furnace can be accurately controlled by adjusting the gate, so as to meet the different needs of the smelting process.
From a professional perspective, the semi-separated structure retains the advantages of the separated design while avoiding the problems of space occupation and reduced effective volume of the lattice body. In addition, the structure also retains the integrity of the connected design, making the gas flow more uniform and reducing the risk of local overheating and damage to the lattice bricks.
PART.04
Two-small furnace connected structure
As an innovative design of the regenerator of the sodium silicate melting furnace, the two adjacent small furnaces are merged into one chamber, and each small furnace is equipped with an independent branch flue for fine-tuning the gas distribution. Compared with the fully separated structure, this design significantly reduces the use of partition walls, thereby increasing the heat exchange area of the lattice body and effectively improving the thermal efficiency.
However, the implementation of this structure is also accompanied by some technical challenges. Due to the reduction in the number of partition walls, the stability of the side walls will be affected to a certain extent, and careful consideration needs to be made in the structural design and material selection to ensure safety. In addition, although the characteristics of two-to-two connections optimize the heat distribution, it brings certain operational difficulties during thermal repair. Because the interconnected nature means that two small furnaces need to be handled at the same time during maintenance, which undoubtedly increases the complexity of maintenance and the impact on the production process.
PART.05
Two-stage structure
The two-stage structure shows a unique idea in the design of the regenerator of the sodium silicate melting furnace. The structure cleverly divides a single regenerator into two independent parts, separated by a partition wall and connected by a vertical channel. This layout makes the regenerator clearly divided into a high-temperature zone and a low-temperature zone, and each area undertakes different heat exchange tasks.
The original intention of adopting the two-stage structure is mainly to solve the problem of erosion of checker bricks during the gas, liquid and solid transformation of sodium sulfate. By limiting this transformation process to the connecting channel, the structure effectively extends the service life of the checker bricks and improves the durability and stability of the melting furnace.
However, although the two-stage structure has significant advantages in protecting checker bricks, it is less used in modern melting furnace design because of its relatively complex structure, which increases the difficulty of construction and maintenance. Despite this, this classic design still provides valuable inspiration and reference for subsequent technical improvements.
PART.06
Fully connected structure
The fully connected structure is a unique and efficient solution in the design of the regenerator of the sodium silicate melting furnace. By connecting the entire regenerator into a large space, the structure maximizes the heat exchange area of the grid body, thereby significantly improving the thermal efficiency. This design is similar to a large heat exchange network, in which each small furnace is connected to this network through a dedicated branch flue, realizing precise control of the gas distribution of each small furnace.
However, the implementation of this structure is not without challenges. Due to the lack of partition walls, the stability of the side walls has become an issue that requires special attention. To make up for this shortcoming, engineers need to carefully plan and strictly implement material selection, structural design and construction technology.
In addition, the fully connected structure also has certain maintenance difficulties. Once the local checker bricks collapse or become blocked, the entire regenerator is connected, so local heat repair operations cannot be performed. This requires that possible failures need to be fully considered in the design stage, and corresponding preventive measures and emergency plans should be formulated.
Despite this, the fully connected regenerator is still widely used in large float glass melting furnaces and other fields due to its efficient heat exchange performance and flexible gas distribution method. This design not only improves energy utilization efficiency, but also makes important contributions to the stable operation of the melting furnace and energy conservation and emission reduction.
The above are the 6 most common regenerative structures in domestic sodium silicate melting furnaces. Each structure has its unique advantages and scope of application. The choice of which structure depends on the specific production needs and process conditions. I hope this article can help you better understand the regenerative structure of sodium silicate melting furnaces and provide a useful reference for your production.
Of course, with the continuous advancement of science and technology and the continuous development of industry, more new types of regenerative structures may appear in the future. We will continue to pay attention to the latest developments in this field and bring you the most cutting-edge information and technology. If you have any questions or suggestions about sodium silicate melting furnaces or other related topics, please leave a message in the comment area. Let us discuss and make progress together!
Here, we also want to remind our readers that when choosing a sodium silicate melting furnace, you must consider your own production needs and process conditions. At the same time, production safety is always the first priority, please be sure to strictly abide by the operating procedures and safety standards. I wish you all the best in the production of sodium silicate and a prosperous career!
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