Numerical and experimental investigations on oxy-fuel combustion in glass melting furnaces

Glass melting requires high process temperatures which are obtained by the combustion of natural gas with strongly pre-heated air. This can lead to high NOX emissions which is why the glass industry is interested in alternative solutions. One approach is the so-called oxy-fuel combustion: pure oxygen is used as oxidizer, thus providing high temperatures while eliminating the main nitrogen source. GWI investigated the use of this technology in glass melting furnaces by experimental and numerical means. One result was that many conventional combustion models in CFD codes are not suitable for the description of oxy-fuel processes.