Development of an Advanced Gas Fired Mineral Wood Melter. Annual Report January-December 1988

摘要

A gas fired mineral wool melter has been designed to provide a melting technology option to the existing coke fired cupola melters used by the mineral wool industry. Over the past few years, mineral wool producers have been increasingly pressured to reduce their level of pollutant gaseous emissions. Including the fuel consumption for an afterburner required with a cupola melter, the direct production costs for fuel currently range from $32 to $44 per ton of melted product; dependent on the effectiveness of a heat recovery system. The estimated direct fuel cost for a gas fired mineral wool melter could be as low as $16 per ton. The configuration of the prototype melter contributes to the energy savings because waste heat is reclaimed by preheating the feedstock in a counterflow shaft. Besides the beneficial decrease in energy costs, the proposed gas fired melter will virtually eliminate carbon monoxide and unburned hydrocarbon emissions as well as substantially reduce emissions of hydrogen sulfide. Finally with an improved capability to process the melted product at a controlled temperature and flowrate, the gas fired melter should improve the overall quality of the mineral fiber product compared to the state-of-the-art coke fired cupola melter.