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Christopher Jian, Owens Corning, Granville, OH
As the world’s leading glass fiber and materials manufacturer,
Owens Corning is committed to delivering products of the highest quality
to its customers. One of the critical processes in the manufacture of
continuous strand glass fiber is the front-end glass delivery system.
The front-end system consists of various covered channels and forehearths
made of refractory materials. Channels are used to deliver glass from
the melter to a network of product-forming stations, and to provide a
means of thermally conditioning the glass to the required temperatures
by applying cooling or heating along the way. Forehearths are used to
distribute glass to each forming station while maintaining glass temperatures
dictated by the forming products. It is crucial that the front-end system
delivers glass of the highest quality to the forming operations, both
chemically and thermally, to insure that the products meet customers’
highest quality standards.
In order to meet the stringent requirements of fiber forming operations,
significant effort has been devoted to the design, engineering, and operation
of these front-end systems. Engineers at Owens Corning have successfully
integrated CFD modeling in the overall process. Coupled with an in-house
computer code, FLUENT is used for modeling both the combustion space and
the glass flow. Extensive validation of the CFD model against field measurements
has been performed, to ensure the accuracy and integrity of the simulation
results. The CFD model has become an integral tool for improving the design
and operation of front-end glass delivery systems. It is also being used
to make engineering and business decisions that have resulted in significant
capital and operating savings. Currently, this front-end CFD model is
being integrated with Owens Corning’s forming technology model to
maximize the potential of numerical simulation.
Temperature in a fiberglass front-end
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Temperature validation in a channel
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Temperature validation in a forehearth
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