PI: Zheng Yao
Co-PI(s): Carlos Romero and Alparslan Oztekin
University: Lehigh University
Oxygen-enhanced combustion technologies can help improve glass furnace performance by displacing combustion air with oxygen. The increase in oxygen concentration can have a dramatic impact on furnace operations, and/or improving operations or regaining control of furnaces with heat recovery devices. By reducing or eliminating the introduction of inert nitrogen into the furnace, oxygen-enhanced combustion technologies have proven to increase production, decrease fuel consumption, and reduce emissions, while maintaining or even increasing product quality. Oxy-fuel hydrogen glass furnace operation would generate flue gas composed with a majority of water vapor and small fraction of inerts. Advanced heat recovery technologies for oxy-fuel fired glass furnaces could be deployed to recover significant heat from the flue gas to improve process efficiency and to recover water for makeup or other plant uses, depending on the level of purification required for reuse. However, the particulates carry over in the flue gas from the raw material used in the glass manufacture process need to be removed by the water purification process. The particulates are most sodium-based compounds, including: sodium carbonate, sodium hydroxide, sodium sulfate, etc.
Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (APCI) is interested in collaborating with Lehigh University to investigate of the solubility of the oxy-fuel hydrogen glass furnace flue gas carryovers in the condensed water and also the potential impacts those carryovers may have on the membrane distillation used in the water purification process. The topic and project goals are in line with PITA’s goals and objectives included in the water focus areas of PITA. The proposed research project targets at enhancing the technical capabilities of Lehigh University in this highly active topic area. This area of research has great potential for future research and development in water purification industries. The proposed study will be conducted with contribution from Air Products and Chemical Inc., a world-leading industrial gases company. The membrane distillation module study results are planned to be used in the future design, development, and optimization of a compact commercial condensate purification water unit for small-scale oxy-fuel hydrogen glass furnace flue gas heat and water recovery applications