Lithium Battery for Glassworks and Glass Furnace Backup
Lithium Battery for Glassworks and Glass Furnace Backup
A glass furnace is the clearest example in industry of a load that must not stop. Once the melt is up to temperature, the refractory is holding several tonnes of material that will solidify if the boost, the fans and the control system lose power, and a lithium battery manufacturer sizing a glassworks bank is protecting an asset that costs more to rebuild than the storage itself.
What an Unplanned Freeze Actually Costs
The consequence is not a pause in production. Glass that solidifies in the tank damages the refractory lining, and a lining rebuild means a long cold repair, new material and a restart ramp that can run for weeks. The cost of that event dwarfs the cost of the storage that would have prevented it, which is why the backup case is made on asset protection rather than on lost output.
The Loads That Have to Hold
Not everything in the plant needs protecting, and the list is worth drawing carefully. Boost electrodes or the combustion air fans, the cooling water pumps, the exhaust and emissions monitoring, and the control system are the essentials. The batch plant, the forming lines and the packing hall can stop without consequence beyond lost throughput.
The Forehearth and the Annealing Lehr
Downstream of the melter, temperature control is the product. A forehearth that drifts or a lehr that loses its gradient produces glass that fails inspection, and a lehr full of ware that cools unevenly is a write-off. These are substantial electrical loads in their own right, and they are usually worth including on the protected bus.
Heat, Dust and a Hostile Environment
A glassworks is a hard place to put electronics. Ambient temperatures near the melter are high, there is conductive dust, and the atmosphere can carry sulphur compounds. The bank wants to be sited away from the hot face in a clean, ventilated, temperature-controlled room, with an enclosure rating specified for the actual conditions rather than a generic figure.
Emissions Monitoring and Permit Compliance
Melting is a permitted process, and the continuous monitoring system is what demonstrates compliance. If it loses power, the record breaks even when the furnace survives, and that is a reporting problem for the operator. It belongs on protected supply with its own defined autonomy, alongside the control system.
| Attribute | Lithium | Lead-acid | Diesel genset |
|---|---|---|---|
| Transfer on mains failure | Instant | Fast | Seconds |
| Suitability for hot dusty plant | Good in a rated room | Poor | Poor |
| Indoor siting | Good | Poor (gassing) | No |
| Maintenance burden | Minimal | High | High |
| Peak shaving alongside backup | Yes | Limited | No |
What to Ask a Supplier
Ask for the autonomy calculation in hours at the stated protected load, written out rather than given as a headline figure. Ask which circuits are on the protected bus and how the changeover behaves under load. Ask for the cell maker’s name and the warranty terms, and ask what enclosure rating is supplied for a hot, dusty plant room.
People Also Ask
Does the whole furnace need backup? Full melting power is rarely affordable from storage. The usual design protects boost, cooling, exhaust and control so the melt holds safely rather than continuing to produce.
How long must it hold? Long enough to survive the longest realistic outage and, if necessary, to bring a controlled shutdown or a generator online without the melt dropping below its critical temperature.
Where does the bank go in a glassworks? In a clean, ventilated room away from the hot face and the batch house. Specify the enclosure rating for heat and conductive dust.
Does it also reduce the power bill? It can, by shaving the peaks from boost cycling, but on a glassplant the investment is normally justified by protecting the refractory lining.
Written by Karl at China Battery Technology. Request a quote.
