Protein Design Labs A specialty glass manufacturer has integrated Sierra's Mass-Trak flow controllers into their production facility to control fuel-to-air ratio on open burner flames. The flame is used to construct high-quality glass containers for the pharmaceutical and analytical industry. Manual control of air and natural gas flow to the burner tip had resulted in unacceptable levels of rejected material, as well as excessive gas consumption. The process engineers were seeking methods to improve glass quality, reduce raw material waste and increase production capacity.
It was determined that improving combustion was the best way to improve process efficiency, and that automating the gas blending and ratio control operation offered many benefits. Sierra was able to provide a complete combustion control system that utilized Mass-Trak flow controllers for measuring and regulating the delivery of very low mass flow rates (less than 50 slpm) over a wide range of pressure differentials.
Oxygen-enriched air enhances the chemistry for the combustion of natural gas, increases flame temperature, and improves productivity. Mass-Trak controllers are used to blend air and oxygen at precisely controlled rates, and to control the ratios of natural gas and air to the burner. Mass-Trak's local display and setpoint control capability allows the operator to view and adjust flow rates as needed for varying production requirements. The device's simple single-sided power input also eliminates the need for a separate power supply and reduces the overall cost of the combustion control system.
This solution has resulted in reduced scrap caused by operator error, improved throughput and lower fuel consumption at each station.
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