Yao Ruqing
Decision on Enhancing the Energy Reservation Work by State Council, published by Xinhua News Agency on Aug.31, points out that the energy problem has become a key bottleneck restricting the economic and social development of China. The fundamental solution to address this problem is to stick to the joint efforts in energy development and reservation with the latter in priority, to encourage energy-saving and reduced consumption, and to improve the energy utilization. Energy reservation has to be treated with top urgency and put on the key agenda of the government of various levels. The Decision clearly states that, by the end of the 11th Five-Year Plan, the energy consumption per 10,000 RMB GDP (based on prices in 2005) shall be reduced to 0.98 ton of standard coal, about 20% lower than that at the end of the 10th Five-Year Plan, with an annual average energy-saving rate at 4.4%. The unit energy consumption for key products in the key industries shall reach or approximate the advanced international level at the beginning of this century. In this regard, the glass industry as the big energy consumer shall take the energy reservation as the top priority and put it on the key work agenda of the industry. Currently, the unit energy consumption for commodity glass in China lags far behind the advanced international level. Take commodity glass furnace for example, the unit energy consumption is 300-500 kg standard coal per ton of finished products, far above the advanced international level of 190 kg. (1) Therefore, we still have a long way to go in the energy reservation work.
I. Adjustment of energy structure for the commodity glass industry
The glass industry in developed countries in the world also experienced a similar course in the energy structure adjustment from coal, oil, to clean energy or rational combustion (natural gas, electricity, pure oxygen combustion), etc., in order to save energy and protect the environment. The commodity glass industry in China has experienced several big adjustment in terms of energy structure since the foundation of the P.R. China. from direct-fired crucible furnace to semi-gas crucible furnace to semi-gas tank furnace to full gas tank furnace during the period from 1950s to 1970s; from the coal-to-oil conversion in 1970s to oil-to-coal conversion at the beginning of the 21st century (in 1970s, due to the development of the oil extraction and refining industries in China, the derived by-products heavy oil and residual oil had to be utilized in great urgency; however, by the end of 1990s, due to the rapid industrial development in China, oil resources were increasingly in shortage, plus the impact of soaring oil prices on the international market as a result of the break-out of the Middle East War, the oil prices in China also increased exponentially, forcing part of the energy-consuming industries to consider the adoption of relatively cheap coal to replace the expensive oil). But whether by coal-to-oil or oil-to-coal conversion, all are at the cost of environmental pollution and a waste of energy utilization, which does not comply with the industry development principle that takes the development of recycling economy as the prerequisite. And we all know since very long ago that firing coal is a great waste and against the comprehensive utilization of energy, because from coal many other chemical products could be extracted. Directly burning the coal is definitely a great waste, and shall be restricted nowadays when great energy shortage exists. Many big cities will use natural gas to replace coke oven gas (e.g., Beijing, Tianjin, etc.).Currently China has independently developed Integrated Gasification Combined Cycle (IGCC), a green and clean coal power generation technology, which can fully utilize all potential value of coal and reduce the environmental pollution thus ensuring the truly comprehensive utilization of coal. The 250 MW power generation project in the first phase has been located in Tianjin Binhai Development Zone and will be put into operation in 2009. This project has currently been verified as the cleanest highly efficient coal power generation technology that could be industrialized, and presents the important basis for the advanced coal-based energy combined production system in the future. (2) It is estimated that this technology will soon be promoted, and the government will impose restriction on use of coal as a one-off energy resource. From the perspective of the energy structure adjustment for the glass industry in developed countries in the world, most of the countries use clean energy and electric oven in priority. In terms of burner, they are gradually developing electric melting and pure-oxygen combustion, in order to ensure the environment-friendliness. In order to reach or approximate the world advanced level at the beginning of this century in terms of unit energy consumption in China, it is very necessary to adjust the energy structure based on the local conditions if possible. Especially the “West-to-East Gas Transmission” as part of the state’s energy structure adjustment has offered golden opportunities for the glass industry to adjust the energy structure. The industry players must change their conventional views and keep pace with the advancement by grasping such opportunities. Be farsighted. Never held back by worries of the gain/loss for the one-off investment of the first phase. In addition, with the relief of power supply shortage in China, those with appropriate conditions shall consider the adoption of electric oven or electric melting technology so as to reduce the use of disposable energy to achieve the goals of energy reservation and environment protection.
II. All-round energy saving in the commodity glass industry
When a rational energy structure is in place, China has accumulated rich energy-saving furnace experience in the design of furnaces for the past more than 10 years, which is the common fortune of our scientists and technical experts on the basis of concluding know-how of many advanced energy-saving furnaces home and abroad, which we shall cherish. We are not against continuous innovation on that basis, but we really hope to bring forth the new approaches by sticking to the scientific development concept instead of unscientific blind actions. Although furnace is the key point for energy consumption in the glass industry, other processes that consume energy shall neither be neglected, including glass forehearth, I.S. machine, pressing machine, anneal furnace, etc., all of which boast great potential for energy saving. E.g., for glass forehearth, the temperature difference shall be well balanced between the exit and shaping to avoid unnecessary loss of temperature.
I.S. machine & pressing machine: use servo motor driven electric drive if possible, to reduce pneumatic driving in order to save power consumption; a model with energy-saving combustor shall be selected for edge-melting machine.
Anneal furnace: As early as in the beginning of 1980s, there were energy-saving anneal furnaces with the improvement of mechanical efficiency. Currently products in alignment with the international level are available in China.
With the rapid development of the electronic industry, unlimited application space has been offered for the automated production in various industries, whether in material distribution, furnace, forehearth, forming machine, or anneal furnace, and micro-computer controlled automation shall be adopt wherever is possible in order to save energy and reduce the cost. We shall fully utilize the common technological fortune created by the human beings, and renovate to be best of our abilities the conventional processes with electronic technologies, so as to realize the automated control.
References
（1）"Report of the Investigation in Australia and New Zealand by Chinese Commodity Glass Industry", Cnagi.org.cn.
（2）"Green Coal Power Generation Model Project to break the ground next year", First Page, Tianjin Tonight, Sep.2, 2006.