Ammonia Used as Fuel in AGC Production Furnace
AGC has announced that it recently succeeded in the world's first demonstration test of glass production using ammonia as fuel in an actual production furnace under the project entitled “Technology Development for the Utilization and Production of Ammonia as Fuel” which is being undertaken as a commissioned project by New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO).
A pair of burners developed by Taiyo Nippon Sanso to prevent a rapid rise in flame temperature through multi-stage combustion were installed in the architectural glass furnace at the AGC Yokohama Technical Center. The world's first demonstration test using ammonia as fuel was conducted for two days from 18 to 19 June 2023. In the demonstration test, compared with conventional combustion methods using heavy oil as fuel under various conditions, the effects on the quality of glass, furnace materials, and control of the flame temperature, furnace temperature, and NOx emissions were verified. In this test, the NOx concentration in the exhaust gas was found to be below the environmental criterion value while maintaining the required temperature of the glass melting furnace.
The plan for 2023 is to continue conducting technical verification using ammonia as fuel under various conditions, using the glass melting furnace that produces architectural glass at the AGC Yokohama Technical Center. After 2024, plans are to conduct scaled-up burner tests and demonstration tests using glass melting furnaces at other AGC sites. The goal is to fully introduce ammonia combustion technology in 2026 or later after determining the scope of its use.
