RESEARCH OF EXERGY EFFICIENCY OF AIR HEAT RECOVERY GLASS FURNACES

The results of exergy efficiency study of an air-heating heat exchanger of glass-melting furnaces under conditions of heat-exchange surface dustiness are presented. To assess the exergy efficiency of the heat exchanger, a complex technique was used, including the methods of exergy analysis and the selection of the necessary evaluation criteria. A correspondence between a sharp decrease in the exergy efficiency of an air- heating heat exchanger and an increase in the thickness of dust deposits on the heat-exchange surface has been established. The maximum permissible degree of dustiness of the heat exchange surface has been determined. This degree is characterized by a pollution factor of ξ = 0.02 – 0.03 and is achieved, on average, in 12 days of operation of the heat exchanger.