The idea is to control the solar gain by rotating the horizontal glass windows, that is, to adjust the glass-azimuth regardless of the shape of the building wall. The impact of rotation angle, magnitude and direction, on achieving current, daily and seasonal solar temperatures is investigated in detail. The computer program is coded to perform extensive calculations. The system is adjusted in a standard and flexible manner, in the sense that it can be used in any position and time, on any wall stand and any type of filter marked by coefficient of extinction, refraction index, and durability.
Research helps the designer to choose the best glass rotation angle that increases or decreases the heat gain depending on the purpose. There may be two correct rotation angles, the first of which results in a reduction in the size of the air-conditioning system, while the second angle reduces the power consumption.2022 is the international year of glass. Yet many glass industries are struggling to survive. High energy costs and high CO2 emissions mean that glass production faces a challenging future. Researchers at FAU and Technische Hochshchule Nürnberg Georg Simon Ohm are currently conducting research aimed at finding a solution to keep glass production going without relying on mineral oil. Their approach is based on electric furnaces.
“We use glass more in our daily lives than we realize, sometimes colors, sometimes transparent, in many different activities,” said Prof. Drs. Dominique de Ligny from the Chair of Glass and Ceramics at FAU. “Not only windows, but also our smartphone screens, storage jars, rotary blades on wind turbines or in the production of lasers.”Producing glass requires a lot of energy. To produce glass, various utensils must be heated in a furnace at temperatures above 1600 degrees Celsius. This high temperature is obtained by heating natural gas, but a large amount of CO2 is emitted from this process. Rising natural gas prices mean that the glass industry is facing a sharp rise in production costs. Currently, energy costs are more than 40% of total costs, and before 2020 they were estimated at 14%.The style is already putting a few glass industries on the brink of closure.
Soluble glass using electricity
And Prof. Drs. Sven Wiltzsch from the Faculty of Materials Engineering at TH Nürnberg, Prof. Drs. Dominique de Ligny is already researching ways to make glass production more sustainable and non-fuel resistant since 2020. Another option is to burn gas stations instead of natural gas. To heat raw materials using electricity, electrodes are attached to the edges of a glass melting pot. Electricity flows between electrodes, transferring energy to objects and causing it to start melting.
“If we consider that we will be able to use green energy in the future, that would make this method more sustainable. This process will emit very small amounts of CO2, as gas-based melting processes do not involve any combustion. Side products such as CO2 or carbon monoxide will not is still being released, “explains Prof. Wiltzsch.” When the furnace is powered by electricity, less energy is lost than when hydrogen is converted, for example. So the system works very well.”
Blue glass instead of brown glass
During their experiments, however, the researchers encountered a problem: their method is not suitable for producing brown glass, but brown glass is important for certain purposes. Brown glass is needed, for example, to store medicines and food, as it protects against UV rays.
The reason why this method is not suitable for producing brown glass is the high oxygen content in electric furnaces. In traditional furnaces, the atmosphere is less oxygen-rich, but in an electric oven, higher oxygen levels. The high oxygen content of the furnace alters the chemical reaction at the atomic level, producing blue glass rather than brown glass.
Nicole Ostermeier investigates the special atomic features of brown glass in her Bachelor’s degree. He is studying materials science at TH Nürnberg, and is doing research at FAU on why brown glass loses its color and how the melting process changes with the use of electricity.
“If we understood the effect of oxygen on the glass, we would also be able to produce brown glass using electrodes, which makes the whole glass production process more stable,” said Prof. deLignyno and Prof. Wiltzsch.
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