Industrial Gas Supply for Glass Industry Set as H3

Delivering Quality to Improve Productivity

Gulf cryo offers high quality gases and on-site supply schemes for large consumers of gases. The sensitivity of gas demand in the glass industry is clearly understood by Gulf Cryo, which ensures reliable supply solutions for gases.
Manufacturing gases dates back many centuries. The techniques and processes of glass making have evolved over time. In modern day society glass is an integral part of daily life used extensively in construction, automobile industry and domestic applications. In glass manufacturing, combination between chemical composition and physical properties varies with the application and the environment to which the glass will be exposed. Once considered an art, now glass production is a large-scale industry involving sophistication and technology that industrial development offers. Present day glass, can be categorized as tableware glass, float glass and optical glass fibres. Sub-classification are done based on the nature of the application and the customer’s demand.
The glass industry by virtue of the nature of the product is very critical when it comes to application of glass since abnormalities are easily identifiable in the final product. A variety of gases are used in different processes in glass making. Impurities in gases have to be checked and maintained within the allowable limits, which otherwise would result in large waste of volumes.
Optical and thermal properties are strength are some of the key characteristics driving the glass industry. Parts of these properties are attributable to the quality of gases used in the process. Changes in the purity levels or the mixing ratios of gases are made to alter the quality of gases.

Gas Applications

Oxygen

It is used primarily for two applications: for glass melting in the furnaces and for glass polishing to give a nice shiny appearance. It is either used mixed with air or oxy-fuel / Oxy-hydrogen burners.

Acetylene

it finds a common use as a lubricant spread over the mold in glass bottle and tableware manufacturing. When exposed to direct heat it ensures that the glass in contact with it can be easily removed.

Nitrogen

use of nitrogen is primarily to create an inert atmosphere over a n bath and to maintain a positive pressure for float glass manufacturing.

Silane

Extensively used for glass coating on float glass to produce the coloured reflectasol (Solar control glass) to meet the twin requirement , functional & aesthetic, of architects.

Hydrogen

It used mixed with Nitrogen in the float glass process to displace the oxidant from the bath. It forms water when reacted with oxygen and expelled from vets in the baths. The mixing ratio of hydrogen with nitrogen varies with the amount of oxygen in the bath. Other applications of hydrogen involve heat treatment of fiber optic pre-forms.

Several other gases such as helium, argon, neon and high purity speciality gases are used by glass industry, ranging from drawing of fiber optic pre-forms to gas filling in bulbs and tube lights for imparting various colors and lighting characteristics.