Page 19 - Glass Machinery Plants & Accessories no. 3/2017

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PRAXAIR AND LIBBEY

GRANT FOR EMISSIONS

REDUCTION PROJECT

Praxair, Inc. and its customer, Libbey Inc., together
have been awarded a EUR 2.3 million LIFE grant
(LIFE15 CCM/NL/000121 – LIFE OPTIMELT) from
the European Commission. The LIFE programme is the
European Union’s financial instrument for supporting
environmental, conservation and climate action projects.
This grant is supporting the installation of Praxair’s
®
OPTIMELT thermochemical regenerator (TCR) system
at Libbey’s glass melting facility in the Netherlands.
In April 2016, Praxair and Libbey, one of the largest
glassware and tableware manufacturers globally,
announced they would install the OPTIMELT TCR
system as well as an on-site oxygen vacuum pressure
swing adsorption (VPSA) plant at Libbey’s facility. The
system is designed to support a capacity realignment plan
that reduces carbon dioxide (CO2) and nitrogen oxides
(NOx) emissions by approximately 45-60% and 30-40%
respectively. Through Praxair’s proprietary OPTIMELT
TCR system, incoming natural gas is heated and reacts
with a portion of the flue gas to produce a hot syngas fuel
that recovers the waste heat stored in regenerators for more
efficient combustion in the furnace. Both the OPTIMELT
TCR system and oxygen supply are scheduled to start up
in 2017.
“At Praxair we are achieving our mission of making our
planet more productive through the development of
technologies that reduce emissions, save energy and lessen
our reliance on natural resources,” said Todd Skare, chief
technology officer at Praxair. “Through our innovative
OPTIMELT technology and VPSA oxygen supply system,
we are improving air quality and helping Libbey to achieve
its sustainability goals.”
“Libbey is committed to minimizing its impact on the
environment through the reduction and conservation of
natural resources,” said Terry Hartman, vice president,
global engineering and manufacturing support, Libbey
Inc. “Reductions in global air pollution require innovative
solutions that go beyond filters. In partnership with
Praxair, we have constructed and launched the highest-
efficiency glass melter in the industry at our Royal Leerdam
facility in the Netherlands. This new furnace represents
the type of collaboration
and process innovation
that enables us to help lead
change as a responsible
global company.”