In the second half of 2024, SEFPRO will inaugurate a new-generative electro-fusion furnace at its Le Pontet site in southern France. Its flexibility will enable SEFPRO to produce a variety of products to offer solutions and support customers in their sustainability journey.
With the low carbon objective of the glass industry, glassmakers are exploring ways to reduce their CO2 emissions. In line with this goal, and to open up new development opportunities, SEFPRO has designed a unique production line. Innovative, highly flexible and automated, it will be able to manufacture various standards of refractory solutions.
The advantages of a flexible refractory line
Initially, this automated line will increase production capacity for Cruciforms® refractories, which are installed in the regenerators of glass furnaces to boost heat exchange.
Thanks to their unique shapes and because they are made of fused-cast material, Cruciforms® checkerpack enable the reduction of energy consumption by several percentages from the very beginning of a furnace’s campaign while increasing the lifetime of the regenerators. Their corrosion resistance reduces ageing, thus increasing the thermal performances of regenerators with less energy.
These solutions, which are unique on the market for their environmental performance and durability over time, has celebrated 50 years of success in 2023.
Later, this production line will be extended to other fused-cast standard solutions such as paving tiles – essential for reinforcing the bottoms of electric or electrically boosted furnaces – or arch stones – suitable for oxy-fuel or hydrogen furnaces. All these solutions have one thing in common: they aim to support SEFPRO customers’ transition to low-carbon glass manufacturing.
Supporting SEFPRO sustainability roadmap
Beyond strengthening SEFPRO’s ability to provide sustainable solutions to its customers, the investment is fully in line with its sustainability roadmap, both in terms of carbon emissions and circularity. Compared with traditional furnaces, energy requirements for annealing can be reduced by 65 percent.
The furnace will use up to 20 percent hydrogen instead of natural gas, allowing energy saving using new methods for glass melting with decarbonized energy.