Related Experiment Video
Updated: Nov 24, 2025
11:56
Fabrication and Operation of an Oxygen Insert for Adherent Cellular Cultures
Published on: January 6, 2010
10.0K
Oxygen Transport Membranes for Efficient Glass Melting
Luca Mastropasqua1, Francesca Drago2, Paolo Chiesa3
1Advanced Power and Energy Program, University of California, Irvine, CA 92697, USA.
Membranes
|December 23, 2020
Summary
Oxygen transport membranes offer significant energy savings in glass manufacturing, reducing energy demand by approximately 22%. This technology also presents a more cost-effective solution compared to other oxy-fuel systems.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Chemical Engineering
- Energy Systems
Background:
- Glass manufacturing is energy-intensive, with traditional air-blown furnaces contributing to emissions.
- Oxy-fuel combustion offers potential benefits like reduced NOₓ and particulate emissions, improved furnace operations, and enhanced heat transfer.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop and validate a mathematical model for planar oxygen transport membrane modules.
- To design and evaluate the performance of an oxygen transport membrane integrated into a glass melting furnace.
- To compare the efficiency and economics of membrane-based oxy-fuel furnaces against air-blown and vacuum swing adsorption systems.
Main Methods:
- A one-dimensional mathematical model was developed, solving mass, momentum, and energy balances.
- Model parameters for surface oxygen kinetics and support microstructure were calibrated using experimental data for a La₀.₆Sr₀.₄Co₀.₂Fe₀.₈O₃-δ (LSCF) membrane.
- The model was used to simulate and compare three oxy-fuel glass furnace designs (membrane and vacuum swing adsorption) with a reference air-blown furnace.
Main Results:
- The most efficient membrane-based oxy-fuel furnace demonstrated a ~22% reduction in energy demand compared to the air-blown benchmark.
- Preliminary economic analysis indicated that membrane technology can lower overall glass production costs.
- Membrane-based systems show a cost advantage over vacuum swing adsorption technology for oxy-fuel glass furnaces.
Conclusions:
- Oxygen transport membrane technology is a viable and efficient approach for oxy-fuel glass melting.
- This technology offers substantial energy savings and potential cost reductions in glass production.
- Membrane-based oxy-fuel furnaces represent a promising advancement over traditional air-blown and other oxy-fuel systems.
Related Concept Videos
01:27Oxygen Transport in the Blood
4.9K
Hemoglobin (Hb) is a crucial molecule in the human body, consisting of four polypeptide chains, each bound to an iron-containing heme group. This unique structure enables hemoglobin to bind to oxygen, with each molecule capable of combining with four molecules of oxygen, leading to rapid and reversible oxygen loading. When fully loaded with oxygen, it is called oxyhemoglobin, while hemoglobin that has released oxygen is called reduced hemoglobin or deoxyhemoglobin. As hemoglobin binds oxygen,...
4.9K
01:20Gas Exchange and Transport
75.3K
Gas exchange, the intake of molecular oxygen (O2) from the environment and the outflow of carbon dioxide (CO2) into the environment, is necessary for cellular function. Gas exchange during respiration occurs largely via the movement of gas molecules along pressure gradients. Gas travels from areas of higher partial pressure to areas of lower partial pressure. In mammals, gas exchange occurs in the alveoli of the lungs, which are adjacent to capillaries and share a membrane with them.
75.3K
01:23Membrane Fluidity
168.3K
Cell membranes are composed of phospholipids, proteins, and carbohydrates loosely attached to one another through chemical interactions. Molecules are generally able to move about in the plane of the membrane, giving the membrane its flexible nature called fluidity. Two other features of the membrane contribute to membrane fluidity: the chemical structure of the phospholipids and the presence of cholesterol in the membrane.
168.3K
01:30Membrane Proteins
28.1K
Plasma membranes have integral transmembrane proteins involved in facilitated transport. These proteins are collectively referred to as transport proteins, and they function as either channels for the material or as carriers themselves. Channel proteins have hydrophilic domains exposed to the intracellular and extracellular fluids and a hydrophilic channel through their core that provides a hydrated opening for solutes to pass through the membrane layers. Passage through the channel allows...
28.1K