The new hybrid furnace has the potential to replace conventional air-fuel technology, a process used in glass melting by coupling air-fuel and oxy-fuel technologies to aid glassmakers in providing high-quality, fuel-efficient products. Oxy-fuel technology precedes air-fuel processes by using oxygen for environmentally friendly glass combustion that eliminates nitrogen in the air, reducing maintenance costs and providing design simplicity. Oxy-fuel will also gain ground through its improved productivity, enhanced glass quality and stable batch patterns.
Electrical industrial furnaces and ovens sales are expected to retain a significant market share with sales that exceed $4.2 billion by 2015, due to growth in the Asia-Pacific region. And in Europe, the fuel-fired industrial furnaces and ovens are expected to be worth $1,142 million by the year 2012, according to the report.
