Batch House

The batch house is the initial location where raw glass material is housed in large silos before entering the glass furnace operations phase. The step by step process is as follows:

Step 1: Raw materials arrive at a glass plant batch house by rail or truck and are visually inspected and sampled to make sure they are a standard size.

Step 2: Materials are discharged into an unloading pit, sent by elevator transport to the batch house, and then to the proper storage silo.

Step 3: Before going into the furnace, materials are proportioned into batches and weighed on scales located under the storage silos.

Step 4: There is usually one scale for each raw material and each batch must be accurate.

Step 5: The sensitivity of the scales is monitored daily and their calibration is checked weekly to ensure accuracy.

Step 6: Once weighed, materials are sent to the mixer, located just above the furnace.

Step 7: In some plants cullet is added after the materials are mixed to minimize wear and tear on the mixer to allow for greater amounts of cullet.

Step 8: The mixed batch is then transported to the furnace by a horizontal belt conveyor or monorail train.

Step 9: Water is often added to the mixer just before the batch is charged into the furnace to decrease the possibility of dusting and segregation and inhibit de-mixing during transport.

Step 10: A wet batch enhances batch pattern control in the furnace, which is important for efficient melting.