Spray mist cooling heat transfer in glass tempering process

Energy saving is a very important issue in glass plants, especially in a glass tempering process, where very high velocity air jet impingement is applied during the cooling process of glass tempering. In fact, air compressor energy may be reduced by a spray cooling due to its high heat transfer capabilities. Presently, in this paper, both pure air and water mist spray cooling are investigated in the glass tempering process. The test results indicate that thin and low-cost tempered glass can be made by mist cooling without fracture. It is possible to find the optimal water flux and duration of mist application to achieve a desirable temperature distribution in the glass for deep penetration of the cooling front but without inducing cracking during the tempering. The use of mist cooling could give about 29 % air pressure reduction for 2-mm glass plate and 50 % reduction for both 3- and 4-mm glass plates.