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Industrial Projects
Updated April 12, 2004
The Glass Industry Assistance Program has enabled West Virginia glass companies to have access to professional engineering expertise most often associated with the research and development laboratories of large corporations. The Glass Industry Assistance Program has thus provided a mechanism for the West Virginia University College of Engineering and Mineral Resources (CEMR) to provide technical expertise in heat transfer, computer- aided design, production management, quality techniques and environmental compliance to the overall glass industry as well as to individual glass companies.
The Glass Industry Assistance Program has used two formats for project
involvement by CEMR faculty and students with the glass industry. In one format, a team of
students and a supervising faculty member concentrate their semester system design efforts
for a particular glass manufacturer and identify plant/process enhancements to improve the
company's energy efficiency, and thus its cost effectiveness and/or product
competitiveness. In the other format, a team of students and a supervising faculty member
take on a semester project of general glass industry importance and relate their system
design work concurrently to the particular plant/process/product circumstances at several
glass industry companies. The results of the design projects from both of these formats
for project involvement are shared, as appropriate, with the glass industry.
The West Virginia Development Office announced in the fall of 1996 that it had secured funding from the U.S. Department of Energy to establish a program to provide technical assistance to the West Virginia Hand Glass Industry. This Program, termed the Glass Industry Technical Initiative, was the result of a successful competitive application submitted for the U.S. Department of Energy's Special Project Funding. Partners in this program will be the College of Engineering and Mineral Resources at West Virginia University, the Society For Glass Science and Practices, and Hope Gas, Inc.
The purpose of this initiative is to allow Hand Glass Industry Manufactures to have access to state-of-the-art engineering expertise. This program will ensure that at least 16 glass industry members receive energy audits and/or waste minimization studies as provided through the Department of Industrial and Systems Management Engineering.
Student teams from the Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering (MAE) Department will perform the design work necessary for the recommendations associated for the energy audits or the waste minimization studies to be implemented. Individual plant managers would determine which measures would be submitted for analysis by MAE teams. Factors such as projected energy savings, environmental benefits, and process improvement potential, would be considered in selecting design projects.
The Society for Glass Science and Practices became a formal member of the U.S. Department of Energy's Glass Industry of the Future Program in 1996. Through the Glass Industry Technical Initiative, DOE is demonstrating its support for the West Virginia Hand Glass Industry. Enhancing productivity and improving energy efficiency are objectives which DOE hopes to realize through this program.
DOE is providing funding for this program. This money would support the cost associated with on-site energy assessment and waste minimization studies for ten glass industry members. Additionally, four student projects as carried out through Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering will be undertaken. This is a two year initiative. Presentations on this program made at the Hand Glass Symposium at Oglebay in the Spring of 1998 and 1999. At the Symposium, Jeff Herholdt, Manager of the Energy Efficiency Program, discussed the program and identify what the State Development Office and U.S. Department of Energy hope to achieve. For the 1998 and 1999 Symposium, an update was presented to discuss accomplishments made during the first and second years of the project. Questions regarding this program can be directed to:
Jeff Herholdt, Manager of the Energy Efficiency Program of the West Virginia Development Office at 304.558.0350 or E-mail Jeff at jherhol@mail.wvnet.edu
The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection has announced that the State of Pennsylvania will contract West Virginia University for similar services to those of the Glass Industry Technical initiative (GITI) Program to be provided to Pennsylvania members of the Society for Glass Science and Practices. This program will run concurrently with the GITI Program. The Projects with Industry (PWI) Program and the Industrial Assessment Center (IAC) will provide technical services to ten southwest Pennsylvania glass industry companies. These services will be energy audits and waste minimization surveys, with subsequent student design projects for four companies. Questions regarding this program can be directed to:
Calvin Kirby and/or David Althoff, jr. of the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection at 717.783.9981 or E-mail Calvin at mailto:ckirby@state.pa.usor David at dalthoff@state.pa.us.
Transfer Function Model for Oxy-Fuel Fired Batch Tank ( Jim Rhodes )
Enhanced Design for Oxy-Fuel Fired Batch Tanks Using CFD Methods ( Kang Guosheng )
Enhanced Controls for Ixy-Fuel Fired Batch Tank During Glass Working Period (Ranjit M. Unnikrishnan)
Development of System Parameters for Enhanced Cutting and Finishing of Hand Glass using a CO2 Laser ( Christopher E. Thompson )
Process Control of Applied Laser System for Enhanced Glass Production ( Liyun Zheng )
Modeling and Controls for Laser Glass Cutting Machine Work cell Robot ( Asif M. Mohammad)
Final Paper
Sneckenberger Laser Glass Cutting Paper
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Inquiries and Feedback are Encouraged. Please Contact Prof. Larry Banta by E-mail at larry.banta@mail.wvu.edu or by Mail at West Virginia University, Room 511, Engineering Sciences Building, Morgantown, WV 26506-6106 or by phone at 304-293-3111 Ext. 2334