Mathematical Modelling and Control of Glass Forehearths

Abstract

This paper is concerned with the identification of the process dynamics of an industrial glass forehearth used for the production of a variety of glass containers. The difficulties associated with the development and use of physical process models for process control are considered. Results of experiments conducted on a full scale industrial forehearth are presented. It is shown that natural disturbances, present in the process can be used to obtain a better understanding of the process dynamics. The results also show that the normal operating data can be used to establish high levels of correlation between temperature measurements. Furthermore, it is feasible to use experimental data for the development of parametric models to represent the forehearth process. A parametric model of the industrial forehearth, developed using a forced perturbation signal is presented and its suitability for improved process control is discussed.