For Glass and Ceramics Manufacturing, 2023 – 2026
Partners: Ardagh Group, Encirc (Vidrala), Pilkington UK, DSF Refractories, O-I
Funding: £5.6M from the UK Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ)
FUN FACT
The CTB can replicate conditions of a full-scale furnace in a
controlled environment—saving time, cost, and carbon emissions
during testing.
What is the Combustion Test Bed?
Glass Futures’ Combustion Test Bed (CTB) is a scalable replica of an end-fired regenerative glass furnace, designed to accelerate innovation in low-carbon combustion technologies. It simulates real-world furnace conditions by heating incoming air up to 1,050°C, enabling accurate testing and modelling.
Why it matters?
Decarbonising glass production is critical to meeting sustainability targets. The CTB provides a safe, cost-effective platform to trial new fuels, burner designs, and operational strategies—before scaling to full-size furnaces.
Key specifications
- 350kW combustion test rig
- Highly instrumented with IR camera for detailed analysis
- Compatible with natural gas, hydrogen, biofuels, and blends comprising liquids, gases, or liquid–gas combinations.
- Air preheat range: 0°C – 1,000°C
- Ability to fire from ambient temperatures
- Backwall configuration for realistic furnace simulation
We help you adopt new technologies faster, cut R&D time, and save money.
You could have the opportunity to:
- Develop and validate low-carbon combustion technologies
- Enable scalable solutions for industrial glass furnaces
- Support collaborative R&D across the glass sector
What we deliver
- Burner development and optimisation
- Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) modelling
- Real-world fuel trials and emissions analysis
- Data-driven insights for furnace design improvements
Get involved in future projects – email us at: info@glass-futures.org