Novosibirsk State Technical University (NSTU) is developing a unique software that will improve the efficiency and accuracy of glassmaking process control. The work is being carried out for the university's industrial partner, Sibirskoe Steklo LLC.
In the summer of 2024, Siberian Glass LLC and NSTU-NETI entered into a partnership agreement. One of the key tasks of the cooperation is the development of a vision system for the furnace furnace space. The partner company requested to retrofit the existing monitoring system with new technical capabilities to automate the process of monitoring the continuous cycle of glass pulp cooking. An agreement was signed to conduct research under the supervision of Associate Professor of the Department of Thermal Power Plants at NSTU-NETI, Candidate of Technical Sciences Alexander Dvortsevoy.
"Cooperation with the higher school is of great importance for the development of innovations at the plant. By combining Sibstekle's experience and resources with the research potential of one of Russia's leading technical universities to solve real-world production cases, we can get functional software used as part of the automated process control system for a glass furnace," comments Anton Mor, General Director of Siberian Glass LLC. "The company uses various quality management tools., which we must ensure at every stage of production. We strive to improve technological processes, including those related to the manufacture of glass, thereby minimizing losses."
Glassmaking is a complex and multi—stage technological process of converting a raw material mixture (charge) into a finished glass mass. It is important to strictly observe the production nuances: accurate dosing of components, constant maintenance of high temperatures, uniform mixing of the melt, removal of gas inclusions, etc. Disruption of the technological chain can lead to defects, cracks, and glass irregularities. Thus, control over the charge distribution in a glass furnace is a key factor in the stability of the technological process.
"The global task of creating a vision system was divided into several subtasks, each of which was handled by students and undergraduates of the university. Excursions to the enterprise were organized for them, where the technology of glass production was shown. The students communicated with specialists, immersed themselves in the subject area in order to understand the parameters of the glassmaking process and the nuances that must be observed in order to obtain a high-quality product. It was important to develop image processing algorithms to analyze the state of the charge, the bubbling process (passing fine-bubbled gas through the glass mass for intensive mixing and lightening), and the uniformity of the glass mirror. We also had to solve such complex tasks as flame recognition — it is difficult to digitize it due to its dynamics and optical properties," said Irina Yakovina, Associate Professor of the Department of Computer Engineering at NSTU-NETI, Candidate of Technical Sciences.
Several software modules have been developed as part of the project. One of them is the image segment analysis module in the video surveillance system of a glass furnace, which allows automatic monitoring and dynamic analysis of bubbling based on the video data stream and the use of modern computer vision technologies. The developed solution includes the construction of a video surveillance module for accurate instance segmentation of bubbles, setting up a model for operation in industrial operation, and converting segmentation results into quantitative indicators to assess the state of the technological process.
A video stream processing software module has also been developed for automatic analysis of the glass furnace charge. It allows you to evaluate the dynamics of the process and the change in the distribution of the charge in the selected zones. This tool is suitable for real-time monitoring in order to correct the operating mode of the furnace and improve the quality of the glass. In addition, a module has been developed that implements an algorithm for automatic alignment of video frames of a glass furnace flame monitoring system according to control points — charge feed points. The proposed approach ensures the stability of frame analysis in conditions of smoke, uneven lighting, and camera pollution.
To date, a prototype of a space monitoring system for a glass furnace has been created. It is planned to develop a flame area recognition module and combine all the developed solutions into one project. In the next stage, students and undergraduates will work on creating a pilot furnace space monitoring system for industrial conditions.
Help: Sibirskoe Steklo LLC (Sibsteklo, an asset of RATM Holding) is one of the leading manufacturers of glass containers in the Russian Federation, the largest glass waste utilizer in the Siberian and Far Eastern Federal Districts, and has the status of a "Partner of national projects of Russia."