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| A
Gas fired pot furnace designed by TERI |
Watch the Video 
The TERI intervention in Firozabad glass industry cluster was initiated
in 1994 as part of SDC’s (Swiss Agency
for Development and Cooperation) India programme in the energy
sector. This aims to achieve savings in energy and consequently lead
to carbon dioxide reductions in select energy intensive small scale
industry sectors. During the initial two years, a detailed diagnostic
study in various SSI (small scale industry) sectors was undertaken
by TERI and Firozabad glass industry cluster was selected as one of
the sectors for intervention. The selection was mainly on the basis
of the tremendous scope for energy savings and pollution reduction
that existed in the cluster. The project envisaged energy savings
and pollution reduction in selected glass industry segments through
fuel substitution and upgradation of the furnaces. This was to be
achieved through a combination of applied research, technical support,
capacity building, and awareness generation of the target groups.
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| A
view of Gas fired muffle furanes |
Although the initial interventions were
planned considering coal, which was the dominant fuel in use at
that time, the project had soon to change its focus—to develop
only NG (natural gas) fired systems, as use of other fuels in the
Taj Trapezium Zone was banned by the Supreme Court of India in response
to a Public Interest Litigation for the protection of the Taj Mahal
from environmental pollution. The Action Research phase of the project,
which started in 1996, focused on ‘pot furnaces’, which
are used for glass melting, and ‘muffle furnaces', colloquially
called ‘pakai bhatties', that are used for bangle
baking. The baseline study had indicated that both these categories
of furnaces together accounted for about 2/3rd of total energy consumption
in the cluster. The primary focus during this phase was to design
and demonstrate energy efficient pot and muffle furnaces using natural
gas as the fuel. Competence pooling and bottom-up participatory
approach were the hallmarks of the action research phase. The process
of technology development and demonstration involved close interaction
between the TERI team, the local industry, and the international
as well as the local consultants.
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