ABSTRACT
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In 1858, William Siemens built the first experimental furnace using the regenerative principle to achieve high temperatures
. Two years later, he built and patented the first practical furnace using regenerators for the melting of glass. The significant advantages of the principle of regeneration were quickly understood, and it was quickly adopted in furnaces for zinc distillation, the puddling of iron, the reheating of iron and steel, and for the melting of steel. From these applications evolved the Siemens Martin Basic Open Hearth Furnace, used in the making of steel until displaced by the electric arc furnace, and the Glass Melting Tanks used today for all large-scale glass production.
