Abstract:
According to one aspect of the disclosure, a bulk material handling method includes receiving bulk material on a first level of a system at receiving stations equipped with dust control filtration equipment, pneumatically conveying the bulk material up to a third level into bulk material storage hoppers, storing the bulk material, dispensing the stored bulk material to a bulk material transporter on the first level, including dosing the stored bulk material to an interior of a bulk material dosing hopper to create a bulk material dose, docking the dosing hopper with the transporter via a docking apparatus, and releasing the dose into the interior of the transporter, through a reduced pressure region in an internal volume of the docking apparatus. Other disclosed aspects include a related system, subsystems, and apparatuses.
Abstract:
A glass manufacturing apparatus comprises at least one nozzle facing a conduit and extending transverse to a travel path defined by the conduit. The at least one nozzle is configured to cool molten material within the interior of the conduit with a stream of cooling fluid forced against an exterior of the conduit along a cooling axis extending transverse to the travel path defined by the conduit. In further examples, methods of processing molten material includes cooling the molten material within an interior of a conduit by forcing a stream of cooling fluid against an exterior of the conduit along a cooling axis extending transverse to a travel path defined by the conduit.
Abstract:
Continuous basalt fibers are produced by melting basalt rock in a submerged combustion melter, and by forming said melt into continuous basalt fibers.
Abstract:
Processes of controlling submerged combustion melters, and systems for carrying out the methods. One process includes feeding vitrifiable material into a melter vessel, the melter vessel including a fluid-cooled refractory panel in its floor, ceiling, and/or sidewall, and heating the vitrifiable material with a burner directing combustion products into the melting zone under a level of the molten material in the zone. Burners impart turbulence to the molten material in the melting zone. The fluid-cooled refractory panel is cooled, forming a modified panel having a frozen or highly viscous material layer on a surface of the panel facing the molten material, and a sensor senses temperature of the modified panel using a protected thermocouple positioned in the modified panel shielded from direct contact with turbulent molten material. Processes include controlling the melter using the temperature of the modified panel. Other processes and systems are presented.
Abstract:
The invention relates to a device for melting or refining glass or glass ceramics. According to the invention, a device of this type is provided with the following characteristics: a plurality of tubes (3.1-3.7) which are U-shaped and arranged side by side so that they form a cage-like skull channel (3) that is open on top; the tubes can be connected to a cooling medium; a high-frequency oscillation circuit is provided which comprises an induction coil (1), and; the induction coil (1) wraps around the channel (3) in such a manner that winding sections extend along the lateral walls of the channel (3).
Abstract:
According to an aspect of the disclosure, a glass manufacturing system includes a hot-end subsystem, including: a submerged combustion melter that melts feedstock to produce molten glass; a stiller that receives the molten glass from the submerged combustion melter and that includes a stilling tank to still the molten glass and that is configured to control outflow of the stilled molten glass to effectively decouple viscosity of the molten glass from the flow rate of the molten glass and thereby control finer molten glass levels; and a finer that is mechanically decoupled from the stiller, and that receives and fines the stilled molten glass to produce fined molten glass. Many other aspects of the system are also disclosed and claimed.
Abstract:
A submerged combustion melting system (10, 110) includes a furnace (12) including a tank (16) with a floor (18), a roof (20), a perimeter wall (22), an interior I, burners (28) to melt glass feedstock into molten glass, a batch inlet (24), a molten glass outlet (26), and an exhaust outlet (30). An exhaust system (14, 114) is in fluid communication with the interior of the tank, and includes a flue (36, 136, 236) in fluid communication with the exhaust outlet. A refractory-lined hood (38, 138) may be in fluid communication with the flue, which may be fluid-cooled including fluid-cooled perimeter panels (52, 54, 56, 58, 122, 222) and/or lower and upper baffles (152, 154, 252, 254). The hood may include a protrusion (85) that protrudes into a downstream horizontal exhaust path and has an excurvate upper surface (85a) to streamline flow of exhaust gas through the hood to prevent gas recirculation and formation of condensate piles in the hood.
Abstract:
Devices and methods of using a burner (34, 134, 234, 334, 434, 534) and/or a protective cap (52, 152, 252, 352, 452, 552) for a melting chamber (10) are disclosed. In particular, the melting chamber includes a chamber wall (12, 112, 212, 312, 412) and the burner. The chamber wall has a longitudinal axis (LA) and forms a passage (18, 118, 218, 318, 418, 518) having a passage axis (PA) transverse to the Iongitudinal axis. The chamber wall also has an inner wall surface (20) with an inner wall edge (22) extending about the passage. The burner is positioned in the passage and has a tubular body (40) with a burner end (38) spaced away from the inner wall edge so that a space (42) exists between the burner end and the inner wall edge. The tubular body also has an. outer burner diameter (44, 144, 244, 344, 444, 544), an inner burner diameter (46, 146, 246, 346, 446, 546), and a central conduit (48, 148, 248, 348, 448, 548) within the inner burner diameter.
Abstract:
A submerged combustion melter 10 is arranged with a vertical melting chamber 11, which may be cylindrical, and at least five submerged combustion burners 21-26 in the bottom base 13, the burners so spaced apart from each other and from the walls and angled from the vertical that in use a toroidal flow pattern can be achieved, providing intensive mixing. The claims also pertain to a method of melting a vitrifiable material from solid batch by submerged combustion melting.
Abstract:
Submerged combustion glass manufacturing systems and methods include a melter having a floor, a roof, a wall structure connecting the floor and roof, and one or more submerged combustion burners mounted in the floor, roof, and/or wall structure discharging combustion products including water vapor under a level of material being melted in the melter and create turbulent conditions in the material. The floor, roof, or wall structure may include fluid-cooled refractory material and an optional metallic external shell, or the metallic shell may include coolant passages. One or more conduits drain water condensed from the water vapor from regions of refractory material substantially saturated with the water, and/or from burner supports.