# US 10,501,358 B2 · Apparatus and methods for processing molten material

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- Number: US 10,501,358 B2
- Document ID: US10501358B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 15/570,917
- Filed: 2016-05-05
- Published: 2018-12-13
- Granted: 2019-12-10
- Earliest claimed: 2015-05-06
- Assignees: Corning Incorporated
- Applicants: Corning Incorporated
- Inventors: Jin-soo Kim; Kwangjin Kim; Bonhyoung Koo
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10501358B2

## CPC

- C03B 7/06: Means for thermal conditioning or controlling the temperature of the glass
- C03B 5/16: Special features of the melting process; Auxiliary means specially adapted for glass-melting furnaces
- C03B 5/23: Cooling the molten glass (C03B5/18, C03B5/225 take precedence)
- C03B 5/44: Cooling arrangements for furnace walls
- C03B 17/064: {by the overflow downdraw fusion process; Isopipes therefor}
- C03B: MANUFACTURE, SHAPING, OR SUPPLEMENTARY PROCESSES

## 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.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A method of processing molten glass-forming material comprising:
flowing the molten glass-forming material through an interior of a conduit along a travel path defined by the conduit from a first station to a second station of a glass manufacturing apparatus;
feeding a coding fluid through at least two inlet ports into a pressure chamber extending along a cooling axis extending transverse to the travel path between a first lateral side and a second lateral side of the conduit;
forcing the cooling fluid from the pressure chamber through a port as a sheet of cooling fluid formed at the port, wherein the port is elongated along the cooling axis; and
cooling the molten glass-forming material within the interior of the conduit by forcing the sheet of coding fluid from the elongated port against an exterior of the conduit.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the cooling axis extends perpendicular to the travel path.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the cooling axis comprises a linear cooling axis.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the cooling the molten glass-forming material comprises forcing the sheet of cooling fluid from the elongated port against the exterior of the conduit within a channel that extends transverse relative to the travel path.

### Claim 5 (depends on 4)

The method of claim 4, wherein the exterior of the conduit comprises a base of the channel.

### Claim 6 (depends on 5)

The method of claim 5, wherein the sheet of cooling fluid is dispersed by the base of the channel to travel up opposite sides of the channel.

### Claim 7 (depends on 5)

The method of claim 5, wherein the sheet of cooling fluid comprises a substantially continuous sheet of cooling fluid forced against the base of the channel.

### Claim 8 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the sheet of cooling fluid comprises a substantially continuous sheet of cooling fluid.

### Claim 9 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the cooling fluid is substantially free of oxygen.

### Claim 10 (depends on 9)

The method of claim 9, wherein the cooling fluid comprises nitrogen.

### Claim 11 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, further comprising mixing the molten glass-forming material to provide a homogenous molten glass-forming material in the first station of the glass manufacturing apparatus.

### Claim 12 (depends on 11)

The method of claim 11, further comprising delivering the molten glass-forming material from the second station to an inlet of a forming vessel of the glass manufacturing apparatus.

### Claim 13 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, further comprising delivering the molten glass-forming material from the second station to an inlet of a forming vessel of the glass manufacturing apparatus.