Apparatus and process for producing fiber from igneous rock

An apparatus for producing fibers comprising:

• a melting furnace configured with an opening to receive batches of raw basalt or igneous rock, wherein the melting furnace comprises a melting chamber divided into a first zone for receiving charged batches and a second zone for prepared melt, wherein the first zone and the second zone are divided by an underflow baffle, wherein a wall of the second zone forms an exit opening, and wherein the exit opening is located nearer to a top of the melting chamber than to a passageway under the underflow baffle;
• a first induction coil located at least partially around the melting furnace;
• a first generator and a first high frequency converter electrically connected to the first induction coil;
• a first cooling jacket located in at least one wall of the melting furnace, wherein the first cooling jacket is in fluid communication with a first water supply and heat exchanger unit;
• a conditioning chamber comprising a horizontal channel with a first end and a second end, wherein the conditioning chamber is in fluid communication with the second zone through the exit opening, and wherein a bottom wall of the conditioning chamber forms a plurality of openings in spaced relation along a length of the conditioning chamber toward the second end of the horizontal channel;
• a second induction coil located at least partially around the conditioning chamber;
• a second generator and a second high frequency converter electrically connected to the second induction coil;
• a second cooling jacket located in at least one wall of the conditioning chamber, wherein the second cooling jacket is in fluid communication with a second water supply and heat exchanger unit;
• a plurality of fiber-forming chambers located below the conditioning chamber and respective in fluid communication with the conditioning chamber through the respective plurality of openings in the bottom wall of the conditioning chamber, wherein a fiber-forming chamber in the plurality of fiber-forming chambers further comprises a fiber-forming surface located in the fiber-forming chamber, wherein the fiber-forming surface comprises at least one orifice sized and configured to each respectively form a fiber from rock melt as the rock melt passes through the respective orifice;
• a third induction coil located at least partially around the plurality of fiber-forming chambers;
• a third generator and a third high frequency converter electrically connected to the third induction coil;
• and
• a third cooling jacket located in at least one wall of the plurality of fiber-forming chambers, wherein the third cooling jacket is in fluid communication with a third water supply and heat exchanger unit.