# US 12,215,051 B2 · Glass production method and industrial glass-making facility

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- Number: US 12,215,051 B2
- Document ID: US12215051B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 17/288,116
- Filed: 2019-10-29
- Published: 2021-12-09
- Granted: 2025-02-04
- Earliest claimed: 2018-10-29
- Assignees: Arc France
- Applicants: Arc France
- Inventors: Hervé Charles; Sébastien Donze; Xavier Ibled; François Famchon; Jean-Marie Bonningues
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12215051B2

## CPC

- C03C 1/026: {Pelletisation or prereacting of powdered raw materials (apparatus or methods C03B1/02)}
- C03B 1/02: Compacting the glass batches, e.g. pelletising
- C03C 3/078: containing an oxide of a divalent metal, e.g. an oxide of zinc
- C03C 3/087: containing calcium oxide, e.g. common sheet or container glass
- C03C 3/091: containing aluminium
- C03C 3/112: containing fluorine
- Y02P 40/57: Improving the yield, e-g- reduction of reject rates
- C03C: CHEMICAL COMPOSITION OF GLASSES, GLAZES OR VITREOUS ENAMELS; SURFACE TREATMENT OF GLASS; SURFACE TREATMENT OF FIBRES OR FILAMENTS MADE FROM GLASS, MINERALS OR SLAGS; JOINING GLASS TO GLASS OR OTHER MATERIALS
- C03B: MANUFACTURE, SHAPING, OR SUPPLEMENTARY PROCESSES
- Y02P: CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES IN THE PRODUCTION OR PROCESSING OF GOODS

## Abstract

The invention relates to a glass production method comprising charging a glass furnace with solid-state raw materials, said raw materials comprising granular glassy sodium silicate and having a moisture content of less than 1%, preferably 0%, by weight, and powdered calcium oxide.

## Claims

### Claim 1

Method for manufacturing glass comprising supplying solid raw materials in a glass-making furnace, said raw materials comprising granular glassy sodium silicate and having a moisture content of less than 1% by weight, and powdery calcium oxide, wherein the powdery calcium oxide is anhydrous and is at least one of a quicklime or calcinated dolomite.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The method according to claim 1, wherein said granular glassy sodium silicate has a particle size between 0.1 and 30 mm and is at ambient temperature.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The method according to claim 1, comprising a step of storing said sodium silicate, said stored sodium silicate being in the form of balls or of plates, and a step of grinding to obtain said particle size between 0.1 and 30 mm prior to supplying the sodium silicate.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The method according to claim 1, wherein the granular glassy sodium silicate has a molar ratio of between 2.5 and 5 SiO2 for 1 Na2O.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The method according to claim 1, wherein at least 17% by weight, of the calcium is supplied by the powdery calcium oxide for soda-lime glass, while at least 80% by weight of the calcium is supplied by the powdery calcium oxide for fluosilicate glass.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The method according to claim 1, wherein the sodium is supplied at more than 1% in the form of granular glassy sodium silicate for soda-lime glass or fluosilicate glass.

### Claim 7 (depends on 1)

The method according to claim 1, wherein the granular glassy sodium silicate is mixed with at least one other raw material selected from the group consisting of: sodium, calcium, magnesium, boron, potassium, silicon, aluminum and fluorine.

### Claim 8 (depends on 1)

The method according to claim 1, wherein said raw materials are mixed before charging, the calcium oxide being supplied after the other materials, and the mixture does not have a fraction in the liquid state.

### Claim 9 (depends on 1)

The method according to claim 1, wherein said granular glassy sodium silicate adds between 2 and 50% of the sodium of the glass for soda-lime glass, the rest being supplied in the form of sodium carbonate, sodium sulphate, cullet and feldspar and said calcium oxide adds between 1 and 100% of the calcium of the glass, the rest being supplied in the form of calcium carbonate, cullet, dolomite and feldspar.

### Claim 10 (depends on 1)

The method according to claim 1, wherein said raw materials comprise silica sand, sodium carbonate, and cullet to obtain a glass with Na2O between 10 and 20% by weight of the total.

### Claim 11 (depends on 1)

The method according to claim 1, wherein heating of the furnace is carried out at more than 50% by a burner with a substantially horizontal flame and/or at least one lateral burner, the rest of the heating of the furnace being supplied by electrodes.

### Claim 12 (depends on 1)

Industrial glass-making facility for implementing the method according to claim 1, comprising a furnace comprising a tank for melted glass, and a system for supplying raw materials provided with a member for supplying granular glassy sodium silicate, the member for supplying granular glassy sodium silicate comprising a sodium silicate grinder with an output connected to an input of the furnace via a buffer storage, and a storage of sodium silicate in the form of balls or plates, connected to an input of the grinder.

### Claim 13 (depends on 12)

The glass-making facility according to claim 12, comprising at least one flue for evacuating combustion gases coming from the furnace, the flue opening into a furnace for firing glass-making raw materials.

### Claim 14 (depends on 1)

The method according to claim 1, wherein said raw materials comprise silica sand, cullet, sodium fluosilicate and feldspar.

### Claim 15 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1 wherein a glass precursor mixture is prepared without supply of thermal energy.

### Claim 16 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1 wherein the granular glassy sodium silicate and the powdery calcium oxide are mixed before being supplied to the furnace.

### Claim 17 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1 wherein the powdery calcium oxide is supplied at least 10 minutes after the other raw materials are supplied to the furnace.