Stilling vessel for submerged combustion melter
AssigneeOwens-Brockway Glass Container Inc.
InventorsShane T. Rashley, David Soley
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A method of producing glass includes receiving unrefined molten glass in a stilling chamber of a stilling tank at a fluctuating flow rate. The unrefined molten glass merges with an intermediate pool of molten glass being held within the stilling chamber. The intermediate pool of molten glass is heated in the stilling chamber by one or more non-submerged burners. Molten glass flows from the intermediate pool of molten glass to a transfer pool of molten glass held in a spout chamber of a feeding spout that is appended to the stilling tank. Additionally, a molten glass feed is delivered out of the feeding spout from the transfer pool of molten glass at a controlled flow rate.
Claims13
A method of producing glass, the method comprising:
- receiving unrefined molten glass in a stilling chamber of a stilling tank at a fluctuating flow rate, the unrefined molten glass merging with an intermediate pool of molten glass being held within the stilling chamber of the stilling tank;
- heating the intermediate pool of molten glass with combustion products discharged from one or more non-submerged burners mounted in a housing of the stilling tank that defines the stilling chamber;
- flowing molten glass from the intermediate pool of molten glass into a transfer pool of molten glass being held in a spout chamber of a feeding spout appended to the stilling tank;
- and
- delivering a molten glass feed out of the feeding spout from the transfer pool of molten glass at a controlled flow rate.
A method of producing glass, the method comprising:
- receiving unrefined molten glass through an inlet of a stilling chamber of a stilling tank at a fluctuating flow rate, the unrefined molten glass having a soda-lime-silica glass chemical composition and merging with an intermediate pool of molten glass held within the stilling chamber of the stilling tank;
- heating the intermediate pool of molten glass with combustion products discharged from one or more non-submerged burners mounted in a housing of the stilling tank that defines the stilling chamber;
- flowing molten glass from the intermediate pool of molten glass to a transfer pool of molten glass held in a spout chamber of a feeding spout appended to the stilling tank, the feeding spout having a spout bowl that partially defines the spout chamber and an orifice plate affixed to the spout bowl through which a molten glass feed is delivered from the feeding spout;
- and
- introducing the molten glass feed into a molten glass bath held within a glass finer downstream of the stilling tank, the molten glass bath flowing towards an outlet opening of the glass finer and producing refined molten glass that emerges from the outlet opening of the glass finer, the refined molten glass having a density that is greater than a density of the unrefined molten glass received by the stilling chamber.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.