Method and system for dewatering and preheating mixtures for glass melting plants

A method for the thermal dewatering and preheating of an aqueous mixture including a bulk material for feeding a glass melting plant when the mixture is conducted through a shaft-type container provided with heating elements situated one over the other in tiers for supplying heat, comprising the steps:

• a) maintaining the heating elements in an uppermost tier, which are closed with respect to the mixture, at temperatures of at least 100° C.,
• b) shaping and heating a boundary surface between the bulk material of the mixture and the atmosphere above the bulk material by the heating elements situated in the uppermost tier in such a way that a part of the heat energy is emitted to the atmosphere via the bulk material, and
• c) as the mixture proceeds through the container, utilizing additional heating elements to bring the mixture to temperatures close to a feed temperature for the glass melting plant.

A device for thermal dewatering and preheating of aqueous mixture for feeding glass melting plants when the mixture is conducted through a shaft-type container that is provided with heating elements situated one over the other in tiers for supplying heat, comprising

• a) at least the heating elements situated in an uppermost tier are constructed so as to be sealed at their circumference,
• b) the heating elements situated in the uppermost tier are situated with their outer-surfaces being in a horizontal plane that intersects a constructively determined boundary surface between the mixture and an atmosphere above the mixture, and
• c) with a part of their surfaces, the uppermost heating elements stand in thermal contact with, in addition to the mixture, the atmosphere above the mixture.