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US 2017/0158541 A1Published application
Process and Apparatus for Refining Molten Glass
AssigneeOwens-Brockway Glass Container Inc.
InventorTerence J. Clark
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Abstract
A process and an apparatus for refining molten glass. The apparatus includes a porous body having an inlet, an outlet, and a plurality of pores through which molten glass can flow between the inlet and the outlet. The plurality of pores are defined by walls having wall surfaces that are configured to interact with the molten glass as the molten glass flows between the inlet and the outlet to help refine the molten glass.
Claims14
A process for refining molten glass that includes:
- (a) providing a flow of molten glass that includes a plurality of gas bubbles;
- (b) providing a porous body that includes an inlet, an outlet in fluid communication with the inlet, and a plurality of pores through which molten glass can flow between the inlet and the outlet, the plurality of pores being defined by walls having wall surfaces;
- and
- (c) flowing the molten glass through the porous body and through the plurality of pores such that interaction between the molten glass and the wall surfaces of the pores promotes release of gas bubbles from the molten glass or causes at least some of the gas bubbles within the molten glass to collapse or rupture to reduce the size of the gas bubbles to a commercially acceptable size.
1 more element
An apparatus for refining molten glass including:
- an annular porous body having an inlet, an outlet in fluid communication with said inlet and spaced apart from said inlet in a radial direction, a plurality of pores through which molten glass can flow between said inlet and said outlet, and an effective porosity in the range of 0.75 to 0.95.
An apparatus for refining molten glass including:
- a conduit having an inlet and an outlet and a longitudinal axis;
- and
- one or more porous bodies serially arranged within the conduit along the longitudinal axis thereof, and including inlets, outlets, and pluralities of pores through which molten glass can flow between the inlets and the outlets and defined by walls having wall surfaces configured to interact with molten glass as the molten glass flows between the inlets and the outlets to help refine the molten glass.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.