Method for producing a glass flow of high homogeneity in a tank furnace and an arrangement for carrying out the method
AssigneeErste Deutsche Floatglas GmbH. & Co. OHG
InventorsXaver Heitzer, Robert Bourggraff
Life of this patent
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Abstract
The specification describes a method for producing a glass flow of high homogeneity in a tank furnace in which a selected layer of refined glass underneath the surface layers and above the bottom layers is drawn off at a point spaced from the end wall of the tank towards which the glass flows and is supplied to the processing station. The surface layers and the glass layers lying underneath the selected layer are returned into the refining section of the tank at a point upstream from the point of removal of the selected layer. Recirculation of the surface layer is encouraged by proper location of surface heating means and/or cooling means in the refining section in the tank.
Claims20
A method for producing a glass flow of high homogeneity in a tank furnace in which the surface layer of the glass melt is separated from the glass flow intended for processing, characterized in that within the working part of the tank, which contains the refined glass, at a removal point spaced upstream from the downstream end wall of the tank, a selected layer of glass underneath the surface layers and above the bottom layers is drawn off, at least in part, and supplied to the processing station, while said surface layers above said selected layer are allowed to pass on downstream beyond said removal point and are returned from a point in the tank downstream of said removal point to a point upstream from said removal point, said bottom layers below said selected layer also being returned to a point upstream from said removal point.
A glass melt tank for effecting the selected separation of a layer of molten glass located intermediate the top and bottom surface layers of the melt tank, said melt tank comprising:
- an upstream end away from which glass is intended to flow and a downstream end towards which glass is intended to flow;
- an upper end wall at said downstream end, against which the upper layers of glass flow as they flow downstream in said tank;
- a pair of spaced side walls and a bottom;
- a removal duct leading out of the melt tank for conducting the flow of molten glass to a processing station, said removal duct leading out of the melt tank for conducting the flow of molten glass to a processing station, said removal duct including an opening into said tank whose cross-section in its vertical extent is substantially less than the vertical extent of the normal glass bath level for the tank and whose cross-section is arranged underneath the surface layers of the glass melt to be eliminated and above the bottom layers of the glass melt to be eliminated;
- and said removal duct opening into said tank being spaced at a horizontal distance upstream from said upper end wall of the glass melting tank such that the surface layer glass currents in the tank run substantially in the longitudinal flow direction of the melting tank as they pass over said opening of said duct.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.