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US 4,052,186 AGranted
Method and apparatus for conditioning molten glass
AssigneePilkington Brothers Limited
InventorWilliam Jackson Rhodes
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AssigneePilkington Brothers Limited
InventorWilliam Jackson Rhodes
Estimating the term…
Molten glass is conditioned to achieve a desired thermal distribution suitable for feeding the glass to a forming process. The molten glass is fed to the inlet end of a conditioning zone of a tank and glass flow through the conditioning zone is established in a direction towards a remote outlet from that zone with substantially no return flow. The glass is selectively cooled adjacent the inlet to the conditioning zone to achieve a desired temperature profile through the depth and width of a transverse cross section adjacent the conditioning zone inlet so that on flowing through that zone the further conditioning completes transformation of the glass to a state suitable for feeding to the forming process. The cooling is effected at a position selected in dependence on the temperature distribution within the glass and the required temperature profile by passing cooling fluid through at least one fluid cooled pipe immersed in the molten glass located in the forward flowing body of the glass.
A method of conditioning molten glass to achieve a desired thermal distribution in the glass suitable for feeding to a forming process, which method comprises feeding molten glass to the inlet end of an elongate conditioning zone in a container adapted to contain molten glass, establishing a flow of the molten glass through the conditioning zone in a direction from the inlet end of the zone towards a remote outlet from the zone at the opposite end thereof, with substantially no return flow, selectively cooling the molten glass adjacent the inlet to the conditioning zone to reduce its temperature and achieve a desired temperature profile through the depth and width of a transverse cross-section of the glass adjacent the conditioning zone inlet such that on flowing through the remainder of the conditioning zone the further conditioning completes the transformation of the glass to a thermal condition suitable for feeding to a forming process, said cooling being effected, at a position selected in dependence on the temperature distribution within the glass and the required temperature profile, by passing cooling fluid through means located in the forward flowing body of the glass, said means, including at least one fluid cooled pipe comprising portions immersed in the molten glass and extending transversely along the bottom of said conditioning zone and upwardly through the depth of said conditioning zone.
A glass melting tank comprising an elongated tank for containing molten glass, said tank having a melting region into which glass forming material is fed, means for heating and thereby melting the contents of the tank in the melting region, a refining region downstream of the melting region in which the molten glass is refined, and a conditioning region having an inlet adjacent the refining region and an outlet at a working end of the tank from which the molten glass is removed, the conditioning region being shallower than the refining region whereby all the molten glass flowing through the conditioning region may flow in a downstream direction towards the working end, and cooling means for cooling the glass in the conditioning region, the cooling means comprising at least one fluid cooled pipe extending across the base of the inlet to the conditioning region and at least one additional fluid cooled pipe at or near the inlet to the conditioning region and located in the body of the forward flowing glass at an adjustable position so as to achieve a desired temperature profile at or near the inlet to the conditioning region.
A glass melting tank comprising an elongated tank for containing molten glass, said tank having a melting region into which glass forming material is fed, means for heating and thereby melting the contents of the tank in the melting region, a refining region downstream of the melting region in which the molten glass is refined, and an elongate conditioning region having an inlet adjacent the refining region and an outlet at a working end of the tank from which the molten glass is removed, the conditioning region being shallower than the refining region so that all the molten glass flowing through the conditioning region may flow in a downstream direction towards the working end, and cooling means for cooling the glass adjacent the conditioning zone inlet on passing from the refining region to the working end, said cooling means comprising a plurality of fluid cooled stirrers located in the body of forward flowing glass and at least one fluid cooled pipe immersed in the molten glass and located in the body of molten glass in the conditioning region arranged to achieve a desired temperature profile in the molten glass, said fluid cooled pipe comprising portions extending transversely along the bottom of said conditioning zone and upwardly through the depth of said conditioning zone.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.