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US 4,539,034 AGranted
Melting of glass with staged submerged combustion
AssigneePPG Industries, Inc.
InventorHenry P. Hanneken
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Glass batch materials and the like are liquefied in a first stage and the liquefied materials are subjected to submerged combustion in a second stage.
Claims20
A method of melting glass or the like comprising:
- initially liquefying batch material in a primary vessel by means of a first heat source associated with the first vessel, and wherein liquefied material runs off a melting surface;
- draining the liquefied material from the first vessel to a separate secondary vessel and maintaining in the secondary vessel a body of the liquefied material in an at least partially unrefined condition;
- advancing the liquefied material toward a refined state in the secondary vessel by injecting into the liquefied material at a submerged location a stream of gas that agitates the liquefied material and transfers heat to the liquefied material so as to effect at least partial refining.
Apparatus for melting materials comprising:
- a primary melting vessel having means to feed batch material onto a sloped melting surface in the primary melting vessel, first heating means to liquefy batch material within the primary melting vessel, and outlet means for draining liquefied material therefrom;
- a secondary melting vessel associated with the primary vessel so as to receive drained liquefied material therefrom, adapted to maintain a body of liquefied batch material, and having second heating means adapted to inject radiating gas into the liquefied body.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.