Method and apparatus for controlling currents in glass melter
AssigneePPG Industries, Inc.
InventorsJohn F. Krumwiede, William C. Harrell, William G. Hilliard, James E. Harris
Life of this patent
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Abstract
In a glass melting furnace, the beneficial effects of passing molten glass streams through the intensified heating at the surface of the "spring zone" are enhanced by the use of bubblers. In one aspect, the rate of bubbling is greater near a side wall of the furnace than in the center immediately upstream of the spring zone so as to direct side portions of the throughput stream into the spring zone. In another aspect of the invention, the rising currents of the spring zone are enhanced by bubbling a stream entering the spring zone at a first elevation and then bubbling the same stream portion at a higher elevation.
Claims8
A method of melting glass comprising feeding a layer of glass batch materials onto a pool of molten glass at an upstream end of a furnace, withdrawing molten glass at a downstream end of the furnace longitudinally spaced from the upstream end, providing heat to the furnace above the pool of molten glass so as to melt the glass, whereby a zone of rising glass currents is established in the pool between the downstream end of the batch layer and the downstream end of the furnace, on the upstream side of the zone injecting gas into the molten glass at a plurality of locations in a first transverse row and at a plurality of locations in a second transverse row, the second transverse row being downstream from the first transverse row, and the injection of gas in the second downstream row being at a higher elevation than that in the first row, whereby gas is injected into the same stream portion of glass by the first and second rows so as to enhance the rising currents.
An apparatus for melting glass comprising a refractory enclosure adapted to contain a pool of molten glass, means to feed glass batch materials onto the pool of molten glass at an upstream end of the furnace, an outlet opening for withdrawing molten glass from the pool at a downstream end of the furnace longitudinally spaced from the upstream end, means for providing heat to the furnace above the elevation of the pool of molten glass for melting the glass batch materials, a plurality of bubbler tubes extending vertically into the molten glass pool in a first row extending transversely across the furnace, a plurality of bubbler tubes extending vertically into the molten glass pool in a second row extending transversely across the furnace, the second transverse row being downstream from the first transverse row and extending into the molten glass pool to a higher elevation than the first row.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.