Method and furnace for melting inorganic materials

A furnace for melting inorganic materials comprising:

• (a) a bottom,
• (b) first and second spaced-apart side walls;
• (c) first and second spaced-apart end walls;
• (d) a furnace interior bounded by said bottom, said side walls and said end walls;
• (e) spaced-apart inner walls extending between said end walls and dividing said furnace interior into a plurality of chambers each having a top and a bottom, each of said chambers having two sides, one of said sides being defined by one of said inner walls and the other of said sides being defined by another of said inner walls or by one of said side walls, at least one of said chambers being a liquefying chamber and at least one being a secondary chamber located adjacent said liquefying chamber;
• (f) a curved crown for each said liquefying chamber covering said liquefying chamber and having two edges extending along the sides of said liquefying chamber adjacent a top portion of the sides of said liquefying chamber;
• (g) a plurality of charge ports for each said liquefying chamber through which batch material is fed into said liquefying chamber for melting therein, said charge ports being located between said edges of the crown covering said liquefying chamber and the adjacent top portion of said sides of said liquefying chamber;
• (h) means comprising at least one burner for each said liquefying chamber for developing heat-supplying flame that is directed longitudinally of said liquefying chamber between said end walls;
• (i) said inner wall that defines a side of each said liquefying chamber being configured so that each said liquefying chamber is wider at the top of said liquefying chamber than at the bottom of said liquefying chamber and so that batch material entering said liquefying chamber through a charge port of said plurality of charge ports that is located adjacent said side defined by said inner wall moves down a surface of said inner wall where it is heated by the flame in said liquefying chamber;
• (j) each said liquefying chamber having space inside for liquefied batch to collect at its bottom and for hot gases from said flame to collect above the liquefied batch;
• (k) passage means leading from said liquefying chamber (i) for providing one or more passages between said liquefying chamber and adjacent secondary chamber through which liquefied batch that has collected on the bottom of said liquefying chamber can flow into said adjacent secondary chamber and collect on the bottom of said secondary chamber and (ii) through which hot gases developed by said burner in said liquefying chamber can exit the liquefying chamber, and
• (1) an outlet in said secondary chamber through which liquefied batch can be removed from said secondary chamber.