Process and apparatus for coloring glass

Apparatus for coloring glass in the manufacture of glassware articles comprising:

• at least one transport channel adapted to receive molten glass from a glass melting furnace;
• a color treatment chamber having a floor, a charging end and an outlet end, joined by opposed side walls enclosed by a roof and defining a horizontally extending glass containment region therein, said chamber further having an inlet formed therein for receiving molten glass from said at least one transport channel;
• means for abetting a flow of molten glass in said at least one transport channel;
• charger means at a charger end of said color treatment chamber for introducing cullet and a color additive into the said containment region in said color treatment chamber;
• heater means associated with said color treatment chamber to melt said cullet supplied to said containment region of said color treatment chamber and to further heat the molten glass and color additive to form a molten bath of colored glass in said containment region;
• means associated with said containment region of said color treatment chamber for homogenizing the color and temperature of the molten both of colored glass in said containment region;
• and
• a distribution channel positioned and arranged at said outlet end of said color treatment chamber communicating with said containment region of said color treatment chamber for delivery of said molten colored glass to at least one remotely located glassware forming machine and positioned and arranged at an outlet of said glass melting furnace and at an inlet of said at least one transport channel to receive molten glass from said glass melting furnace and to supply said molten glass from said glass melting furnace to said at least one transport channel and to said at least one remotely located glassware forming machine,
• the means for abetting a flow of molten glass in said at least one transport channel comprising a paddle wheel rotatably mounted in said at least one transport channel, a varible speed drive means operatively connected with said paddle wheel for rotating said paddle wheel, said paddle wheel having a plurality of radially extending vanes for engagement with molten glass in said at least one transport channel, and a sensor and control means for determining a level of glass in said distribution channel and for regulating said variable speed drive means to selectively increase or decrease the speed of rotation of said paddle wheel in response to a predetermined glass level.