Process for melting and refining vitrifiable materials
AssigneeSaint-Gobain Glass France
InventorsPierre Jeanvoine, Tanguy Massart, Anne Berthereau
Life of this patent
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Abstract
The subject of the invention is a process for melting and refining vitrifiable materials, such that all or part of the thermal energy necessary for melting the said vitrifiable materials is supplied by the combustion of fossil fuel(s) with at least one oxidizer gas, the said fuel(s)/gas or the gaseous products resulting from the combustion being injected below the level of the mass of vitrifiable materials (7). The refining of the vitrifiable materials after melting comprises at least one step of subjecting them to subatmospheric pressure. The invention also relates to the device for implementing the process and to its applications.
Claims26
An apparatus for melting and refining vitrifiable materials wherein substantially all thermal energy necessary for melting the vitrifiable materials is supplied by combustion of fuel with at least one oxidizer gas, the apparatus comprising:
- at least one melting chamber comprising burners adapted to be fed with fuel and with an oxidizing gas, said burners being placed in the at least one melting chamber such that the fuel or oxidizing gas, or gases resulting from their combustion, are injected into the at least one melting chamber at a position below the surface of vitrifiable materials in the said melting chamber leading to a foaming of molten vitrifiable materials;
- and
- at least one refining compartment downstream of the melting chamber in a direction of flow of the vitrifiable materials, said at least one refining compartment comprising at least one subatmospheric-pressure zone.
An apparatus for melting and refining vitrifiable materials wherein substantially all thermal energy necessary for melting the vitrifiable materials is supplied by combustion of fuel with at least one oxidizer gas, the apparatus comprising:
- at least one melting chamber comprising burners adapted to be fed with fuel and with an oxidizing gas, said burners being placed in the at least one melting chamber such that the fuel or oxidizing gas, or gases resulting from their combustion, are injected into the at least one melting chamber at a position below the surface of vitrifiable materials in the said melting chamber;
- and
- at least one refining compartment downstream of the melting chamber in a direction of flow of the vitrifiable materials, said at least one refining compartment comprising at least one subatmospheric-pressure zone,
- wherein the refining compartment comprises a static vertical compartment including an approximately vertical internal partition separating the compartment into at least two channels, said channels including a first channel through which the molten vitrifiable materials follow an ascending path and a second channel through which the molten vitrifiable materials follow a descending path.
An apparatus for melting and refining vitrifiable materials wherein substantially all thermal energy necessary for melting the vitrifiable materials is supplied by combustion of fuel with at least one oxidizer gas, the apparatus comprising:
- at least one melting chamber comprising burners adapted to be fed with fuel and with an oxidizing gas, said burners being placed in the at least one melting chamber such that the fuel or oxidizing gas, or gases resulting from their combustion, are injected into the at least one melting chamber at a position below the surface of vitrifiable materials in the said melting chamber;
- and
- at least one refining compartment downstream of the melting chamber in a direction of flow of the vitrifiable materials, said at least one refining compartment comprising at least one subatmospheric-pressure zone,
- wherein the refining compartment comprises a static vertical compartment including an approximately vertical internal partition separating the compartment into at least two channels, said channels including a first channel through which the molten vitrifiable materials follow an ascending path and a second channel through which the molten vitrifiable materials follow a descending path, wherein said second channel is downstream from said first channel in a direction of flow of the molten vitrifiable materials in said refining compartment.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.