Gas injection for glass melting furnace to reduce refractory degradation

A glass melting furnace comprising:

• walls supporting a crown substantially enclosing an upstream melting zone and a downstream fining zone;
• a charging section in the melting zone;
• at least one oxy-fuel fired burner disposed at the crown above the melting zone proximate the charging section to provide an oxy-fuel combustion region;
• at least one gas inlet positioned proximate to the oxy-fuel combustion region to introduce a first volume of gas, having no or a dilute partial pressure of alkali vapor, to the oxy-fuel combustion region and at least partially displace a second volume of gas, having a higher partial pressure of alkali vapor than the first volume, proximate the crown in the oxy-fuel combustion region;
• at least one gas outlet adapted to provide an exit for a volume of furnace atmosphere, optionally substantially equal to the first volume;
• and
• a regenerator or a recuperator having a plurality of ports, wherein at least one port of the regenerator or the recuperator is at least partially blocked and wherein at least one port of the regenerator or the recuperator is at least partially open to provide the at least one gas inlet.