Process of operating a glass melting oven

A combustion process for melting glass in a glass melting furnace, which includes a melting chamber having side walls and a roof wall above the side walls, the process comprising:

• determining a total quantity of fuel necessary for melting a predetermined quantity of glass;
• supplying, at a first location, on a first of the side walls of the melting chamber, into the melting chamber, a first fuel quantity, constituting a part of the total quantity of fuel determined;
• supplying into the melting chamber, at a second location, located on at least one of (i) the roof wall and (ii) a second of the side walls of the melting chamber, different from the first of the side walls, and spaced from the first location, a second fuel quantity constituting the total quantity of fuel determined less the first fuel quantity;
• supplying, at a combustion air intake located on the first of the side walls of the melting chamber, into the melting chamber, the quantity of combustion air necessary for combustion of the total quantity of fuel determined, and combusting the first and second fuel quantities with the combustion air to produce combustion products, that circulate within the melting chamber past the second location, wherein the second location is located between the roof wall and a horizontal plane that is positioned at least as high as a horizontal plane passing through a lower edge of the combustion air intake;
• and
• mixing the second fuel quantity with the combustion products circulating in the melting chamber and thereafter combusting the second fuel quantity with the combustion air that is not consumed in the combustion of the first fuel quantity.