Duct cleaning and valve device for furnace system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10101090-B2
Application number	US-201615213063-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 18, 2016
Priority date	Jul 18, 2016
Publication date	Oct 16, 2018
Grant date	Oct 16, 2018

Abstract

A furnace system includes a furnace and a preheater configured to preheat material before it enters the furnace. The system further includes a duct system including a mixing chamber disposed between the furnace and preheater. The duct system further includes an exhaust duct in fluid communication with an exhaust fluid outlet of the furnace and configured to vent fluid exhausted from the furnace. The exhaust duct is in fluid communication with the mixing chamber and configured to redirect a portion of the fluid exhausted from the furnace to the mixing chamber. The duct system further includes a preheater duct in fluid communication with the mixing chamber and a fluid inlet of the preheater and configured to direct fluid from the mixing chamber to the preheater. The system further includes a duct scraper configured for movement within the mixing chamber to move particulates from the mixing chamber into the exhaust duct.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A furnace system, comprising:
a furnace having an exhaust fluid outlet;
a preheater configured to preheat material before the material is provided to the furnace through a first conduit extending between the preheater and the furnace, the preheater having a fluid inlet;
a duct system forming a second conduit between the furnace and preheater, the second conduit different from the first conduit, the duct system including
a mixing chamber disposed between the furnace and the preheater;
an exhaust duct in fluid communication with the exhaust fluid outlet and configured to vent fluid exhausted from the furnace, the exhaust duct in fluid communication with the mixing chamber and configured to redirect a portion of the fluid exhausted from the furnace to the mixing chamber whereby particulates from the exhaust duct collect on surfaces of the mixing chamber;
a preheater duct in fluid communication with the mixing chamber and the preheater fluid inlet and configured to direct fluid from the mixing chamber to the preheater;

a duct scraper configured for movement within the mixing chamber to scrape the surfaces of the mixing chamber and move the particulates out of the mixing chamber.

2. The furnace system of claim 1 wherein the duct scraper is further configured to movement within the mixing chamber to move particulates out of the mixing chamber and into the exhaust duct.

3. The furnace system of claim 1 wherein the duct scraper includes a rod extending through an opening in the mixing chamber and a disc disposed on one end of the rod.

4. The furnace system of claim 3 wherein the disc defines a plurality of blades, each of the blades having a radially inner end and a radially outer end and a cross-sectional profile that increases in size moving from the radially inner end to the radially outer end.

5. The furnace system of claim 4 wherein a surface of each of the blades curves moving from the radially inner end to the radially outer end.

6. The furnace system of claim 4 wherein the radially outer end of each of the blades terminates at a radially outer periphery of the disc.

7. The furnace system of claim 1 wherein the furnace comprises a glass furnace and the preheater comprises a cullet preheater.

8. The furnace system of claim 1 wherein the mixing chamber includes an inlet coupled to an intake duct through which recycled exhaust fluids from the preheater are delivered to the mixing chamber for mixing with the portion of the fluid exhausted from the furnace.

9. A furnace system comprising:
a furnace having an exhaust fluid outlet;
a preheater configured to preheat material before the material is provided to the furnace through a first conduit extending between the preheater and the furnace, the preheater having a fluid inlet;
a duct system forming a second conduit between the furnace and preheater, the second conduit different from the first conduit, the duct system including
a mixing chamber disposed between the furnace and the preheater;
an exhaust duct in fluid communication with the exhaust fluid outlet and configured to vent fluid exhausted from the furnace, the exhaust duct in fluid communication with the mixing chamber and configured to redirect a portion of the fluid exhausted from the furnace to the mixing chamber whereby particulates from the exhaust duct collect on surfaces of the mixing chamber;
a preheater duct in fluid communication with the mixing chamber and the preheater fluid inlet and configured to direct fluid from the mixing chamber to the preheater;

a duct scraper configured for movement within the mixing chamber to move particulates out of the mixing chamber
wherein the mixing chamber has a first end opening into said exhaust duct and a second end opposite the first end, the duct scraper configured for movement along a roll axis between a retracted position proximate the second end of the mixing chamber and an extended position proximate the first end of the mixing chamber.

10. The furnace system of claim 9 wherein the duct scraper is further configured to rotate about the roll axis.

11. The furnace system of claim 9 wherein the duct scraper is configured to function as a valve between the mixing chamber and the exhaust duct when in the extended position.

12. The furnace system of claim 9 wherein the preheater duct opens into the mixing chamber at a location between the first and second ends of the mixing chamber.

13. The furnace system of claim 9 , further comprising:
a motor configured to cause movement of the duct scraper within the mixing chamber from the retracted position to the extended position and from the extended position to the retracted position; and,
a controller configured to activate the motor at a predetermined frequency.

14. A furnace system, comprising:
a furnace having an exhaust fluid outlet;
a preheater configured to preheat material before the material is provided to the furnace through a first conduit extending between the preheater and the furnace, the preheater having a fluid inlet;
a duct system forming a second conduit between the furnace and preheater, the second conduit different from the first conduit, the duct system including
a mixing chamber disposed between the furnace and the preheater;
an exhaust duct in fluid communication with the exhaust fluid outlet and configured to vent fluid exhausted from the furnace, the exhaust duct in fluid communication with the mixing chamber and configured to redirect a portion of the fluid exhausted from the furnace to the mixing chamber whereby particulates from the exhaust duct collect on surfaces of the mixing chamber;
a preheater duct in fluid communication with the mixing chamber and the preheater fluid inlet and configured to direct fluid from the mixing chamber to the preheater;

means for moving particulates out of the mixing chamber.

15. The furnace system of claim 14 wherein the moving means move particulates out of the mixing chamber and into the exhaust duct.

16. The furnace system of claim 14 wherein the mixing chamber has a first end opening into the exhaust duct and a second end opposite the first end, the moving means configured for movement along a roll axis between a retracted position proximate the second end of the mixing chamber and an extended position proximate the first end of the mixing chamber.

17. The furnace system of claim 16 wherein the moving means is further configured to rotate about the roll axis.

18. The furnace system of claim 16 wherein the moving means is further configured to function as a valve between the mixing chamber and the exhaust duct when in the extended position.

19. The furnace system of claim 16 wherein the preheater duct opens into the mixing chamber at a location between the first and second ends of the mixing chamber.

20. The furnace system of claim 14 , further comprising:
a motor configured to cause movement of the moving means within the mixing chamber from the retracted position to the extended position and from the extended position to the retracted position; and,
a controller configured to activate the motor at a predetermined frequency.

21. The furnace system of claim 14 wherein the furnace comprises a glass furnace and the preheater comprises a cullet preheater.

Assignees

• Owens Brockway Glass Container

Inventors

• Gunner Bruce
• Mastek Witold
• Alexander Jeffrey

Classifications

• F27D13/002

  Preheating scrap · CPC title

• F27D3/04

  Ram or pusher apparatus · CPC title

• C03B3/023

  Preheating · CPC title

• F27D25/001 Primary

  comprising breaking tools, e.g. hammers, drills, scrapers · CPC title

• F27D17/004

  Mechanical Engineering · mapped topic