Methods for reconditioning glass manufacturing systems

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11130696-B2
Application number	US-201816620036-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 1, 2018
Priority date	Jun 6, 2017
Publication date	Sep 28, 2021
Grant date	Sep 28, 2021

Abstract

A method for reconditioning a glass manufacturing system includes establishing a reducing atmosphere in a glass melting vessel and draining a glass melt composition from the melting vessel while the reducing atmosphere is in the vessel. The pressure of the reducing atmosphere is greater than the pressure of the atmosphere surrounding the melting vessel and the reducing atmosphere is established by operating at least one combustion burner in the melting vessel in a fuel-rich condition.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method for reconditioning a glass manufacturing system comprising:
establishing a reducing atmosphere in a glass melting vessel, and
draining a glass melt composition from the glass melting vessel while the reducing atmosphere is in the glass melting vessel;
wherein a pressure of the reducing atmosphere in the glass melting vessel is greater than a pressure of an atmosphere surrounding the glass melting vessel; and
wherein the establishing the reducing atmosphere in the glass melting vessel comprises operating at least one combustion burner in the glass melting vessel in a fuel-rich condition.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the glass melting vessel is in fluid communication with a downstream glass manufacturing apparatus comprising a fining vessel, wherein, during the step of draining the glass melt composition from the glass melting vessel, a pressure of an atmosphere in the fining vessel is greater than the pressure of the reducing atmosphere in the glass melting vessel.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein the atmosphere in the fining vessel comprises from about 0.1 to about 1.0 percent oxygen by volume.

4. The method of claim 3 , wherein the method comprises feeding a gas comprising less than about 1.0 percent oxygen by volume into the fining vessel.

5. The method of claim 4 , wherein the gas comprising less than about 1.0 percent oxygen by volume comprises at least about 99% nitrogen by volume.

6. The method of claim 2 , wherein the fining vessel comprises platinum or an alloy thereof.

7. The method of claim 6 , wherein the fining vessel comprises a platinum-rhodium alloy.

8. The method of claim 2 , wherein the method further comprises draining molten glass from the fining vessel while the reducing atmosphere is in the glass melting vessel and while the pressure of the atmosphere in the fining vessel is greater than the pressure of the reducing atmosphere in the glass melting vessel.

9. The method of claim 8 , wherein at least a portion of the molten glass drained from the fining vessel is drained through the glass melting vessel.

10. The method of claim 8 , wherein the method further comprises establishing a glass plug in the fining vessel or in a conduit in fluid communication with the fining vessel by maintaining a portion of the fining vessel or a conduit in fluid communication with the fining vessel at a temperature at or below the softening point of the glass melt composition.

11. The method of claim 10 , wherein at least a portion of the molten glass drained from the fining vessel is drained through the glass melting vessel.

12. The method of claim 2 , wherein the pressure of the reducing atmosphere in the glass melting vessel is at least about 0.25 inches of water greater than the pressure of the atmosphere surrounding the glass melting vessel.

13. The method of claim 12 , wherein the pressure of the atmosphere in the fining vessel is at least about 0.05 inches of water greater than the pressure of the reducing atmosphere in the glass melting vessel.

14. The method of claim 1 , wherein the melting vessel comprises at least one electrode comprising molybdenum.

15. The method of claim 1 , wherein the reducing atmosphere comprises from about 10 ppm to about 300 ppm of oxygen.

16. The method of claim 1 , wherein, subsequent to draining the glass melt composition from the glass melting vessel, a second glass melt composition is introduced into the glass melting vessel.

17. The method of claim 16 , wherein the melting vessel comprises at least one electrode comprising molybdenum that is powered off while draining the glass melt composition from the glass melting vessel.

18. The method of claim 17 , wherein a glass cullet is introduced into the glass melting vessel prior to introducing the second glass melt composition into the glass melting vessel.

19. The method of claim 18 , wherein the glass cullet is introduced into the glass melting vessel until it at least partially immerses the at least one electrode comprising molybdenum and the at least one electrode comprising molybdenum is powered on subsequent to being at least partially immersed by the glass cullet.

20. The method of claim 19 , wherein the glass cullet is introduced into the glass vessel until it at least fully immerses the at least one electrode comprising molybdenum and second glass melt composition is introduced into the glass melting vessel subsequent to the at least one electrode being fully immersed in the glass cullet.

Assignees

• Corning Inc

Inventors

• Anderson Sean Thomas
• De Angelis Gilbert
• Delamielleure Megan Aurora
• Kunitake Miki Eugene
• Lamberson Derwin Lee

Classifications

• Y02P40/50

  Glass production, e.g. reusing waste heat during processing or shaping · CPC title

• C03B5/167

  Means for preventing damage to equipment, e.g. by molten glass, hot gases, batches (C03B5/20, C03B5/42 take precedence) · CPC title

• C03B5/185 Primary

  Electric means · CPC title

• C03B5/235 Primary

  Heating the glass (C03B5/02, C03B5/18, C03B5/225 take precedence) · CPC title

• C03B5/43

  Use of materials for furnace walls, e.g. fire-bricks · CPC title