Feeder tank for a glass melter

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12084378-B2
Application number	US-202117232216-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 16, 2021
Priority date	Apr 16, 2021
Publication date	Sep 10, 2024
Grant date	Sep 10, 2024

Abstract

A glass melting furnace and method for introducing batch feed material into a glass melter tank of the glass melting furnace are disclosed. The glass melting furnace comprises the glass melter tank, a feeder tank, and at least one conduit. The glass melter tank defines at least one melter tank inlet, a molten glass outlet, and an exhaust gas outlet, and the feeder tank, which is separate from the glass melter tank, defines a batch feed inlet and a feeder tank outlet. The at least one conduit is in fluid communication with the feeder tank outlet and the melter tank inlet. Moreover, the melter tank inlet is defined below a melt level of a glass melt contained within the glass melter tank and at least partially filling the at least one conduit.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A glass melting furnace, comprising:
a glass melter tank that defines at least one melter tank inlet, a molten glass outlet, and an exhaust gas outlet, the glass melter tank containing a first portion of a glass melt having a melt level rising above the melter tank inlet;
a feeder tank that defines a batch feed inlet and a feeder tank outlet located below the melt level and that contains a second portion of the glass melt; and
at least one conduit in fluid communication with the feeder tank outlet of the feeder tank and the melter tank inlet of the glass melter tank, and wherein a second portion of the glass melt at least partially fills the at least one conduit and also partially fills the feeder tank.

2. The glass melting furnace of claim 1 , wherein the glass melter tank is a submerged combustion melter that includes submerged burners immersed by the glass melt and configured to discharge a combustible gas mixture of a fuel and an oxidant directly into the glass melt.

3. The glass melting furnace of claim 1 , wherein the glass melter tank defines a batch feed inlet through which batch feed material is introduced directly into the glass melter tank.

4. The glass melting furnace of claim 1 , wherein the feeder tank does not include any burners.

5. The glass melting furnace of claim 1 , wherein the at least one conduit includes
a first conduit that is angled downwardly from the feeder tank outlet of the feeder tank to the melter tank inlet of the glass melter tank, and
a second conduit that is oriented horizontally between the feeder tank and the glass melter tank.

6. The glass melting furnace of claim 1 , wherein the feeder tank includes a feeder bottom wall, a feeder top wall, and a feeder sidewall extending upwardly from the feeder bottom wall to the feeder top wall, and wherein the feeder bottom wall is oriented horizontally and the at least one conduit is angled downwardly from the feeder bottom wall.

7. The glass melting furnace of claim 1 , further comprising a gate to at least partially close the at least one conduit.

8. A glass melting furnace, comprising:
a glass melter tank that defines at least one melter tank inlet, a molten glass outlet, and an exhaust gas outlet, the glass melter tank containing a first portion of a glass melt having a melt level rising above the melter tank inlet;
a feeder tank that defines a batch feed inlet and a feeder tank outlet below the melt level, wherein the feeder tank contains a second portion of the glass melt and includes
a feeder bottom wall,
a feeder top wall, and
a feeder sidewall extending upwardly from the feeder bottom wall to the feeder top wall, and wherein each of the feeder bottom wall and the at least one conduit are angled downwardly with respect to horizontal; and

at least one conduit in fluid communication with the feeder tank outlet of the feeder tank and the melter tank inlet of the glass melter tank, and wherein the second portion of the glass melt at least partially fills the at least one conduit and also partially fills the feeder tank.

9. A glass melting furnace, comprising:
a glass melter tank that defines at least one melter tank inlet, a molten glass outlet, and an exhaust gas outlet, the glass melter tank containing a first portion of a glass melt having a melt level rising above the melter tank inlet;
a feeder tank that defines a batch feed inlet and a feeder tank outlet;
at least one conduit in fluid communication with the feeder tank outlet of the feeder tank and the melter tank inlet of the glass melter tank, and wherein a second portion of the glass melt fills the at least one conduit and at least partially fills the feeder tank; and
a heat source in thermal communication with the feeder tank and configured to supply heat to the second portion of the glass melt that extends into the feeder tank in order to maintain the second portion of the glass melt at or above 1100° C.

10. A glass melting furnace, comprising:
a glass melter tank that defines at least one melter tank inlet, a molten glass outlet, and an exhaust gas outlet, the glass melter tank containing a first portion of a glass melt having a melt level rising above the melter tank inlet;
a feeder tank that defines a batch feed inlet and a feeder tank outlet and that includes
a feeder bottom wall, a feeder top wall, and a feeder side wall extending upwardly from the feeder bottom wall to the feeder top wall, wherein the feeder bottom, top, and side walls define a tank chamber, and
a piston configured to move reciprocally between the top feeder wall and the bottom feeder wall of the feeder tank and downwardly within the feeder tank away from the feeder top wall past the batch feed inlet and toward the feeder bottom wall; and

at least one conduit in fluid communication with the feeder tank outlet of the feeder tank and the melter tank inlet of the glass melter tank.

11. The glass melting furnace of claim 10 , wherein the piston translates along a piston axis and the at least one conduit extends from an inlet thereof to an outlet thereof along another axis obliquely oriented with respect to the piston axis.

12. A method for introducing batch feed material into a glass melting furnace, comprising:
introducing batch feed material into a feeder tank that is separate from a glass melter tank but fluidly connected to the glass melter tank by at least one conduit;
directing the batch feed material from a feeder tank outlet of the feeder tank, through the conduit, and into the glass melter tank through a melter tank inlet, the melter tank inlet being defined in the glass melter tank below a melt level of a glass melt contained in the glass melter tank and filling the at least one conduit and at least partially filling the feeder tank, wherein the melt level is above the feeder tank outlet; and
melting the batch feed material in the glass melter tank.

13. The method of claim 12 , further comprising:
discharging a combustible gas mixture that comprises a fuel and an oxidant directly into the glass melt within the glass melter tank through submerged burners that are immersed by the glass melt.

14. The method of claim 12 , further comprising:
moving a piston downwardly within the feeder tank to urge the batch feed material into a portion of the glass melt that at least partially fills the at least one conduit.

15. The method of claim 12 , further comprising:
introducing batch feed material directly into the glass melter tank through a batch inlet defined in the glass melter tank above the melt level of the glass melt.

16. A glass melting furnace, comprising:
a glass melter tank that defines at least one melter tank inlet, a molten glass outlet, and an exhaust gas outlet, the glass melter tank containing a first portion of a glass melt having a melt level rising above the melter tank inlet;
a feeder tank that defines at least one batch feed inlet and a feeder tank outlet and that includes
a feeder bottom wall, a feeder top wall, and a feeder side wall extending upwardly from the feeder bottom wall to the feeder top wall, wherein the feeder bottom, top, and side walls define a tank chamber, and
a piston configured to move reciprocally between the top feeder wall and the bottom feeder wall of the feeder tank; and
at least one conduit in fluid communication with the feeder tank outlet of the feeder tank and the melter tank inlet of the glass melter tank,

wherein the at least one batch feed inlet is defined in the feeder side wall.

17. The glass melting furnace of claim 16 , wherein the at least

Assignees

• Owens Brockway Glass Container

Inventors

• Shi Liming

Classifications

• C03B5/16

  Special features of the melting process; Auxiliary means specially adapted for glass-melting furnaces · CPC title

• C03B2211/23

  using oxygen, i.e. pure oxygen or oxygen-enriched air · CPC title

• C03B5/20

  Bridges, shoes, throats, or other devices for withholding dirt, foam, or batch · CPC title

• C03B5/02

  in electric furnaces {, e.g. by dielectric heating (electric heating in general H05B)} · CPC title

• C03B3/00

  Charging the melting furnaces · CPC title