Submerged combustion melter comprising a melt exit structure designed to minimize impact of mechanical energy, and methods of making molten glass

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9902639-B2
Application number	US-201514816131-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 3, 2015
Priority date	Apr 27, 2012
Publication date	Feb 27, 2018
Grant date	Feb 27, 2018

Abstract

A melter apparatus includes a floor, a ceiling, and a wall connecting the floor and ceiling at a perimeter of the floor and ceiling, a melting zone being defined by the floor, ceiling and wall, the melting zone having a feed inlet and a molten glass outlet positioned at opposing ends of the melting zone. Melter apparatus include an exit end having a melter exit structure for discharging turbulent molten glass formed by one or more submerged combustion burners, the melter exit structure fluidly and mechanically connecting the melter vessel to a molten glass conditioning channel. The melter exit structure includes a fluid-cooled transition channel configured to form a frozen glass layer or highly viscous glass layer, or combination thereof, on inner surfaces of the fluid-cooled transition channel and thus protect the melter exit structure from mechanical energy imparted from the melter vessel to the melter exit structure.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A melter apparatus comprising:
a melter vessel comprising floor, a ceiling, a wall connecting the floor and ceiling at a perimeter of the floor and ceiling, wherein at least some of the wall comprises fluid-cooled panels, a melting zone being defined by the floor, ceiling and wall, and a plurality of burners, at least some of which are positioned to direct combustion products into the melting zone under a level of molten glass in the melting zone and form a turbulent molten glass imparting mechanical energy to the melter vessel, the melter vessel comprising a batch feeder attached to the wall or ceiling above the level, and an exit end comprising a melter exit structure for discharging the molten glass, the melter exit structure fluidly and mechanically connecting the melter vessel to a molten glass conditioning channel, the wall comprising a feed end wall, a first portion of an exit end wall connecting the floor to an inlet of the melter exit structure, and a second portion of an exit end wall connecting the ceiling to an inlet of the melter exit structure, wherein the feed end wall forms an angle α with the floor, the first portion of the exit end wall forms an angle β with the floor, angles α and β may be the same or different and range form about 45 degrees to about 75 degrees, and the second portion of the exit wall forms an angle γ with the ceiling ranging from about 30 degrees to about 75 degrees,
wherein the melter exit structure comprises a fluid-cooled transition channel configured to form a frozen glass layer or highly viscous glass layer, or combination thereof, on inner surfaces of the fluid-cooled transition channel and thus protect the melter exit structure from the mechanical energy imparted from the melter vessel to the melter exit structure.

2. The inciter apparatus of claim 1 further comprising a fluid-cooled dam opening in a top of the fluid-cooled transition channel configured to accept a movable fluid-cooled dam.

3. The melter apparatus of claim 2 wherein the fluid-cooled dam comprises dimensions allowing the dam to be extended an entire distance from top to bottom of the fluid-cooled transition channel and completely isolate the melting zone of the melter vessel from the conditioning channel.

4. The melter apparatus of claim 1 comprising a fluid-cooled skimmer configured to form a frozen glass layer or highly viscous glass layer, or combination thereof, on outer surfaces thereof, the skimmer extending downward from the ceiling of the melter vessel and positioned upstream of the fluid-cooled transition channel, the skimmer having a lower distal end defining a top of a throat of the melter vessel, the throat configured to control flow of molten glass from the melter vessel into the melter exit structure.

5. The melter apparatus of claim 4 wherein the lower distal end of the fluid-cooled skimmer extends a distance ranging from about 1 inch to about 12 inches (from about 2.5 cm to about 30 cm) but less than a height H of the melter exit structure.

6. The melter apparatus of claim 4 wherein the lower distal end of the fluid-cooled skimmer extends a distance substantially greater than 12 inches (30 cm) but less than to the floor of the melter, allowing molten glass in a bottom region of the melter vessel to exit preferentially to molten glass not substantially in the bottom region of the melter vessel.

7. The melter apparatus of claim 4 further comprising a seamless liner insert positioned inside the melter exit structure, the liner insert having an entrance and a discharge end, the entrance end configured to accept flow of molten glass from the throat, and the discharge end directing flow of molten glass to the conditioning channel.

8. The melter apparatus of claim 1 wherein the melter exit structure comprises a molten glass outlet positioned at a bottom of the fluid-cooled transition channel, causing molten glass flowing through the melter exit structure to change direction from substantially horizontal to substantially vertically downward as it exits the channel.

9. The melter apparatus of claim 4 further comprising a fluid-cooled dam opening in a top of the fluid-cooled transition channel configured to accept a movable fluid-cooled dam, and wherein the fluid-cooled dam comprises dimensions allowing the dam to be extended an entire distance from top to bottom of the fluid-cooled transition channel and completely isolate the melting zone of the melter vessel from the conditioning channel, and wherein the lower distal end of the fluid-cooled skimmer extends a distance ranging from about 1 inch to about 12 inches (from about 2.5 cm to about 30 cm) but less than a height H of the melter exit structure, and further comprising a seamless liner insert positioned inside the melter exit structure, the liner insert having an entrance and a discharge end, the entrance end configured to accept flow of molten glass from the throat, and the discharge end directing flow of molten glass to the conditioning channel.

10. The melter apparatus of claim 1 further comprising a fluid-cooled dam opening in a top of the fluid-cooled transition channel configured to accept a movable fluid-cooled dam, wherein the fluid-cooled dam comprises dimensions allowing the dam to be extended an entire distance from top to bottom of the fluid-cooled transition channel and completely isolate the melting zone of the melter vessel from the conditioning channel, and wherein the lower distal end of the fluid-cooled skimmer extends a distance substantially greater than 12 inches (30 cm) but less than to the floor of the melter, allowing molten glass in a bottom region of the melter vessel to exit preferentially to molten glass not substantially in the bottom region of the melter vessel, and further comprising a seamless liner insert positioned inside the melter exit structure, the liner insert having an entrance and a discharge end, the entrance end configured to accept flow of molten glass from the throat, and the discharge end directing flow of molten glass to the conditioning channel.

11. The melter apparatus of claim 4 wherein the lower distal end of the fluid-cooled skimmer extends a distance ranging from about 1 inch to about 12 inches (from about 2.5 cm to about 30 cm) but less than a height H of the melter exit structure, and wherein the melter exit structure comprises a molten glass outlet positioned at a bottom of the fluid-cooled transition channel, causing molten glass flowing through the melter exit structure to change direction from substantially horizontal to substantially vertically downward as it exits the channel.

12. A melter apparatus comprising:
a melter vessel comprising floor, a ceiling, a wall connecting the floor and ceiling at a perimeter of the floor and ceiling, wherein at least some of the wall comprises fluid-cooled panels, a melting zone being defined by the floor, ceiling and wall, and a plurality of burners, at least some of which are positioned to direct combustion products into the melting zone under a level of molten glass in the melting zone and form a turbulent molten glass imparting mechanical energy to the melter vessel, the melter vessel comprising a batch feeder attached to the wall or ceiling above the level, and an exit end comprising a melter exit structure for discharging the turbulent molten glass, the melter exit structure fluidly and mechanically connecting the melter vessel to a molten glass conditioning channel, the wall comprising a feed end wall, a first portion of an exit end wall connecting the floor to an inlet of the melter exit structure, and a second portion of an exit end wall connecting the ceiling to an inlet of the melter exit struc

Assignees

• Johns Manville

Inventors

• Mobley John Euford
• Huber Aaron Morgan
• Enright Ryan Patrick

Classifications

• C03B5/2356

  Submerged heating, e.g. by using heat pipes, hot gas or submerged combustion burners (bubblers C03B5/193) · CPC title

• C03B5/20

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

• C03B5/04

  in tank furnaces {(C03B5/02 takes precedence)} · CPC title

• C03B5/167 Primary

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

• C03B3/023

  Preheating · CPC title