Schuller International, Inc.

Jack R Elliott

Donald E Shamp

Larry Edward Howard

Thomas Fowler Stark

A method for melting and refining glass, such as E glass, comprises feeding glass batch materials into a melting and refining tank for melting and refining the glass batch materials into glass and a forehearth, downstream of the tank, for further refining the glass and delivering the glass to fiberizing means. The melting and refining tank is heated with oxygen fired burners. The oxygen fired burners in the melting and refining tank are located in the sidewalls at the upstream end of the tank and extend for about one-third, one-half or two-thirds the length of the tank. In one embodiment, burners are also located in the upstream end wall. This arrangement of the oxygen fired burners at the upstream end of the melting and refining tank moves the melter hot spot upstream for better refining of the glass and enables the furnace to produce a higher output of glass than can be obtained in a conventional E glass furnace of the same size.

Method of firing a glass melting furnace with oxygen

The bottoms of exhaust stacks and systems on glass melting furnaces usually collect slag that is produced by volatiles in the exhaust gases condensing out and forming a glassy substance on the cooler walls of the stacks, etc. which then runs down the walls picking up refractory and forming a slag in the lowest places. This slag often cools to hardness or a high viscosity, tough mass. It has to be removed periodically to prevent building up to the point that slag would run back into the furnace damaging the glass and removal is a hot, dirty, time consuming job. This problem is worse on oxy-fuel furnaces which the industry is trending towards for other advantages. The present invention eliminates this problem by reducing the size of the reservoir in the bottom of the stack and adding a heated bushing with an orifice that continually drains the slag from the small reservoir.

Method and apparatus for maintaining a furnace stack

A furnace for melting and refining E glass comprises a melting and refining tank for melting and refining the glass batch materials into glass and a forehearth, downstream of the tank, for further refining the glass and delivering the glass to fiberizing means. The melting and refining tank is heated with oxygen fired burners. The oxygen fired burners in the melting and refining tank are located in the sidewalls at the upstream end of the tank and extend for about one-third the length of the tank. In one embodiment, burners are also located in the upstream end wall. This arrangement of the oxygen fired burners at the upstream end of the melting and refining tank moves the melter hot spot upstream for better refining of the glass and enables the furnace to produce a higher output of glass than can be obtained in a conventional E glass furnace of the same size.

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Etowah, TN, United States of America

Jack R Elliott