Asahi Glass Company, Limited

Agc Inc.

Michito Sasaki

Atsushi Tanigaki

Yusuke Takei

Hajime Itoh

Masataka Matsuwaki

Takashi Kijima

Mitsuo Sugimoto

Shigekuni Inoue

Mitsuyoshi Sakai

Toshiyasu Kawaguchi

Toshihiro Ishino

Yasuharu Hirabara

Kazuo Hamashima

Rei Kitamura

Hiroaki Hamamoto

Katsuharu Imamaki

Wataru Miyoshi

Kazuhiko Yamada

Takahiro Nagata

Motoichi Iga

Masahiro Saitou

Toshiyuki Uematsu

Suguru Kobayashi

Takashi Kubo

Kazuo Ninomiya

Takahisa Nagata

It is an object of the present invention to provide a vacuum degassing apparatus configured so as to be capable of carrying out more simply exchange operation for an extension pipe made of heat-resisting metal and immersed in molten glass. The present invention includes a vacuum housing, a vacuum vessel, an introduction pipe and a discharge pipe which are assembled by a plurality of bricks, and an extension pipe connected to at least one of the introduction pipe and the discharge pipe and made of heat-resisting metal. The extension pipe is constituted by a base end portion, a body portion formed so as to be continuous to the base end portion, and a sealing flange extending from an outer peripheral side of the body portion.

Vacuum degassing apparatus, apparatus for producing glassware, and method for producing glassware

A conduit structure for molten glass, in which molten glass is flown through a double-pipe structure, with little stress loading even for a long time operation. A supporting rib connecting an inner pipe and an outer pipe is employed in the double pipe structure having the inner pipe and outer pipe in the conduit structure for molten glass, wherein excessive stress concentration hardly occurs in an inner pipe-joint portion, an outer pipe-joint portion and the rib when the rib is applied with a stress load due to the weight of the inner pipe.

Conduit structure for molten glass, vacuum degassing apparatus, vacuum degassing method for molten glass and process for producing glass products employing said conduit structure

A conduit structure for molten glass, a conduit system for molten glass, a vacuum degassing apparatus and a method for vacuum-degassing molten glass by use of the vacuum degassing apparatus, which are capable of effectively removing components eluted from a refractory brick forming a conduit for molten glass, foreign substances generated in the interface between molten glass and a platinum wall surface forming a conduit for molten glass, a bubble remaining in a surface layer of molten glass, a glass material denatured by volatilization, and the like, are provided. A conduit structure for molten glass, which is formed of a hollow pipe made of platinum or a platinum alloy, includes a double-pipe structure disposed in at least a downstream portion of the conduit structure, the double-pipe structure being formed of an inner pipe and an outer pipe; the inner pipe having an upstream end and a downstream end formed as open ends; the outer pipe having a downstream end formed as a closed end in a region located in a gap between the inner pipe and the outer pipe and as an open end in a region located in the inner pipe in the double-pipe structure; the conduit structure having an upstream end formed as an open end; and the outer pipe having an opening formed in a portion close to the downstream end thereof.

Conduit structure for molten glass and vacuum degassing apparatus using the conduit structure

The present invention provides a new method for airtightly joining a hollow tube made of a reinforced platinum and a flange made of platinum or a platinum alloy, which prevents decreasing of mechanical strength of the hollow tube made of a reinforced platinum due to its joining with a flange. A method for airtightly joining a hollow tube made of a reinforced platinum with a flange made of platinum or a platinum alloy, which is a method for airtightly joining the outer periphery of a hollow tube made of a reinforced platinum produced by dispersing metal oxides in platinum or a platinum alloy, with a flange made of platinum or a platinum alloy, the method comprising a step of shrink-fitting a ring made of platinum or a platinum alloy to the outer periphery of the hollow tube, a step of heating the hollow tube to which the ring is shrink-fit at from 1,150 to 1,450&#xb0; C. for from 1 to 10 hours, and a step of welding the flange made of platinum or a platinum alloy to the outer periphery of the ring.

Method for airtightly joining reinforced platinum hollow tube with platinum flange

A vacuum degassing apparatus for molten glass includes a vacuum housing which is evacuated to be depressurized therein; a vacuum degassing vessel which is provided in the vacuum housing to vacuum-degas molten glass as the molten glass flows therein; an uprising pipe which connects to the vacuum degassing vessel, and sucks and draws up undegassed molten glass to introduce the undegassed molten glass into the vacuum degassing vessel; and a downfalling pipe which connects to the vacuum degassing vessel and draws down the degassed molten glass from the vacuum degassing vessel to discharge the degassed molten glass. The cross sectional area of the path at the upper end portion of the uprising pipe is larger than the cross sectional area of the path at the lower end portion of the uprising pipe.

Vacuum degassing apparatus for molten glass

A vacuum degassing apparatus for molten glass includes a vacuum housing; a vacuum degassing vessel provided in the vacuum housing; an uprising pipe which connects to the vacuum degassing vessel; and a downfalling pipe which connects to the vacuum degassing vessel. The vacuum housing has an accommodating portion to accommodate the uprising pipe and an accommodating portion to accommodate the downfalling pipe, at least one of which is divided horizontally into a plurality of sections to form a plurality of divided rooms juxtaposed in the vertical direction, and the respective divided rooms are provided with a pressure controller to control the pressures of the respective divided rooms independently.

Molten glass has a liquid level located at a higher level than lower ends of an uprising pipe and a downfalling. In addition, a contacting portion of the uprising pipe or the downfalling pipe and a brick receiver on an upstream or downstream pit for supporting the uprising or downfalling pipe, or a joint in the brick receiver is filled with sealing material.

A vacuum degassing apparatus for molten glass according to the present invention comprises a vacuum housing where a vacuum is created; a vacuum degassing vessel housed in the vacuum housing to degas the molten glass; an introduction device communicated to the vacuum degassing vessel so as to introduce untreated molten glass into the vacuum degassing vessel, or preferably an uprising pipe; and a discharge device to discharge treated molten glass from the vacuum degassing vessel, or preferably a downfalling pipe. In the apparatus, at least a portion of at least one of the vacuum degassing vessel, the uprising pipe and the downfalling pipe that directly contact with the molten glass is constituted by refractory material having a porosity of not greater than 5%. The apparatus can increase quantity of flow of the molten glass and consequently a degassing throughput of the molten glass in comparison with prior art, having the same size and the same pressure loss. The apparatus can further increase the quantity of flow and the degassing throughput without making the size of the apparatus excessively larger.

A vacuum degassing apparatus comprises a path made of dense refractory bricks, the path including an inner surface brick layer, the refractory bricks in the inner surface brick layer having a flatness of 0.5 mm on contacting surfaces with one anther, and the path including a backup brick layer and a ramming material filling layer besides the inner surface brick layer.

Vacuum degassing apparatus for molten glass and method for building it

A vacuum degassing method for molten glass, which comprises introducing molten glass into a vacuum degassing apparatus, subjecting it to degassing treatment under a predetermined reduced pressure condition and then withdrawing it for a subsequent step, wherein during the degassing treatment, a metal compound which is at least one compound of metal selected from the group consisting of aluminum, titanium, silicon, zinc, magnesium, iron, chromium, cobalt, cerium and calcium, is supplied from outside of the vacuum degassing apparatus to the surface of a bubble layer formed in the molten glass to diminish or extinguish the bubble layer.

Vacuum degassing method for molten glass

A vacuum degassing apparatus for molten glass includes a vacuum housing where a vacuum is created; a vacuum degassing vessel housed in the vacuum housing to degas the molten glass; an introduction device communicated to the vacuum degassing vessel so as to introduce untreated molten glass into the vacuum degassing vessel, or preferably an uprising pipe; and a discharge device to discharge treated molten glass from the vacuum degassing vessel, or preferably a downfalling pipe. In the apparatus, at least a portion of at least one of the vacuum degassing vessel, the uprising pipe and the downfalling pipe that directly contact the molten glass is constituted by refractory material having a porosity of not greater than 5%. The apparatus can increase quantity of flow of the molten glass and consequently a degassing throughput of the molten glass, having the same size and the same pressure loss. The apparatus can further increase the quantity of flow and the degassing throughput without making the size of the apparatus excessively larger.

Growing community of inventors

Kanagawa, Japan

Michito Sasaki