Owens-brockway Glass Container Inc.

Robert Kuhlman

Shane T Rashley

Susan L Smith

Walter Anderson

David D Soley

Jian Jiao

Liming Shi

William Thomas

Richard C Gobrecht, Iii

A submerged combustion melting system includes a furnace including a tank with a floor, a roof, a perimeter wall, and an interior, and burners to melt glass feedstock into molten glass, a batch inlet, a molten glass outlet, and an exhaust outlet. An exhaust system is in fluid communication with the interior of the tank, and includes a flue in fluid communication with the exhaust outlet. A refractory-lined hood may be in fluid communication with the flue, which may be fluid-cooled including fluid-cooled perimeter panels and lower and upper baffles. The hood may include a protrusion that protrudes into a downstream horizontal exhaust path and has an excurvate upper surface to streamline flow of exhaust gas through the hood to prevent gas recirculation and formation of condensate piles in the hood.

Submerged combustion melting exhaust systems

A cooling panel for a melter is disclosed that includes first and second outer walls and a plurality of side walls coupled to the first and second outer walls. The first and second outer walls and the plurality of side walls define an interior space. Each of the first and second outer walls, moreover, has a plurality of openings. The cooling panel further includes a plurality of baffles disposed in the interior space. The baffles include a plurality of projections. The respective openings of the outer walls and projections of the baffles fit together and are connected from outside of the cooling panel so that the outer walls and the baffles are fixed together, and the side walls are fixed to the outer walls so that the cooling panel is fluid-tight.

Cooling panel for a melter

A cooling panel for a melter and method for fabricating the cooling panel are disclosed. In particular, the cooling panel can include first and second outer walls and a plurality of side walls coupled to the outer walls that define an interior space. A plurality of baffles is disposed in the interior space, where projections in the baffles fit into respective openings in the outer walls and can be connected from outside the cooling panel. The cooling panel can be formed by way of welding and/or additive manufacturing, as discussed herein.

A glass melter batch inlet and cleaning device and related methods of its operation are disclosed. The glass melter batch inlet and cleaning device includes an outer tubular housing including a side inlet, an inner tubular chopper including a side inlet relief in registration with the side inlet of the outer tubular housing, and at least one actuator extending alongside the outer tubular housing and coupled to the inner tubular chopper to move the chopper with respect to the outer tubular housing.

Growing community of inventors

Dundee, MI, United States of America

Robert Kuhlman