In embodiments, a melter for melting glass may include an inlet wall, an outlet wall opposite the inlet wall, and sidewalls extending from the inlet wall to the outlet wall. The inlet wall, outlet wall, and sidewalls define a glass melting space enclosed by a floor and a top. In embodiments, the inlet wall may comprise a glass contact wall comprising a glass contact surface facing the glass melting space. A superstructure of the inlet wall comprises a jack arch positioned over the glass contact wall and at least a portion of the glass melting space. A plane of an interior face of the jack arch and a plane of the glass contact surface are off-set in a horizontal direction. A vertical distance from the floor to an underside of the jack arch is less than a vertical distance from the floor to an underside of the top.

The invention relates to a material feeding system (1) for a melter comprising: (i) a substantially horizontal feeding barrel (5) designed to feed solid material through the melter wall (9) into the melt (11) contained in the said melter, and arranged below the level (13) of the melt (11) contained in the melter (30), (ii) said feeding barrel (5) comprising a material input opening (15) and material output opening (17), the material output opening (17) leading into the melt (11) contained in the melter (30), said feeding barrel (5) comprising an internal feeder (20) designed to push solid material (7) loaded through the material input opening (15), in the direction of the longitudinal barrel axis (6) toward the material output opening (17), the end of the internal feeder (20) on the material output side extending at a minimum at a distance from the internal melter surface (19) of two (2) to ten (10) times the diameter of the feeding barrel (5), preferably three (3) to eight (8) times the diameter of the feeding barrel, more preferably three (3) to six (6) times the diameter of the feeding barrel or three (3) to five (5) times the diameter of the feeding barrel (5). The invention further covers a submerged combustion melter equipped with above material feeding system and a process for feeding material into a melter.

The invention relates to a material feeding system (1) for a melter comprising: (i) a substantially horizontal feeding barrel (5) designed to feed solid material through the melter wall (9) into the melt (11) contained in the said melter, and arranged below the level (13) of the melt (11) contained in the melter (30), (ii) said feeding barrel (5) comprising a material input opening (15) and material output opening (17), the material output opening (17) leading into the melt (11) contained in the melter (30), said feeding barrel (5) comprising an internal feeder (20) designed to push solid material (7) loaded through the material input opening (15), in the direction of the longitudinal barrel axis (6) toward the material output opening (17), the end of the internal feeder (20) on the material output side extending at a minimum at a distance from the internal melter surface (19) of two (2) to ten (10) times the diameter of the feeding barrel (5), preferably three (3) to eight (8) times the diameter of the feeding barrel, more preferably three (3) to six (6) times the diameter of the feeding barrel or three (3) to five (5) times the diameter of the feeding barrel (5). The invention further covers a submerged combustion melter equipped with above material feeding system and a process for feeding material into a melter.

A manufacturing method for a glass article includes a supply step of supplying a glass raw material onto a surface of a molten glass accommodated in a melting chamber of a glass melting furnace from a supply unit mounted to a front wall of the melting chamber, and a melting step of melting the supplied glass raw material through heating with an electrode immersed in the molten glass in the melting chamber. The method also includes an outflow step of causing the molten glass to flow outside the melting chamber from an outflow port provided at a rear wall of the melting chamber, wherein 60% to 95% of an area of the surface of the molten glass in the melting chamber is covered with the glass raw material supplied in the supply step.

Methods of producing a glass article include melting a first glass composition and feeding a second glass composition into the melter. Both glass compositions include the same combination of components but at least one component has a concentration that is different in each. At least three glass articles may be drawn from the melter, including: a first glass article formed from the first glass composition; at least one intermediate glass article composed of neither the first nor the second glass composition; and a final glass article not composed of the first glass composition. The concentration of the at least one component in the intermediate glass article may be between the concentration in the first and second glass compositions. The first glass article and final glass article may have differing values for certain properties, and the intermediate glass article may have an intermediate set of values for the same properties.

Methods of producing a glass article include melting a first glass composition and feeding a second glass composition into the melter. Both glass compositions include the same combination of components but at least one component has a concentration that is different in each. At least three glass articles may be drawn from the melter, including: a first glass article formed from the first glass composition; at least one intermediate glass article composed of neither the first nor the second glass composition; and a final glass article not composed of the first glass composition. The concentration of the at least one component in the intermediate glass article may be between the concentration in the first and second glass compositions. The first glass article and final glass article may have differing values for certain properties, and the intermediate glass article may have an intermediate set of values for the same properties.

A glass melting furnace including a melt chamber configured to receive a glass melt which forms a glass melt top surface; at least one batch feeder configured to feed batch material into the melt chamber below a level of the glass melt top surface, the batch feeder arranged at a side wall, a back wall, or a bottom of the melt chamber, plural electrodes arranged in the melt chamber below the level of the glass melt top surface and configured to heat the glass melt, the electrodes spaced apart from each other, wherein the electrodes are arranged so that a flow with a horizontal and a vertical component of movement is created in the glass melt, wherein the electrodes are arranged so that a helical flow in the glass melt is created with an axis of rotation substantially perpendicular to the glass melt top surface.

The invention provides methods of making man-made vitreous fibres (MMVF), comprising providing an electric furnace having molybdenum electrodes, providing mineral raw material, wherein the mineral raw material comprises (a) particulate material that comprises metallic aluminium and (b) other mineral component, introducing the mineral raw material into the furnace, melting the mineral raw material to form a mineral melt, and forming MMVF from the mineral melt, with the benefit of reduced shrinkage of consolidated MMVF products.

The invention provides methods of making man-made vitreous fibres (MMVF), comprising providing an electric furnace having molybdenum electrodes, providing mineral raw material, wherein the mineral raw material comprises (a) particulate material that comprises metallic aluminium and (b) other mineral component, introducing the mineral raw material into the furnace, melting the mineral raw material to form a mineral melt, and forming MMVF from the mineral melt, with the benefit of reduced shrinkage of consolidated MMVF products.

The invention provides methods of making man-made vitreous fibres (MMVF), comprising incorporating metallic aluminium into the mineral charge, with the benefit of reduced shrinkage of consolidated MMVF products.