Submerged combustion burners having improved fuel and oxidant mixing characteristics. Submerged combustion melters including the burners. Methods of using submerged combustion melters to melt glass-forming materials and produce molten glass.

A glass melting plant refiner for thermal post-treatment of a glass melt containing bubbles, in particular for the production of fiberglass. To reduce the glass melt bubble content produced by submerged combustion burners, a refiner forms a glass melt tank, the glass melt flowing through the tank in a transport direction. The tank has a floor, side walls and a superstructure. A barrier, forming a raised floor part, runs essentially in the transport direction. The barrier forms, at each lateral side, a channel-shaped constriction with the side walls, a width of each constriction transverse to the transport direction being at most 0.45 times the tank width. At least one first fossil fuel heater heats the glass melt from above. At least one second electrical heating device, in each side wall and/or in the floor of the tank in the region of each constriction, extends into the glass melt.

A glass melting plant refiner for thermal post-treatment of a glass melt containing bubbles, in particular for the production of fiberglass. To reduce the glass melt bubble content produced by submerged combustion burners, a refiner forms a glass melt tank, the glass melt flowing through the tank in a transport direction. The tank has a floor, side walls and a superstructure. A barrier, forming a raised floor part, runs essentially in the transport direction. The barrier forms, at each lateral side, a channel-shaped constriction with the side walls, a width of each constriction transverse to the transport direction being at most 0.45 times the tank width. At least one first fossil fuel heater heats the glass melt from above. At least one second electrical heating device, in each side wall and/or in the floor of the tank in the region of each constriction, extends into the glass melt.

Submerged combustion burners having improved fuel and oxidant mixing characteristics. Submerged combustion melters including the burners. Methods of using submerged combustion melters to melt glass-forming materials and produce molten glass.

Submerged combustion burners having improved fuel and oxidant mixing characteristics. Submerged combustion melters including the burners. Methods of using submerged combustion melters to melt glass-forming materials and produce molten glass.

Submerged combustion burners having improved fuel and oxidant mixing characteristics. Submerged combustion melters including the burners. Methods of using submerged combustion melters to melt glass-forming materials and produce molten glass.

An apparatus and method for producing a glass article includes a melting vessel, a fining vessel located downstream from the melting vessel, and a bubbling vessel that is downstream from the melting vessel and upstream from the fining vessel. The fining vessel may include at least a first zone and a second zone downstream from the first zone, wherein the average temperature of the first zone is higher than the average temperature of the second zone.

An apparatus and method for producing a glass article includes a melting vessel, a fining vessel located downstream from the melting vessel, and a bubbling vessel that is downstream from the melting vessel and upstream from the fining vessel. The fining vessel may include at least a first zone and a second zone downstream from the first zone, wherein the average temperature of the first zone is higher than the average temperature of the second zone.

A glass-manufacturing furnace for feeding a float unit for floating glass on a bath of molten metal, the furnace including, from upstream to downstream: a hot-crown melting zone including burners to melt a glass batch to obtain a glass bath, the melting zone including a first convection current and delimited by a no-return separation device to prevent the molten glass from going back into the melting zone; a glass-refining zone including a first refining zone including a burner and electrodes and a second refining zone, the first refining zone being separated from the melting zone by the separation device and from the second refining zone by a wall, respectively, wherein the glass is recirculated in the first refining zone on a second convection current and in the second refining zone on a third convection current; and a glass-cooling zone including a conditioning tank through which the third convection current flows.

A glass-manufacturing furnace for feeding a float unit for floating glass on a bath of molten metal, the furnace including, from upstream to downstream: a hot-crown melting zone including burners to melt a glass batch to obtain a glass bath, the melting zone including a first convection current and delimited by a no-return separation device to prevent the molten glass from going back into the melting zone; a glass-refining zone including a first refining zone including a burner and electrodes and a second refining zone, the first refining zone being separated from the melting zone by the separation device and from the second refining zone by a wall, respectively, wherein the glass is recirculated in the first refining zone on a second convection current and in the second refining zone on a third convection current; and a glass-cooling zone including a conditioning tank through which the third convection current flows.