A method of of fining low-density submerged combustion glass includes introducing unfined molten glass produced in a submerged combustion melter into a fining chamber of a fining tank and, further, introducing additive particles into the fining chamber that comprise a glass reactant material and one or more fining agents. The one or more fining agents are released into the molten glass bath upon consumption of the additive particles in the molten glass bath to chemically fine the molten glass bath and the glass reactant material includes one or more materials that integrate into the molten glass bath upon melting. Additionally, the method includes discharging fined molten glass out of the fining chamber of the fining tank. The discharged fined molten glass has a volume percentage of gas bubbles that is less than the volume percentage of gas bubbles in the unfined molten glass introduced into the fining chamber.

According to an aspect of the disclosure, a glass manufacturing system includes a hot-end subsystem, including: a submerged combustion melter that melts feedstock to produce molten glass; a stiller that receives the molten glass from the submerged combustion melter and that includes a stilling tank to still the molten glass and that is configured to control outflow of the stilled molten glass to effectively decouple viscosity of the molten glass from the flow rate of the molten glass and thereby control finer molten glass levels; and a finer that is mechanically decoupled from the stiller, and that receives and fines the stilled molten glass to produce fined molten glass. Many other aspects of the system are also disclosed and claimed.

A method of making glass is disclosed in which a flue gas that comprises water vapor is exhausted from a submerged combustion melter that is operated to discharge combustion products into a glass melt that results from the combustion of a mixture of hydrogen gas and an oxidant gas. Heat may be recovered from the exhausted flue gas to heat batch feedstock material fed to the melter, or water vapor in the exhausted flue gas may be condensed and returned to the melter for cooling purposes, or both. A glass-melting system is also disclosed that includes a submerged combustion melter, a batch feedstock material preheater in fluid communication with the submerged combustion melter and configured to heat batch feedstock material, a condenser in fluid communication with the batch feedstock material preheater, and a cooling water reservoir in fluid communication with the condenser and the submerged combustion melter.

A submerged combustion melter is arranged with a melting chamber, which may be cylindrical, and at least five submerged combustion burners.

Vitrified products are manufactured using a melt produced from batch materials comprising 35 to 100 w % man-made mineral fibers produced in a submerged combustion melter.

Continuous basalt fibers are produced by melting basalt rock in a submerged

Submerged combustion systems and methods of use to produce glass. One system includes a submerged combustion melter having a roof, a floor, a wall structure connecting the roof and floor, and an outlet, the melter producing an initial foamy molten glass. One or more non-submerged auxiliary burners are positioned in the roof and/or wall structure and configured to deliver combustion products to impact at least a portion of the bubbles with sufficient force and/or heat to burst at least some of the bubbles and form a reduced foam molten glass.

A submerged combustion melter includes a floor, a roof, and a sidewall structure connecting the floor and roof defining an internal space. A first portion of the internal space defines a melting zone, and a second portion defines a fining zone immediately downstream of the melting zone. One or more combustion burners in either the floor, roof, the sidewall structure, or any combination of these, are configured to emit the combustion gases from a position under a level of, and positioned to transfer heat to and produce, a turbulent molten mass of glass containing bubbles in the melting zone. The fining zone is devoid of combustion burners or other apparatus or components that would increase turbulence above that in the melting zone. The melter may include a treating zone that stabilizes or destabilizes bubbles and/or foam. Processes of using the melters are a feature of the disclosure.

The present invention relates to a process for producing a boron containing glass, comprising melting raw materials including boron compounds in a submerged combustion melter (11), withdrawing flue gases from said melter and recovering heat from said flue gases in appropriate heat recovery equipment prior to release into the environment.

A portion of a submerged combustion burner is disposed into a pressure vessel. The portion of the submerged combustion burner has a welded area that has a first microstructure defined by a first number of voids. The vessel is filled with an inert gas, pressurized, and heated. Pressurizing and heating operations are performed for a time and at a temperature and a pressure sufficient to produce a second microstructure in the welded area of the burner. The second microstructure is defined by a second number of voids less than the first number of voids.