A method of producing glass includes receiving unrefined molten glass in a stilling chamber of a stilling tank at a fluctuating flow rate. An intermediate pool of molten glass is held within the stilling chamber of the stilling tank and is heated therein by one or more non-submerged burners. Molten glass flows from the intermediate pool of molten glass to a transfer pool of molten glass held in a spout chamber of a feeding spout that is appended to the stilling tank. A molten glass feed can be drawn from the transfer pool of molten glass and delivered from the feeding spout at a controlled flow rate.

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.

An apparatus for manufacturing glass includes a furnace. A doghouse of the furnace receives and melts solid-glass forming material using one or more submerged combustion burners. An elongated tank positioned downstream of the doghouse includes a melting chamber, a refining chamber, and a thermal conditioning. The melting chamber has in inlet through which molten glass is received from the doghouse. The refining chamber is positioned downstream of the melting chamber and receives molten glass from the melting chamber. The thermal conditioning chamber is positioned downstream of the refining chamber and receives molten glass from the refining chamber. Additionally, the thermal conditioning chamber delivers molten glass to a glass forming machine.

A method of melting glass and glass-ceramics that includes the steps: conveying a batch of raw materials into a submerged combustion melting apparatus, the melting apparatus having liquid-cooled walls and a floor; directing a flame into the batch of raw materials and the melted batch with sufficient energy to form the raw materials into the melted batch; and heating a delivery orifice assembly in the floor of the submerged melting apparatus to convey the melted batch through the orifice assembly into a containment vessel. The melted batch has a glass or glass-ceramic composition that is substantially reactive to a refractory material comprising one or more of silica, zirconia, alumina, platinum and platinum alloys.

A cooling panel for a melter 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. The cooling panel also includes a plurality of baffles disposed in the interior space. The baffles divide the interior space into a plurality of rows, wherein the rows have widths W, and further have first and second longitudinal surfaces and an open transverse surface. The open transverse surfaces of the baffles are spaced away from adjacent side walls by a distance D that is 70% to 80% of the widths W of the rows.

A method of fining glass is disclosed that includes flowing a molten glass bath through a fining chamber. The molten glass bath has an undercurrent that flows beneath a skimmer that is partially submerged in the molten glass bath. One or more fining agents are introduced into the undercurrent of the molten glass bath directly beneath the skimmer from a dissolvable fining material component. In this way, the fining agent(s) may selectively target the gas bubbles drawn under the skimmer within the undercurrent of the molten glass for removal. The method may be employed to fine molten gas produced in a submerged combustion melter. A fining vessel for fining molten glass is also disclosed.

A method of producing and fining glass includes monitoring a temperature of a molten glass bath contained within a fining chamber of a fining vessel and, based on the monitored temperature, controlling an amount of a sulfate chemical fining agent added into a glass melt contained within an interior reaction chamber of an upstream submerged combustion melter that feeds the fining vessel. The temperature of the molten glass bath may be determined within a temperature indication zone that encompasses a subsurface portion of the molten glass bath that lies adjacent to a floor of a housing of the fining vessel. By monitoring the temperature of the molten glass bath and controlling the amount of the sulfate chemical fining agent added to the glass melt of the submerged combustion melter, the wasteful use of the sulfate chemical fining agent can be minimized and the fining process rendered more efficient.

A feed assembly having a hollow tubular body and a batch charger disposed within the hollow tubular body is disclosed. The hollow tubular body extends along a central axis from a first end to a second end and, further, comprises a port that tapers from a first port end to a second port end at the second end of the tubular body. The batch charger includes a first charger end proximate the first end of the tubular body and a second charger end proximate the second end of the tubular body. The second charger end is spaced away from the second end of the tubular body to provide a port space within the port. An apparatus that includes a melting chamber and a feed assembly is also disclosed along with a method of feeding batch materials into a melting chamber.

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 submerged combustion melting system includes a submerged combustion melter having a housing that defines a melting chamber and one or more vibration damping devices operatively coupled to the housing.