Apparatus, systems and methods for refining molten glass include a fining chamber having a refractory floor and a sidewall structure that may include a refractory liner, and includes an inlet transition region having increasing width from initial to a final width, and depth decreasing from an initial to final depth. The floor includes a raised curb having width equal to final width of the inlet transition region, curb length less than the length of the inlet transition region, and curb height forming a shallowest depth portion of the fining chamber. The raised curb separates the fining chamber into the inlet transition region and a primary fining region, the primary fining region defined by the refractory floor and sidewall structure. The primary fining region has a constant depth greater than the shallowest depth but less than the depth of the inlet transition region.

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.

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.

Submerged combustion glass manufacturing systems and methods include a melter having a floor, a roof, a wall structure connecting the floor and roof, and one or more submerged combustion burners mounted in the floor, roof, and/or wall structure discharging combustion products including water vapor under a level of material being melted in the melter and create turbulent conditions in the material. The floor, roof, or wall structure may include fluid-cooled refractory material and an optional metallic external shell, or the metallic shell may include coolant passages. One or more conduits drain water condensed from the water vapor from regions of refractory material substantially saturated with the water, and/or from burner supports.

Submerged combustion glass manufacturing systems and methods include a melter having a floor, a roof, a wall structure connecting the floor and roof, and one or more submerged combustion burners mounted in the floor, roof, and/or wall structure discharging combustion products including water vapor under a level of material being melted in the melter and create turbulent conditions in the material. The floor, roof, or wall structure may include fluid-cooled refractory material and an optional metallic external shell, or the metallic shell may include coolant passages. One or more conduits drain water condensed from the water vapor from regions of refractory material substantially saturated with the water, and/or from burner supports.

A submerged combustion melter and system are disclosed. The submerged combustion melter includes a bottom wall, at least one side wall extending upwardly from the bottom wall, a crown extending inwardly with respect to the at least one side wall and over the bottom wall to establish a melting chamber, an exhaust port configured to exhaust gas from the melting chamber, at least one baffle extending from the at least one side wall to divide the melting chamber into melting sub-chambers that share the exhaust port, at least one inlet configured for introducing a glass batch into the submerged combustion melter, and at least one outlet configured to remove molten glass from the at least one melting chamber.

A submerged combustion melter and system are disclosed. The submerged combustion melter includes a bottom wall, at least one side wall extending upwardly from the bottom wall, a crown extending inwardly with respect to the at least one side wall and over the bottom wall to establish a melting chamber, an exhaust port configured to exhaust gas from the melting chamber, at least one baffle extending from the at least one side wall to divide the melting chamber into melting sub-chambers that share the exhaust port, at least one inlet configured for introducing a glass batch into the submerged combustion melter, and at least one outlet configured to remove molten glass from the at least one melting chamber.

Continuous flow submerged combustion melter cooling wall panels, including a primary metal plate, and several 90 degree metal pieces welded to the primary metal plate in parallel configuration, each of the 90 degree metal pieces having metal leg plates forming a 90 degree vertex there between. Each metal leg plate has an edge distal to the vertex, the distal edge of the first metal leg plate welded to the first major surface of the primary metal plate, the distal edge of the second metal leg plate welded to the vertex of an adjacent 90 degree metal piece. The plurality of 90 degree metal pieces may have a length (l) such that l<L, each welded to the primary metal plate in staggered configuration to form, along with first and second end plates and a seal plate, a serpentine continuous flow coolant channel.

Continuous flow submerged combustion melter cooling wall panels, including a primary metal plate, and several 90 degree metal pieces welded to the primary metal plate in parallel configuration, each of the 90 degree metal pieces having metal leg plates forming a 90 degree vertex there between. Each metal leg plate has an edge distal to the vertex, the distal edge of the first metal leg plate welded to the first major surface of the primary metal plate, the distal edge of the second metal leg plate welded to the vertex of an adjacent 90 degree metal piece. The plurality of 90 degree metal pieces may have a length (l) such that l<L, each welded to the primary metal plate in staggered configuration to form, along with first and second end plates and a seal plate, a serpentine continuous flow coolant channel.

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.