Combustion burner panels, submerged combustion melters including one or more of the panels, and methods of making the same are disclosed. In certain embodiments, the burner panel includes a panel body having first and second major surfaces, at least one oxidant through-passage extending from the first to the second major surface, and at least one fuel through-passage extending from the first to the second major surface. Oxidant and fuel delivery conduits are positioned in the respective passages. The oxidant and fuel delivery conduits include proximal and distal ends, at least some of the distal ends positioned away from the first major surface of the panel body. In other embodiments the burner panels include a frame enclosing a porous material having through passages for fuel and oxidant. The burner panels may enable delaying combustion in a submerged combustion melter, and therefore promote burner life and melter campaign length.

Submerged combustion burners having a burner body and a burner tip connected thereto. The burner body has an external conduit and first and second internal conduits substantially concentric therewith, forming first and second annuli for passing a cooling fluid therethrough. A burner tip body is connected to the burner body at ends of the external and second internal conduits. The burner tip includes a generally central flow passage for a combustible mixture, the flow passage defined by an inner wall of the burner tip. The burner tip further has an outer wall and a crown connecting the inner and outer walls. The inner and outer walls, and the crown are comprised of same or different materials having greater corrosion and/or fatigue resistance than at least the external burner conduit.

Combustion burner panels, submerged combustion melters including one or more of the panels, and methods of making the same are disclosed. In certain embodiments, the burner panel includes a panel body having first and second major surfaces, at least one oxidant through-passage extending from the first to the second major surface, and at least one fuel through-passage extending from the first to the second major surface. Oxidant and fuel delivery conduits are positioned in the respective passages. The oxidant and fuel delivery conduits include proximal and distal ends, at least some of the distal ends positioned away from the first major surface of the panel body. In other embodiments the burner panels include a frame enclosing a porous material having through passages for fuel and oxidant. The burner panels may enable delaying combustion in a submerged combustion melter, and therefore promote burner life and melter campaign length.

Submerged combustion burners having a burner body and a burner tip connected thereto. The burner body has an external conduit and first and second internal conduits substantially concentric therewith, forming first and second annuli for passing a cooling fluid therethrough. A burner tip body is connected to the burner body at ends of the external and second internal conduits. The burner tip includes a generally central flow passage for a combustible mixture, the flow passage defined by an inner wall of the burner tip. The burner tip further has an outer wall and a crown connecting the inner and outer walls. The inner and outer walls, and the crown are comprised of same or different materials having greater corrosion and/or fatigue resistance than at least the external burner conduit.

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 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 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 present invention relates to a method for producing mineral material suitable for use as raw material in a glass melting method, comprising: supplying a main tank with a vitrifiable mixture of materials comprising recycling materials comprising organic matter; melting the vitrifiable mixture of materials in the main tank using submerged burners to obtain a melt; and introducing a solid oxidant into the melt.

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.

A gradient fining tank and a method of operating the tank to refine foamy molten glass is disclosed. The gradient fining tank includes a floor, a roof, and two laterally-spaced sidewalls that at least partially define an interior chamber of the tank. The floor of the tank is profiled to provide the tank with an extended shallow portion that defines an inlet to the interior chamber and a deep holding portion that defines an outlet from the interior chamber. An entry section of the floor provides the extended shallow portion of the tank and a transition section and exit section of the floor provide the deep holding portion. A depth of the interior chamber at an outlet end of the deep holding portion is greater than a depth of the interior chamber at the outlet end of the extended shallow portion.