A glass melting tank comprising at least one front part for introducing the charge material, and at least one charging device. To reduce atmospheric heat losses and reduce dust transport into the upper furnace of the tank, and nevertheless to intensify the heating of the charge material, the front part has a length LV of at least 2,250 mm in the direction of the melting tank, and a length LG of at least 1,200 mm is provided with an insulating roof. An end wall near the charging device, together with the roof, encloses a gas chamber open toward the melting tank. A characteristic value K of 3.50 tonnes (t) per hour and per square meter of surface is not exceeded. The characteristic value is calculated from P/F, where P is the throughput per hour in tonnes (t) and F is the inner surface of the front part in m.

A glass melting tank comprising at least one front part for introducing the charge material, and at least one charging device. To reduce atmospheric heat losses and reduce dust transport into the upper furnace of the tank, and nevertheless to intensify the heating of the charge material, the front part has a length LV of at least 2,250 mm in the direction of the melting tank, and a length LG of at least 1,200 mm is provided with an insulating roof. An end wall near the charging device, together with the roof, encloses a gas chamber open toward the melting tank. A characteristic value K of 3.50 tonnes (t) per hour and per square meter of surface is not exceeded. The characteristic value is calculated from P/F, where P is the throughput per hour in tonnes (t) and F is the inner surface of the front part in m.

Feedstock supply structure apparatus, including an exhaust conduit fluidly and mechanically connectable to a structure defining a melting chamber, the exhaust conduit positioned at an angle to vertical ranging from 0 to about 90 degrees. The exhaust conduit may include a heat exchange substructure, or the conduit itself may serve as a heat exchanger. A feedstock supply structure fluidly connected to the exhaust conduit. Systems include a structure defining a melting chamber and an exhaust conduit fluidly connected to the structure. The exhaust conduit includes a heat exchange substructure for preheating the feedstock. Methods include supplying a granular or pellet-sized feedstock to the melter exhaust conduit, the exhaust conduit including the heat exchange substructure, and preheating the feedstock by indirect or direct contact with melter exhaust in the heat exchange substructure.

Processes and systems for producing molten glass using submerged combustion melters, including densifying an initial composition comprising vitrifiable particulate solids and interstitial gas to form a densified composition comprising the solids by removing a portion of the interstitial gas from the composition. The initial composition is passed from an initial environment having a first pressure through a second environment having a second pressure higher than the first pressure to form a composition being densified. Any fugitive particulate solids escaping from the composition being densified are captured and recombined with the composition being densified to form the densified composition. The densified composition is fed into a feed inlet of a turbulent melting zone of a melter vessel and converted into turbulent molten material using at least one submerged combustion burner in the turbulent melting zone.

A glass melting plant having a fully electrically heated melt tank and a conditioning channel connected to the melt tank. In order to enable the recovery of wet waste without impairing the glass quality, in addition, a wet waste supply channel is provided, which opens laterally into the conditioning channel, for the melting of wet waste and for supplying the melted wet waste to the glass melt conducted in the conditioning channel. A corresponding method is provided for operating a glass melting plant.

The invention relates to a method of making a mineral melt comprising providing a circulating combustion chamber (1) which comprises an upper zone (2), a lower zone (3) and a base zone (4), injecting particulate fuel, particulate mineral material and primary combustion gas which has optionally an oxygen level of at least 25% by volume into the upper zone of the circulating combustion chamber so that the fuel undergoes pyrolysis in the upper zone to produce char, thereby melting the particulate mineral materials to form a mineral melt and generating exhaust gases, injecting secondary combustion gas which has optionally an Oxygen level of at least 25% by volume into the lower zone of the circulating combustion chamber so that the char combusts, thereby completing combustion of the fuel, and separating the mineral melt from the hot exhaust gases so that the hot exhaust gases pass though an outlet in the circulating combustion chamber and the mineral melt collects in the base zone. The melt is optionally fiberized. The invention also relates to apparatus suitable for use in the method.

A glass plate (a glass plate for cover glasses) with a low concentration of impurities is produced using article cullet. A process of melting glass raw materials and cullet and producing therefrom a glass plate is repeated. The glass plate is further processed into a glass article. The glass article is a cover glass for displays, including the glass plate and a coating provided on a surface of the glass plate. The cullet used includes glass plate cullet that is cullet of the glass plate and article cullet that is cullet of the article cullet. At least one of the mixing ratio of the glass raw material, the mixing ratio of the glass plate cullet, the mixing ratio of the article cullet, the impurity concentration in the glass plate cullet and the impurity concentration in the article cullet is adjusted in accordance with at least one of the impurity concentration in the glass plate cullet and the impurity concentration in the article cullet.

Processes and systems for producing molten glass using submerged combustion melters, including densifying an initial composition comprising vitrifiable particulate solids and interstitial gas to form a densified composition comprising the solids by removing a portion of the interstitial gas from the composition. The initial composition is passed from an initial environment having a first pressure through a second environment having a second pressure higher than the first pressure to form a composition being densified. Any fugitive particulate solids escaping from the composition being densified are captured and recombined with the composition being densified to form the densified composition. The densified composition is fed into a feed inlet of a turbulent melting zone of a melter vessel and converted into turbulent molten material using at least one submerged combustion burner in the turbulent melting zone.

Feedstock supply structure apparatus, including an exhaust conduit fluidly and mechanically connectable to a structure defining a melting chamber, the exhaust conduit positioned at an angle to vertical ranging from 0 to about 90 degrees. The exhaust conduit may include a heat exchange substructure, or the conduit itself may serve as a heat exchanger. A feedstock supply structure fluidly connected to the exhaust conduit. Systems include a structure defining a melting chamber and an exhaust conduit fluidly connected to the structure. The exhaust conduit includes a heat exchange substructure for preheating the feedstock. Methods include supplying a granular or pellet-sized feedstock to the melter exhaust conduit, the exhaust conduit including the heat exchange substructure, and preheating the feedstock by indirect or direct contact with melter exhaust in the heat exchange substructure.

A system for preheating batch materials in a glass melting furnace includes: a preheater configured to receive unheated batch materials and to deliver heated batch materials, the preheater including an outlet configured to exhaust fluid from the preheater and an inlet configured to receive exhaust fluid from the glass melting furnace and exhaust fluid recirculated from the outlet of the preheater; a fan configured to provide ambient air to a furnace flue; a valve configured to control an amount of the ambient air to the furnace flue; a temperature sensor configured to sense temperature of exhaust gases in the furnace flue; and a temperature controller configured to control the valve and the fan responsive to the temperature sensed by the temperature sensor.