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.

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.

A method for melting vitrifiable materials to produce flat glass, including: providing a furnace including: a melting tank, a fining tank, a neck, at least one inlet means located at the melting tank, an outlet means located downstream of the fining tank, and at least one extraction means of a flue gas located at the at least one upstream zone; charging the vitrifiable materials comprising raw materials and cullet in the melting tank with the at least one inlet means; melting the vitrifiable materials in the melting tank, fining the melt in the fining tank; flowing the melt from the fining tank to a working zone through the outlet means; and capturing CO.sub.2 from the flue gas.

A method for melting vitrifiable materials to produce flat glass, including: providing a furnace including: a main melting tank, an auxiliary melting tank, a fining tank, a neck, at least one inlet means located at the main melting tank, an outlet means located downstream of the fining tank, and at least one extraction means of a flue gas; charging the vitrifiable materials including raw materials and cullet in the main melting tank with the at least one inlet means and/or in the auxiliary melting tank; pre-melting at least a part of the cullet in the auxiliary melting tank and flowing the pre-melted cullet to the main melting tank; melting the vitrifiable materials in the main melting tank; fining the melt in the fining tank; flowing the melt from the fining tank to a working zone through the outlet means; and capturing CO.sub.2 from the flue gas.

A method for melting vitrifiable materials to produce flat glass, including: providing a furnace including: a melting tank, a fining tank, a neck, at least one inlet means located at the melting tank, an outlet means located downstream of the fining tank, and at least one extraction means of a flue gas located at the at least one upstream zone; charging the vitrifiable materials including raw materials and cullet in the melting tank with the at least one inlet means; cullet pre-heating; melting the vitrifiable materials in the melting tank; fining the melt in the fining tank; flowing the melt from the fining tank to a working zone through the outlet means; and capturing CO.sub.2 from the flue gas.

A refiner for a glass melting system includes a housing that defines a refining chamber and a refining well. The refining chamber contains a refining glass bath, which is fed by a flow of incoming glass that flows through the refiner well. To impede molten glass within the refining glass bath from backflowing into the refiner well, the housing of the refiner includes a backflow restrictor wall that projects upwardly from a floor of the refiner and elevates a refiner well outlet above the refiner floor, and/or the refiner well outlet is defined at least partially by the refiner floor and the refiner well is provided with a rectangular cross-sectional shape that is constant from the refiner well outlet down through the refiner well at least part way to a refiner well floor.

A refiner for a glass melting system includes a housing that defines a refining chamber and a refining well. The refining chamber contains a refining glass bath, which is fed by a flow of incoming glass that flows through the refiner well. To impede molten glass within the refining glass bath from backflowing into the refiner well, the housing of the refiner includes a backflow restrictor wall that projects upwardly from a floor of the refiner and elevates a refiner well outlet above the refiner floor, and/or the refiner well outlet is defined at least partially by the refiner floor and the refiner well is provided with a rectangular cross-sectional shape that is constant from the refiner well outlet down through the refiner well at least part way to a refiner well floor.

The present application discloses a furnace for melting particulate materials configured with a furnace chamber, a feed hopper, a protrusion and at least one burner. The particulate materials fall along the protrusion into a melting tank, and flue gas generated by the burner flows upwardly, thereby preheating the particulate materials. The process of utilizing the flue gas to preheat the particulate materials begins with the flue gas in the high temperature section. The efficiency of preheating the particulate materials with the flue gas greatly improves and the heat loss reduces.

A manufacturing apparatus for a glass article includes a melting furnace as a storage tank, and a measurement device configured to measure a height of a liquid surface of a molten glass stored in the melting furnace. The measurement device includes a nozzle to be immersed from above the liquid surface into the molten glass, a pipe, which is led from an outside of the melting furnace into the melting furnace at a position higher than the liquid surface, and is configured to allow supply of a gas to the nozzle, and a pressure gauge configured to measure a pressure in the pipe or the nozzle under a state in which air bubbles are being generated in the molten glass with the gas supplied from a distal end of the nozzle.

A manufacturing apparatus for a glass article includes a melting furnace as a storage tank, and a measurement device configured to measure a height of a liquid surface of a molten glass stored in the melting furnace. The measurement device includes a nozzle to be immersed from above the liquid surface into the molten glass, a pipe, which is led from an outside of the melting furnace into the melting furnace at a position higher than the liquid surface, and is configured to allow supply of a gas to the nozzle, and a pressure gauge configured to measure a pressure in the pipe or the nozzle under a state in which air bubbles are being generated in the molten glass with the gas supplied from a distal end of the nozzle.