A method of making glass is disclosed in which a flue gas that comprises water vapor is exhausted from a submerged combustion melter that is operated to discharge combustion products into a glass melt that results from the combustion of a mixture of hydrogen gas and an oxidant gas. Heat may be recovered from the exhausted flue gas to heat batch feedstock material fed to the melter, or water vapor in the exhausted flue gas may be condensed and returned to the melter for cooling purposes, or both. A glass-melting system is also disclosed that includes a submerged combustion melter, a batch feedstock material preheater in fluid communication with the submerged combustion melter and configured to heat batch feedstock material, a condenser in fluid communication with the batch feedstock material preheater, and a cooling water reservoir in fluid communication with the condenser and the submerged combustion melter.

A method of fabrication of arsenic glass, comprising forming pellets of an arsenic-containing glass-forming mixture comprising arsenic in a range between about 30 and about 50% w/w and glass forming elements, and melting the pellets by direct heating to a temperature in a range between about 950 and about 1250 C.

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 furnace system includes a mixing chamber that receives separate streams of raw material and cullet mix and discharges a combined stream. The mixing chamber tapers from an inlet end to an outlet end. One inlet in the inlet end is configured to receive one of the material and mix and is aligned with an outlet in the outlet end along a vertical axis. Another inlet is configured to receive the other of the material and mix and is offset from the outlet relative to the vertical axis such the material or mix is deposited on a sidewall of the tapered chamber before reaching the outlet. A charger receives the combined stream from the mixing chamber and discharges the mixture into a molten bath in a furnace. A duct system may be used to mix exhaust from the furnace with exhaust from the mixing chamber and charger.

A system for preheating batch materials in a glass melting furnace includes a preheater having an outlet through which fluid is exhausted and an inlet that receives fluids exhausted from the furnace and recirculated from the preheater outlet. In one embodiment, a cyclonic separator has an inlet in communication with the preheater outlet and an outlet in fluid communication with a fan. A controller controls the speed of the fan responsive to a drop in pressure between the separator inlet and outlet and a temperature at the separator outlet. In other embodiments, controllers control valves that (i) control the amount of fluids exhausted from the preheater that are delivered to a flue and recirculated to the preheater or (ii) control the amount of fluids diverted to charger for the furnace, in response to temperatures in a duct coupled to the preheater inlet.

A hybrid insulation product, and a related system and method of producing the hybrid insulation product in a cost-effective manner are disclosed. The insulation product has superior insulating and flame-retarding properties when compared to fiberglass insulation. The product can be used in blown-in applications, batts production, and board production.

To provide granules for the production of silicate glass, said granules being less likely to adhere even if heated at a high temperature exceeding 800 C. A method for producing granules, which has a step of mixing a glass raw material composition composed essentially of an alkali metal source, an alkaline earth metal source and a powdery silicon source, with water, followed by compression molding, and which is characterized in that the glass raw material composition contains at least 50 mass % of the silicon source, and at least 10 mass % in total of the alkali metal source and the alkaline earth metal source, as calculated as oxides, based on 100 mass % of the silicate glass obtainable from the granules, the alkali metal source contains an alkali metal carbonate, and D90 representing the particle size at a cumulative volume of 90% in the particle size accumulation curve of the alkaline earth metal source is at most 100 m.

A method and an apparatus for making a mineral melt having a cyclone furnace and a separating cyclone, said apparatus further having a device for supplying pre-heated particulate mineral material from a bottom of the separating cyclone to an inlet of the cyclone furnace. A material receiving conduit adapted for receiving the pre-heated particulate mineral material from the bottom outlet of the separating cyclone, in which the material receiving conduit has a first pressure. An outlet conduit supplying the particulate mineral material to the inlet of the cyclone furnace having a second pressure, wherein said second pressure is higher than said first pressure, and the particulate mineral material is fluidised and flows from the material receiving conduit to the outlet conduit. A gas-lock valve is provided between said material receiving conduit and said outlet conduit.

A glass furnace includes a furnace chamber for containing glass melt and a conveyor for receiving glass batch material and feeding the glass batch material to the furnace chamber. A dam wall is disposed with respect to the conveyor such that batch material from the conveyor must flow upward over the dam wall before entering the furnace chamber. The top of the dam wall may be below the level of the melt pool in the furnace chamber.

A furnace system includes a furnace and a preheater configured to preheat material before it enters the furnace. The system further includes a duct system including a mixing chamber disposed between the furnace and preheater. The duct system further includes an exhaust duct in fluid communication with an exhaust fluid outlet of the furnace and configured to vent fluid exhausted from the furnace. The exhaust duct is in fluid communication with the mixing chamber and configured to redirect a portion of the fluid exhausted from the furnace to the mixing chamber. The duct system further includes a preheater duct in fluid communication with the mixing chamber and a fluid inlet of the preheater and configured to direct fluid from the mixing chamber to the preheater. The system further includes a duct scraper configured for movement within the mixing chamber to move particulates from the mixing chamber into the exhaust duct.