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 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.

A process for melting vitrifiable materials to produce flat glass, including (i) providing a furnace having at least one melting tank with electrical heating means, a fining tank with oxy-combustion heating means, a neck separating melting tank and fining tank, inlet mean(s) located at the melting tank and outlet mean(s) located downstream of the fining tank; (ii) charging the vitrifiable materials including raw materials and cullet in the melting tank, the amount of cullet being at least 10% in weight of the total amount of vitrifiable materials and the raw materials including less than 25% in weight of carbonate compounds; (iii) melting the vitrifiable materials in the melting tank; (iv) fining melt by heating with the oxy-combustion heating means; (v) flowing the melt from the fining tank to a working zone through the outlet mean(s); and (vi) capturing CO.sub.2 from flue gas having a CO.sub.2 concentration of at least 35%.

A process for melting vitrifiable materials to produce flat glass, including (i) providing a furnace having at least one melting tank with electrical heating means, a fining tank with oxy-combustion heating means, a neck separating melting tank and fining tank, an inlet located at the melting tank and an outlet located downstream of the fining tank; (ii) charging the vitrifiable materials including raw materials and cullet in the melting tank, the amount of cullet being at least 10% in weight of the total amount of vitrifiable materials; (iii) cullet pre-heating; (iv) melting the vitrifiable materials in the melting tank by heating with the electrical heating means; (v) fining melt in the fining tank by heating with the oxy-combustion heating means; (vi) flowing the melt from the fining tank to a working zone through the outlet; and (vii) capturing CO.sub.2 from flue gas.

A process for melting vitrifiable materials to produce flat glass, including (i) providing a furnace having at least one melting tank with electrical heating means, a fining tank with oxy-combustion heating means, a neck separating melting tank and fining tank, inlet mean(s) located at the melting tank and outlet mean(s) located downstream of the fining tank; (ii) charging the vitrifiable materials comprising raw materials and cullet in the melting tank with the inlet mean(s), the amount of cullet being at least 10% in weight of the total amount of vitrifiable materials; (iii) melting the vitrifiable materials in the melting tank; (iv) fining melt in the fining tank by heating with the oxy-combustion heating means; (v) flowing the melt from the fining tank to a working zone; and (vi) capturing CO.sub.2 from flue gas, the flue gas having a CO.sub.2 concentration of at least 35%.

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.

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.

Gaseous combustion products from a glassmelting furnace after being passed through a regenerator are used to heat glassmaking feed material and pyrolyze organic material on the feed material. Gaseous pyrolysis products and the combustion products are combined with reforming fuel and passed through a regenerator heated in a previous cycle to form syngas which is fed into the furnace and combusted.