A glass manufacturing apparatus includes a stir chamber disposed on a base. The stir chamber includes an entry port attached to a first connector tube, a chamber conduit, and an elbow conduit. The apparatus also includes a second connector tube connected to the elbow conduit to deliver molten glass therefrom. At least a portion of the second connector tube extends at least partially upward in the vertical direction. The apparatus also includes a delivery vessel connected to the second connector tube. One of the base or the delivery vessel is attached to a reference point that is fixed in the vertical direction. The other one of the base or the delivery vessel is movable in response to thermal expansion of the second connector tube, which is independent of thermal expansion of the other one of the base or the delivery vessel.

A glass manufacturing apparatus includes a stir chamber disposed on a base. The stir chamber includes an entry port attached to a first connector tube, a chamber conduit, and an elbow conduit. The apparatus also includes a second connector tube connected to the elbow conduit to deliver molten glass therefrom. At least a portion of the second connector tube extends at least partially upward in the vertical direction. The apparatus also includes a delivery vessel connected to the second connector tube. One of the base or the delivery vessel is attached to a reference point that is fixed in the vertical direction. The other one of the base or the delivery vessel is movable in response to thermal expansion of the second connector tube, which is independent of thermal expansion of the other one of the base or the delivery vessel.

A system and method for stirring molten material such as glass are provided. To prevent sagging of a cover of a stirring system, a portion where deformation or sagging may significantly occur is suspended by a suspension system, so that local sagging and deformation of the cover is suppressed. As a result, a crack which may occur in the cover is suppressed, and therefore, contamination of the molten material is likewise suppressed.

A system and method for stirring molten material such as glass are provided. To prevent sagging of a cover of a stirring system, a portion where deformation or sagging may significantly occur is suspended by a suspension system, so that local sagging and deformation of the cover is suppressed. As a result, a crack which may occur in the cover is suppressed, and therefore, contamination of the molten material is likewise suppressed.

One aspect is an oven including a melting crucible with a crucible wall, a solids feed with an outlet, a gas inlet and a gas outlet, wherein in the melting crucible the gas inlet is arranged below the solids feed outlet and the gas outlet is arranged at the same height as or above the solids feed outlet. One aspect further relates to a process for making a quartz glass body, including providing and introducing a bulk material selected from silicon dioxide granulate and quartz glass grain into the oven and providing a gas, making a glass melt from the bulk material, and making a quartz glass body from at least a part of the glass melt. One aspect relates to a quartz glass body obtainable by this process and a light guide, an illuminant and a formed body which are each obtainable by processing the quartz glass body further.

A burner is configured for attachment along a wall of a furnace of a melter and includes a fuel conduit and a coolant shell. The fuel conduit extends from a supply end to a combustion end, and the coolant shell surrounds the combustion end of the fuel conduit. The burner is configured to receive a cooling fluid and circulate the cooling fluid within the cooling shell before the cooling fluid exits the burner. The coolant shell is removable and replaceable with another identical coolant shell.

Methods of processing molten material comprising the step (I) of flowing molten material through an interior of a conduit from a first station to a second station of a glass manufacturing apparatus and the step (II) of cooling the molten material within the interior of the conduit by passing a cooling fluid along an exterior of the conduit. The method further includes the step (III) of directing a travel path of the cooling fluid toward a vertical plane passing through the conduit. In further examples, a glass manufacturing apparatus comprises a first station, a second station, and a conduit configured to provide a travel path for molten material traveling from the first station to the second station. The glass manufacturing apparatus further comprises at least one baffle configured to direct a travel path of cooling fluid toward a vertical plane passing through the conduit.

Methods of processing molten material comprising the step (I) of flowing molten material through an interior of a conduit from a first station to a second station of a glass manufacturing apparatus and the step (II) of cooling the molten material within the interior of the conduit by passing a cooling fluid along an exterior of the conduit. The method further includes the step (III) of directing a travel path of the cooling fluid toward a vertical plane passing through the conduit. In further examples, a glass manufacturing apparatus comprises a first station, a second station, and a conduit configured to provide a travel path for molten material traveling from the first station to the second station. The glass manufacturing apparatus further comprises at least one baffle configured to direct a travel path of cooling fluid toward a vertical plane passing through the conduit.

A system and method are described herein for controlling an environment around an inlet tube in the glass manufacturing system. More specifically, the system and method control a level of hydrogen within a humid gas mixture that flows over an exterior of the inlet tube to effectively suppress the formation of undesirable gaseous inclusions in molten glass that flows through the inlet tube.

Submerged combustion burner panels, submerged combustion melters including one or more of the panels, and methods of using the same. The burner panel includes a panel body including a fluid-cooled portion and a protective non-fluid cooled portion. An exterior surface defined by the fluid-cooled portion, and an interior surface defined by the protective non-fluid cooled portion, exterior and interior referring to an SCM in which the panel is installed. The fluid-cooled portion has at least one burner support passage of diameter (d1) extending from the exterior surface to a seam where the fluid-cooled and protective non-fluid cooled portions meet supporting at least one fluid-cooled SC burner having a fluid-cooled burner tip attached to a burner body protruding away from the seam. The protective non-fluid-cooled portion has a combustion products flow passage of diameter (d2)<(d1). The burner panels promote burner life and melter campaign length.