In a process for manufacturing glass, a mixture of solid glass-forming materials (18) may be melted by application of heat from one or more submerged combustion burners (34) to produce a volume of unrefined molten glass comprising, by volume, 20% to 40% gas bubbles. A refining agent may be introduced into the unrefined molten glass to promote gas bubble removal from the molten glass. The unrefined molten glass including the refining agent may be heated at a temperature in the range of 1200° C. to 1500° C. to produce a volume of refined molten glass. The refined molten glass may comprise, by volume, fewer gas bubbles than the unrefined molten glass. A colorant material may be introduced into the refined molten glass to produce a volume of molten glass having a final desired color.

A method of making a glass product includes the steps of: melting a batch of a plurality of glass raw materials in a melting tank to form a glass melt; heating at least one of the plurality of glass raw materials and the glass melt using at least one fuel burner by reacting hydrogen and oxygen; withdrawing the glass melt from the melting tank; obtaining a glass product, the glass product having an Fe.sup.2+ to Fe.sup.3+ ratio of less than 0.2 or less than 0.05 and having at least one of less than 80 bubbles in a size range of from 0.1 mm to 0.2 mm per 10 kg of glass and less than 2 bubbles of a size larger than 0.2 mm per 10 kg of a glass.

A method of making a glass product includes the steps of: melting a batch of a plurality of glass raw materials in a melting tank to form a glass melt; heating at least one of the plurality of glass raw materials and the glass melt using at least one fuel burner by reacting hydrogen and oxygen; withdrawing the glass melt from the melting tank; obtaining a glass product, the glass product having an Fe.sup.2+ to Fe.sup.3+ ratio of less than 0.2 or less than 0.05 and having at least one of less than 80 bubbles in a size range of from 0.1 mm to 0.2 mm per 10 kg of glass and less than 2 bubbles of a size larger than 0.2 mm per 10 kg of a glass.

A method for producing a glass ceramic includes: providing a batch of raw materials; heating the batch of raw materials until a melt is obtained, the batch of raw materials being heated at least in a plurality of sections to a temperature above T3 which corresponds to a viscosity of a molten glass of 10.sup.3 dPa*s; refining the melt, the melt being heated at least in a plurality of sections to a temperature above T2.5 which corresponds to a viscosity of the molten glass of 10.sup.2.5 dPa*s; obtaining a refined glass which is configured for being ceramized to form a glass ceramic material; and ceramizing a glass which is configured for being ceramized to form the glass ceramic material, at least one of the step of heating until the melt is obtained and the step of refining being performed with heating by way of H.sub.2 and O.sub.2 combustion.

A method for melting and/or refining glass, glass ceramic or glass which can be ceramized to form glass ceramic includes: providing a batch of raw materials; heating the batch until a melt of molten glass is obtained, the batch being heated at least in sections to a temperature above T3 which corresponds to a viscosity of the molten glass of 10.sup.3 dPa*s; refining the melt, the melt being heated at least in sections to a temperature above T2.5 which corresponds to a viscosity of the molten glass of 10.sup.2.5 dPa*s, refining of the melt includes adjusting an oxygen partial pressure p(O.sub.2) which is reduced by at least 60% relative to an O.sub.2 saturation in the melt at temperature T3; and obtaining a re-fined glass, a refined glass ceramic or a refined glass which can be ceramized to form glass ceramic.

Employing furnace combustion gases for both thermochemical regeneration and heating of regenerators to preheat oxidant for the furnace provides synergistic efficiencies and other advantages.

The invention provides methods of making man-made vitreous fibres (MMVF), comprising incorporating metallic aluminium into the mineral charge, with the benefit of reduced shrinkage of consolidated MMVF products.

The invention provides methods of making man-made vitreous fibres (MMVF), comprising incorporating metallic aluminium into the mineral charge, with the benefit of reduced shrinkage of consolidated MMVF products.

A burner for a facility for melting vitrifiable materials, includes an injector block including a combustion gas distribution network and at least one injector, and a plate in glass and/or flame contact which overlaps the injector block and includes at least one injection hole in fluid communication with the injector, wherein the plate is removably attached to the injector block.

A method is provided for inputting thermal energy into fluidic medium in a process or processes related to oil refining and/or petrochemical industries by at least one rotary apparatus comprising a casing with at least one inlet and at least one exit, a rotor comprising at least one row of rotor blades arranged over a circumference of a rotor hub mounted onto a rotor shaft, and a stator configured as an assembly of stationary vanes arranged at least upstream of the at least one row of rotor blades. In the method, an amount of thermal energy is imparted to a stream of fluidic medium directed along a flow path formed inside the casing between the inlet and the exit by virtue of a series of energy transformations occurring when said stream of fluidic medium passes through stationary and rotating components of said rotary apparatus, respectively. The method further comprises: integration of said at least one rotary apparatus into a heat-consuming process facility configured as a refining and/or petrochemical facility and further configured to carry out heat-consuming process or processes related to refining of oil and/or producing petrochemicals at temperatures essentially equal to or exceeding 500 degrees Celsius (° C.), and conducting an amount of input energy into the at least one rotary apparatus integrated into the heat-consuming process facility, the input energy comprises electrical energy. A rotary apparatus and related uses are further provided.