The present invention relates to a submerged combustion furnace for melting ceramic frits by means of a submerged combustion process, said furnace comprising at least one control loop with feedback of the overall weight regulating at least one process variable of the furnace for producing ceramic frit. The invention also relates to a regulating method for a submerged combustion furnace having these features, whereby obtaining a batch production of a ceramic frit having certain characteristics. The regulating method is implemented in the system by means of regulating process variables relating to the production of molten material during production.

The invention relates to methods and to devices for a melting furnace, or for the conveying ones of the product to be melted, having an infinite life (furnace campaign). The same is achieved by means of the continuous/periodic, e.g. cyclic, exchange, in the optimum case, of all of the components surrounding the furnace interior/melting space, or surrounding the conveying lines, in that the components can be arranged/placed next to each other in a modular manner and that said components move in a certain direction while new individual parts are added at one of the free ends of the respective assembly and while worn/used individual parts are removed at the other free end of the respective assembly. For this purpose the individual components are held and/or moved by suitable receptacles, wherein the furnace interior/melting chamber remains stationary.

A method of producing glass using submerged combustion melting includes supplying a combustible gas mixture to one or more submerged burners of a submerged combustion melter, combusting the combustible gas mixture supplied to the submerged burner(s) to produce combustion products, and discharging the combustion products from the submerged burner(s) directly into a glass melt contained within the submerged combustion melter to agitate and heat the glass melt. The glass melt is comprised of soda-lime-silica glass and has a redox ratio. Additionally, the disclosed method involves controlling one or more operating conditions of the submerged combustion melter selected from (1) an oxygen-to-fuel ratio of the combustible gas mixture supplied to each of the submerged burners, (2) a residence time of the glass melt, and (3) a gas flux through the glass melt.

The invention relates to a method of monitor and/or control of operation of an in-dustrial furnace for processing a heated material, in particular for processing a melt in a melting end of a kiln or the like industrial furnace, wherein the industrial furnace has an inner furnace space comprising a furnace crown, a furnace superstructure and a furnace material basin, wherein in the method: an image process of at least a part of the furnace space is provided. namely provided with a series of images in the course of time, wherein an image of the series is provided by means of a camera sensor of a camera. the camera being installed at the furnace with a camera view to the furnace space, and the image of the furnace space is related to a technical map of at least one process parameter of the furnace space during operation of the furnace by means of an image point read out, andwherein a process parameter (P) is used in the monitor and/or control of operation, andan image point (i, j) of the image, in particular pixel image A(i, j), corresponds to an object-image position assigned to an object location (x, y, z) of an object in the furnace space B(x, y, z), wherein the image point is related with a sensor point of the camera sensor.

The invention relates to a method of monitor and/or control of operation of an in-dustrial furnace for processing a heated material, in particular for processing a melt in a melting end of a kiln or the like industrial furnace, wherein the industrial furnace has an inner furnace space comprising a furnace crown, a furnace superstructure and a furnace material basin, wherein in the method: an image process of at least a part of the furnace space is provided. namely provided with a series of images in the course of time, wherein an image of the series is provided by means of a camera sensor of a camera. the camera being installed at the furnace with a camera view to the furnace space, and the image of the furnace space is related to a technical map of at least one process parameter of the furnace space during operation of the furnace by means of an image point read out, andwherein a process parameter (P) is used in the monitor and/or control of operation, andan image point (i, j) of the image, in particular pixel image A(i, j), corresponds to an object-image position assigned to an object location (x, y, z) of an object in the furnace space B(x, y, z), wherein the image point is related with a sensor point of the camera sensor.

In embodiments, a method for operating a glass manufacturing apparatus may include heating a delivery conduit with resistive windings positioned around an exterior surface of the delivery conduit, the delivery conduit extending between a mixing vessel and a delivery vessel. The method may also include injecting electric current through the delivery conduit while heating the delivery conduit with resistive windings and prior to flowing molten glass through the delivery conduit thereby increasing a temperature of the of the delivery conduit, wherein an input heat flux into the delivery conduit is greater than an output heat flux away from the delivery conduit prior to flowing molten glass through the delivery conduit.

In embodiments, a method for operating a glass manufacturing apparatus may include heating a delivery conduit with resistive windings positioned around an exterior surface of the delivery conduit, the delivery conduit extending between a mixing vessel and a delivery vessel. The method may also include injecting electric current through the delivery conduit while heating the delivery conduit with resistive windings and prior to flowing molten glass through the delivery conduit thereby increasing a temperature of the of the delivery conduit, wherein an input heat flux into the delivery conduit is greater than an output heat flux away from the delivery conduit prior to flowing molten glass through the delivery conduit.

Computer-implemented methods and apparatus are provided for predicting/estimating (i) a non-equilibrium viscosity for at least one given time point in a given temperature profile for a given glass composition, (ii) at least one temperature profile that will provide a given non-equilibrium viscosity for a given glass composition, or (iii) at least one glass composition that will provide a given non-equilibrium viscosity for a given time point in a given temperature profile. The methods and apparatus can be used to predict/estimate stress relaxation in a glass article during forming as well as compaction, stress relaxation, and/or thermal sag or thermal creep of a glass article when the article is subjected to one or more post-forming thermal treatments.

Computer-implemented methods and apparatus are provided for predicting/estimating (i) a non-equilibrium viscosity for at least one given time point in a given temperature profile for a given glass composition, (ii) at least one temperature profile that will provide a given non-equilibrium viscosity for a given glass composition, or (iii) at least one glass composition that will provide a given non-equilibrium viscosity for a given time point in a given temperature profile. The methods and apparatus can be used to predict/estimate stress relaxation in a glass article during forming as well as compaction, stress relaxation, and/or thermal sag or thermal creep of a glass article when the article is subjected to one or more post-forming thermal treatments.

A system and method of determining a gas volume fraction in a conductive liquid includes: immersing a first electrode in the conductive liquid, wherein the first electrode is electrically connected to a resistor and a voltage source; immersing a second electrode electrically connected to the voltage source in the conductive liquid; determining resistance information indicative of an electrical resistance of the conductive liquid between the first electrode and the second electrode; and determining a gas volume fraction in the conductive liquid based on the measurement.