The present disclosure relates to a method for cooling a component of a glass melting plant that contacts a glass melt, the corresponding cooling device, as well as the system of the cooling device and the cooled component itself. The method provides that a pipe with an open pipe end at least on one pipe section is introduced into an open cavity in the component with the formation of a peripheral annular space, and a cooling medium is introduced through the pipe into the cavity and is deflected at the base of the cavity, flows back in the annular space, and flows out of the cavity. In its pipe section introduced into the cavity, the pipe has a constriction and has perforations through the pipe walls in the region of the constriction, whereby the cooling medium is accelerated in its passage through the constriction in the inside of the pipe, and a portion of the cooling medium flowing back from the annular space is aspirated into the inside of the pipe.

Methods, systems and apparatus for producing continuous basalt fibers, microfibers, and microspheres from high temperature melts are disclosed. A cold crucible induction furnace is used to super heat crushed basalt rock to form a melt. The melt is cooled prior to forming a fiber. The fiber produced from the superheated melt possesses superior properties not found with conventional basalt fibers produced in gas furnaces. In some implementations, the superheated melt is spun into continuous basalt fibers. In some implementations, the superheated melt is blown into microfibers and microspheres.

An apparatus for stopping flow from a bottom delivery orifice of a melter includes a plug having a barrel terminating in a tapered nose. The tapered nose occludes the bottom delivery orifice when inserted a sufficient distance into the bottom delivery orifice. The plug is provided with internal cooling. One or more spray tubings are provided externally to the plug to reduce the temperature of any molten material leaking from the bottom delivery orifice while inserting the tapered nose into the bottom delivery orifice.

An apparatus for stopping flow from a bottom delivery orifice of a melter includes a plug having a barrel terminating in a tapered nose. The tapered nose occludes the bottom delivery orifice when inserted a sufficient distance into the bottom delivery orifice. The plug is provided with internal cooling. One or more spray tubings are provided externally to the plug to reduce the temperature of any molten material leaking from the bottom delivery orifice while inserting the tapered nose into the bottom delivery orifice.

In illustrative implementations of this invention, a crucible kiln heats glass such that the glass becomes or remains molten. A nozzle extrudes the molten glass while one or more actuators actuate movements of the nozzle, a build platform or both. A computer controls these movements such that the extruded molten glass is selectively deposited to form a 3D glass object. The selective deposition of molten glass occurs inside an annealing kiln. The annealing kiln anneals the glass after it is extruded. In some cases, the actuators actuate the crucible kiln and nozzle to move in horizontal x, y directions and actuate the build platform to move in a z-direction. In some cases, fluid flows through a cavity or tubes adjacent to the nozzle tip, in order to cool the nozzle tip and thereby reduce the amount of glass that sticks to the nozzle tip.

In illustrative implementations of this invention, a crucible kiln heats glass such that the glass becomes or remains molten. A nozzle extrudes the molten glass while one or more actuators actuate movements of the nozzle, a build platform or both. A computer controls these movements such that the extruded molten glass is selectively deposited to form a 3D glass object. The selective deposition of molten glass occurs inside an annealing kiln. The annealing kiln anneals the glass after it is extruded. In some cases, the actuators actuate the crucible kiln and nozzle to move in horizontal x, y directions and actuate the build platform to move in a z-direction. In some cases, fluid flows through a cavity or tubes adjacent to the nozzle tip, in order to cool the nozzle tip and thereby reduce the amount of glass that sticks to the nozzle tip.

Provided is a glass production method with which oxidation can be suppressed and productivity can be increased. A glass production method according to the present invention includes the steps of: turning a raw material 6 placed in a container 1 into a melt 11; homogenizing the melt 11; removing a gas from the melt 11, wherein at least one of the step of turning the raw material 6 into the melt 11 and the step of homogenizing the melt 11 is performed in an atmosphere of an inert gas or a reducing gas, and in the step of the removing the gas from the melt 11, the inert gas or the reducing gas is removed by setting the temperature of the melt 11 to be lower than the temperature in the step of homogenizing the melt 11.

A melter apparatus includes a floor, a ceiling, and a wall connecting the floor and ceiling at a perimeter of the floor and ceiling, a melting zone being defined by the floor, ceiling and wall, the melting zone having a feed inlet and a molten glass outlet positioned at opposing ends of the melting zone. Melter apparatus include an exit end having a melter exit structure for discharging turbulent molten glass formed by one or more submerged combustion burners, the melter exit structure fluidly and mechanically connecting the melter vessel to a molten glass conditioning channel. The melter exit structure includes a fluid-cooled transition channel configured to form a frozen glass layer or highly viscous glass layer, or combination thereof, on inner surfaces of the fluid-cooled transition channel and thus protect the melter exit structure from mechanical energy imparted from the melter vessel to the melter exit structure.

A melter apparatus includes a floor, a ceiling, and a wall connecting the floor and ceiling at a perimeter of the floor and ceiling, a melting zone being defined by the floor, ceiling and wall, the melting zone having a feed inlet and a molten glass outlet positioned at opposing ends of the melting zone. Melter apparatus include an exit end having a melter exit structure for discharging turbulent molten glass formed by one or more submerged combustion burners, the melter exit structure fluidly and mechanically connecting the melter vessel to a molten glass conditioning channel. The melter exit structure includes a fluid-cooled transition channel configured to form a frozen glass layer or highly viscous glass layer, or combination thereof, on inner surfaces of the fluid-cooled transition channel and thus protect the melter exit structure from mechanical energy imparted from the melter vessel to the melter exit structure.

According to one embodiment, a method for forming a laminated glass sheet includes forming a multi-layer glass melt from a molten core glass and at least one molten cladding glass. The multi-layer glass melt has a width W.sub.m, a melt thickness T.sub.m and a core to cladding thickness ratio T.sub.c:T.sub.cl. The multi-layer glass melt is directed onto the surface of a molten metal bath contained in a float tank. The width W.sub.m of the multi-layer glass melt is less than the width W.sub.f of the float tank prior to the multi-layer glass melt entering the float tank. The multi-layer glass melt flows over the surface of the molten metal bath such that the width W.sub.m of the multi-layer glass melt increases, the melt thickness T.sub.m decreases, and the core to cladding thickness ratio T.sub.c:T.sub.cl remains constant as the multi-layer glass melt solidifies into a laminated glass sheet.