A method of fining glass is disclosed that includes flowing a molten glass bath through a fining chamber. The molten glass bath has an undercurrent that flows beneath a skimmer that is partially submerged in the molten glass bath. One or more fining agents are introduced into the undercurrent of the molten glass bath directly beneath the skimmer from a carrier gas. In this way, the fining agent(s) may selectively target the gas bubbles drawn under the skimmer within the undercurrent of the molten glass for removal. The method may be employed to fine molten gas produced in a submerged combustion melter. A fining vessel for fining molten glass is also disclosed.

A burner comprising least one first passage and at least one second passage are formed in the burner, the at least one first passage and the at least one second passage are arranged such that a first fluid from an outlet of the at least one first passage and a second fluid from an outlet of the at least one second passage are mixed with each other, and the at least one first passage is configured to cause the first fluid to produce a rotational flow in a first rotation direction, and/or, the at least one second passage is configured to cause the second fluid to produce a rotational flow in a second rotation direction.

A method of producing glass includes drawing unrefined foamy molten glass from a glass melt held in a submerged combustion melter and introducing the unrefined foamy molten glass into a stilling chamber of a stilling tank. An intermediate pool of molten glass is held within the stilling chamber of the stilling tank and is heated therein by one or more non-submerged burners. Molten glass flows from the intermediate pool of molten glass to a transfer pool of molten glass held in a spout chamber of a feeding spout that is appended to the stilling tank. A molten glass feed can be drawn from the transfer pool of molten glass and delivered from the feeding spout at a controlled rate.

The present invention relates to a process for producing a boron containing glass, comprising melting raw materials including boron compounds in a submerged combustion melter (11), withdrawing flue gases from said melter and recovering heat from said flue gases in appropriate heat recovery equipment prior to release into the environment.

An installation for melting a composition of raw materials, suitable for obtaining glass wool, textile glass yarns and/or flat glass, includes a melting chamber equipped with at least one submerged burner, wherein the melting chamber is defined by side walls made of refractory material and a bare metal bottom traversed by a network of pipes adapted for the circulation of a cooling fluid.

Submerged combustion methods and systems including a melter equipped with an exhaust passage through the ceiling or the sidewall having an aggregate hydraulic diameter. Submerged combustion burners configured to create turbulent conditions in substantially all of the material being melted, and produce ejected portions of melted material. An exhaust structure including a liquid-cooled exhaust structure defining a liquid-cooled exhaust chamber having a cross-sectional area greater than that of the exhaust stack but less than the melter. The exhaust passage and liquid-cooled exhaust structure configured to maintain temperature and pressure of the exhaust, and exhaust velocity through the exhaust passage and the exhaust structure, at values sufficient to prevent the ejected material portions of melted material from being propelled out of the exhaust structure as solidified material, and maintain any molten materials contacting the first interior surface molten so that it flows down the first interior surface into the melter.

A submerged combustion melter is arranged with a melting chamber, which may be cylindrical, and at least five submerged combustion burners.

A method of producing flint glass using submerged combustion melting involves introducing a vitrifiable feed material into a glass melt contained within a submerged combustion melter. The vitrifiable feed material is formulated to provide the glass melt with a glass chemical composition suitable for producing flint glass articles. To that end, the glass melt comprises a total iron content expressed as Fe.sub.2O.sub.3 in an amount ranging from 0.04 wt % to 0.06 wt % and also has a redox ratio that ranges from 0.1 to 0.4, and the vitrifiable feed material further includes between 0.008 wt % and 0.016 wt % of selenium or between 0.1 wt % and 0.2 wt % of manganese oxide in order to achieve an appropriate content of selenium or manganese oxide in the glass melt.

A submerged combustion burner, a submerged combustion melter including the submerged combustion burner, and method of operating the submerged combustion burner are disclosed. The submerged combustion burner includes central burner tube and a heat pipe that surrounds and extends beyond a terminal end of the central burner tube. When received in a burner opening defined in a melting tank of a submerged combustion melter, the heat pipe of the submerged combustion burner is disposed between the central burner tube and the floor of the melting tank. The heat pipe transfers or pumps heat via a sealed working fluid to a cooling fluid that thermally communicates with the heat pipe exterior to the melting tank.

A method of producing glass using submerged combustion melting is disclosed. The method includes introducing a vitrifiable feed material into a glass melt contained within a submerged combustion melter. The glass melt contained in the melter has a redox ratio defined as a ratio of Fe.sup.2+ to total iron in the glass melt. The method further includes combusting a combustible gas mixture supplied to each of the submerged burners to produce combustion products, and discharging the combustion products directly into the glass melt. Still further, the method includes adjusting the redox ratio of the glass melt by 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.