According to an aspect of the disclosure, a glass manufacturing system includes a hot-end subsystem, including: a submerged combustion melter that melts feedstock to produce molten glass; a stiller that receives the molten glass from the submerged combustion melter and that includes a stilling tank to still the molten glass and that is configured to control outflow of the stilled molten glass to effectively decouple viscosity of the molten glass from the flow rate of the molten glass and thereby control finer molten glass levels; and a finer that is mechanically decoupled from the stiller, and that receives and fines the stilled molten glass to produce fined molten glass. Many other aspects of the system are also disclosed and claimed.

According to an aspect of the disclosure, a glass manufacturing system includes a hot-end subsystem, including: a submerged combustion melter that melts feedstock to produce molten glass; a stiller that receives the molten glass from the submerged combustion melter and that includes a stilling tank to still the molten glass and that is configured to control outflow of the stilled molten glass to effectively decouple viscosity of the molten glass from the flow rate of the molten glass and thereby control finer molten glass levels; and a finer that is mechanically decoupled from the stiller, and that receives and fines the stilled molten glass to produce fined molten glass. Many other aspects of the system are also disclosed and claimed.

Efficiency of the combustion that is carried out in the forehearth of a glass manufacturing facility is improved by replacing air-fuel burners with a smaller number of air-fuel injectors and oxygen injectors.

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.

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.

Forehearth constructions are described in which means are provided to heat the sides of the stream of molten glass (27) passing along the forehearth from a glass-making furnace to one or more molten glass outlets by way of flames emerging from a series of substantially horizontal slots. The slots are located in the side walls of the channel above the level of the molten glass surface when the forehearth is operating, and the ribbon of flame provides improved heat transfer to the molten glass stream. Burner blocks are disclosed for use in constructing a forehearth of this type, each consisting of a block of refractory material having an internal cavity (3) of generally wedge-shaped construction and having an elongated outlet in. the form of a slot (4) in the face of the block. A combustible gaseous mixture, or the components to form a combustible gaseous mixture, are fed into the cavity remote from the slot.

Forehearth constructions are described in which means are provided to heat the sides of the stream of molten glass (27) passing along the forehearth from a glass-making furnace to one or more molten glass outlets by way of flames emerging from a series of substantially horizontal slots. The slots are located in the side walls of the channel above the level of the molten glass surface when the forehearth is operating, and the ribbon of flame provides improved heat transfer to the molten glass stream. Burner blocks are disclosed for use in constructing a forehearth of this type, each consisting of a block of refractory material having an internal cavity (3) of generally wedge-shaped construction and having an elongated outlet in. the form of a slot (4) in the face of the block. A combustible gaseous mixture, or the components to form a combustible gaseous mixture, are fed into the cavity remote from the slot.

The invention relates to a method for heating flowable molten glass in a feed channel which is enclosed by lateral walls and a cover and into which a plurality of fuel lances and oxidizing agent lances that are mutually spaced in the flow direction of the molten glass open above the molten glass, fuel or an oxidizing agent being supplied through said lances and being brought into reaction with each other in the feed channel. The invention is characterized in that in order to combust the fuel with the oxidizing agent, a flame is produced in front of the opening of each fuel lance, said flame being designed such that adjacent or opposite flames do not contact one another.

The invention relates to a method for heating flowable molten glass in a feed channel which is enclosed by lateral walls and a cover and into which a plurality of fuel lances and oxidizing agent lances that are mutually spaced in the flow direction of the molten glass open above the molten glass, fuel or an oxidizing agent being supplied through said lances and being brought into reaction with each other in the feed channel. The invention is characterized in that in order to combust the fuel with the oxidizing agent, a flame is produced in front of the opening of each fuel lance, said flame being designed such that adjacent or opposite flames do not contact one another.

A forehearth system includes a superstructure including refractory bricks that frame a molten glass tank, with a burner block including a discharge throat that extends its distal end formed from a refractory material that is within the superstructure above the molten glass tank. At least one oxygen fuel forehearth burner is within the burner block including a burner body, a fuel pipe within the burner body having a fuel inlet for receiving fuel and a fuel outlet, and an oxygen pipe within the burner body having an oxygen inlet for receiving oxygen and an oxygen outlet. The oxygen pipe is positioned coaxially outside the fuel pipe. The fuel outlet extends beyond the oxygen pipe and beyond the burner body so that the oxygen first reaching the fuel and thus a flame when operating is delayed until the discharge throat.