Method of producing molten glass and system therefor, including providing a glass melting furnace configured to melt a glass sample, the glass sample including glass batch material including soda ash, or cullet or post-consumer cullet, or any combination of batch material, cullet and post-consumer cullet. The method includes introducing glass sample into a chamber of a rotary drum heat exchanger having at least one heat exchange tube; introducing the exhaust gas into the tube; causing a transfer of heat from the exhaust gas in the tube to the glass sample in the chamber to volatilize any organic impurities in the glass sample, heat the glass sample and evaporate water from the glass sample to dry it, the evaporated water forming water vapor in the chamber; contacting the dried sample with the water vapor; and discharging the dried sample from the rotary drum heat exchanger and introducing it into the furnace.

A rotary cooler is provided, consisting of a plurality of transport tubes for transporting material to be cooled, wherein the plurality of transport tubes are arranged about an axis of rotation and are adapted to be filled jointly via a filling region with material to be cooled, characterized in that each transport tube is arranged substantially concentrically in a cooling tube in which a cooling medium flows and cools the material to be cooled via the wall of the transport tube. Furthermore, a method for operating said rotary cooler is provided.

A rotary cooler is provided, consisting of a plurality of transport tubes for transporting material to be cooled, wherein the plurality of transport tubes are arranged about an axis of rotation and are adapted to be filled jointly via a filling region with material to be cooled, characterized in that each transport tube is arranged substantially concentrically in a cooling tube in which a cooling medium flows and cools the material to be cooled via the wall of the transport tube. Furthermore, a method for operating said rotary cooler is provided.

A preheating device includes two first inverting members disposed at different positions while obliquely intersecting a feeding direction of a continuous recording medium on which an unfixed image is formed, the first inverting members inverting the recording medium by passing a back surface of the recording medium, on which the unfixed image is not formed, therealong before a fixing operation, and at least one heating rotating body disposed at a position further on an outside than a side edge portion of the recording medium in the feeding direction to preheat the recording medium before the fixing operation by passing a portion of the back surface of the recording medium present between the two first inverting members so that the portion of the back surface is wound around the heating rotating body.

A heat storage unit or a heat storage system is a heat storage unit including: a heat storage portion having a first material with a strongly correlated electron system material; and a heat conduction portion having a second material higher in a thermal conductivity than the first material and being in contact with the heat storage portion. The heat storage unit may have a laminated structure in which the heat storage portion and the heat conduction portion are alternately laminated on each other. For example, a metal-insulator phase transition material or a transition metal oxide may be used as the strongly correlated electron system material. The second material may be metal or ceramics.

A heat storage unit or a heat storage system is a heat storage unit including: a heat storage portion having a first material with a strongly correlated electron system material; and a heat conduction portion having a second material higher in a thermal conductivity than the first material and being in contact with the heat storage portion. The heat storage unit may have a laminated structure in which the heat storage portion and the heat conduction portion are alternately laminated on each other. For example, a metal-insulator phase transition material or a transition metal oxide may be used as the strongly correlated electron system material. The second material may be metal or ceramics.

A process of transferring heat from a first relatively cold medium to a second relatively hot medium features rotating a contained amount of a compressible fluid about an axis of rotation, thus generating a radial temperature gradient in the fluid, and heating the second medium by the fluid in a section of the fluid relatively far from the axis of rotation. An apparatus for carrying out the process includes a gastight drum rotatably mounted in a frame, and a first heat exchanger mounted inside the drum relatively far from the axis of rotation of the drum.

A process of transferring heat from a first relatively cold medium to a second relatively hot medium features rotating a contained amount of a compressible fluid about an axis of rotation, thus generating a radial temperature gradient in the fluid, and heating the second medium by the fluid in a section of the fluid relatively far from the axis of rotation. An apparatus for carrying out the process includes a gastight drum rotatably mounted in a frame, and a first heat exchanger mounted inside the drum relatively far from the axis of rotation of the drum.

A method for manufacturing a roll mantle or roll body for a roll line of a continuous casting apparatus that has a shaft includes casting a metal to form the roll mantle or roll body such that the roll mantle or roll body includes at least one internal channel. The roll mantle or roll body has a first end region, a second end region and a central region between the first end region and the second end region, the central region extending along at least 50% of a length of the roll mantle or roll body, and the internal channel may be formed in the central region. The internal channel may also include a pattern or projection.

A method for manufacturing a roll mantle or roll body for a roll line of a continuous casting apparatus that has a shaft includes casting a metal to form the roll mantle or roll body such that the roll mantle or roll body includes at least one internal channel. The roll mantle or roll body has a first end region, a second end region and a central region between the first end region and the second end region, the central region extending along at least 50% of a length of the roll mantle or roll body, and the internal channel may be formed in the central region. The internal channel may also include a pattern or projection.