Methods and systems for controlling bubble size and bubble decay rate in foamed glass produced by a submerged combustion melter

• US 8,991,215 B2
• Filed: 10/03/2012
• Issued: 03/31/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 06/17/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Johns Manville Corporation (Berkshire Hathaway Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Johns Manville Corporation (Berkshire Hathaway Incorporated)
• Inventors: Shock, Jeffrey M, Charbonneau, Mark William
• Primary Examiner(s): HERRING, LISA L
• Application Number:
  US13/644,039
• Publication Number:
  US 20140090421A1
• Time in Patent Office: 909 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 65/134.4
• CPC Class Codes: C03B 2211/40 using oxy-fuel burners
• CPC Class Codes: C03B 5/193 using gas, e.g. bubblers
• CPC Class Codes: C03B 5/202 Devices for blowing onto the melt surface, e.g. high momentum burners
• CPC Class Codes: C03B 5/225 Refining C03B5/18 takes precedence ; Refining agents C03C1/004
• CPC Class Codes: C03B 5/235 Heating the glass C03B5/02, C03B5/18, C03B5/225 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: C03B 5/2353 by combustion with pure oxygen or oxygen-enriched air, e.g. using oxy-fuel burners or oxygen lances
• CPC Class Codes: C03B 5/2356 Submerged heating, e.g. by using heat pipes, hot gas or submerged combustion burners bubblers C03B5/193
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 40/50 Glass production, e.g. reusing waste heat during processing or shaping

Abstract

Methods and systems for controlling bubble size and bubble decay rate of glass foams formed during submerged combustion melting. Flowing a molten mass of foamed glass comprising molten glass and bubbles entrained therein into an apparatus downstream of a submerged combustion melter. The downstream apparatus has a floor, a roof, and a sidewall structure connecting the floor and roof. The foamed glass has glass foam of glass foam bubbles on its top surface, and the downstream apparatus defines a space for a gaseous atmosphere above and in contact with the glass foam. The downstream apparatus includes heating components to heat or maintain temperature of the foamed glass. Adjusting composition of the atmosphere above the glass foam, and/or contacting the foam with a liquid or solid composition controls bubble size of the glass foam bubbles, and/or foam decay rate.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

flowing a molten mass of foamed glass comprising molten glass and bubbles entrained therein into an apparatus downstream of a submerged combustion melter, the downstream apparatus comprising a floor, a roof, and a sidewall structure connecting the floor and roof, the foamed glass having glass foam comprising glass foam bubbles on at least a portion of a top surface of the foamed glass, the downstream apparatus defining a space for a gaseous atmosphere above and in contact with the glass foam;

heating or maintaining temperature of the foamed glass in the downstream apparatus; and

controlling bubble size of the glass foam bubbles in the foamed glass by controlling composition of the atmosphere above the glass foam in the downstream apparatus;

wherein the heating or maintaining temperature of the foamed glass in the downstream apparatus is devoid of electrical heating, and comprises using one or more non-submerged oxy-fuel combustion burners positioned in corresponding apertures in the sidewall structure and/or the roof of the downstream apparatus, the non-submerged oxy-fuel combustion burners producing combustion products contributing to control of the atmosphere above the glass foam;

wherein the controlling of the composition of the atmosphere above the glass foam comprises injecting a non-combustion composition into at least a portion of the atmosphere from a source outside of the downstream apparatus using one or more apparatus positioned in one or more apertures in the sidewall structure and/or the roof; and

wherein the non-combustion composition comprises 10 mole percent of an oxygenated sulfur compound or less.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the non-combustion composition comprises 1 mole percent of the oxygenated sulfur compound or less.

3. A method comprising:

flowing a molten mass of foamed glass comprising molten glass and bubbles entrained therein into an apparatus downstream of a submerged combustion melter, the downstream apparatus comprising a floor, a roof, and a sidewall structure connecting the floor and the roof, the foamed glass having glass foam comprising glass foam bubbles on at least a portion of a top surface of the foamed glass, the downstream apparatus defining a space for a gaseous atmosphere above and in contact with the glass foam;

heating or maintaining temperature of the foamed glass in the downstream apparatus, wherein the heating or maintaining temperature of the foamed glass in the downstream apparatus is devoid of electrical heating, and comprises using one or more non-submerged oxy-fuel combustion burners positioned in corresponding apertures in the sidewall structure and/or the roof of the downstream apparatus, the non-submerged oxy-fuel combustion burners producing combustion products contributing to control of the atmosphere above the glass foam; and

controlling a foam decay rate of the glass foam bubbles by injecting a non-combustion composition into at least a portion of the atmosphere from a source outside of the downstream apparatus using one or more apparatus positioned in one or more apertures the sidewall structure and/or the roof, wherein the non-combustion composition comprises 10 mole percent of an oxygenated sulfur compound or less.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein the non-combustion composition comprises 1 mole percent of the oxygenated sulfur compound or less.