Abstract: A melt tank for the production of a glass melt having a low portion of bubbles. The melt tank includes an inlet opening, an outlet opening, a floor, at least two side walls that adjoin the floor, a roof. The glass melt having a first bath depth in a melting segment, a second bath depth in a refining segment, and a third bath depth over a threshold between and smaller than the first and second bath depths. An electrically produced first heat energy is supplied via a multiplicity of electrodes that extend into the glass melt and a second heat energy is produced by the combustion of fossil fuel via at least one burner. Also, a method for producing a glass melt.

Abstract: A feeding device for a glass melting plant, having a sealing device and at least one movement device, the movement device executing a cyclical movement during operation of the feeding device, and being guided along at least one feedthrough through the sealing device. Adjacent to an open area of each feedthrough at least one gas nozzle is situated on the side of the sealing device facing away from the glass melting plant in such a way that the gas flowing out from the at least one gas nozzle reduces the quantity of dust and/or exhaust gases that moves out of the glass melting plant through the respective feedthrough to the side of the sealing device facing away from the glass melting plant.

Abstract: A glass melting plant refiner for thermal post-treatment of a glass melt containing bubbles, in particular for the production of fiberglass. To reduce the glass melt bubble content produced by submerged combustion burners, a refiner forms a glass melt tank, the glass melt flowing through the tank in a transport direction. The tank has a floor, side walls and a superstructure. A barrier, forming a raised floor part, runs essentially in the transport direction. The barrier forms, at each lateral side, a channel-shaped constriction with the side walls, a width of each constriction transverse to the transport direction being at most 0.45 times the tank width. At least one first fossil fuel heater heats the glass melt from above. At least one second electrical heating device, in each side wall and/or in the floor of the tank in the region of each constriction, extends into the glass melt.

Abstract: A glass melting plant having a melting tank having end-fired heating, the melting tank having a feeding material inlet, an outlet for removing the molten glass, and a melt surface of at least 40 m2. At least one doghouse is laterally situated and is connected to the melting tank inlet for feeding material input. The doghouse has side walls that, together with the melting tank inlet, limit a feeding surface area, and has a feeding device. The doghouse has a roof with an end wall oriented toward the feeding device, which end wall encloses, with the roof, a gas compartment open toward the melting tank. To increase the specific melting performance with at least equal glass quality, the feeding surface of the doghouse is at least 8 m2 and, given a melt surface of at least 115 m2, is at least 7% of the melting tank melt surface.

Abstract: A regenerative chamber for a glass melting furnace having a defined cross-section and wherein the regenerative chamber includes multiple slotted arches and above the same there are disposed transfer layers, and wherein a grating is installed on the transfer layers. A movable flow barrier is provided above the slotted arches that is inserted from the outside into the regenerative chamber and by means of which the cross-section of the regenerative chamber can be reduced.

Abstract: A glass melting tank comprising at least one front part for introducing the charge material, and at least one charging device. To reduce atmospheric heat losses and reduce dust transport into the upper furnace of the tank, and nevertheless to intensify the heating of the charge material, the front part has a length “LV” of at least 2,250 mm in the direction of the melting tank, and a length “LG” of at least 1,200 mm is provided with an insulating roof. An end wall near the charging device, together with the roof, encloses a gas chamber open toward the melting tank. A characteristic value “K” of 3.50 tonnes (t) per hour and per square meter of surface is not exceeded. The characteristic value is calculated from P/F, where P is the throughput per hour in tonnes (t) and F is the inner surface of the front part in m.

Abstract: A regenerator for glass melting tanks for storing waste heat from combustion cycles and emitting the stored heat to oxidation gases supplied from the outside, having a gas-permeable chamber lattice in which the chamber lining is made of fire-resistant stones held together by lateral wall elements. A cover region is situated over the chamber lattice for the combustion gases entering into the chamber lattice and for the oxidation gases exiting from the chamber lattice, the chamber cover forming a flow duct together with a further cover segment, connected to the cover, limited by a downward-extending terminating wall that is connected to the burner throat and with the wall element. A segment of the lateral wall element between the flow duct running essentially vertically and the upper region of the chamber lattice is fashioned as an intermediate wall having a cooling duct system situated therein.

Abstract: A device for drying and preheating particulate feedstock for glass melting apparatuses including a vertical shaft in which a plurality of gas guides are arranged level by level. The shaft has at least one gas channel for exhaust gases from the melting apparatus. a) feedstock guide elements are arranged one above another within the shaft with lateral spacings on all sides, with a portion of the gas guides extending through the guide elements, b) at least one of the guide elements is mounted in a transversely movable fashion with respect to the shaft independently of other guide elements, c) the guide elements are provided with converging oblique surfaces for introducing the feedstock at upper ends of the guide elements and with converging oblique surfaces for the emergence of the feedstock at lower ends of the guide elements, and d) at least one guide element is connected to a vibrating drive.

Abstract: A method and an apparatus for feeding preheaters having heating elements for the feedstock of glass melting installations. In order to distribute the feedstock in an extremely thin, but uniform layer thickness on and between the upper heating elements, thereby effectively suppressing or avoiding agglutination of particles and accumulation of the feedstock, a distributor device is arranged above the topmost heating elements including at least three pivotable distributor plates, the pivoting axes of which run in the horizontal edges of a virtual prism. The topmost distributor plate throws the feedstock alternately onto one of the distributor plates arranged underneath, which throws the caught feedstock to one of its sides sternwards. The movements of the distributor plates are controlled by sensors with an evaluation and control circuit and actuators assigned to the distributor plates with the aim of a uniform area distribution of the feedstock over the cross section of the preheater.

Abstract: A glass melting oven for producing a glass melt in a row arrangement, having a loading opening for raw glass materials, a melting region, a refining region, a constriction, a conditioning region and an overflow into a processing unit. To remove flaws from the melt that remain visible in the end product, a method includes the steps of a) arranging a refining bench between the melting region and the beginning of the refining region; b) arranging side burners and extraction openings for flue gases between the loading opening and the refining bench; c) delimiting the constriction at both ends by end walls that leave narrow flow cross-sections above the glass melt for flue gases; and d) cooling the glass melt inside the constriction. The glass melting oven is particularly suited for producing flat glass and panels for solar elements. The oxidants for the fuels may also be preheated.

Abstract: A process and apparatus for removing molten glass from flow channels for the transport of production glass that are installed between a melting furnace and an extraction point for the production glass. The flow channel has a glass-resistant inner lining. A drainage unit for bottom glass is installed upstream of the extraction point for the production glass. In order to keep electrodes away from the molten glass, but still maintain a local and temporal influence on the temperature profile within the cross section, the inner lining, at least in the area of the drainage unit, is formed of a fusion cast electrically conductive material which has a drainage opening for the bottom glass with a drainage slit above it. At least two electrodes are installed on opposite sides of the flow channel and the drainage unit for the bottom glass.

Abstract: A method and a system for thermal dewatering and preheating aqueous mixtures for feeding glass melting plants when passing through a shaft-like container provided with heating elements disposed one above another in tiers. To avoid the feed material from becoming glued together or agglomerating in the preheaters while the feed material is heated by exhaust gases with separately guided exhaust gases and feed material, a) the uppermost tier heating elements are closed relative to the mixture and are kept above 100 C, b) the interface between the mixture and the atmosphere above the mixture is shaped and heated by the uppermost tier heating elements so that part of the thermal output is emitted to the atmosphere via the mixture, and c) as the mixture proceeds through the container it is heated by further heating elements to temperatures close to the glass melting plant feeding temperature.

Abstract: A method and an apparatus for feeding preheaters having heating elements for the feedstock of glass melting installations. In order to distribute the feedstock in an extremely thin, but uniform layer thickness on and between the upper heating elements, thereby effectively suppressing or avoiding agglutination of particles and accumulation of the feedstock, a distributor device is arranged above the topmost heating elements including at least three pivotable distributor plates, the pivoting axes of which run in the horizontal edges of a virtual prism. The topmost distributor plate throws the feedstock alternately onto one of the distributor plates arranged underneath, which throws the caught feedstock to one of its sides sternwards. The movements of the distributor plates are controlled by sensors with an evaluation and control circuit and actuators assigned to the distributor plates with the aim of a uniform area distribution of the feedstock over the cross section of the preheater.

Abstract: A glass melting tank comprising at least one front part for introducing the charge material, and at least one charging device. To reduce atmospheric heat losses and reduce dust transport into the upper furnace of the tank, and nevertheless to intensify the heating of the charge material, the front part has a length “LV” of at least 2,250 mm in the direction of the melting tank, and a length “LG” of at least 1,200 mm is provided with an insulating roof. An end wall near the charging device, together with the roof, encloses a gas chamber open toward the melting tank. A characteristic value “K” of 3.50 tonnes (t) per hour and per square meter of surface is not exceeded. The characteristic value is calculated from P/F, where P is the throughput per hour in tonnes (t) and F is the inner surface of the front part in m.

Abstract: A device for drying and preheating particulate feedstock for glass melting apparatuses including a vertical shaft in which a plurality of gas guides are arranged level by level. The shaft has at least one gas channel for exhaust gases from the melting apparatus. a) feedstock guide elements are arranged one above another within the shaft with lateral spacings on all sides, with a portion of the gas guides extending through the guide elements, b) at least one of the guide elements is mounted in a transversely movable fashion with respect to the shaft independently of other guide elements, c) the guide elements are provided with converging oblique surfaces for introducing the feedstock at upper ends of the guide elements and with converging oblique surfaces for the emergence of the feedstock at lower ends of the guide elements, and d) at least one guide element is connected to a vibrating drive.

Abstract: A regenerative chamber for a glass melting furnace having a defined cross-section and wherein the regenerative chamber includes multiple slotted arches and above the same there are disposed transfer layers, and wherein a grating is installed on the transfer layers. A movable flow barrier is provided above the slotted arches that is inserted from the outside into the regenerative chamber and by means of which the cross-section of the regenerative chamber can be reduced.

Abstract: A method and a device for supplying free flowing glass mixtures by transport devices for feeding the glass mixture through a doghouse opening of a glass melting furnace above the glass level, and a pusher driven by a pusher arm for distributing the glass mixture on the glass melt. The transport devices and the pusher arm extend through the doghouse opening and at are least extensively sealed. To feed glass mixture into the furnace and to distribute it over the melt surface in a targeted manner, thereby extensively maintaining the sealing of the interior of the furnace from the surroundings, the glass mixture is applied to the glass melt by two adjacent transport devices and independently controlled with regard to the delivered quantity per unit of time, and is distributed over the glass melt by continuous rotary motions of the pusher at both sides of the pusher arm.

Abstract: A glass melting oven for producing a glass melt in a row arrangement, having a loading opening for raw glass materials, a melting region, a refining region, a constriction, a conditioning region and an overflow into a processing unit. To remove flaws from the melt that remain visible in the end product, a method includes the steps of a) arranging a refining bench between the melting region and the beginning of the refining region; b) arranging side burners and extraction openings for flue gases between the loading opening and the refining bench; c) delimiting the constriction at both ends by end walls that leave narrow flow cross-sections above the glass melt for flue gases; and d) cooling the glass melt inside the constriction. The glass melting oven is particularly suited for producing flat glass and panels for solar elements. The oxidants for the fuels may also be preheated.

Abstract: During the heating of glass melting furnaces having a combustion chamber with regenerators for preheating oxidation gases, with port necks that open into the combustion chamber, with primary burners and with secondary burners that are installed in a cascade arrangement relative to the primary burners, the secondary burners are operated as cascade burners with a relatively low proportion of the fuel, the secondary fuel. Flames are thereby created in over- and sub-stoichiometric conditions and the flame gases formed are mixed with one another so that the complete combustion process in the combustion chamber is more or less stoichiometric. The secondary fuel is supplied by the secondary burners to a step, installed in the port neck.

Abstract: During the melting of glass from charging material in furnaces with burners and regenerators for the recovery of waste heat, oxygen and primary fuel are introduced into the area around the flame roots under slightly sub-stoichiometric conditions to cover the heat requirement of the melting process. In order to further reduce the levels of NOx, and CO in the waste gases by re-burning or post oxidation, secondary fuel and, further downstream, additional air are introduced beyond the flame in order to reduce the level of NOx, in or above the checkerwork by means of the secondary fuel and to carry out re-burning or post oxidation downstream by means of the supply of air, so that ultimately approximately stoichiometric combustion takes place. Before the waste gases enter a waste gas stack they are used to preheat the charging material in at least one raw material pre-heater.