Abstract: A controller, process, and glass manufacturing apparatus can be configured to minimize defects. Embodiments can be adapted to control injection of nitrogen and/or argon and a mixture of nitrogen and hydrogen or nitrogen, hydrogen, and argon during glass float manufacturing to facilitate a pre-selected hydrogen concentration within a tin bath furnace while also minimizing glass surface defects that can be caused from tin condensation and tin bath impurity concentrations. Empirical use data can also be collected and provided to a pre-defined machine learning element of a host device to update a pre-defined control scheme of a controller for adapting the operational condition set points or other target values to account for furnace operation history and performance.

Abstract: A control scheme for a furnace can use real-time and historical data to model performance and determine relationships between different data and performance parameters for use in correcting suboptimal performance of the furnace in real-time. Operational parameters can be logged throughout the cycle for all cycles for a period of time in order to establish a baseline. This data can then be used to calculate the performance of the process. A regression analysis can be carried out in order to determine which parameters affect different aspects of performance. These relationships can then be used to predict performance during a single cycle in real-time and provide closed or open loop feedback to control furnace operation to result in enhanced performance.

Abstract: An apparatus for controlling blending of a gas mixture containing known components, including first, second, and third control valves for controlling the flow of first, second, and third components, respectively, a first gas density sensor to measure the density of a first mixture of the first and second components, a second gas density sensor to measure the density of a second mixture of the first mixture and the third component, and a controller to determine based on data from the first and second gas density sensors the relative compositions of the first, second, and third components in the second mixture, and to control the first, second, and third control valves to obtain a desired relative composition of the first, second, and third components in the second mixture.

Abstract: A system and method of controlling a metal melting process in a melting furnace, including determining at least one furnace parameter characterizing a melting furnace, adding a charge containing solid metal into the melting furnace, detecting at least one charge parameter characterizing the charge, firing a burner into the melting furnace to provide heat to melt the charge, and exhausting burner combustion products from the furnace, detecting at least one process parameter characterizing progress of melting the charge, calculating a furnace efficiency based on the at least one furnace parameter, calculating a predicted process pour readiness time based on the at least one charge parameter, the at least one process parameter, and the furnace efficiency, and controlling the metal melting process based on the predicted process pour readiness time.

Abstract: A processor of a sensor device receives a plurality of images capturing a scene that depicts at least a portion of a conveyer entering a treatment area of a food processing system. The processor processes one or more images, among the plurality of images, to detect one or more characteristics in the scene. Processing the one or more images includes detecting presence or absence of a product on the at least the portion of the conveyor depicted in the scene, and classifying the scene as having one or more characteristics among a predetermined set of characteristics. The sensor device provides characteristics information indicating the one or more characteristics detected in the scene to a controller. The characteristics information is to be used by the controller to control operation of one or both of the conveyor and the treatment area of the food processing system.

Abstract: A method of controlling defects in a glass product produced in a tin bath furnace includes measuring at least one parameter of an atmosphere associated with the tin bath furnace, wherein the parameter is selected from the group consisting of dew point and density, correlating the measured parameter with defects in the glass product, and controlling the measured parameter in a direction corresponding to decreased defects in the glass product by controlling a flow rate of a process gas relative to the furnace wherein the process gas includes one or more of hydrogen and nitrogen.

Abstract: A control scheme for a furnace can use real-time and historical data to model performance and determine relationships between different data and performance parameters for use in correcting suboptimal performance of the furnace in real-time. Operational parameters can be logged throughout the cycle for all cycles for a period of time in order to establish a baseline. This data can then be used to calculate the performance of the process. A regression analysis can be carried out in order to determine which parameters affect different aspects of performance. These relationships can then be used to predict performance during a single cycle in real-time and provide closed or open loop feedback to control furnace operation to result in enhanced performance.

Abstract: A processor of a sensor device receives a plurality of images capturing a scene that depicts at least a portion of a conveyer entering a treatment area of a food processing system. The processor processes one or more images, among the plurality of images, to detect one or more characteristics in the scene. Processing the one or more images includes detecting presence or absence of a product on the at least the portion of the conveyor depicted in the scene, and classifying the scene as having one or more characteristics among a predetermined set of characteristics. The sensor device provides characteristics information indicating the one or more characteristics detected in the scene to a controller. The characteristics information is to be used by the controller to control operation of one or both of the conveyor and the treatment area of the food processing system.

Abstract: An apparatus for controlling blending of a gas mixture containing known components, including first, second, and third control valves for controlling the flow of first, second, and third components, respectively, a first gas density sensor to measure the density of a first mixture of the first and second components, a second gas density sensor to measure the density of a second mixture of the first mixture and the third component, and a controller to determine based on data from the first and second gas density sensors the relative compositions of the first, second, and third components in the second mixture, and to control the first, second, and third control valves to obtain a desired relative composition of the first, second, and third components in the second mixture.

Abstract: An apparatus for measuring the composition of a gas mixture containing known components, including a first gas density sensor configured and arranged to measure the density of a first mixture made by combining a gaseous first component and a gaseous second component; a second gas density sensor configured and arranged to measure the density of a second mixture made by combining the first mixture with a gaseous third component; and a processor programmed to determined based on data from the first gas density sensor the relative compositions of the first component and the second component in the first mixture, and to determine based on the data from the second gas density sensor the relative compositions of the first mixture and the third component in the second mixture, and thus to determine the relative compositions of the first component, the second component, and the third component in the second mixture.

Abstract: A burner apparatus (10) includes a fluid-based flame stabilizer for discharging a stabilized flame therefrom, a burner tile (44), and fuel lances associated with the burner tile. Each of the fuel lances has a discharge nozzle (40). A Coanda feature (34) having a Coanda surface directs a portion of the stabilized flame from the passage defined by the burner tile at the discharge end of a primary flow passage (32) toward at least one first fuel lance of the plurality of fuel lances to cross light the at least one first fuel lance. In another embodiment, a method of combustion includes supplying a first gaseous fuel to fuel lances of a burner apparatus and igniting and sustaining combustion of a gaseous fuel by cross lighting at the discharge nozzles of the fuel lances by flow from the fluid-based flame stabilizer along a Coanda surface of a Coanda feature toward the discharge nozzles.

Abstract: An apparatus for measuring the composition of a gas mixture containing known components, including a first gas density sensor configured and arranged to measure the density of a first mixture made by combining a gaseous first component and a gaseous second component; a second gas density sensor configured and arranged to measure the density of a second mixture made by combining the first mixture with a gaseous third component; and a processor programmed to determined based on data from the first gas density sensor the relative compositions of the first component and the second component in the first mixture, and to determine based on the data from the second gas density sensor the relative compositions of the first mixture and the third component in the second mixture, and thus to determine the relative compositions of the first component, the second component, and the third component in the second mixture.

Abstract: A remote burner monitoring system including one or more burners each including integrated sensors, a data collector corresponding to each of the burners for receiving and aggregating data from the sensors of the corresponding burner, and a local transmitter corresponding to each of the data collectors for transmitting the data, a data center configured and programmed to receive the data from the local transmitters corresponding to the one or more burners, and a server configured and programmed to store at least a portion of the data, to convert the data into a display format, and to provide connectivity to enable receipt and transmission of data and the display format via a network including at least one of a wired network, a cellular network, and a Wi-Fi network.

Abstract: A system and method of controlling a metal melting process in a melting furnace, including determining at least one furnace parameter characterizing a melting furnace, adding a charge containing solid metal into the melting furnace, detecting at least one charge parameter characterizing the charge, firing a burner into the melting furnace to provide heat to melt the charge, and exhausting burner combustion products from the furnace, detecting at least one process parameter characterizing progress of melting the charge, calculating a furnace efficiency based on the at least one furnace parameter, calculating a predicted process pour readiness time based on the at least one charge parameter, the at least one process parameter, and the furnace efficiency, and controlling the metal melting process based on the predicted process pour readiness time.

Abstract: An oxy-fuel burner with monitoring including a fuel passage terminating in a fuel nozzle, a primary oxidant passage terminating in an oxidant nozzle, one or more sensors including a nozzle temperature sensor for sensing at least one of an oxidant nozzle temperature and a fuel nozzle temperature and a position sensor for sensing a burner installation angle, and a data processor programmed to receive data from the sensors and to determine the presence or absence of an abnormal burner condition including a potential partial obstruction of at least one of the primary oxidant passage and the fuel passage based on an increase or decrease in at least one of the oxidant nozzle temperature and the fuel nozzle temperature, and to determine whether the burner is installed at a desired orientation with respect to at least one feature of the furnace based on the burner installation angle.

Abstract: An oxy-fuel burner (10) with monitoring including a fuel passage (320) terminating in a fuel nozzle (322), a primary oxidant passage (330) terminating in an oxidant nozzle (333), one or more sensors including a nozzle temperature sensor (372) for sensing at least one of an oxidant nozzle temperature and a fuel nozzle temperature, and a data processor (66, 166,266) programmed to receive data from the sensors and to determine based on at least a portion of the received data the presence or absence of an abnormal burner condition including a potential partial obstruction of at least one of the primary oxidant passage (330) and the fuel passage (320) based on an increase or decrease in at least one of the oxidant nozzle temperature and the fuel nozzle temperature.

Abstract: A burner apparatus (10) includes a fluid-based flame stabilizer for discharging a stabilized flame therefrom, a burner tile (44), and fuel lances associated with the burner tile. Each of the fuel lances has a discharge nozzle (40). A Coanda feature (34) having a Coanda surface directs a portion of the stabilized flame from the passage defined by the burner tile at the discharge end of a primary flow passage (32) toward at least one first fuel lance of the plurality of fuel lances to cross light the at least one first fuel lance. In another embodiment, a method of combustion includes supplying a first gaseous fuel to fuel lances of a burner apparatus and igniting and sustaining combustion of a gaseous fuel by cross lighting at the discharge nozzles of the fuel lances by flow from the fluid-based flame stabilizer along a Coanda surface of a Coanda feature toward the discharge nozzles.

Abstract: An integrated sensor system for use in a furnace system including a furnace having at least one burner and two or more zones each differently affected by at least one furnace parameter regulating energy input into the furnace, including a first temperature sensor positioned to measure a first temperature in the furnace system, a second temperature sensor positioned to measure a second temperature in the furnace system; and a controller programmed to receive the first and second measured temperatures, and to adjust operation of a furnace system parameter based on a relationship between the first and second temperatures, thereby differentially regulating energy input into at least two of the zones of the furnace; wherein the relationship between the first and second temperatures is a function of one or more of a difference between the two temperatures, a ratio of the two temperatures, and a weighted average of the two temperatures.

Abstract: A transient heating burner including at least two burner elements each including a distribution nozzle configured to flow a first fluid and an annular nozzle surrounding the distribution nozzle and configured to flow a second fluid, the burner also including a controller programmed to independently control the flow of the first fluid to each distribution nozzle such that at least one of the distribution nozzles is active and at least one of the distribution nozzles is passive, wherein flow in an active distribution nozzle is greater than an average flow to the distribution nozzles and flow in a passive distribution nozzle is less than the average flow to the distribution nozzles, wherein the first fluid contains a reactant that is one of fuel and oxidant and the second fluid contains a reactant that is the other of fuel and oxidant.

Abstract: A method and system of controlling a melting process of copper in a copper melting furnace including measuring at least one furnace parameter, wherein the at least one furnace parameter includes one or both of a furnace temperature and a furnace exhaust oxygen concentration, calculating a first rate of change of the furnace parameter over a first time period, calculating a second rate of change of the furnace parameter over a second time period at least a portion of which occurs after the first time period, comparing the first rate of change with the second rate of change, and indicating substantial completion of a process phase in the furnace when the second rate of change deviates by a predetermined threshold percentage from the first rate of change.