Abstract: An improved method preheating cullet and glass batch together for use as feedstock for a glass furnace. The method uses a preheater including a separator and a heat exchanger. The heat exchanger is a direct contact raining bed in which large particles in the feedstock are heated by hot gases as the particles flow down by gravity and fine particles become entrained with the hot gas flow. The separator removes the fine particles entrained in the hot gases and remixes preheated the fine particles with the preheated cullet. Preheater systems are described in which the hot gasses are provided by the glass furnace exhaust, by a separately fired heater, by a separately fired heater combined with the glass furnace exhaust and by a separately fired heater with exhaust gas recirculation.

Abstract: Disclosed are a method and apparatus for delivering a solvent in the liquid state to a surface to be cleaned. The volume of the solvent and the time interval during which it is applied to the surface are selected so that the solvent reaches the surface in the liquid state. In a preferred embodiment, the solvent is water which is sprayed at selected time intervals onto the lower surface of the distributor plate supporting a fluidized bed of glass batch material for preheating.

Abstract: The injection molding of brushes, particularly miniature brushes such as for the application of cosmetics, is carried out in a mold in which each of the cavities defining the bristles is defined by a plain surface of one mold piece and a grooved surface of another mold piece. The mold pieces are clamped together and a brush is formed by injection molding. An ejector rod facilitates removal of the molded brush from the mold, thus making it unnecessary to separate the mold pieces to remove the molded brush. However, the mold pieces may be unclamped and separated to allow the mold to be cleaned of foreign matter or broken bristles.

Abstract: A glass batch preheater in one stage of which hot flue gases from a glass melting furnace are passed through a bed of cullet and a bed of glass batch material. The bed of cullet, while being heated, filters dust and other particles from the hot flue gases while the bed of glass batch materials is simultaneously heated and fluidized. An alternative preheater includes a first stage and a second supplementary stage to further heat the glass batch material. A separate stage may also be used for elutriation of glass particles. Steam may be injected to provide moisture to the glass batch and for other purposes.