Glass manufacturing apparatus and method of manufacturing thereof

Abstract

The application provides a glass manufacturing device for continuous melting and intermittent forming of glass and a manufacturing method thereof. The glass manufacturing device sequentially comprises a melting tank, a refining tank, a stirring tank, a forming device and an annealing furnace. A transfer device is further arranged between the stirring tank and the forming device. The transfer device comprises a liquid level control system and a converter system. The liquid level control system is connected with the stirring tank at an inlet, the converter system is connected with the liquid level control system at an outlet, and the converter system is connected with the forming device at an outlet. The application realizes high uniformity, good constant consistency and high internal quality by continuous melting of glass liquid. Through mutual cooperation of the liquid level control system, the converter system and the forming device, small-flow continuous melting and large-flow short-time forming are realized, and technical difficulties such as forming uniformity problem, forming heat problem and glass crystallization problem in the forming process of glass products with super-large specifications are solved.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present application relates to a glass manufacturing device, in particular to a glass continuous melting and intermittent forming manufacturing device, and a manufacturing method for obtaining glass blocks by using the manufacturing device. BACKGROUND

[0002] According to the space position of the chemical and physical processes in the whole change process from powder to final glass state in the glass production process, the glass production methods are generally divided into two categories. One is the continuous melting and continuous forming method. The process corresponds to a manufacturing device including a melting tank 1, a refining tank 2, a stirring tank 3, a discharge pipe 4, a forming device 5, and an annealing furnace 6. The powder is added to the melting tank 1 from the feeding port 7 to be melted into glass liquid. The high-temperature refining is performed in the refining tank 2. The stirring tank 3 is stirred and homogenized by the stirrer 8, and then flows out from the discharge pipe 4, is formed by the forming device 5, and is annealed by the annealing furnace 6 to form the product, as shown in FIG. 1. In the above process, each process is relatively independent in space position, and the two process equipment are connected by a pipeline. The glass liquid sequentially passes through the above-mentioned equipment in the manufacturing process, so as to realize the melting of the powder to form the glass state, the removal of the inclusions, the mixing of the glass liquid at the macroscopic and microscopic levels, and the forming of the high-temperature glass liquid into the required product shape. The above manufacturing method has the characteristics of stable glass production, stable product material performance, high glass yield, and low production cost. In the above process, the glass flow is consistent in each process, so as to realize that the weight of the glass liquid converted from the powder in the melting tank after the powder is added is basically kept relatively stable with the weight of the glass after forming and annealing in unit time. Therefore, it is difficult to realize the production of large-size products in a short time beyond the normal flow. The second production method is a single-crucible intermittent glass manufacturing method. The powder is added to the melting tank 1 from the feeding port 7 to be melted into glass liquid, and the refining of the glass liquid is completed in the melting tank 1. The stirring tank 3 is stirred and homogenized by the stirrer 8, and then flows out from the discharge pipe 4, passes through the forming device 5 and the annealing furnace 6 to form the product, as shown in FIG. 2. This method realizes the melting of the powder, the high-temperature refining, the stirring and homogenization, and the like in a single space. Then, the high-quality glass liquid after melting is obtained by forming and annealing to obtain the required product. Therefore, this method is mainly used for the production of small quantities of customized products and the trial production of small batches of products and the like special requirements. This production method is flexible and variable. The glass can be selected according to the product requirements to meet the product forming requirements when the glass is formed. However, in this production method, each tank is relatively independent, the production cycle is relatively long, and the volume of the high-quality glass liquid melted in each tank is relatively limited. It is difficult to stably produce glass blocks with a diameter of 300 mm or more. Figure 1 Figure 2

[0003] ​​With the change of the market demand of the glass for photoelectric field and the glass for special field, the demand of the products with the diameter of 300mm and above is obviously increased, and gradually becomes the key material for the research in some special fields. The market requires the physical and chemical properties of the glass for photoelectric field and the glass for special field, such as the uniformity, the low temperature expansion coefficient, the stress uniformity, the quantity of inclusions, the transmittance, the color degree and the like. Therefore, it is particularly urgent to solve the quality problem of the glass for photoelectric field and the glass for special field in the melting process and the quality problem of the large volume and large flow in the forming process, and to realize the efficient and stable production of the products with the diameter of 300mm and above. SUMMARY

[0004] The technical problem to be solved by the present application is to provide a glass manufacturing device with continuous melting and intermittent forming.

[0005] The present application also provides a manufacturing method of the large-sized glass block by using the above glass manufacturing device.

[0006] The technical solution adopted by the present application to solve the technical problem is that the glass manufacturing device comprises a melting tank, a refining tank, a stirring tank, a forming device and an annealing furnace in sequence, and a transfer device is further arranged between the stirring tank and the forming device, wherein the transfer device comprises a liquid level control system and a transfer furnace system, the inlet of the liquid level control system is connected with the stirring tank, the inlet of the transfer furnace system is connected with the outlet of the liquid level control system, and the outlet of the transfer furnace system is connected with the forming device.

[0007] Further, the liquid level control system comprises a horizontal connecting pipe, a vertical pipe and an inclined connecting pipe, the transfer furnace system comprises a ladle body and a discharge pipe, one end of the horizontal connecting pipe is connected with the stirring tank, the other end of the horizontal connecting pipe is connected with the vertical pipe, the inlet of the inclined connecting pipe is connected with the outlet of the vertical pipe, the outlet of the inclined connecting pipe is connected with the inlet of the ladle body of the transfer furnace system, and the outlet of the ladle body is connected with the discharge pipe.

[0008] Further, the liquid level control system controls the stability of the glass liquid level line, and the transfer furnace system collects the glass liquid volume to meet the process requirements.

[0009] Further, the inlet of the horizontal connecting pipe is arranged in the region of 2 / 3 or less of the glass liquid level of the stirring tank, and preferably arranged in the region of 1 / 3 or less of the glass liquid level of the stirring tank; and the radius of the horizontal connecting pipe is not more than 0.3 times of the radius of the stirring tank.

[0010] Further, the vertical pipe top is provided with a thin pipe, and the thin pipe top is provided with a small hole; the thin pipe outlet position is higher than the liquid level height of the stirring pool; the thin pipe diameter is not greater than 0.5 times the radius of the vertical pipe; the vertical pipe height is not more than the liquid level height of the stirring pool; the vertical pipe diameter is not less than the diameter of the horizontal connecting pipe; a bend pipe transition is used between the vertical pipe and the horizontal connecting pipe, and the bend pipe radius is less than 0.5 times the length of the vertical pipe.

[0011] Further, the horizontal inclination angle α of the oblique connecting pipe is not more than 60°, and preferably the horizontal inclination angle α is within 30°; the inlet and outlet of the oblique connecting pipe are in the horizontal direction; a straight pipe or a curved pipe is used in the middle section of the oblique connecting pipe.

[0012] Further, a continuous or intermittent corrugated pipe structure is used on the horizontal connecting pipe, the vertical pipe and the oblique connecting pipe, the height of the corrugated pipe structure is not more than 20mm, and preferably the height of the corrugated pipe structure is not more than 10mm; the corrugated pipe structure is divided into 3-5 groups in the length direction.

[0013] Further, the converter system inlet is arranged on the sidewall of the crucible, or the converter system inlet is arranged at the joint position of the sidewall of the crucible and the bottom of the crucible, or the converter system inlet is arranged at the bottom position of the crucible, and the outlet of the oblique connecting pipe adopts an upward bending structure to be connected with the converter system inlet.

[0014] Further, the converter system inlet and the crucible outlet are arranged in a staggered manner in the height position; the crucible outlet is arranged at the farthest end of the bottom of the crucible opposite to the converter system inlet; and the crucible outlet is higher than the converter system inlet.

[0015] Further, a stirrer is arranged in the converter system; a lower groove is arranged at the center of the bottom of the crucible, and the stirrer is placed into the lower groove; the height of the lower groove is not less than the height of the blade of the stirrer; the distance between the outer edge of the stirrer and the inner wall of the crucible is within 50mm, and preferably the distance between the outer edge of the stirrer and the inner wall of the crucible is within 30mm.

[0016] Further, the liquid level control system and the converter system are made of platinum and its reinforced materials; the wall thickness of the horizontal connecting pipe, the vertical pipe, the oblique connecting pipe, the crucible and the discharge pipe is 0.5-2.5mm, and preferably the wall thickness is 0.75-1.5mm.

[0017] Further, a refractory wall and a heating element are arranged around the converter device; or a plurality of flange pieces are connected to form electrode pieces on the converter device.

[0018] Further, one set of the converter system is connected with 1-3 sets of smelting devices and liquid level control systems.

[0019] A glass manufacturing method, comprising the following steps:

[0020] 1) Powder is added into a melting tank from a charging port to form a glass liquid in a high-temperature environment, the glass liquid flows into a refining tank to obtain a refined glass liquid which is then transferred into a stirring tank to improve the uniformity of the glass liquid under the action of a stirrer;

[0021] 2) The glass liquid enters a liquid level control system, a standpipe in the liquid level control system controls the liquid level of the stirring tank to avoid obvious fluctuation, and solves the internal quality and uniformity problems caused by the fluctuation;

[0022] 3) The glass liquid is buffered in a bucket body of a converter system, after the volume of the glass liquid gathered in the bucket body reaches a process-required glass liquid volume, the temperature of a discharge pipe of the converter system is controlled to make the glass liquid in the discharge pipe change from a static state to a flowing state, the glass liquid flows out of the bucket body outlet through the discharge pipe and enters a forming device to realize the forming requirement of large-flow and short-time glass block forming in the forming device;

[0023] 4) The formed glass block is subjected to a cooling treatment in an annealing furnace.

[0024] Further, after the step 4), there is a step 5): after the liquid level of the glass liquid in the bucket body is reduced to a certain extent, the discharge pipe is rapidly cooled to make the glass liquid in the discharge pipe lose the flowability, meanwhile, the glass liquid in the liquid level control system continues to enter the bucket body through the inlet of the converter system to replenish the glass liquid in the bucket body, after the liquid level reaches the process requirement, the temperature of the discharge pipe is controlled to form the glass block, and the cycle is repeated.

[0025] Further, the forming flow of the glass liquid in the forming device is 2-50 times of the flow of the glass liquid in the melting device, preferably, the forming flow of the glass liquid in the forming device is 4-20 times of the flow of the glass liquid in the melting device, and most preferably, the forming flow of the glass liquid is 6-12 times of the flow of the glass liquid in the melting device.

[0026] Further, the viscosity of the glass liquid in the converter system is controlled in the range of 1-3000 poise, and preferably, the viscosity of the glass liquid is in the range of 10-1800 poise.

[0027] Further, the process-required glass liquid volume in the step 3) is that the volume of the glass liquid in the bucket body is 1-3 times of the sum of the volume of the glass liquid in the discharge pipe and the volume of a single glass block, preferably, the volume of the glass liquid in the bucket body is greater than the sum of the volume of the glass liquid in the discharge pipe and the volume of a single glass block, and more preferably, the volume of the glass liquid in the bucket body is not less than 1.5 times of the sum of the volume of the glass liquid in the discharge pipe and the volume of a single glass block.

[0028] The present application has the advantages that: the present application realizes high uniformity, good constant consistency and high internal quality by continuous melting of glass liquid, realizes small flow continuous melting and large flow forming in a short time through mutual cooperation of the liquid level control system, the converter system and the forming device, solves the problems of small flow and insufficient heat in the traditional continuous melting and continuous forming process, simultaneously solves the technical difficulties of glass forming uniformity problem, forming heat problem and glass crystallization problem in the forming process required by the production of super-large specification glass products, and solves the problems of long production cycle and high cost caused by the traditional single-crucible intermittent melting and intermittent forming production mode; the introduction of the liquid level control system solves the problems of unstable production process and product quality fluctuation caused by the mismatch of glass liquid flow and front-end melting system flow during large flow forming, effectively prevents the liquid level fluctuation problem of the stirring pool of the melting system, and makes the melting system have strong independence; the crucible structure in the converter system realizes continuous buffering of high-quality and high-uniformity glass liquid, and also provides sufficient glass liquid for high-uniformity super-large specification glass forming. The present application can realize large flow and high-uniformity glass block forming, continuous melting and intermittent forming in the glass production process, realize the improvement of glass forming flow in a short time, and obtain large-size glass block for the optical and electrical field and special field. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0029] Figure 1 is a structure schematic view of the existing glass continuous melting manufacturing device.

[0030] Figure 2 is a structure schematic view of the existing glass intermittent manufacturing device.

[0031] Figure 3 is a structure schematic view of the glass manufacturing device of the present application.

[0032] Figure 4 is a structure schematic view of the liquid level control system of the glass manufacturing device of the present application.

[0033] Figure 5 is a structure schematic view of the converter system of the glass manufacturing device of the present application.

[0034] Figure 6 is a structure schematic view of the second converter system of the present application.

[0035] Figure 7 is a structure schematic view of the third converter system of the present application.

[0036] Figure 8 is a structure schematic view of the crucible of the converter system of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0037] As Figure 3As shown, the glass manufacturing device of the present application sequentially comprises a melting tank 1, a refining tank 2, a stirring tank 3, a storage device 9, a forming device 5 and an annealing furnace 6, the storage device 9 comprises a liquid level control system 10 and a converter system 11, the storage device 9 is located between the stirring tank 3 and the forming device 5, the liquid level control system 10 is connected with the stirring tank 3 at the inlet, and the liquid level control system 10 is located between the stirring tank 3 and the converter system 11; the converter system 11 is connected with the liquid level control system 10 at the inlet, and the converter system 11 is connected with the forming device 5 at the outlet, so as to provide sufficient glass liquid for the forming of glass blocks.

[0038] After the glass liquid is melted into glass liquid from powder in the melting tank 1, the glass liquid is refined in the refining tank 2, and the glass liquid is homogenized and cooled in the stirring tank 3, the glass liquid enters the liquid level control system 10 from the stirring tank 3, and after the glass liquid level line is stabilized by the liquid level control system 10, the glass liquid enters the converter system 11, and after the volume of the glass liquid accumulated in the converter system 11 reaches the process requirement, the glass liquid flows out from the outlet of the converter system 11, and large-size block forming is realized in the forming device 5, and finally the large glass blocks are cooled in the annealing furnace 6 to obtain the final product blank.

[0039] The organic combination of each part in the glass manufacturing device of the present application realizes the glass manufacturing process of small-flow continuous melting and large-flow short-time forming, solves the problems of small flow and insufficient heat in the traditional continuous melting and continuous forming process, and forms a solution to the technical difficulties such as the uniformity of glass forming, the forming heat and the glass crystallization in the forming process required for the manufacturing of products with a diameter of 300 mm and above; compared with the traditional single-crucible intermittent melting and intermittent forming production mode, the present application also has the characteristics of short product production cycle, high production efficiency, low cost and stable glass quality.

[0040] In the above-mentioned storage device 9, the liquid level control system 10 is composed of a horizontal connecting pipe 101 at the inlet section, a vertical pipe 102 at the middle section and an inclined connecting pipe 103 at the rear end, as shown in Figure 4 As shown, the inlet of the liquid level control system 10 is connected with the stirring tank 3, and the inlet is usually designed at a position slightly lower than the middle of the height direction of the stirring tank 3, so as to ensure that the inlet position does not affect the homogenization effect of the glass liquid in the stirring tank 3. The converter system 11 comprises a crucible body 111 and a discharge pipe 4, and for the glass liquid with special properties such as easy volatilization, easy crystallization and easy stratification, a stirrer 8 is further arranged in the converter system 11, so as to ensure the uniformity of the glass liquid in the process of flowing into the crucible body 111, gradually buffering and forming discharge, as shown in Figure 5 .

[0041] In order to ensure that the quality of the glass liquid in the storage device 9 does not deteriorate, a wall made of refractory material is arranged around the storage device 9, and a heating element is arranged to compensate for the heat loss of the glass liquid flowing in the storage device 9. The wall and the storage device 9 form a cavity, and air in the cavity naturally flows to compensate for the temperature difference inside the liquid level control system 10 and the converter system 11. At the same time, the wall provides the required structural support for the storage device 9 and the heating element, preventing the structure of the storage device 9 from deforming and failing. The wall can be made of one or more refractory materials such as lightweight insulating bricks, corundum bricks, and high-alumina bricks. The heating element can be a silicon-carbon rod, a silicon-molybdenum rod, or a resistance wire, which indirectly heats the storage device 9.

[0042] In another embodiment, a plurality of flange pieces are connected to the storage device 9 at appropriate positions to form electrode pieces, and the storage device 9 is heated by direct current.

[0043] The introduction of the liquid level control system 10 solves the problem of unstable production process and fluctuating product quality caused by the mismatch between the glass liquid flow and the flow of the front-end melting device during high-flow forming, making the melting device highly independent. The melting device includes a melting tank 1, a refining tank 2, and a stirring tank 3.

[0044] One end of the horizontal connecting pipe 101 of the inlet section of the liquid level control system 10 is connected to the stirring tank 3, and the other end is connected to the vertical pipe 102 of the middle section. A thin pipe 104 is arranged at the top of the vertical pipe 102, and a small hole is arranged at the top of the thin pipe 104 to realize the communication between the inside and outside of the vertical pipe 102, solve the problem of exhaust and flow pressure during the flow of the liquid level control system 10, and prevent the liquid level of the front-end stirring tank 3 from fluctuating greatly, affecting the quality of glass melting. The inlet of the inclined connecting pipe 103 at the rear end is connected to the outlet of the vertical pipe 102, and the outlet of the inclined connecting pipe 103 is connected to the inlet of the crucible 111 of the converter system 11. The height difference between the glass liquid surface in the stirring tank 3 and the glass liquid surface in the horizontal connecting pipe 101 forms the flow power of the glass liquid, so that the glass liquid flows from the inlet of the horizontal connecting pipe 101 into the liquid level control system 10. The glass liquid is affected by the liquid level pressure difference and flows through the horizontal connecting pipe 101, the vertical pipe 102, and the inclined connecting pipe 103 in turn, and then flows out of the liquid level control system 10 into the converter system 11.

[0045] The transverse connecting pipe 101 can be preferably a horizontal connecting pipe, an inclined connecting pipe or a curved connecting pipe according to the process requirements. The transverse connecting pipe 101 inlet position needs to ensure that it does not affect the flow field data of the glass liquid homogenization process in the stirring tank 3. Through experiments and calculations, the transverse connecting pipe 101 inlet position is preferably set at the region of 2 / 3 or less of the glass liquid level of the stirring tank, and the optimal position is set at the region of 1 / 3 or less of the glass liquid level of the stirring tank. The diameter of the transverse connecting pipe 101 can be calculated by the liquid flow resistance calculation formula according to the stirring tank liquid level height, the transverse connecting pipe length, the glass viscosity, the density and other parameters, and the radius of the transverse connecting pipe 101 is preferably not more than 0.3 times the radius of the stirring tank 3.

[0046] The vertical pipe 102 is used to control the glass liquid level change during the operation of the transfer device 9. The vertical pipe 102 inlet is connected with the end of the transverse connecting pipe 101. After the glass liquid enters the vertical pipe 102, it gradually fills the vertical pipe 102 from bottom to top under the action of liquid pressure difference, and then enters the inclined connecting pipe 103 at the rear end. A thin pipe 104 is arranged at the top of the vertical pipe 102, and the exhaust and liquid level test in the vertical pipe 102 are realized through the thin pipe 104. The outlet position of the thin pipe 104 at the top of the vertical pipe 102 is preferably higher than the liquid level height of the stirring tank 3, and the diameter of the thin pipe 104 is preferably not more than 0.5 times the radius of the vertical pipe 102. The height of the vertical pipe 102 is not more than the liquid level height of the stirring tank 3, and the diameter of the vertical pipe 102 is preferably not less than the diameter of the transverse connecting pipe 101, so as to effectively control the pipeline resistance loss along the way. In order to reduce the local resistance loss of the glass liquid when flowing through the liquid level control system 10 as much as possible, a curved pipe transition is preferably adopted between the vertical pipe 102 and the transverse connecting pipe 101, and the curved pipe radius is preferably 0.5 times or less the length of the vertical pipe 102.

[0047] The inclined connecting pipe 103 is part of the liquid level control system 10, and its main function is to quickly transfer the glass liquid to the bucket body 111 of the converter system 11. However, in order to prevent the glass liquid from rolling in bubbles during the transfer process and forming secondary bubbles, the horizontal inclination angle a of the inclined connecting pipe 103 should not be more than 60°, and the horizontal inclination angle a is preferably within 30°. In addition, in order to prevent the flow direction of the glass liquid from changing suddenly at the inlet and outlet positions of the inclined connecting pipe 103 and to reduce the pipeline resistance, the inlet and outlet of the inclined connecting pipe 103 are preferably in the horizontal direction. The middle segment region of the inclined connecting pipe 103 is usually made of a straight pipe to reduce the manufacturing difficulty, but this part can also be realized by a curved pipe transition to control the consistency of the glass liquid flow.

[0048] In order to solve the problem of the service life of the glass flow and liquid level control system 10, preferably, the horizontal connecting pipe 101, the vertical pipe 102 and the inclined connecting pipe 103 are all circular or elliptical pipes, preferably, a continuous or intermittent bellows structure is arranged on the horizontal connecting pipe 101, the vertical pipe 102 and the inclined connecting pipe 103 to solve the problem of pipe expansion or contraction caused by temperature change, preferably, the height of the bellows structure on the horizontal connecting pipe 101, the vertical pipe 102 and the inclined connecting pipe 103 is not more than 20 mm, more preferably, the height of the bellows structure on the horizontal connecting pipe 101, the vertical pipe 102 and the inclined connecting pipe 103 is not more than 10 mm. In order to ensure that the bellows structure expands or contracts uniformly along the length direction of the pipe during expansion or contraction, the bellows can be divided into 3-5 groups in the length direction, so as to achieve the design requirement of local expansion or contraction elimination, thereby prolonging the service life of the pipe.

[0049] The converter system 11 realizes continuous buffering of high-quality and high-uniformity glass liquid, and provides sufficient glass liquid for high-uniformity and large-specification glass forming. Furthermore, the problem of poor consistency of residence time of glass liquid caused by long-distance flow is improved, thereby improving the uniformity and consistency of high-temperature glass liquid.

[0050] The inlet of the converter system 11 is connected to the outlet of the inclined connecting pipe 103 at the rear end of the liquid level control system 10. The inlet of the converter system 11 can adopt three modes. In the first mode, the inlet of the converter system 11 is arranged on the side wall of the crucible 111, and the glass liquid enters the crucible 111 through the inlet of the converter system 11 from the liquid level control system 10, as shown in FIG. 1; Figure 5 In the second mode, the inlet of the converter system 11 is arranged at the intersection between the side wall of the crucible 111 and the bottom of the crucible 111, and the glass liquid enters the crucible 111 through the inlet of the converter system 11 from the liquid level control system 10, as shown in FIG. 2; Figure 6 In the third mode, the inlet of the converter system 11 is arranged at the bottom of the crucible 111, and the outlet of the inclined connecting pipe 103 of the liquid level control system 10 can be bent upward to be connected to the inlet of the converter system 11 according to the installation requirement, and the glass liquid enters the crucible 111 through the inlet of the converter system 11 from the liquid level control system 10, as shown in FIG. 3. The above three modes can realize that the glass liquid enters the converter system 11 through the liquid level control system 10, and the quality of the glass liquid does not deteriorate. Figure 7

[0051] The crucible 111 of the converter system 11 is used to buffer the glass liquid, and the outlet of the crucible 111 is connected to the discharge pipe 4. The outlet of the crucible 111 is arranged at the center or eccentric position of the bottom of the crucible 111. The stirrer 8 in the converter system 11 can further improve the uniformity of the glass liquid during the buffering process in the crucible 111, and make the glass in the crucible 111 flow and mix continuously, thereby avoiding the problem of strip caused by stratification.

[0052] ​The glass liquid flows into the crucible 111 from the inlet of the converter system 11 after passing through the liquid level control system 10, and continuously accumulates in the crucible 111, so that the liquid level of the glass liquid in the crucible 111 gradually rises. When the glass liquid in the crucible 111 accumulates to a certain volume, the discharge pipe 4 is heated to restore the flowability of the glass liquid in the discharge pipe 4. Then, the glass liquid in the crucible 111 flows out from the outlet of the converter system 11 under the action of the pressure difference between the distance between the outlet of the discharge pipe 4 and the liquid level line in the crucible 111, and then flows into the forming device 5 through the discharge pipe 4, and is shaped into a large block of glass with the required specifications.

[0053] The capacity of the crucible 111 of the converter system 11 can be designed according to the required glass volume of the largest shaped product specification, to ensure that the volume of the glass liquid that can be accommodated in the crucible 111 meets the needs of subsequent shaping of the large block of glass. In order to ensure the quality of each large block of glass shaped from the glass liquid flowing out of the converter system 11, it is necessary to ensure that the volume of the glass liquid in the crucible 111 before each block of glass is shaped is 1-3 times the sum of the volume of the glass liquid in the discharge pipe 4 and the volume of a single block of glass, preferably the volume of the glass liquid in the crucible 111 is greater than the sum of the volume of the glass liquid in the discharge pipe 4 and the volume of a single block of glass, and more preferably the volume of the glass liquid in the crucible 111 is not less than 1.5 times the sum of the volume of the glass liquid in the discharge pipe 4 and the volume of a single block of glass.

[0054] In order to ensure that the glass liquid in the crucible 111 is not affected by the flow of the glass liquid at the inlet of the converter system 11 during the shaping process, the inlet of the converter system 11 and the outlet of the crucible 111 are preferably arranged in a staggered manner in terms of height. On the other hand, the outlet of the crucible 111 can be designed to be located at the center bottom of the crucible 111, or at the farthest end of the bottom of the crucible 111 opposite the inlet of the converter system 11, or the outlet of the crucible 111 can be designed to be higher than the inlet of the converter system 11.

[0055] For special glasses that are prone to volatilization, crystallization and delamination, the converter system 11 further comprises a stirrer 8 for ensuring the uniformity of the glass liquid during the buffering process in the crucible 111. When the stirrer 8 is arranged in the converter system 11, it is preferably used in combination with the crucible 111 provided with a lower groove 112 at the center of the bottom of the crucible 111, so that the stirrer 8 is placed in the lower groove 112 at the center of the bottom of the crucible 111, as shown in Figure 8The recessed groove 112 is designed to reduce the material required for manufacturing the stirrer 8, improve the mechanical strength and service life of the stirrer 8, and improve the operation efficiency of the stirrer 8, thereby achieving the purpose of quickly homogenizing the glass liquid. The height of the recessed groove 112 in the crucible 111 is preferably not less than the height of the blade of the stirrer 8, so as to ensure proper mixing of the stirring rotation area, and the distance between the outer edge of the stirrer 8 and the inner wall of the crucible 111 is preferably within 50 mm, and most preferably within 30 mm, so as to ensure the mixing and homogenization efficiency of the glass liquid.

[0056] The addition of the stirrer 8 in the crucible 111 can further improve the problem of inconsistent residence time of the glass liquid caused by long-distance transfer, thereby improving the uniformity and consistency of the high-temperature glass liquid, and realizing efficient and stable production of large-size, high-uniformity, and high-quality glass blocks for the optical and photoelectric fields and special fields.

[0057] In order to facilitate the control of the glass liquid level in the crucible 111, a high-temperature observation device, a laser liquid level instrument, or other control means can be installed in the upper atmosphere space of the crucible 111 through a hole to accurately control the glass liquid level in the crucible 111.

[0058] The material for manufacturing the liquid level control system 10 and the converter system 11 in the transfer device 9 needs to be able to resist the corrosion of the glass liquid, reduce the pollution to the glass liquid, have good mechanical strength, and have small creep deformation in the high-temperature range, and therefore can be made of noble metals, preferably made of platinum and its strengthened materials, more preferably made of platinum-rhodium alloy or platinum-rhodium dispersion material which has excellent strength and stable high-temperature performance, and can also be made of platinum-gold alloy which has excellent strength and stable high-temperature performance.

[0059] When the liquid level control system 10 and the converter system 11 are made of platinum and its strengthened materials, the wall thickness of the inlet section transverse connecting pipe 101, the middle section vertical pipe 102, the rear end inclined connecting pipe 103, the crucible 111, and the discharge pipe 4 is preferably 0.5-2.5 mm, and more preferably 0.75-1.5 mm.

[0060] The device of the present application creatively connects the front continuous melting device with the rear intermittent converter system 11 in series, the front end melting device is a continuous production with fixed flow, and the converter system 11 loads the glass liquid to a sufficient volume and then discharges it with a flow rate very different from the front end, which usually greatly disturbs the continuous flow of the front end melting device. The present application creatively separates the subsequent discharge forming from the front continuous flow through the isolation of the liquid level control system 10, so that the subsequent discharge forming does not disturb the continuous flow of the front end melting device. Therefore, the transverse connecting pipe 101 is preferably a horizontal connecting pipe, so that the glass liquid remains horizontal flow to minimize the influence on the continuous flow of the front end melting device.

[0061] The present application provides a glass manufacturing method for a glass block with a diameter of 300 mm or more by using the above glass manufacturing device. The method comprises the following steps:

[0062] 1) The powder is added into the melting tank 1 through the feeding port 7, and a chemical reaction is generated in a high temperature environment to form a glass liquid. The glass liquid in the melting tank 1 flows into the refining tank 2 under the pressure difference generated by the liquid level, and the internal composition, bubbles, stones and the like are refined in the refining tank 2, so that the internal quality of the glass is improved. The refined glass liquid is then transferred into the stirring tank 3. Under the mechanical rotation of the stirrer 8 in the stirring tank 3, the internal uniformity of the glass is significantly improved, thereby realizing continuous melting production of high-quality and high-uniformity glass liquid;

[0063] 2) The glass liquid continuously melted is uninterruptedly transferred from the outlet of the stirring tank 3 into the liquid level control system 10, and then is transferred from the liquid level control system 10 into the bucket body 111 of the converter system 11 for buffering. The standpipe 102 in the liquid level control system 10 is used to control the liquid level of the stirring tank 3, so as to ensure that the overall liquid level line of the glass melting device does not fluctuate obviously, and effectively solves the problem of internal quality and uniformity fluctuation caused by the difference between the flow of the glass liquid in the converter system 11 in the forming process and the flow of the glass in the melting device;

[0064] 3) The glass liquid in the bucket body 111 is gradually gathered in the bucket body 111 under the influence of the pressure difference formed by the free liquid surface and the free flow. After the volume of the glass liquid gathered in the bucket body 111 reaches the required volume of the glass liquid, the temperature of the discharge pipe 4 of the converter system 11 is controlled, so that the glass liquid in the discharge pipe 4 changes from a static state to a flowing state, and the glass liquid flows out of the outlet of the bucket body 111 through the discharge pipe 4 and enters the forming device 5 at a certain flow rate. By appropriately controlling the temperature of the discharge pipe 4 when the glass liquid flows through the discharge pipe 4, the large flow and short time requirements of the glass block forming in the forming device 5 for forming large-size glass blocks can be realized;

[0065] 4) After the glass block is formed, the glass block is subjected to cooling treatment in the annealing furnace 6, and a glass block product with a diameter size of more than 300 mm can be produced;

[0066] 5) After the liquid level of the glass liquid in the bucket body 111 is reduced to a certain extent, the discharge pipe 4 is rapidly cooled, and the glass liquid in the discharge pipe 4 loses its flowability. At this time, the glass liquid in the liquid level control system 10 continues to enter the bucket body 111 through the inlet of the converter system 11, and the glass liquid in the bucket body 111 is replenished again. After the liquid level reaches the required level, the discharge pipe 4 is again melted, and the glass block is formed, which is cyclically repeated.

[0067] By using the above manufacturing method, the glass manufacturing device of the present application can realize continuous melting and intermittent forming of glass, thereby greatly improving the production efficiency and product quality of glass block products with a diameter size of more than 300 mm.

[0068] In the above manufacturing method, preferably, the forming flow rate of the glass liquid in the forming device 5 is 2-50 times of the flow rate of the glass liquid in the melting device; preferably, the forming flow rate of the glass liquid in the forming device 5 is 4-20 times of the flow rate of the glass liquid in the melting device; and most preferably, the forming flow rate is 6-12 times of the flow rate of the glass liquid in the melting device.

[0069] In the above manufacturing method, in order to further improve the production efficiency of the storage device 9 and the forming device 5, and to meet the forming requirements of products with a larger size, such as glass for the optoelectronic field and glass block products for special fields, a plurality of melting devices and liquid level control systems 10 can be connected to the same converter system 11, so as to reduce the time required for the converter system 11 to store the glass liquid and gather it to the required liquid level after each forming of the crucible 111. Preferably, one converter system 11 is connected to 1-3 melting devices and liquid level control systems 10.

[0070] In the above manufacturing method, in order to ensure that the flow state of the glass during forming is controllable and the flow rate meets the process requirements, preferably, the viscosity of the glass liquid in the converter system 11 is controlled in the range of 1-3000 poise, and more preferably, the viscosity of the glass liquid is controlled in the range of 10-1800 poise. By using the above viscosity of the glass liquid, the problems of flow control and small flow rate can be effectively solved, which is beneficial to the stable forming process.

[0071] The glass manufacturing device and the manufacturing method thereof of the present application are suitable for the production of glass blocks of general glass, glass containing volatile components, special glass with easy crystallization, microcrystalline glass, radiation-resistant glass, etc., and are particularly suitable for the production of glass blocks with a size of more than 300 mm, and especially suitable for the production of special glass blocks with a size of more than 600 mm.

Claims

1. A glass manufacturing apparatus, comprising, in sequence, a melting tank (1), a refining tank (2), a stirring tank (3), a forming device (5), and an annealing furnace (6), characterized in that, A transfer device (9) is also provided between the mixing tank (3) and the molding device (5). The transfer device (9) includes a liquid level control system (10) and a converter system (11). The inlet of the liquid level control system (10) is connected to the mixing tank (3), the inlet of the converter system (11) is connected to the outlet of the liquid level control system (10), and the outlet of the converter system (11) is connected to the molding device (5). The liquid level control system (10) includes a horizontal connecting pipe (101), a vertical pipe (102), and an inclined connecting pipe (103). The converter system (11) includes a crucible body (111) and a... The discharge pipe (4) has one end of the horizontal connecting pipe (101) connected to the stirring tank (3) and the other end of the horizontal connecting pipe (101) connected to the vertical pipe (102). The inlet of the inclined connecting pipe (103) is connected to the outlet of the vertical pipe (102), and the outlet of the inclined connecting pipe (103) is connected to the inlet of the crucible body (111) of the converter system (11). The outlet of the crucible body (111) is connected to the discharge pipe (4). The inlet of the horizontal connecting pipe (101) is located in the area of ​​2 / 3 times or less of the glass liquid level in the stirring tank. The height of the vertical pipe (102) does not exceed the liquid level height of the stirring tank (3).

2. The glass manufacturing apparatus as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that, The liquid level control system (10) controls the glass liquid level line to be stable, and the converter system (11) accumulates the glass liquid volume to meet the process requirements.

3. The glass manufacturing apparatus as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The inlet of the transverse connecting pipe (101) is located in the area of ​​1 / 3 or less of the glass liquid level in the stirring tank; the radius of the transverse connecting pipe (101) does not exceed 0.3 times the radius of the stirring tank (3).

4. The glass manufacturing apparatus as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that, A thin tube (104) is provided at the top of the vertical pipe (102), and a small hole is provided at the top of the thin tube (104); the outlet position of the thin tube (104) is higher than the liquid level of the stirring tank (3), and the diameter of the thin tube (104) is not greater than 0.5 times the radius of the vertical pipe (102); the diameter of the vertical pipe (102) is not less than the diameter of the horizontal connecting pipe (101); a bend is used for transition between the vertical pipe (102) and the horizontal connecting pipe (101), and the radius of the bend is less than 0.5 times the length of the vertical pipe (102).

5. The glass manufacturing apparatus as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that, The horizontal inclination angle α of the inclined connecting pipe (103) does not exceed 60°; the inlet and outlet of the inclined connecting pipe (103) are in the horizontal direction; the middle section of the inclined connecting pipe (103) adopts a straight pipe or a curved pipe.

6. The glass manufacturing apparatus as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that, The horizontal inclination angle α of the oblique connecting pipe (103) is within 30°.

7. The glass manufacturing apparatus as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that, The horizontal connecting pipe (101), vertical pipe (102) and oblique connecting pipe (103) adopt a continuous or intermittent corrugated pipe structure, and the height of the corrugated pipe structure peak or trough does not exceed 20mm; the corrugated pipe structure is divided into 3-5 groups in the length direction.

8. The glass manufacturing apparatus as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that, The horizontal connecting pipe (101), vertical pipe (102) and oblique connecting pipe (103) adopt a continuous or intermittent corrugated pipe structure, and the height of the corrugated pipe peak or trough does not exceed 10mm.

9. The glass manufacturing apparatus as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that, The inlet of the converter system (11) is located on the side wall of the crucible body (111); or the inlet of the converter system (11) is located at the junction of the side wall of the crucible body (111) and the bottom of the crucible body (111); or the inlet of the converter system (11) is located at the bottom of the crucible body (111), and the outlet of the inclined connecting pipe (103) adopts an upward bending structure to connect with the inlet of the converter system (11).

10. The glass manufacturing apparatus as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that, The inlet of the converter system (11) and the outlet of the crucible (111) are staggered in height; the outlet of the crucible (111) is located at the bottom of the furthest end of the crucible (111) opposite to the inlet of the converter system (11); the outlet of the crucible (111) is higher than the inlet of the converter system (11).

11. The glass manufacturing apparatus as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that, The converter system (11) is equipped with a stirrer (8); a lower groove (112) is provided at the center of the bottom of the crucible (111), and the stirrer (8) is placed in the lower groove (112); the height of the lower groove (112) is not less than the height of the stirrer (8) blade; the distance between the outer edge of the stirrer (8) and the inner wall of the crucible (111) is within 50mm.

12. The glass manufacturing apparatus as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that, The converter system (11) is equipped with a stirrer (8), and the distance between the outer edge of the stirrer (8) and the inner wall of the crucible body (111) is within 30 mm.

13. The glass manufacturing apparatus as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that, The liquid level control system (10) and the converter system (11) are made of platinum and its reinforcing materials. The wall thickness of the horizontal connecting pipe (101), vertical pipe (102), oblique connecting pipe (103), crucible body (111), and discharge pipe (4) is 0.5-2.5 mm.

14. The glass manufacturing apparatus as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that, The wall thickness of the horizontal connecting pipe (101), vertical pipe (102), oblique connecting pipe (103), crucible body (111), and discharge pipe (4) is 0.75-1.5mm.

15. The glass manufacturing apparatus as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that, The transfer device (9) is surrounded by a refractory wall and a heating element; or several flanges are connected to the transfer device (9) to form electrode plates.

16. The glass manufacturing apparatus as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that, One of the converter systems (11) is connected to 1-3 sets of smelting equipment and liquid level control system (10).

17. The glass manufacturing method of the glass manufacturing apparatus as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that, The method includes the following steps: 1) The powder is added to the melting pool (1) through the feeding port (7) and forms glass liquid under high temperature. The glass liquid flows into the refining pool (2) and is then transferred to the stirring pool (3) to improve the uniformity of the glass liquid under the action of the stirrer (8). 2) The glass melt enters the liquid level control system (10). The vertical pipe (102) in the liquid level control system (10) controls the liquid level of the stirring tank (3) to prevent significant fluctuations, thus solving the internal quality and uniformity problems caused by liquid level fluctuations. 3) The molten glass enters the crucible (111) of the converter system (11) and is buffered. After the volume of molten glass gathered in the crucible (111) reaches the required volume of molten glass in the process, the temperature of the discharge pipe (4) of the converter system (11) is controlled so that the molten glass in the discharge pipe (4) changes from a static state to a flowing state. The molten glass flows out from the outlet of the crucible (111) through the discharge pipe (4) and enters the forming device (5), so as to realize the high flow rate and short time required for forming large-size glass blocks in the forming device (5). 4) The formed glass block material is cooled in an annealing furnace (6).

18. The glass manufacturing method as described in claim 17, characterized in that, Step 4) is followed by step 5): After the liquid level of the glass in the crucible (111) drops to a certain level, the discharge pipe (4) is rapidly cooled to make the liquid glass in the discharge pipe (4) lose its fluidity. At the same time, the liquid glass in the liquid level control system (10) continues to enter the crucible (111) through the inlet of the converter system (11) to replenish the liquid glass in the crucible (111). After the liquid level reaches the process requirements, the temperature of the discharge pipe (4) is controlled to form glass blocks, and the cycle is repeated.

19. The glass manufacturing method as described in claim 17, characterized in that, In step 3), when the molten glass is formed in the forming device (5), the molten glass forming flow rate is 2-50 times that of the molten glass in the melting device.

20. The glass manufacturing method as described in claim 17, characterized in that, In step 3), when the molten glass is formed in the forming device (5), the molten glass forming flow rate is 4-20 times that of the molten glass flow rate in the melting device.

21. The glass manufacturing method as described in claim 17, characterized in that, In step 3), when the molten glass is formed in the forming device (5), the molten glass forming flow rate is 6-12 times that of the molten glass flow rate in the melting device.

22. The glass manufacturing method as described in claim 17, characterized in that, In step 3), the viscosity of the molten glass in the converter system (11) is controlled within the range of 1-3000 poise.

23. The glass manufacturing method as described in claim 17, characterized in that, The viscosity control range of the molten glass in the converter system (11) in step 3) is 10-1800 poise.

24. The glass manufacturing method as described in claim 17, characterized in that, Step 3) The required volume of molten glass to meet the process requirements is that the volume of molten glass in the crucible (111) is 1-3 times the sum of the volume of molten glass in the discharge pipe (4) and the volume of a single piece of glass.

25. The glass manufacturing method as described in claim 17, characterized in that, Step 3) The required glass liquid volume is such that the glass liquid volume in the crucible (111) is greater than the sum of the glass liquid volume in the discharge pipe (4) and the volume of a single glass block.

26. The glass manufacturing method as described in claim 17, characterized in that, Step 3) The required glass melt volume is such that the glass melt volume in the crucible (111) is not less than 1.5 times the sum of the glass melt volume in the discharge pipe (4) and the volume of a single glass block.

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