Glass manufacturing apparatus

Abstract

A glass manufacturing apparatus includes a conduit configured to convey molten glass therethrough. The conduit includes outwardly extending convex corrugations, each outwardly extending convex corrugation having a height and a width, and wherein the width of each outwardly extending convex corrugation is greater than 1.5 times the height of the outwardly extending convex corrugation, but less than 3 times the height of the outwardly extending convex corrugation.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a glass manufacturing apparatus for forming a glass ribbon, and more particularly, to a conduit including a plurality of convex corrugations and configured to convey molten glass between vessels of the manufacturing apparatus. Background Art

[0002] Known glass products are manufactured by the following operations: heating a batch in a furnace and conveying molten glass between one or more molten glass adjustment containers, and delivering the molten glass to a forming body to form a glass product. Typically, such adjustment containers and the conduits extending therebetween are formed of platinum or a platinum alloy. Platinum or a platinum alloy has a higher melting temperature, making it an ideal choice for conveying high-temperature molten glass. In addition, platinum is corrosion-resistant, thereby providing the ability of platinum or platinum alloy containers and conduits to withstand the corrosive properties of molten glass. Unfortunately, platinum and other platinum group metals are expensive, making the construction cost of glass manufacturing equipment high. Therefore, the walls of such conduits are formed as thin as possible to reduce costs, and therefore various strengthening measures must be combined to prevent the conduits from collapsing during temperature excursions or long-term operation at glass melting temperatures. One such measure is to set the conduit in a refractory material, such as a castable refractory material applied to the outside of the conduit as a slurry, which is then solidified to form a hard bed supporting the conduit. However, the solidified refractory may have an expansion coefficient different from the expansion coefficient of the metal of the conduit. Therefore, relative movement may occur between the conduit and the refractory material in which the conduit is set. Features intentionally formed in the catheter wall to provide strength may impede this relative motion, thereby causing strain in the catheter wall. Additionally, the process of forming the features may thin the portion of the catheter wall at the feature, thereby creating areas of increased resistance. If the catheter is heated by passing an electric current through it, these areas of increased resistance may create hot spots that may damage the catheter. Utility Model Content

[0003] In order to strengthen the thin-walled metal conduit constructed to transport molten glass, the conduit wall may be provided with corrugations. Such corrugations may be concave corrugations extending inwardly. However, although such concave corrugations extending inwardly may strengthen the wall of the conduit, it has been found that as the metal at the corrugation is stretched during the formation process, their formation significantly thins the wall at the position of the corrugation. Therefore, the stretching may form an area of ​​increased resistance. In addition, the conduit is usually arranged in a bracket of a refractory material, which includes a castable refractory material applied as a slurry and then solidified in situ. The depression formed by the concave corrugations extending inwardly is filled with the slurry before solidification, and after solidification, the castable refractory material locks the conduit in situ. Typically, the thermal expansion coefficient of the metal conduit is greater than the thermal expansion coefficient of the castable refractory material. Therefore, during thermal excursions, such as during system heating, as the thin-walled metal conduit attempts to expand longitudinally in the solidified castable refractory material, the thin-walled metal conduit may be subject to considerable strain. This strain may result in damage to the catheter, which may extend to pinhole formation, cracks or complete rupture of the catheter. In order to mitigate such damaging effects, the catheter described herein has an outer convex corrugation. It has been found that such inwardly extending convex corrugations produce less catheter wall thinning at the corrugation location and produce less strain in the catheter wall.

[0004] In a first aspect, a glass manufacturing apparatus is described, comprising: a conduit configured to convey molten glass, the conduit comprising a conduit wall extending between a first end of the conduit and a second end of the conduit opposite the first end, the conduit wall defining a passage through the conduit between the first end and the second end; and a plurality of convex corrugations formed in the conduit wall, and wherein at least some of the plurality of convex corrugations have a maximum width greater than 1.5 times the height of the at least some of the convex corrugations but less than 3 times the height of the at least some of the outwardly extending convex corrugations. The conduit may include a maximum diameter defined between opposite peaks of the convex corrugations and a minimum diameter defining a nominal diameter of the conduit.

[0005] In a second aspect, the catheter according to the first aspect may comprise platinum.

[0006] In a third aspect, the catheter according to the first aspect and / or the second aspect may comprise rhodium.

[0007] In a fourth aspect, the conduit according to any one of the first to third aspects may include a clarification vessel.

[0008] In a fifth aspect, the conduit according to any one of the first to fourth aspects may comprise a cylinder having a uniform diameter equal to the minimum diameter, in which the length between adjacent convex corrugations in the plurality of convex corrugations is included.

[0009] In a sixth aspect, the conduit according to any one of the first to sixth aspects may be disposed in a castable refractory material.

[0010] In a seventh aspect, the plurality of outer convex corrugations according to any one of the first to sixth aspects are periodically spaced apart.

[0011] In an eighth aspect, the plurality of convex corrugations according to any one of the first to seventh aspects may include a first plurality of convex corrugations having a first period P1 and a second plurality of corrugations having a second period P2 different from P1.

[0012] In a ninth aspect, the plurality of convex corrugations according to the first aspect may include a first plurality of convex corrugations having a first period P1 and a second plurality of convex corrugations having the first period P1, and wherein the first plurality of convex corrugations and the second plurality of convex corrugations are separated by a distance P3 greater than P1.

[0013] In a tenth aspect, the distance greater than P1 according to the ninth aspect may not contain ripples.

[0014] The above summary and the following detailed description of the embodiments are intended to provide an overview or framework for understanding the nature and features of the embodiments disclosed herein. The accompanying drawings are included to provide further understanding and are incorporated into and constitute a part of this specification. The accompanying drawings illustrate various embodiments of the present disclosure and together with this specification explain the principles and operation of the present disclosure. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0015] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of an exemplary glass manufacturing apparatus;

[0016] Figure 2 is a side cross-sectional view of an exemplary catheter including inwardly extending concave corrugations;

[0017] Figure 3 is a side cross-sectional view of another exemplary catheter including outwardly extending convex corrugations;

[0018] Figure 4 yes Figure 3 a side cross-sectional view of a single outwardly extending convex corrugation of a conduit of; and

[0019] Figure 5is a side sectional view of another exemplary catheter, comprising a first plurality of outwardly extending corrugations having a first period P1, a second plurality of outwardly extending convex corrugations having a second period P2, and wherein the first plurality of outwardly extending convex corrugations are separated from the second plurality of outwardly extending convex corrugations by a distance P3 greater than P1 or P2. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0020] Reference will now be made in detail to embodiments of the present disclosure, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. Wherever possible, the same reference numerals will be used to represent the same or similar parts in all drawings. However, the present disclosure may be implemented in many different forms and should not be considered to be limited to the embodiments described herein.

[0021] As used herein, the term "about" means that quantities, sizes, formulations, parameters and other quantities and characteristics are not and need not be exact, but may be approximate and / or larger or smaller as necessary to reflect tolerances, conversion factors, rounding, measurement errors, etc. and other factors known to those skilled in the art.

[0022] Ranges may be expressed herein as from "about" one particular value and / or to "about" another particular value. When such a range is expressed, another embodiment includes from the one particular value to the other particular value. Similarly, when a value is expressed as an approximation by using the antecedent "about," it is understood that the particular value forms another embodiment. It is also understood that each of the end values ​​in a range is meaningful relative to the other end value and independently of the other end value.

[0023] Directional terms used herein—eg, up, down, right, left, front, back, top, bottom—are made with reference only to the drawings in which they are drawn and are not intended to imply an absolute orientation.

[0024] Unless otherwise expressly stated, no particular order or orientation of components of the device is intended to be inferred in any respect. This applies to any possible non-representative basis for interpretation, including: logical matters regarding arrangement of component order or component orientation; clear meaning derived from grammatical organization or punctuation; and the number or type of embodiments described in this specification.

[0025] As used herein, the singular forms "a", "an", and "the" include plural referents unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. Thus, for example, reference to "a component" includes aspects having two or more such components unless the context clearly dictates otherwise.

[0026] The words "exemplary," "example," or various forms thereof, are used herein to mean serving as an example, instance, or illustration. Any aspect or design described herein as "exemplary" or described as an "example" is not necessarily to be construed as being preferred or advantageous over other aspects or designs. In addition, examples are provided only for the purpose of clarity and understanding and are not intended to limit or restrict the disclosed subject matter or related portions of the present disclosure in any way. It is understood that additional or alternative examples of various different scopes may be proposed, but are omitted for the purpose of brevity.

[0027] As used herein, the terms "include" and "comprising" and their variations should be interpreted as synonymous and open-ended unless otherwise indicated. A list of elements following the transitional phrase "include" or "comprising" is a non-exclusive list such that elements other than those specifically listed in the list may also be present.

[0028] As used herein, the terms "substantially," "substantially," and variations thereof are intended to indicate that the feature being described is equal to or approximately equal to a certain value or description. For example, a "substantially planar" surface is intended to mean a planar or approximately planar surface. Additionally, "substantially" is intended to mean that two values ​​are equal or approximately equal. In some embodiments, "substantially" may mean that values ​​are within about 10% of each other, such as within about 5% of each other, or within about 2% of each other.

[0029] Figure 1 1 is an exemplary glass manufacturing apparatus 10. The glass manufacturing apparatus 10 may include a glass melting furnace 12, which includes a melting vessel 14. In addition to the melting vessel 14, the glass melting furnace 12 may also optionally include one or more additional components, such as heating elements (e.g., combustion torches and / or electrodes) configured to heat raw materials and convert the raw materials into molten material (hereinafter, molten glass). For example, the melting vessel 14 may be an electrically assisted melting vessel, wherein energy is added to the raw materials both by combustion torches and by direct heating, wherein an electric current passes through the raw materials, the electric current thus adding energy to the raw materials by Joule heating.

[0030] In other embodiments, the glass melting furnace 12 may include other thermal management devices (e.g., insulation components) that reduce heat loss from the melting vessel. The glass melting furnace 12 may also include electronic devices and / or electromechanical devices that facilitate melting the raw materials into a glass melt. The glass melting furnace 12 may include support structures (e.g., support chassis, support members, etc.) or other components.

[0031] The melting vessel 14 may be formed from a refractory material, such as a refractory ceramic material, for example, a refractory ceramic material comprising alumina or zirconia, although the refractory ceramic material may comprise other refractory materials, such as yttrium (e.g., yttria, yttria-stabilized zirconia, yttrium phosphate), zircon (ZrSiO4), or alumina-zirconia-silica or even chromia, which may be used alternatively or in any combination. In some examples, the melting vessel 14 may be constructed from refractory ceramic bricks.

[0032] In various embodiments, the glass melting furnace 12 can be incorporated as a component of a glass manufacturing apparatus configured to manufacture glass products (e.g., glass ribbons), although the glass manufacturing apparatus can be configured to form other glass products without limitation, such as glass rods, glass tubes, glass envelopes (e.g., glass envelopes for lighting devices (e.g., light bulbs)), and glass lenses. Many other glass products are contemplated. In some examples, the furnace can be included in a glass manufacturing apparatus that includes a float bath apparatus, a down-draw apparatus (e.g., a fusion down-draw apparatus or a slot pull apparatus), an up-draw apparatus, a pressing apparatus, a rolling apparatus, a tube drawing apparatus, or any other glass manufacturing apparatus that would benefit from the present disclosure. As an example, Figure 1 A glass melting furnace 12 is schematically shown as part of a fusion down-draw glass manufacturing apparatus 10 for fusion drawing a glass ribbon for subsequent processing into individual glass sheets or rolling the glass ribbon onto reels.

[0033] The glassmaking facility 10 may optionally include upstream glassmaking equipment 16 positioned upstream of the melting vessel 14. In some examples, a portion or the entirety of the upstream glassmaking equipment 16 may be incorporated as part of the glass melting furnace 12.

[0034] like Figure 1, the upstream glass manufacturing equipment 16 may include a raw material storage bin 18, a raw material delivery device 20, and a motor 22 connected to the raw material delivery device 20. The raw material storage bin 18 may be configured to store a certain amount of raw material 24, which can be fed into the melting vessel 14 of the glass melting furnace 12 through one or more feed ports, as indicated by arrows 26. The raw material 24 generally contains one or more glass-forming metal oxides and one or more modifiers. In some examples, the raw material delivery device 20 may be powered by the motor 22 to deliver a predetermined amount of raw material 24 from the raw material storage bin 18 to the melting vessel 14. In other examples, the motor 22 may power the raw material delivery device 20 to introduce the raw material 24 at a controlled rate based on the liquid level of the molten glass sensed from the downstream of the melting vessel 14 relative to the flow direction of the molten glass. The raw material 24 in the melting vessel 14 may then be heated to form a molten glass 28. Typically, in the initial melting step, the raw materials are added to the melting vessel as particles (e.g., as various "sands" and / or powders). The raw material 24 may also include waste glass (e.g., cullet) from previous melting and / or forming operations. A flamethrower is typically used to initiate the melting process. In an electrically assisted melting process, once the resistance of the raw material is sufficiently reduced, electrical assist may be initiated by creating an electrical potential between electrodes positioned in contact with the raw material, thereby establishing an electrical current through the raw material, which is typically entering or in a molten state.

[0035] The glassmaking apparatus 10 may also include a downstream glassmaking apparatus 30 positioned downstream of the glass melting furnace 12 relative to the flow direction of the molten glass 28. In some examples, a portion of the downstream glassmaking apparatus 30 may be incorporated as a portion of the glass melting furnace 12. For example, in some cases, the first connecting conduit 32 discussed below or other portions of the downstream glassmaking apparatus 30 may be incorporated as a portion of the glass melting furnace 12.

[0036] The downstream glass manufacturing equipment 30 may include a first adjustment (i.e., processing) chamber, such as a clarification vessel 34, which is located downstream of the melting vessel 14 and is connected to the melting vessel 14 through the above-mentioned first connecting conduit 32. The molten glass 28 can be gravity-fed from the melting vessel 14 to the clarification vessel 34 through the internal path of the first connecting conduit 32. Therefore, the first connecting conduit 32 provides a flow path for the molten glass 28 from the melting vessel 14 to the clarification vessel 34. However, other adjustment chambers may be positioned downstream of the melting vessel 14, such as between the melting vessel 14 and the clarification vessel 34. In some embodiments, an adjustment chamber may be used between the melting vessel and the clarification chamber. For example, although not shown, the molten glass from the primary melting vessel may be further heated in a secondary melting (adjustment) vessel positioned between the melting vessel 14 and the clarification vessel 34, or cooled in the secondary melting vessel to a temperature that is lower than the temperature of the molten glass in the primary melting vessel before entering the clarification vessel.

[0037] Bubbles can be removed from the molten glass 28 by various techniques. For example, the raw material 24 may include a multivalent compound (i.e., a fining agent), such as tin oxide that undergoes a chemical reduction reaction and releases oxygen when heated. Other suitable fining agents may include, but are not limited to, arsenic, antimony, iron, cerium, and various sulfates, although the use of arsenic and antimony may be discouraged in some applications for environmental reasons. The fining vessel 34 may be heated to a temperature greater than, for example, the temperature of the melting vessel, thereby further heating the fining agent. By further heating, oxygen generated by the temperature-induced chemical reduction of one or more fining agents contained in the molten glass diffuses into the bubbles generated during the melting process. The enlarged bubbles with increased buoyancy may then rise to the free surface of the molten glass in the fining vessel, and thereafter be discharged from the fining vessel.

[0038] Downstream glass manufacturing equipment 30 may also include another adjustment container, such as mixing device 36, such as a stirring container, for mixing the molten glass flowing downstream from the clarification container 34. The mixing device 36 can be used to provide a uniform glass melt composition, thereby reducing the chemical or thermal inhomogeneity that may originally exist in the molten glass leaving the clarification chamber. As shown, the clarification container 34 can be connected to the mixing device 36 by a second connecting conduit 38. In some embodiments, the molten glass 28 can be fed to the mixing device 36 by gravity from the clarification container 34 through the internal path of the second connecting conduit 38. The molten glass in the mixing device 36 may include a free surface, wherein the free volume extends between the free surface and the top of the mixing device. As used herein, the free volume is a gas volume, usually free of liquid material. Similarly, the free surface refers to the surface of the molten glass in a container or conduit, and represents the interface between a liquid (e.g., molten glass) and the gas atmosphere above the molten glass. Although the mixing device 36 is shown as being located downstream of the clarification container 34 relative to the flow direction of the molten glass, in other embodiments, the mixing device 36 may be positioned upstream of the clarification container 34. In some embodiments, the downstream glass manufacturing equipment 30 may include multiple mixing devices, such as a mixing device upstream of the fining vessel 34 and a mixing device downstream of the fining vessel 34. These mixing devices may have the same design, or they may have designs that are different from each other. For example, one or more vessels and / or conduits may include static mixing blades positioned therein to facilitate mixing and subsequent homogenization of the molten material.

[0039] Downstream glass manufacturing equipment 30 may also include another adjustment chamber, such as a delivery container 40 located downstream of mixing device 36. Delivery container 40 can adjust the molten glass 28 to be fed into the downstream forming device. For example, delivery container 40 can act as an accumulator and / or flow controller to regulate the consistent flow of molten glass 28 and provide it to forming body 42 through outlet conduit 44. In some embodiments, the molten glass in delivery container 40 may include a free surface, wherein the free volume extends upward from the free surface to the top of the delivery container. As shown, mixing device 36 can be connected to delivery container 40 by a third connecting conduit 46. In some examples, molten glass 28 can be fed to delivery container 40 from mixing device 36 gravity through the internal path of the third connecting conduit 46.

[0040] The downstream glass manufacturing apparatus 30 may also include a forming apparatus 48 that includes the above-described forming body 42 having an inlet conduit 50. The outlet conduit 44 may be positioned to deliver the molten glass 28 from the delivery vessel 40 to the inlet conduit 50 of the forming apparatus 48.

[0041] Components of the downstream glass manufacturing equipment 30, including any one or more of the connecting conduits 32, 38, 46, the clarification vessel 34, the mixing device 36, the delivery vessel 40, the outlet conduit 44 or the inlet conduit 50, which may be formed of precious metals. Suitable precious metals include platinum group metals selected from the group consisting of platinum, iridium, rhodium, osmium, ruthenium and palladium or their alloys. For example, the downstream components of the glass manufacturing equipment may be formed of a platinum-rhodium alloy, the platinum-rhodium alloy containing about 70% to about 90% platinum by weight and about 10% to about 30% rhodium by weight. In some embodiments, such components may be formed of greater than about 90% platinum by weight, such as greater than 92% platinum by weight, greater than 94% platinum by weight, greater than 96% platinum by weight, greater than 98% platinum, and even up to 100% platinum by weight. However, other suitable metals for forming downstream components of the glass manufacturing equipment may include molybdenum, rhenium, tantalum, titanium, tungsten and alloys thereof.

[0042] The forming body 42 in the fusion down-draw glass manufacturing apparatus may include a trough 52 positioned in the upper surface of the forming body and a converging forming surface 54 (only one surface is shown), which converges in the drawing direction along the bottom edge (root) 56 of the forming body. The molten glass delivered to the forming body trough 52 by the delivery container 40, the outlet conduit 44 and the inlet conduit 50 overflows the wall of the trough 52 and descends along the converging forming surface 54 as separate streams of molten glass. The separate streams of molten glass converge along the root 56 and below the root to produce a single ribbon 58 of molten glass, which is drawn from the root 56 along the drawing plane in the drawing direction 60 by the following operations: applying downward tension to the glass ribbon, such as by gravity and / or a pull roller assembly (not shown), to control the size of the glass ribbon as the molten glass cools and the viscosity of the molten glass increases. Therefore, the glass ribbon 58 undergoes a viscoelastic transition to an elastic state and acquires mechanical properties that give the glass ribbon 58 stable dimensional characteristics. The glass ribbon 58 includes a first outer edge 62a and a second outer edge 62b opposite the first outer edge 62a, the first outer edge and the second outer edge extending longitudinally along the glass ribbon 58. The glass ribbon 58 may also include a first thickened edge portion 64a and a second thickened edge portion 64b (hereinafter, first flange 64a and second flange 64b, respectively), the flanges 64a, 64b extending inwardly from the respective first outer edge 62a and second outer edge 62b. The glass ribbon 58 includes a width W defined between the first outer edge 62a and the second outer edge 62b. The thickness of the first flange 64a and the second flange 64b may be greater than the thickness of the glass ribbon along the longitudinal centerline of the glass ribbon. The glass ribbon extending between the first flange 64a and the second flange 64b may be referred to as a "quality" region 66 of the glass ribbon. The quality region 66 exhibits a substantially uniform thickness and a pristine or substantially pristine surface, and is the most commercially valuable portion of the ribbon because the flanges are typically removed and scrapped or used as cullet. In some embodiments, the glass ribbon 58 may be separated into individual glass sheets 68 by a glass separation apparatus 100 , although in other embodiments, the glass ribbon 58 may be wound onto a reel and stored for further processing.

[0043] The conduit for conveying molten glass through the glass manufacturing equipment, such as any one or more of the connecting conduits 32, 38, 46, clarification container 34, mixing device 36, delivery container 40, outlet conduit 44 or inlet conduit 50, may be very thin-walled because it is formed by precious metals. Therefore, although such precious metals such as platinum or its alloys can be resistant to high temperatures and corrosion, they are also very expensive and therefore made very thin. Therefore, efforts are made to maximize the strength of the conduit. For example, the conduit may include a plurality of corrugations formed in the conduit along the length of the conduit. These corrugations can be formed, for example, by rolling the material (such as metal sheet) for forming the conduit, so that the corrugations are stamped into the metal using a wheel of appropriate size and shape. The metal is stretched and twisted due to the formation of the corrugations, which may cause the metal to thin at certain points in the corrugations (for example, at the shoulder of the corrugations). Studies have shown that corrugation formation can reduce the thickness of the corrugated shoulder by up to 10.5%. In addition, corrugation formation may cause excessive strain in the metal.

[0044] In many cases, the conduit can be heated by direct electrical heating, wherein an electric current is passed through the conduit, heating the conduit based on the electrical resistance of the conduit (e.g., Joule heating). Thus, the heat generated at a particular location in the conduit wall is positively correlated with the electrical resistance at that point, which varies at least with the thickness of the material at that point. The thinner the material, the greater the electrical resistance, and the greater the electrical resistance, the greater the current, and therefore the greater the heat. In other words, thinned material at corrugated locations (e.g., at the shoulders of the corrugations) can cause the temperature at these locations to increase relative to the temperature at other locations in the conduit wall, and result in corrosion caused by the greater temperature of the conduit wall. Since the temperatures reached by the clarification vessel can be much higher than the temperatures of other platinum components in the downstream glassmaking equipment, the clarification vessel is particularly susceptible to the above-described degradation.

[0045] As an example, Figure 2100 is a side cross-sectional view of an exemplary conduit assembly 100, the exemplary conduit assembly comprising a conduit 102, the conduit having a first end 104, a second end 106 opposite to the first end 104 and a length L extending between the first end 104 and the second end 106 along a longitudinal axis 108. Although the conduit 102 is shown as a straight (linear) conduit, the conduit 102 does not need to be linear, but may include a combination of an arc or a linear portion and a curved portion. The conduit 102 includes a channel 110 defined by a conduit wall 112 and extending through the conduit between the first end 104 and the second end 106, the channel being configured to convey molten glass therethrough. The conduit wall 110 includes a plurality of concave corrugations 112 extending inwardly toward a longitudinal centerline 114 of the conduit 102. The conduit 102 includes a minimum diameter Dmin defined between the inwardly extending peaks of the corrugations and a maximum diameter Dmax representing the nominal diameter of the conduit. Therefore, Dmin is less than Dmax. As described herein, concave and convex shapes are defined relative to a view of the catheter from outside the catheter.

[0046] Because the metal (e.g., platinum or a platinum alloy) of the conduit (e.g., fining vessel) is very thin, on the order of less than about 1 mm, the conduit 102 can be supported by several layers of ceramic refractory material. For example, in various embodiments, the conduit 102 can be supported by at least a first layer 116 of refractory material, and in further embodiments, can be supported by a second layer 118 of refractory material, wherein the second layer 118 of refractory material can be initially formed as a slurry poured between the first refractory layer 116 and the conduit 102. As used hereinafter, the second refractory layer 118 will be referred to as a "castable refractory material" because the second refractory material is "cast" between the first refractory layer 116 and the conduit 102.

[0047] When glass manufacturing equipment 10 starts initial startup, before molten glass is introduced from melting vessel 14, various parts of metal parts of downstream glass manufacturing equipment are heated. Therefore, metal parts expand. In some cases, the metal of conduit 102 can expand at a rate different from the rate of refractory material (for example, castable material 118 embedded therein). In the embodiment where the corrugation is concave and extends inward, the castable refractory material invades the valley of the corrugation, thereby conforming to the shape of the corrugation and in close contact with it. Therefore, the corrugation is locked into the castable refractory material of solidification, and the relative motion between the castable refractory material and the conduit is hindered. Along with metal expansion, usually expand at a rate and degree greater than the rate and degree of castable material, causing strain in the conduit wall. This strain may cause damage to the conduit, such as cracks, pinholes, etc. In some cases, this damage may cause conduit failure. For example, the conduit may split (for example, fracture) and must be replaced with considerable expense and downtime thereafter.

[0048] To relieve the strain caused by the depressions (i.e., concave corrugations) in the castable refractory fill conduit, Figures 3 to 5 Another catheter assembly 200 is disclosed and shown in the drawings. The catheter assembly 200 includes a catheter 202, the catheter including a first end 204, a second end 206 opposite to the first end 204, and a length L2 extending between the first end 204 and the second end 206 along a longitudinal centerline 208. The catheter 202 includes a catheter wall 210, the catheter wall having an inner surface 212 and an outer surface 214 and a thickness T therebetween. Although the catheter 202 is shown as a straight (linear) catheter, the catheter 202 does not need to be linear, but may include an arc or a combination of a linear portion and a curved portion in some embodiments. The catheter 202 includes a channel 216 extending through it between the first end 204 and the second end 206 and defined by the catheter wall 210. The catheter wall 210 is formed to include a plurality of corrugations 218 extending outwardly, so that the catheter 202 includes a maximum diameter Dmax2 defined between the peaks of the outer convex corrugations and a minimum diameter Dmin2 representing the nominal diameter of the catheter (not the diameter obtained at the corrugation). Each corrugation 218 is a convex corrugation that extends outwardly away from the longitudinal centerline 208 of the conduit 202 (i.e., extends outwardly away from the nominal diameter Dmin2). Figure 3 , each corrugation 218 includes a width W2 greater than about 1.5 times the corrugation height H2 but less than about 3 times the corrugation height H2 to maintain the rigidity of the conduit. For example, in some embodiments, the corrugation height H2 may be in the range of about 2.5 mm to about 5 mm. The height H2 is measured from the outer surface 214 of the conduit 202 at the nominal diameter to the outer surface of the peak of the corrugation. For the conduits described herein having outwardly extending convex corrugations, it has been demonstrated that the conduits relative to the movement of the castable refractory material (such as due to the greater thermal expansion of the conduits relative to the castable refractory material during temperature excursions) produce strains that are about 50% less than the strains produced in the conduits having inwardly extending concave corrugations, the concave corrugations having a smaller width than the conduit 202 (i.e., less than 1.5 times the depth of the corrugations) and a corrugation depth comparable to the corrugation height of the conduit 202. Similarly, the metal thinning of conduit 202 may also be reduced by up to about 50% compared to conduit 102, thereby reducing the risk of current hot spots in the conduit (during Joule heating of the conduit) damaging the conduit.

[0049] Similar to the conduit 102, the conduit 202 may be supported by at least a first layer 220 of refractory material, and in further embodiments, may be supported by a second layer 222 of refractory material, wherein like the conduit assembly 100, the second layer 222 of refractory material may be initially formed as a slurry poured between the first refractory layer 116 and the conduit 102. As used hereinafter, the second refractory layer 222 will be referred to as a "castable refractory material" because the second refractory material is "cast" between the first refractory layer 220 and the conduit 202.

[0050] In various embodiments, and with reference to Figure 5 , the conduit 202 may include a first plurality of corrugations 218a having a first period P1 and a second plurality of corrugations 218b having a second period P2, wherein the periods P1, P2 may be determined based on the center of the peak of the first corrugation 218 to the center of the peak of the immediately adjacent second corrugation 218. The first plurality of corrugations 218a may be separated from the second plurality of corrugations 218b by a distance (a third period P3), wherein P3 may be greater than either the first period P1 or the second period P2. The separation between the first plurality of corrugations and the second plurality of corrugations may represent the nominal diameter of the conduit 202. The period P3 is determined between the nominal diameter region 224 (e.g., reference 224) immediately adjacent to the conduit. Figure 5 ) between the peak of a first corrugation and the peak of a second corrugation immediately adjacent to the nominal diameter region 224 of the conduit, the second corrugation being located on the side of the nominal diameter region opposite the first corrugation. In various embodiments, P1 may be equal to P2. In various embodiments, the conduit 202 may include a plurality of first plurality of corrugations 218a and / or a plurality of second plurality of corrugations 218b, the respective plurality of corrugations 218a, 218b being separated by P3.

[0051] It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and changes may be made to the various embodiments of the present disclosure without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure. Therefore, it is intended that the present disclosure covers such modifications and changes as long as they fall within the scope of the appended claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. A glass manufacturing device, characterized in that: include: a conduit configured to convey molten glass, the conduit comprising a conduit wall extending between a first end of the conduit and a second end of the conduit opposite the first end, the conduit wall defining a passage through the conduit between the first end and the second end; as well as A plurality of outwardly extending convex corrugations are formed in the conduit wall, and wherein the maximum width of at least some of the plurality of outwardly extending convex corrugations is greater than 1.5 times the height of the at least some of the outwardly extending convex corrugations, but less than 3 times the height of the at least some of the outwardly extending convex corrugations.

2. The glass manufacturing facility of claim 1, wherein the glass manufacturing facility further comprises a fining vessel.

3. The glass manufacturing apparatus of claim 1, wherein the conduit is disposed in a castable refractory material.

4. The glass manufacturing apparatus of claim 1, wherein the plurality of outwardly extending convex corrugations are periodically spaced apart.

5. The glass manufacturing apparatus of claim 1, wherein the plurality of outwardly extending convex corrugations comprises a first plurality of outwardly extending convex corrugations having a first period P1 and a second plurality of outwardly extending corrugations having a second period P2 different from P1.

6. The glass manufacturing apparatus of claim 1, wherein the plurality of outwardly extending convex corrugations include a first plurality of outwardly extending convex corrugations having a first period P1 and a second plurality of outwardly extending convex corrugations having the first period P1, and wherein the first plurality of outwardly extending convex corrugations and the second plurality of outwardly extending convex corrugations are separated by a distance greater than P1.

7. The glass manufacturing apparatus of claim 6, wherein the distance greater than P1 does not contain corrugations.

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