glass furnace

Abstract

The present invention relates to a glass furnace (1) comprising a tank (10) surmounted by a side wall (20) and closed at the top by a vault (30), said vault being supported by an external structure (2), characterized in that the vault is composed of a plurality of unitary elements (31), each unitary element being fixed directly to the external structure.

Description

Title of the invention: glass furnace

[0001] The invention relates to a glass furnace. Previous art

[0002] The invention relates to a device for melting a vitrifiable material, in particular used in the production of flat glass, hollow glass or insulation fibers, hereinafter referred to as a glass furnace.

[0003] Such a furnace consists of a tank surmounted by a superstructure. The tank is where the raw material is melted. The superstructure is a structure placed on top of the tank to form an enclosed space. This superstructure thus comprises a side wall and a vault closing the furnace from above.

[0004] This side wall and this vault are made of masonry, that is to say, they are made up of blocks joined together, each block being made of a material resistant to high temperatures such as refractory concrete.

[0005] The disadvantage of this type of construction is that it is not flexible in its use. Indeed, a glass furnace may, for its operation or maintenance, be opened in order to introduce the composition, to replace parts such as electrodes for an electric immersion furnace or a burner for a gas furnace, or the furnace may be opened to take measurements such as measuring the crust thickness.

[0006] Furthermore, the masonry of the vault implies a significant mass which may limit the size of the oven.

[0007] There is therefore a need for more modular ovens. Summary of the invention

[0008] The present invention aims to provide a glass furnace which solves the disadvantages of the prior art by being simple and modular.

[0009] For this purpose, the invention relates to a glass furnace comprising a tank surmounted by a side wall and closed at the top by a vault, said vault being supported by an external structure, characterized in that the vault is composed of a plurality of unitary elements, each unitary element being fixed directly to the external structure.

[0010] According to one example, each unit element consists of a block formed by a plate and a hooking head allowing hooking means to fix said unit element to the structure.

[0011] According to one example, the unit elements of the same line are provided with means for interlocking to fit together with each other.

[0012] According to one example, the interlocking means comprise complementary surfaces arranged on the edge of said plates.

[0013] According to one example, the fastening means include a clip clamping the fastening head, said clip being fixed to a rod fixed to the structure.

[0014] According to one example, the floor footprint of the oven extends in two perpendicular directions and in which the unit elements are aligned along the shortest direction.

[0015] According to an example, the unit elements of two contiguous lines are not aligned.

[0016] According to one example, the unit elements have identical dimensions.

[0017] According to one example, the side wall comprises a series of panels, at least one of which is mounted movable and pivoting. Description of the figures

[0018] Other features and advantages will become clear from the description given below, by way of example and in no way limiting, with reference to the attached drawings, in which:

[0019] - the [Fig.1] represents a section of a furnace;

[0020] - [Fig.2] represents a cross-sectional view of a vault of an oven according to the invention;

[0021] - Figures 3 and 4 show a cross-sectional view of a unit element and its attachment to an external structure of an oven according to the invention;

[0022] - Figures 5, 6 and 12 represent a variant of a unit element with sides equipped with complementary surfaces and a series of these unitary elements;

[0023] - Figures 7 and 8 represent different arrangements of the unit elements;

[0024] - Figure 9 shows a cross-sectional view of unit elements, some of which are joined with mortar

[0025] - Figures 10a and 10b represent different views of a movable panel according to the invention;

[0026] - Figures 1a, 11b, 1le represent cross-sectional views of different variants of a movable panel according to the invention; Detailed description of the invention

[0027] The invention shown in [Fig. 1] relates to a glass furnace 1. Such a glass furnace comprises a vessel 10 in which the raw material is melted. This vessel 10 has a footprint extending in two perpendicular directions. The vessel thus has a square or rectangular shape. This vessel is formed of a base 11 and vertical walls 12, each made of layers of materials resistant to the temperatures of the molten raw material, such as refractory materials like concrete. These refractory materials can be sintered or electrofused.

[0028] The furnace further comprises a side wall 20 surmounting this tank. This side wall is in contact with a tank extension 21 serving as a stop for said side wall. The side wall comprises panels 22 and inserts, these inserts allowing the installation of functional elements such as probes, burners, electrodes, or sight glasses.

[0029] Each panel 22 comprises two parallel faces 22a (inner, outer) and a peripheral edge 22b comprising an upper portion, a lower portion, and two lateral portions. The panels and inserts are in contact with each other along their edges; the interface between them is insulated by the application of a flexible, heat-resistant, and low-permeability material.

[0030] The side wall is then surmounted by a cornice 23. The oven is finally closed, from the top, by a vault 30 in contact with the cornice 23.

[0031] The furnace further includes an inlet opening through which the raw material is supplied and an outlet through which the molten material exits.

[0032] According to the invention, the vault 30 allows for a modular and simplified construction as shown in [Fig. 2]. To this end, the vault 30 is composed of unit elements 31 assembled together. These unit elements 31 are suspended from an external structure 2. This external structure 2 may include at least one metal beam extending above said vault 30. Each unit element 31 is in the form of a block.

[0033] Each unit element 31 comprises a first part and a second part as shown in [Fig. 3]. The first part is in the form of a plate 310 and serves to form the lower surface of the arch. The second part is used for attaching the unit elements to the external structure. This second part is in the form of a fastening head 312. The fastening head 312 allows fastening means 40 to attach said unit element to the external structure 2 as shown in [Fig. 4]. These fastening means 40 include a clip 41 that clamps the fastening head. The fastening head 312 and the clip 41 have shapes arranged to allow said clip to support the fastening head. For example, the fastening head has a spherical cross-section and the clip comprises two curved arms.

[0034] This clip 41 is fixed to the end of a rod 42 which is itself fixed to the external structure 2. This fixing is for example achieved by bolting.

[0035] The plate 310 of the first part is such that its surface is that of a quadrilateral of the square or rectangular type. This plate is ingenious in that it has, on at least two sides, interlocking means 314 as visible in [Fig. 5]. These interlocking means 314 are in the form of two complementary surfaces 315 of the male (M)-female (F) type, such as, for example, a recess and A semicircle (or convex-concave) that joins together. Each plate thus comprises, on one side, a complementary surface and on the opposite side, a complementary surface. This allows the plates to be joined and aligned as shown in [Fig. 6]. A type I refractory material is placed between the plates. The complementary surfaces of the same plate can be arranged on opposite sides.

[0036] The plates can then comprise a complementary male-type surface and a complementary female-type surface, arranged on opposite sides.

[0037] Preferably, the four sides of a plate 310 are provided with complementary surfaces 315, arranged oppositely or not. It is then understood that the male complementary surfaces M and female complementary surfaces F can be arranged on adjacent or opposite sides.

[0038] These complementary surfaces allow the unit elements to be assembled together, thus enabling the vault to have good mechanical cohesion. The complementary surfaces are arranged so that a space remains between the plates of two assembled unit elements. This space is used as an expansion joint, meaning that it compensates for the expansion of the unit elements under the effect of heat. To seal the vault, plates are arranged on the plates 310 above the space between two plates 310. These spaces are filled with a compressible, heat-resistant material (usually fibers), and these joints close during the expansion of the vault.

[0039] The plates are arranged in an alignment along at least one of the directions of the oven, i.e. along the width or the length as seen in [Fig.7]. Thus, the vault 30 is composed of several parallel lines extending along one of the directions of the oven, preferably the shortest.

[0040] According to preference, the plates of the different rows are aligned. In an alternative to this variant, the plates 310 of the unit elements comprise complementary surfaces of the same type. It is understood that the plate 310 comprises only complementary surfaces of the male or female type. This alternative is possible for plates comprising complementary surfaces on two opposite sides or on all four sides. In this case, the unit elements are alternated; that is, a unit element provided only with male complementary surfaces is contiguous only with unit elements provided only with female complementary surfaces.

[0041] Of course, the arrangement of the complementary surfaces is not limited to the configurations described above. Indeed, it is possible to have very specific configurations with a vault comprising unitary elements of several types. It is understood from this that the vault can include elements Units equipped with either complementary male (M) or female (F) surfaces, or with a mixture of complementary male and female surfaces, arranged in pairs side by side or on opposite sides. Alternatively, this vault can also be equipped with unit elements having the same complementary surface on three sides, as seen in [Fig. 12]. According to another preference, the plates in two adjacent rows are offset, as seen in [Fig. 8]. Indeed, one solution is to have the plates aligned in both directions. In this case, the plates form a checkerboard pattern in which four plates meet at a single point. This offset can be achieved by using plates of identical dimensions or by using identical plates but with a portion of plates at the beginning of each row.

[0042] In one variant, the plates are grouped together in the form of joined modules.

[0043] To reinforce the vault, several plates can be joined with mortar M instead of using a plate over the space between two plates. This mortar is placed between two plates, either on the sides bearing the complementary surfaces or on other sides as shown in [Fig. 9]. This mortar strengthens the vault and prevents gas infiltration between the plates.

[0044] In order to manage the overall expansion of the vault during soaking, the mortar is placed to form modules or zones, which are separated by open joints or filled with heat-resistant compressible material (usually fibers), these joints closing during the expansions of the vault.

[0045] Thus, the combination of the mortar with the complementary surfaces strengthens the vault against smoke / composite gas infiltration, thereby maintaining good airtightness while ensuring good mechanical strength. This good mechanical strength allows the vault to be less complex by avoiding the superposition of blocks in different layers, which would weigh down the vault and require a more substantial external structure.

[0046] In an embodiment shown in Figures 10a and 10b, the panels 22 forming the side wall are mounted to be movable. More specifically, the panels are mounted to pivot. For this purpose, each panel consists of a metal frame 220 onto which a heat-resistant, concrete-type material 222 is placed. This material is molded onto the frame to form a plate, the latter being equipped with hooks overmolded by the concrete to securely attach the material to the frame. A fiber mat can be interposed between the concrete-type material and the metal frame to protect the metal from the heat of the concrete and to reduce heat loss through the doors, particularly during soaking. The frame is then provided with two extensions 224 drilled to allow the insertion of a shaft to make the panel pivot. A pulley system is used to pivot the panel. This allows the panel(s) to pivot. allows simplified oven maintenance: replacing electrodes, passing a measuring tool.

[0047] Panels on the same side of the side wall can be arranged to pivot simultaneously. For this purpose, they can be connected together by a metal beam linked to the pulley system or pulley systems.

[0048] In a particular embodiment of these panels, one or more lateral portions of the peripheral edge 22b are not perpendicular to the outer face of said panel. This lateral portion may be inclined and / or have a stepped profile as shown in Figures 1a, 11b and 1a. A stepped profile consists of a profile with a step. The lateral portion may combine inclination and a step.

[0049] Thus, two contiguous panels are arranged so that their lateral portions in contact are complementary.

[0050] Of course, the present invention is not limited to the illustrated example but is susceptible to various variants and modifications which will become apparent to those skilled in the art.

[0051] As such, the kiln also includes circular openings in the vault to introduce calcine in case of degraded operation (dipping, hot vault, kiln loading failure).

[0052] Furthermore, complementary surfaces with different geometries may be provided. More specifically, the complementary surfaces of the plates along a first direction may have a convex or concave geometry, and along a second direction, a crenellated or triangular geometry. These different complementary surfaces may be arranged on opposite or adjacent sides.

Claims

Demands

1. Glass furnace (1) comprising a tank (10) surmounted by a side wall (20) and closed at the top by a vault (30), said vault being supported by an external structure (2), characterized in that the vault is composed of a plurality of unitary elements (31) assembled to one another, each unitary element being fixed directly to the external structure.

2. Oven according to the preceding claim, wherein each unit element (31) consists of a block formed by a plate (310) having a quadrilateral shape and a hooking head (312) allowing hooking means to fix said unit element to the structure.

3. Oven according to claim 2, wherein the unitary elements of the same line are provided with interlocking means (314) for interlocking with each other.

4. Oven according to the preceding claim, wherein the interlocking means (314) comprise complementary surfaces (315) of the male (M)-female (F) type arranged on the edge of said plates.

5. Oven according to any one of claims 2 to 4, wherein the hanging means comprise a clip clamping the hanging head, said clip being fixed to a rod fixed to the structure.

6. Oven according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that its footprint extends in two perpendicular directions and in which the unitary elements of the vault are aligned along the shortest direction.

7. Oven according to the preceding claim, wherein the unit elements of two contiguous lines are not aligned.

8. Oven according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the unit elements have identical dimensions.

9. Oven according to any one of claims 4 to 8, wherein each plate comprises two complementary surfaces.

10. Oven according to any one of claims 4 to 8, wherein each plate comprises four complementary surfaces.

11. Oven according to claim 9, wherein the two complementary surfaces are on opposite sides.

12. Oven according to claim 10, wherein the plate comprises two pairs of complementary surfaces opposed in pairs.

13. Oven according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the side wall comprises a series of panels, at least one of which is movable and pivoting.

14. Oven according to the preceding claim, wherein said movable panel comprises a frame associated with a heat-resistant material, said panel being associated with a pulley system.

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