Glass melting furnace, and facility and method for manufacturing glass product

Abstract

To provide a glass melting furnace capable of reducing a moisture content included in molten glass and enhancing thermal efficiency.SOLUTION: A glass melting furnace includes upstream and downstream walls and first and second side walls. The first side wall has a first burner group; the second side wall has a second burner group; an oxygen combustion burner forms 40-100% of a total combustion heat quantity per hour supplied by the first and second burner groups; the first and / or second side walls include an exhaust port; the nearest exhaust port from the downstream wall is called as a specific exhaust port; the first or second side wall has a supply port for supplying a dilution gas, when setting a distance from the upstream wall to the downstream wall to L and calling a direction of the L as an extension direction, the supply port positioned apart by 0.3 L from the specific exhaust port in the extension direction is arranged at a position of 0.3 L or less from the downstream wall in the extension direction.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a glass melting furnace, a glass product manufacturing facility, and a glass product manufacturing method. [Background technology]

[0002] A glass manufacturing facility for producing glass products includes a glass melting furnace, in which glass raw materials are melted to form molten glass.

[0003] Generally, a glass melting furnace has an upstream wall and a downstream wall facing each other, two side walls facing each other, and a top and bottom surface, which define a lower melting section and an upper ceiling section.

[0004] The upstream wall is provided with an inlet for glass raw materials, and the downstream wall is provided with an outlet for molten glass or a passage for transporting the molten glass to another room. In addition, a number of burners are installed on the ceiling side of the side wall to heat and melt the glass in the melting section.

[0005] Burners can be broadly classified into air-fired burners and oxyfuel burners. Air-fired burners use air as the gas mixed with fuel such as natural gas and / or heavy oil, while oxyfuel burners use oxygen as the gas mixed with fuel. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0006] [Patent Document 1] International Publication No. 2011 / 136086 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0007] Oxygen combustion burners have better thermal efficiency than air combustion burners and can reduce the amount of gas used, which helps to reduce CO2 emissions. x It can also reduce emissions of nitrogen oxides.

[0008] However, when all burners in a glass melting furnace are oxygen combustion burners, the concentration of moisture contained in the combustion exhaust gas tends to increase, resulting in a problem of an increase in the amount of moisture contained in the molten glass.

[0009] In particular, some glass manufacturing facilities use platinum components that provide excellent protection against molten glass. When such platinum components come into contact with moisture in molten glass, the moisture decomposes, generating hydrogen and oxygen. Of these, hydrogen can permeate the platinum components and quickly escape from the system. However, oxygen remains in the molten glass, resulting in bubbles remaining in the manufactured glass product.

[0010] In order to address the quality problems of glass products caused by such bubbles, Patent Document 1 proposes arranging oxygen combustion burners and air combustion burners at predetermined positions to reduce the amount of water contained in the molten glass.

[0011] However, the configuration of the glass melting furnace described in Patent Document 1 has a problem in that the efficiency of heat supplied into the glass melting furnace is low, and the amount of fuel used in the burner increases significantly.

[0012] The present invention has been made in view of the above background, and aims to provide a glass melting furnace that can significantly reduce the amount of water contained in molten glass and significantly increase thermal efficiency. It is also an object of the present invention to provide a glass product manufacturing facility that includes such a glass melting furnace. It is also an object of the present invention to provide a glass product manufacturing method that uses such a glass melting furnace. [Means for solving the problem]

[0013] The present invention provides a glass melting furnace, a first side wall and a second side wall facing each other; a first burner group including oxygen-fuel combustion burners is disposed on the first side wall, and a second burner group including oxygen-fuel combustion burners is disposed on the second side wall; 40% to 100% of the total combustion heat amount per hour supplied by the first burner group and the second burner group is provided by the oxygen combustion burners, and 0% to 60% of the total combustion heat amount is provided by the air combustion burners; the first side wall and / or the second side wall are provided with an exhaust port for exhausting combustion exhaust gas to the outside of the system, and the exhaust port closest to the downstream wall is referred to as a specific exhaust port; the first side wall or the second side wall has a supply port for supplying a dilution gas into the glass melting furnace; When the distance from the upstream wall to the downstream wall is L and the direction of L is referred to as the stretching direction, The supply port is disposed at a position 0.3 L or more away from the specific exhaust port along the stretching direction and at a position 0.3 L or less away from the downstream wall along the stretching direction.

[0014] The present invention also provides a glass product manufacturing facility, comprising: a glass melting furnace; a molding device; a conveying device connecting the glass melting furnace and the forming device; Equipped with The glass melting furnace is a glass melting furnace having the above-described characteristics, and a manufacturing facility is provided.

[0015] Furthermore, the present invention provides a method for producing a glass product, comprising the steps of: A dissolution process; A conveying process; A molding process; and The manufacturing method is provided in which the melting step uses a glass melting furnace having the above-described characteristics. [Effects of the Invention]

[0016] The present invention provides a glass melting furnace that can significantly reduce the amount of water contained in molten glass and significantly increase thermal efficiency. The present invention also provides a glass product manufacturing facility that includes such a glass melting furnace. Furthermore, the present invention also provides a glass product manufacturing method that uses such a glass melting furnace. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0017] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic top view of a glass melting furnace according to one embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 2] 2 is a schematic cross-sectional side view of the glass melting furnace shown in FIG. 1. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a schematic top view of another glass melting furnace according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a schematic cross-sectional side view of the glass melting furnace shown in FIG. 3. [Figure 5] FIG. 2 is a schematic top view of yet another glass melting furnace according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a schematic cross-sectional side view of the glass melting furnace shown in FIG. 5. [Figure 7] 1 is a diagram illustrating a flow of a method for manufacturing a glass product according to an embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0018] An embodiment of the present invention will be described below.

[0019] As described above, the glass melting furnace described in Patent Document 1 has a problem in that the efficiency of heat supplied to the glass melting furnace is low, resulting in a significant increase in the amount of fuel used.

[0020] In contrast, in one embodiment of the present invention, a glass melting furnace is provided, a first side wall and a second side wall facing each other; a first burner group including oxygen-fuel combustion burners is disposed on the first side wall, and a second burner group including oxygen-fuel combustion burners is disposed on the second side wall; 40% to 100% of the total combustion heat amount per hour supplied by the first burner group and the second burner group is provided by the oxygen combustion burners, and 0% to 60% of the total combustion heat amount is provided by the air combustion burners; the first side wall and / or the second side wall are provided with an exhaust port for exhausting combustion exhaust gas to the outside of the system, and the exhaust port closest to the downstream wall is referred to as a specific exhaust port; the first side wall or the second side wall has a supply port for supplying a dilution gas into the glass melting furnace; When the distance from the upstream wall to the downstream wall is L and the direction of L is referred to as the stretching direction, The supply port is disposed at a position 0.3 L or more away from the specific exhaust port along the stretching direction and at a position 0.3 L or less away from the downstream wall along the stretching direction.

[0021] A glass melting furnace according to one embodiment of the present invention has exhaust ports in the first side wall and / or the second side wall for exhausting combustion exhaust gas to the outside of the system. The number of exhaust ports provided in the first side wall and the second side wall is not particularly limited, and there may be multiple exhaust ports.

[0022] Here, in the present application, of the exhaust ports provided in the first side wall and the second side wall, the exhaust port located closest to the downstream wall is particularly referred to as a "specific exhaust port."

[0023] For example, if only the first side wall has an exhaust port, the exhaust port closest to the downstream wall is referred to as the "specific exhaust port." Similarly, if only the second side wall has an exhaust port, the exhaust port closest to the downstream wall is referred to as the "specific exhaust port." Furthermore, if both the first side wall and the second side wall have one or more exhaust ports, the exhaust port closest to the downstream wall is referred to as the "specific exhaust port."

[0024] In addition, in a glass melting furnace according to one embodiment of the present invention, the distance between the upstream wall and the downstream wall is represented by L, and the direction of this L is also referred to as the "drawing direction."

[0025] In a glass melting furnace according to an embodiment of the present invention, 40% to 100% of the total combustion heat amount per hour supplied by the first burner group and the second burner group is supplied by the oxygen-fuel combustion burners. In other words, only 0% to 60% of the total combustion heat amount per hour is supplied by the air-fuel combustion burners.

[0026] Generally, oxygen combustion burners have the advantage of higher combustion efficiency than air combustion burners. Therefore, by supplying 40% to 100% of the total combustion heat per hour using oxygen combustion burners, combustion efficiency can be significantly improved compared to conventional methods, and as a result, thermal efficiency within the glass melting furnace can be increased.

[0027] Furthermore, the glass melting furnace according to one embodiment of the present invention has a supply port in the first side wall or the second side wall for supplying a dilution gas into the glass melting furnace. In this case, the dilution gas can be supplied into the glass melting furnace from the supply port, and the dilution gas can significantly reduce the concentration of moisture contained in the combustion exhaust gas.

[0028] Furthermore, this supply port is disposed at a position 0.3 L or more away from the "specified exhaust port" along the "stretching direction" defined as above. By providing the supply port at a position sufficiently far away from the "specified exhaust port" in this way, it becomes possible to ensure a sufficient travel distance for the diluent gas within the glass melting furnace.

[0029] Furthermore, in one embodiment of the present invention, the supply port is located at a position that is a distance of 0.3 L or less from the downstream wall along the "drawing direction." By locating the supply port near the "downstream end" of the glass melting furnace in this manner, the dilution gas can be sufficiently distributed throughout the glass melting furnace.

[0030] As a result, in the glass melting furnace according to one embodiment of the present invention, the concentration of moisture contained in the combustion exhaust gas can be significantly reduced, and as a result, the amount of moisture contained in the molten glass can be significantly reduced.

[0031] Based on the same concept, it is also possible to arrange the supply port at a position 0.3 L or less away from the upstream wall along the "stretching direction."

[0032] However, the "upstream end" of a glass melting furnace is usually the side where glass raw materials are supplied, i.e., the inlet side, which is a relatively low-temperature region within the glass melting furnace. Therefore, if a supply port is provided at such an inlet side and a dilution gas is supplied through the supply port, the temperature at the inlet side of the glass melting furnace will be further reduced. As a result, it becomes necessary to supplement the heat quantity at the inlet side, further reducing the overall thermal efficiency.

[0033] Therefore, in the glass melting furnace according to one embodiment of the present invention, the supply port for the dilution gas is disposed near the downstream wall, not near the upstream wall.

[0034] Due to the effects described above, the glass melting furnace according to one embodiment of the present invention can significantly increase thermal efficiency and also significantly reduce the amount of water contained in the molten glass.

[0035] Here, in the present application, the distance L from the upstream wall to the downstream wall is defined as the distance from the most downstream position of the upstream wall to the most upstream position of the downstream wall.

[0036] The distance from the specific exhaust port to the supply port is defined as the distance from the most downstream part of the specific exhaust port to the most upstream part of the supply port along the "stretching direction."

[0037] Furthermore, the distance from the supply port to the downstream wall is defined as the distance from the most downstream part of the supply port to the most upstream position of the downstream wall along the "stretching direction."

[0038] (Glass melting furnace according to one embodiment of the present invention) Hereinafter, a glass melting furnace according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described in more detail with reference to the drawings.

[0039] Fig. 1 shows a schematic top view of a glass melting furnace according to one embodiment of the present invention, and Fig. 2 shows a schematic side cross-sectional view of the glass melting furnace according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0040] As shown in Figures 1 and 2, a glass melting furnace according to one embodiment of the present invention (hereinafter referred to as the "first melting furnace" 100) has an upstream wall 110 and a downstream wall 120 facing each other, and a first side wall 130A and a second side wall 130B facing each other.

[0041] The upstream wall 110 is provided with an inlet 112 for glass raw material MA, and the downstream wall 120 is provided with an outlet 122 for molten glass MG.

[0042] As mentioned above, the distance between the upstream wall 110 and the downstream wall 120 is represented by L, and the direction of the distance L is the "drawing direction."

[0043] The first melting furnace 100 further has a top surface 192 and a bottom surface 194. Therefore, the upstream wall 110, the downstream wall 120, the first side wall 130A, the second side wall 130B, the top surface 192, and the bottom surface 194 define a lower melting section BC and an upper ceiling section UC.

[0044] Melting section BC contains molten glass MG. Ceiling section UC is provided with a plurality of combustion burners (described in detail below), a first exhaust port 150A and a second exhaust port 150B.

[0045] A first burner group 140A including a plurality of burners 1A to 7A is arranged on the ceiling portion UC side of the first side wall 130A. Similarly, a second burner group 140B including a plurality of burners 1B to 7B is arranged on the ceiling portion UC side of the second side wall 130B.

[0046] Burners 1A to 7A of the first burner group 140A and burners 1B to 7B of the second burner group 140B each have the role of injecting flames generated when the mixed gas is burned into the first melting furnace 100 to melt the glass raw material MA and heat the molten glass MG.

[0047] Of the first burner group 140A, burner 1A is the burner located on the most upstream side, and the reference numerals of the subsequent burners increase sequentially toward the downstream side. Therefore, when the first burner group 140A is composed of n burners (n is an integer of 2 or more), the most downstream burner is represented by the reference numeral nA. The same applies to each burner in the second burner group 140B.

[0048] The first exhaust port 150A is provided on the ceiling portion UC side of the first side wall 130A, and the second exhaust port 150B is provided on the ceiling portion UC side of the second side wall 130B. Two or more first exhaust ports 150A and two or more second exhaust ports 150B may be provided. Alternatively, one of the first exhaust port 150A and the second exhaust port 150B may be omitted.

[0049] As mentioned above, of the first exhaust port 150A and the second exhaust port 150B, the one closest to the downstream wall 120 is referred to as the "specific exhaust port." In the example shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, one first exhaust port 150A and one second exhaust port 150B are installed. Furthermore, the first exhaust port 150A and the second exhaust port 150B are positioned so as to face each other in a top view. Therefore, in this case, both the first exhaust port 150A and the second exhaust port 150B are "specific exhaust ports."

[0050] Hereinafter, in the first melting furnace 100, the upstream side of the specific exhaust port will be referred to as the "first section (PA)" and the downstream side of the specific exhaust port will be referred to as the "second section (PB)."

[0051] The burners 1A-7A included in the first burner group 140A are divided into burners 1A-3A arranged in the "first section PA" and burners 4A-7A arranged in the "second section PB." Similarly, the burners 1B-7B included in the second burner group 140B are divided into burners 1B-3B arranged in the "first section PA" and burners 4B-7B arranged in the "second section PB."

[0052] 1 and 2, the first melting furnace 100 further has a first supply port 135A and a second supply port 135B capable of supplying a dilution gas into the first melting furnace 100. The first supply port 135A is disposed in the first side wall 130A, and the second supply port 135B is disposed in the second side wall 130B.

[0053] The first melting furnace 100 also has a partition wall 160 in the melting section BC. The partition wall 160 is arranged to extend parallel to the upstream wall 110 and the downstream wall 120. However, the bottom of the partition wall 160 is open, so that the molten glass MG can flow from the upstream side (the upstream wall 110 side) through the partition wall 160 to the downstream side (the downstream wall 120 side) along the extension direction of the first melting furnace 100 (the X direction in FIGS. 1 and 2 ).

[0054] The molten glass MG in the melting part BC can be homogenized by providing such a partition wall 160. However, the partition wall 160 may be omitted.

[0055] The first melting furnace 100 having such a configuration is used as follows.

[0056] First, glass raw material MA is supplied from the inlet 112 of the upstream wall 110 to the melting section BC.

[0057] The glass frit MA is heated by the flames of the burners 1A to 7A and 1B to 7B included in the first burner group 140A and the second burner group 140B, respectively, to form a molten glass MG.

[0058] The molten glass MG is contained in the melting section BC and flows downstream along the drawing direction. A partition wall 160 is provided in the melting section BC. Therefore, the molten glass MG passes through the bottom of the partition wall 160 and flows downstream. During this process, the movement of "foreign matter," such as unmelted components, which may affect the uniformity of the glass product being manufactured, is prevented. Therefore, the molten glass MG is homogenized by passing through the partition wall 160.

[0059] Thereafter, the molten glass MG that has reached the downstream wall 120 is discharged from the outlet 122 and transported to the next device in the glass manufacturing facility.

[0060] The combustion exhaust gases generated by the combustion in each of the burners 1A to 7A and 1B to 7B are discharged through a first exhaust port 150A and a second exhaust port 150B.

[0061] Here, in the first melting furnace 100, 40% to 100% of the total combustion heat amount supplied per hour by the first burner group 140A and the second burner group 140B is supplied by the oxygen combustion burners. In other words, 0% to 60% of the total combustion heat amount is supplied by the air combustion burners.

[0062] By selecting the total amount of combustion heat supplied by the oxygen combustion burners in this manner, the thermal efficiency within the first melting furnace 100 can be significantly improved compared to the conventional case.

[0063] Furthermore, the first melting furnace 100 has a first supply port 135A in the first side wall 130A and a second supply port 135B in the second side wall 130B. The first supply port 135A and the second supply port 135B are arranged in positions facing each other when viewed from above the first melting furnace 100.

[0064] In addition, the first supply port 135A is positioned along the extension direction of the first melting furnace 100 at a position that is 0.3 L or more away from a specific exhaust port (e.g., the first exhaust port 150A) and at a distance of 0.3 L or less from the downstream wall 120.

[0065] Similarly, the second supply port 135B is positioned along the extension direction of the first melting furnace 100 at a position that is 0.3 L or more away from a specific exhaust port (e.g., the second exhaust port 150B) and at a distance of 0.3 L or less from the downstream wall 120.

[0066] As described above, in this case, the dilution gas supplied from the first supply port 135A and the second supply port 135B can be sufficiently distributed throughout the first melting furnace 100. Therefore, in the first melting furnace 100, the concentration of moisture contained in the combustion exhaust gas can be significantly reduced, and as a result, the amount of moisture contained in the molten glass MG can be significantly reduced.

[0067] (Explanation of each part) Next, each part constituting the glass melting furnace according to one embodiment of the present invention will be described in more detail.

[0068] For clarity, the following description will be given taking the first melting furnace 100 as an example, and the reference numerals shown in Figures 1 and 2 will be used to represent the various parts.

[0069] (First melting furnace 100) The first melting furnace 100 is applied as one device included in a glass manufacturing facility. Typically, the glass manufacturing facility has a glass melting furnace, a forming device, and a conveying device connecting the two.

[0070] In the first melting furnace 100, the width between the first side wall 130A and the second side wall 130B is represented by W (see FIG. 1). Here, the width W is defined as the distance L from the innermost position of the first side wall 130A to the innermost position of the second side wall 130B.

[0071] In the first melting furnace 100, L / W is in the range of 2 to 5, for example.

[0072] (First burner group 140A, second burner group 140B) As described above, in the first melting furnace 100, 40% to 100% of the total combustion heat amount supplied per hour by the first burner group 140A and the second burner group 140B is supplied by the oxygen combustion burners.

[0073] By selecting the total amount of combustion heat supplied by the oxygen combustion burners in this manner, the thermal efficiency within the first melting furnace 100 can be significantly improved compared to the conventional case.

[0074] Furthermore, 50% to 100% of the combustion heat per hour in the first section PA may be supplied by the oxygen combustion burner.

[0075] Additionally or alternatively, 20% to 100% of the combustion heat amount per hour in the second section PB may be supplied by the oxygen combustion burner.

[0076] 1, the burners 1A-7A included in the first burner group 140A and the burners 1B-7B included in the second burner group 140B are arranged to face each other in a top view of the first melting furnace 100. However, this is merely an example, and the relative positions of the burners 1A-7A included in the first burner group 140A and the burners 1B-7B included in the second burner group 140B are not particularly limited. For example, the burners 1A-7A and the burners 1B-7B may be arranged to be offset from each other in the extension direction of the first melting furnace 100.

[0077] Furthermore, the burners 1A to 7A included in the first burner group 140A do not necessarily need to be arranged at equal intervals. For example, the burners 1A to 7A may be arranged at unequal intervals along the extension direction of the first melting furnace 100. The same applies to the second burner group 140B.

[0078] Furthermore, the number of burners included in the first burner group 140A and the second burner group 140B is not particularly limited. For example, the first burner group 140A and the second burner group 140B may each include less than seven burners or eight or more burners.

[0079] Furthermore, in the first burner group 140A, the number of burners included in the first section PA and the second section PB is not particularly limited. The same is true for the second burner group 140B.

[0080] (First exhaust port 150A, second exhaust port 150B) As described above, the exhaust port located furthest downstream of the first exhaust port 150A and the second exhaust port 150B is referred to as the specific exhaust port. However, in the example shown in Figures 1 and 2, there is one each of the first exhaust port 150A and the second exhaust port 150B, and they are located facing each other. Therefore, in this case, either the first exhaust port 150A or the second exhaust port 150B may be referred to as the specific exhaust port.

[0081] The specific exhaust port may be located at a position 0.3 L to 0.7 L from the upstream wall 110 along the extension direction of the first melting furnace 100.

[0082] In addition, when there is one first exhaust outlet 150A and one second exhaust outlet 150B, the position of the second exhaust outlet 150B may be shifted by 0 to 0.2L from the first exhaust outlet 150A in the extension direction of the first melting furnace 100 when viewed from above.

[0083] (First supply port 135A and second supply port 135B) The first supply port 135A and the second supply port 135B are used as supply ports for a diluent gas.

[0084] The dilution gas supplied from the first supply port 135A and the second supply port 135B is not particularly limited as long as it does not contain moisture. The dilution gas may be, for example, an oxidizing gas or an inert gas.

[0085] The oxidizing gas may be air, oxygen, or the like, and the inert gas may be nitrogen, or the like.

[0086] The total supply amount of dilution gas is preferably in the range of 0.1 to 1 in volume ratio to the amount of fuel used in first burner group 140A and second burner group 140B.

[0087] The diluent gas is preferably heated before being supplied. By supplying heated diluent gas, a decrease in temperature near the first supply port 135A and the second supply port 135B can be suppressed. The temperature of the diluent gas is, for example, 400°C or higher, and preferably 450°C or higher.

[0088] It should be noted that one of the first supply port 135A and the second supply port 135B may be omitted.

[0089] In the example shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the first supply port 135A and the second supply port 135B are arranged in positions facing each other when viewed from above the first melting furnace 100.

[0090] However, this is merely an example, and the installation position of the second supply port 135B is not particularly limited, and the second supply port 135B may be disposed at any position on the second side wall 130B.

[0091] That is, in one embodiment of the present invention, when both the first supply port 135A and the second supply port 135B are present, at least one of them may be arranged so as to satisfy the above-mentioned characteristics. Specifically, at least one of the first supply port 135A and the second supply port 135B may be arranged so as to be 0.3 L or more away from the specific exhaust port and 0.3 L or less away from the downstream wall 120 along the extension direction of the first melting furnace 100.

[0092] (Another glass melting furnace according to one embodiment of the present invention) Next, with reference to FIGS. 3 and 4, another glass melting furnace according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described.

[0093] Fig. 3 shows a schematic top view of another glass melting furnace (hereinafter referred to as "second melting furnace") according to an embodiment of the present invention, and Fig. 4 shows a schematic side view of the second melting furnace shown in Fig. 3.

[0094] 3 and 4, the second melting furnace 200 has a configuration similar to that of the first melting furnace 100. For example, the second melting furnace 200 has an upstream wall 210, a downstream wall 220, a first side wall 230A, a second side wall 230B, a first group of burners 240A, and a second group of burners 240B.

[0095] However, the second melting furnace 200 generally differs from the first melting furnace 100 in the arrangement of the first exhaust port 250A and the second exhaust port 250B, and the arrangement of the first supply port 235A and the second supply port 235B.

[0096] That is, in the second melting furnace 200, the first exhaust port 250A and the second exhaust port 250B are both located upstream of the first burner group 240A and the second burner group 240B. The first exhaust port 250A and the second exhaust port 250B are located so as to face each other when viewed from above the second melting furnace 200. Therefore, the first exhaust port 250A and the second exhaust port 250B are both "specified exhaust ports."

[0097] As a result of the above arrangement, in the second melting furnace 200, no burners are arranged upstream of a specific exhaust port (e.g., the first exhaust port 250A), i.e., in the first section PA, and all burners are arranged downstream of the specific exhaust port, i.e., in the second section PB.

[0098] Here, in the second melting furnace 200 as well, 40% to 100% of the total combustion heat amount per hour supplied by the first burner group 240A and the second burner group 240B is supplied by the oxygen combustion burners.

[0099] Furthermore, in the second melting furnace 200, unlike the first melting furnace 100, the first supply port 235A is disposed between the burner 6A and the burner 7A included in the first burner group 240A. Similarly, the second supply port 235B is disposed between the burner 6B and the burner 7B included in the second burner group 240B.

[0100] However, in the second melting furnace 200, the first supply port 235A is also positioned at a position that is 0.3L or more away from a specific exhaust port (e.g., the first exhaust port 250A) in the extension direction of the second melting furnace 200 and at a position that is 0.3L or less away from the downstream wall 220, where L is the distance from the upstream wall 210 to the downstream wall 220.

[0101] Similarly, the second supply port 235B is also disposed at a position 0.3 L or more away from the specific exhaust port in the extension direction of the second melting furnace 200 and at a distance from the downstream wall 220 of 0.3 L or less.

[0102] It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the second melting furnace 200 having such a configuration can also provide the same effects as the first melting furnace 100.

[0103] That is, in the second melting furnace 200 as well, the thermal efficiency within the second melting furnace 200 can be significantly improved compared to the conventional case.

[0104] Also in the second melting furnace 200, the dilution gas supplied from the first supply port 235A and the second supply port 235B can be sufficiently distributed throughout the second melting furnace 200, and the concentration of moisture contained in the combustion exhaust gas can be significantly reduced. As a result, the amount of moisture contained in the molten glass MG can be significantly reduced.

[0105] (Yet another glass melting furnace according to one embodiment of the present invention) Next, with reference to FIGS. 5 and 6, a further glass melting furnace according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described.

[0106] Fig. 5 shows a schematic top view of yet another glass melting furnace (hereinafter referred to as "third melting furnace") according to an embodiment of the present invention, and Fig. 6 shows a schematic side view of the third melting furnace shown in Fig. 5.

[0107] 5 and 6, the third melting furnace 300 has a configuration similar to that of the first melting furnace 100. For example, the third melting furnace 300 has an upstream wall 310, a downstream wall 320, a first side wall 330A, a second side wall 330B, a first group of burners 340A, and a second group of burners 340B.

[0108] However, the third melting furnace 300 generally differs from the first melting furnace 100 and the second melting furnace 200 in that it further includes a chamber 380 downstream of the downstream wall 320 .

[0109] A narrowed passage 382 is disposed between the downstream wall 320 and the chamber 380. Note that no burner is provided on the side wall of the chamber 380.

[0110] By providing such a chamber 380, the temperature of the molten glass MG can be made uniform.

[0111] In the third melting furnace 300, the first burner group 340A has a total of four burners (burner 1A to burner 4A). Similarly, the second burner group 340B has a total of four burners (burner 1B to burner 4B).

[0112] Furthermore, in the third melting furnace 300, the first exhaust port 350A is arranged between burner 1A and burner 2A included in the first burner group 340A, and the second exhaust port 350B is arranged between burner 1B and burner 2B included in the second burner group 340B.

[0113] The first exhaust port 350A and the second exhaust port 350B are arranged to face each other when viewed from above the third melting furnace 300. Therefore, both the first exhaust port 350A and the second exhaust port 350B are "specified exhaust ports."

[0114] As a result of the above arrangement, in the third melting furnace 300, only burner 1A of the first burner group 340A is arranged upstream of a specific exhaust port (for example, first exhaust port 350A), i.e., in the first section PA, and the remaining burners (burners 2A to 4A) are arranged downstream of the specific exhaust port, i.e., in the second section PB. Similarly, in the second burner group 340B, only burner 1B is arranged in the first section PA, and the remaining burners (burners 2B to 4B) are arranged in the second section PB.

[0115] Here, in the third melting furnace 300 as well, 40% to 100% of the total combustion heat amount per hour supplied by the first burner group 340A and the second burner group 340B is supplied by the oxygen combustion burners.

[0116] In the first section PA, 50% to 100% of the combustion amount per hour may be produced by the oxygen combustion burner, and in the second section PB, 20% to 100% of the combustion amount per hour may be produced by the oxygen combustion burner.

[0117] In the third melting furnace 300, the first supply port 335A is located downstream of the burner 4A included in the first burner group 340A. Similarly, the second supply port 335B is located downstream of the burner 4B included in the second burner group 340B.

[0118] However, in the third melting furnace 300, the first supply port 335A is also positioned at a position that is 0.3L or more away from a specific exhaust port (e.g., the first exhaust port 350A) in the extension direction of the third melting furnace 300 and at a position that is 0.3L or less away from the downstream wall 320, where L is the distance from the upstream wall 310 to the downstream wall 320.

[0119] Similarly, the second supply port 335B is also disposed at a position 0.3 L or more away from the specific exhaust port in the extending direction of the third melting furnace 300 and at a distance from the downstream wall 320 of 0.3 L or less.

[0120] It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the third melting furnace 300 having such a configuration can also provide the same effects as the first melting furnace 100 and the second melting furnace 200.

[0121] That is, in the third melting furnace 300 as well, the thermal efficiency within the third melting furnace 300 can be significantly improved compared to the conventional case.

[0122] Also in the third melting furnace 300, the dilution gas supplied from the first supply port 335A and the second supply port 335B can be sufficiently distributed throughout the third melting furnace 300, and the concentration of moisture contained in the combustion exhaust gas can be significantly reduced. As a result, the amount of moisture contained in the molten glass MG can be significantly reduced.

[0123] The glass melting furnace according to one embodiment of the present invention has been described above using the first melting furnace 100 to the third melting furnace 300 as examples. However, the glass melting furnace according to one embodiment of the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various other practical embodiments can be envisioned.

[0124] (Method of manufacturing a glass product according to one embodiment of the present invention) Next, a method for manufacturing a glass product according to one embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG.

[0125] FIG. 7 shows a schematic flow of a method for manufacturing a glass product according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0126] As shown in FIG. 7, the method for manufacturing a glass product according to one embodiment of the present invention (hereinafter referred to as the "first method") includes the following steps: A melting step (step S110) of melting glass raw materials to form molten glass; a conveying step (step S120) of conveying the molten glass; A forming step (step S130) of forming the molten glass; It has.

[0127] Each step will be described below.

[0128] (Step S110) First, glass raw materials are melted in a glass melting furnace to form molten glass. The composition of the glass raw materials is not particularly limited.

[0129] The glass melting furnace used is a glass melting furnace according to one embodiment of the present invention. For example, glass melting furnaces such as the first melting furnace 100 to the third melting furnace 300 described above may be used.

[0130] For example, when the first melting furnace 100 is used as the glass melting furnace, glass frit MA supplied through the inlet 112 of the upstream wall 110 is heated by the flames of the burners 1A-7A and 1B-7B included in the first burner group 140A and the second burner group 140B. This forms molten glass MG. The formed molten glass is discharged from the outlet 122.

[0131] When the glass melting furnace according to the embodiment of the present invention is used as the glass melting furnace, 40% to 100% of the total combustion heat amount supplied per hour by the first burner group and the second burner group is supplied by the oxygen combustion burners, thereby significantly improving the thermal efficiency in the glass melting furnace.

[0132] Furthermore, when the glass melting furnace according to the embodiment of the present invention is used, the dilution gas supplied from the dilution gas supply port can be sufficiently distributed throughout the melting furnace, thereby significantly reducing the concentration of moisture contained in the combustion exhaust gas and, as a result, significantly reducing the amount of moisture contained in the molten glass MG.

[0133] (Process S120) The formed molten glass is then transported to a forming device via a transport device.

[0134] (Step S130) The transported molten glass is then shaped in a shaping device to form a glass ribbon, which is then annealed to produce a glass product, which may then be cut to a desired size, if desired.

[0135] The glass product produced may be an alkali-free glass.

[0136] Alkali-free glass is expressed as mass % based on oxides, SiO2: 54-73% Al2O3: 10-23% B2O3: 0.1~12% MgO: 0-12% CaO: 0-15% SrO: 0 to 16% BaO: 0-15% Contains MgO + CaO + SrO + BaO: 8 to 26% may be.

[0137] In addition, the glass products manufactured have a β-OH of 0.3 mm. -1 ~0.45mm -1 may be in the range of

[0138] Here, β-OH is an index representing the amount of water in the glass, and the larger this value is, the more water is contained in the glass.

[0139] The glass product to be manufactured may have a total iron content, expressed as mass % on an oxide basis, calculated as Fe2O3, in the range of 0.005% to 0.1%. In particular, the mass ratio of divalent iron calculated as Fe2O3 (Fe-redox) to the total iron calculated as Fe2O3 may be in the range of 50% to 80%. [Example]

[0140] Examples of the present invention will be described below, with Examples 1 to 3 being examples, and Examples 11 to 13 being comparative examples.

[0141] (Example 1) A glass melting furnace such as the first melting furnace 100 described above was used to melt glass raw materials.

[0142] The glass raw materials were alkali-free glasses having the following composition, expressed in mass % on an oxide basis: SiO2: 54-73%, Al2O3: 10-23%, B2O3: 0.1~12%, MgO: 0-12%, CaO: 0-15%, SrO: 0 to 16%, BaO: 0-15%.

[0143] The total content of MgO, CaO, SrO and BaO is 8 to 26%.

[0144] In the glass melting furnace, the first burner group and the second burner group each consist of a total of seven burners.

[0145] Furthermore, one first exhaust port is installed on the first side wall, and one second exhaust port is installed on the second side wall. When viewed from above, the first exhaust port and the second exhaust port are positioned to face each other. Therefore, both the first exhaust port and the second exhaust port are designated exhaust ports.

[0146] 1 and 2, the first section PA had six burners, 1A to 3A and 1B to 3B, and the second section PB had six burners, 4A to 7A and 4B to 7B. All of the burners in the first burner group and the second burner group were oxygen-fuel burners.

[0147] The first and second side walls each had one supply port for the dilution gas, and the first and second supply ports were located opposite each other when viewed from above the glass melting furnace.

[0148] The distance between the first supply port (and the second supply port) and the specific exhaust port along the elongation direction of the glass melting furnace was set to 0.55 L. The distance between the first supply port (and the second supply port) and the downstream wall along the elongation direction of the glass melting furnace was set to 0.3 L or less.

[0149] Air gas heated to 400°C was used as the diluent gas.

[0150] The contribution rate of the oxygen combustion burners to the total heat supply is 100%. Also, the contribution rate of the oxygen combustion burners to the heat supply in the first section PA is 100%. Similarly, the contribution rate of the oxygen combustion burners to the heat supply in the second section PB is 100%.

[0151] (Example 2) Using the same glass melting furnace as in Example 1, glass raw materials were melted.

[0152] However, in this example 2, among the first burner group, burner 1A and burners 5A to 7A were air-fuel combustion burners. Similarly, among the second burner group, burner 1B and burners 5B to 7B were air-fuel combustion burners. The remaining burners were oxygen-fuel combustion burners.

[0153] The contribution rate of the oxygen combustion burners to the total heat supply was set to 44%. In addition, the contribution rate of the oxygen combustion burners to the heat supply in the first section PA was set to 71%. Similarly, the contribution rate of the oxygen combustion burners to the heat supply in the second section PB was set to 24%.

[0154] (Example 3) Using the same glass melting furnace as in Example 1, glass raw materials were melted.

[0155] However, in this Example 3, among the first burner group, burner 1A and burner 7A were air-fuel combustion burners. Similarly, among the second burner group, burner 1B and burner 7B were air-fuel combustion burners. The remaining burners were oxygen-fuel combustion burners.

[0156] The contribution rate of the oxygen combustion burners to the total heat supply was set to 72%. In addition, the contribution rate of the oxygen combustion burners to the heat supply in the first section PA was set to 71%. Similarly, the contribution rate of the oxygen combustion burners to the heat supply in the second section PB was set to 72%.

[0157] (Example 11) Using the same glass melting furnace as in Example 1, glass raw materials were melted.

[0158] However, in this Example 11, all of the first burner group were oxygen-fuel combustion burners. Similarly, all of the second burner group were oxygen-fuel combustion burners. Also, in this Example 11, no diluent gas supply port was provided, and no diluent gas was supplied.

[0159] The contribution rate of the oxygen combustion burners to the total heat supply is 100%. Also, the contribution rate of the oxygen combustion burners to the heat supply in the first section PA is 100%. Similarly, the contribution rate of the oxygen combustion burners to the heat supply in the second section PB is 100%.

[0160] (Example 12) Using the same glass melting furnace as in Example 1, glass raw materials were melted.

[0161] However, in this Example 12, all of the first burner group were air-fired burners. Similarly, all of the second burner group were air-fired burners. Also, in this Example 12, no dilution gas supply port was provided, and no dilution gas was supplied.

[0162] The contribution rate of the oxygen combustion burners to the total heat supply is 0%. Also, the contribution rate of the oxygen combustion burners to the heat supply in the first section PA is 0%. Similarly, the contribution rate of the oxygen combustion burners to the heat supply in the second section PB is 0%.

[0163] (Example 13) Using the same glass melting furnace as in Example 1, glass raw materials were melted.

[0164] However, in this Example 13, all of the first burner group were oxygen-fuel burners, and similarly, all of the second burner group were oxygen-fuel burners.

[0165] The contribution rate of the oxygen combustion burners to the total heat supply is 100%. Also, the contribution rate of the oxygen combustion burners to the heat supply in the first section PA is 100%. Similarly, the contribution rate of the oxygen combustion burners to the heat supply in the second section PB is 100%.

[0166] In Example 13, the distance between the first supply port (and the second supply port) and the specific exhaust port along the elongation direction of the glass melting furnace was 0.1 L. The distance between the first supply port (and the second supply port) and the downstream wall along the elongation direction of the glass melting furnace was more than 0.3 L.

[0167] Table 1 below shows the configuration of the glass melting furnace used in each example.

[0168] [Table 1] (evaluation) For each example, the amount of fuel used per hour was evaluated. The volume ratio of dilution gas to the amount of fuel supplied was also calculated. Furthermore, the β-OH content in the molten glass obtained for each example was evaluated.

[0169] The β-OH was evaluated as follows.

[0170] First, the moisture concentration in the gas after combustion was calculated based on the fuel and gas composition burned by each burner. Next, the moisture concentration distribution in the atmosphere in the melting section was calculated, taking into account that the gas after combustion flows toward the first and second exhaust ports. Next, the amount of moisture ultimately diffused into the molten glass was calculated based on the moisture concentration distribution and the average flow velocity of the molten glass, and this was converted into the β-OH contained in the glass after production.

[0171] Table 2 below summarizes the results obtained in each example.

[0172] [Table 2] In Table 2, the "fuel consumption" column shows the standard value for the fuel consumption in Example 11. That is, the "fuel consumption" in each example is shown as a percentage, with the fuel consumption in Example 11 set at 100.

[0173] The results show that fuel consumption was kept low in Example 11, where all burners were oxygen combustion burners. However, in Example 11, no dilution gas was supplied, and the β-OH content in the glass was the highest.

[0174] In addition, in Example 12, in which no dilution gas was supplied and all burners were air-fired burners, the β-OH in the glass was kept low, but the amount of fuel used was found to be extremely large.

[0175] In Example 13, although a diluent gas was supplied, the β-OH was still high. This is presumably because, in Example 13, the distance between the diluent gas supply port and the downstream wall was long and the diluent gas supply port was relatively close to the specific exhaust port, so that the diluent gas did not sufficiently spread throughout the glass melting furnace.

[0176] On the other hand, in Examples 1 to 3, in which the distance between the first supply port and the specific exhaust port along the extension direction of the glass melting furnace was 0.55 L and the distance between the first supply port and the downstream wall was 0.3 L or less, β-OH was significantly suppressed. Furthermore, in Examples 1 to 3, the amount of fuel used was also significantly suppressed.

[0177] In this way, it was confirmed that when the contribution rate of the oxygen combustion burner to the total combustion heat is set to 40% to 100% and the dilution gas supply port is installed in an appropriate position, the amount of water contained in the molten glass can be significantly reduced and the thermal efficiency can be significantly increased. [Explanation of symbols]

[0178] 1A~7A burner 1B~7B burner 100 Glass melting furnace (first melting furnace) 110 Upstream wall 112 Inlet 120 Downstream Wall 122 Outlet 130A first side wall 130B second side wall 135A First supply inlet 135B Second supply port 140A First Burner Group 140B Second Burner Group 150A First exhaust port 150B Secondary Exhaust Port 160 Partition Wall 192 Top surface 194 bottom 200 Glass melting furnace (second melting furnace) 210 Upstream wall 212 Inlet 220 Downstream Wall 222 Outlet 230A First Side Wall 230B Second side wall 235A First supply inlet 235B Second supply port 240A First Burner Group 240B Second Burner Group 250A First Exhaust Port 250B Secondary Exhaust Port 260 Partition Wall 292 Top surface 294 bottom 300 Glass Melting Furnace (Third Melting Furnace) 310 Upstream wall 312 Inlet 320 Downstream Wall 322 Outlet 330A first side wall 330B Second side wall 335A First supply inlet 335B Second supply port 340A First Burner Group 340B Second Burner Group 350A First Exhaust Port 350B Secondary Exhaust Port 380 rooms 382 Narrow tract 392 Top surface 394 bottom BC melting section MA glass raw materials MG molten glass PA Section 1 PB Section 2 UC ceiling

Claims

1. A glass melting furnace, the nozzle has an upstream wall and a downstream wall opposed to each other, and a first side wall and a second side wall opposed to each other; a first group of burners including oxygen-fuel combustion burners is disposed on the first sidewall, and a second group of burners including oxygen-fuel combustion burners is disposed on the second sidewall; 40% to 100% of the total combustion heat amount per hour supplied by the first burner group and the second burner group is provided by the oxygen-fuel combustion burners, and 0% to 60% of the total combustion heat amount is provided by the air-fuel combustion burners; the first side wall and / or the second side wall are provided with an exhaust port for exhausting combustion exhaust gas to the outside of the system, and the exhaust port closest to the downstream wall is referred to as a specific exhaust port; the first side wall or the second side wall has a supply port for supplying a dilution gas into the glass melting furnace; When the distance from the upstream wall to the downstream wall is L and the direction of L is referred to as the stretching direction, the supply port is disposed at a position that is 0.3 L or more away from the specific exhaust port along the stretching direction and 0.3 L or less away from the downstream wall along the stretching direction, The specific exhaust port is disposed at a position 0.3 L to 0.7 L from the upstream wall along the extension direction.

2. The glass melting furnace according to claim 1 , wherein the dilution gas comprises an oxidizing gas or an inert gas.

3. 3. The glass melting furnace according to claim 1, wherein the temperature of the dilution gas is 400°C or higher.

4. 4. The glass melting furnace according to claim 1, wherein a volume ratio of the amount of dilution gas supplied from said supply port to the amount of fuel used in said first burner group and said second burner group is in a range of 0.1 to 1.

5. 5. The glass melting furnace according to claim 1, wherein 20% to 100% of the combustion heat per hour downstream of the specific exhaust port is generated by the oxygen combustion burner.

6. a first exhaust port is provided in the first side wall; 6. The glass melting furnace according to claim 1, wherein the second side wall is provided with a second exhaust port.

7. the first exhaust port and the second exhaust port are each present in one; 7. The glass melting furnace according to claim 6, wherein the second exhaust port is disposed at a position shifted by 0 to 0.2 L from the first exhaust port in the extension direction.

8. the first sidewall has a first supply port; the second sidewall has a second supply port; 8. The glass melting furnace of claim 1, wherein the first and second feed ports are positioned at equal distances from the downstream wall.

9. 9. The glass melting furnace according to claim 1, wherein, when the distance between the first side wall and the second side wall is a width W, L / W=2 to 5.

10. a partition wall for guiding molten glass between the upstream wall and the downstream wall; 10. The glass melting furnace according to claim 1, wherein the molten glass flows through the bottom of the glass melting furnace when passing through the partition wall.

11. A glass product manufacturing facility, a glass melting furnace; a molding device; a conveying device connecting the glass melting furnace and the forming device; Equipped with The glass melting furnace is a glass melting furnace according to any one of claims 1 to 10.

12. A method for manufacturing a glass product, comprising: A dissolution process; A conveying process; A molding process; and A manufacturing method, wherein the melting step uses a glass melting furnace according to any one of claims 1 to 10.

13. The glass product is made of alkali-free glass, The alkali-free glass contains, in mass % on an oxide basis, Yes ２ :54~73% Al ２ O ３ 10-235 B ２ O ３ :0.1~12% MgO: 0 to 12% CaO: 0 to 15% SrO: 0 to 16% BaO: 0 to 15% Contains MgO+CaO+SrO+BaO: 8-26% The method according to claim 12, wherein

14. The glass product has a β-OH content of 0.3 mm. －１ ~0.45mm －１ The method according to claim 12 or 13, wherein the range is

15. The glass product contains, in mass % on an oxide basis, Fe ２ O ３ total iron, calculated as % iron, is in the range of 0.005% to 0.1%, Fe ２ O ３ Fe in total iron converted to ２ O ３ The manufacturing method according to any one of claims 12 to 14, wherein the mass ratio of divalent iron converted to 1% (Fe-redox) is in the range of 50% to 80%.

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