glass furnace

Abstract

The present invention relates to a glass furnace (1) having a tank (10) on which side walls (20) are placed and which is closed from above by a crown (30), wherein the crown is supported by an external structure (2), characterized in that the crown is composed of a plurality of individual elements (31), and each individual element is directly fixed to the external structure.

Description

Technical Field

[0008] , , ,

[0001] The present invention relates to a glass furnace.

Background Art

[0002] The present invention relates to an apparatus for melting glassifiable materials, particularly for the production of flat glass, hollow glass, or insulating fibers, which will hereinafter be referred to as a "glass furnace".

[0003] Such a furnace consists of a tank on which an upper structure is placed. The tank is the region where the raw materials are melted. The upper structure is a structure that is arranged on the tank and forms a sealed region. Therefore, this upper structure has a side wall portion and a crown portion that closes the furnace from above.

[0004] This side wall portion and this crown portion are made of a built-up structure, that is, they consist of built-up blocks stacked together, and each block is made of a material that can withstand high temperatures, such as refractory concrete.

[0005] The drawback of this type of construction is its lack of flexibility in use. In fact, the glass furnace can be opened for the purpose of operation or maintenance, whereby the composition can be introduced, parts such as the electrodes of a submerged electrode electric furnace or the burners of a gas furnace can be replaced, or the furnace can be opened to perform measurements, such as measuring the thickness of the furnace shell.

[0006] Furthermore, the built-up structure of the crown portion involves a large mass, which can limit the size of the furnace.

[0007] Therefore, a furnace that is relatively modular is required.

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0008] The objective of this invention is to provide a glass furnace that solves the problems of the prior art by being simple and modular. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] To achieve this objective, the present invention relates to a glass furnace having a tank on which side walls are placed and which is closed from above by a crown, wherein the crown is supported by an external structure, characterized in that the crown is composed of a plurality of individual elements, and each individual element is directly fixed to the external structure.

[0010] For example, each individual element consists of a block formed by a plate and a connecting head, the connecting head enabling a means of attaching the individual element to a structure.

[0011] For example, connecting means are provided for fitting together individual elements in the same row.

[0012] In one example, the connecting means has a complementary surface located on the end of the plate.

[0013] For example, the connecting means has a clip that grips the connecting head, and the clip is fixed to a rod that is fixed to a structure.

[0014] For example, the furnace's occupied area extends in two orthogonal directions, and individual elements are aligned along relatively shorter directions.

[0015] For example, the individual elements of two adjacent columns are not aligned.

[0016] For example, individual elements have the same dimensions.

[0017] In one example, the side wall has a series of panels, at least one of which is movable and rotatably mounted.

[0018] According to one example, the movable panel has a frame associated with a heat-resistant material, and the panel is associated with a pulley system.

[0019] According to one example, the individual elements are made of a refractory material.

[0020] According to one example, the crown further has sealing means having tiles arranged above the space between two individual elements on the individual elements.

[0021] According to one example, the individual elements of the crown are grouped into zones, adjacent zones are free from each other, and the spaces between the individual elements of one zone are connected.

[0022] Other specific features and advantages will become apparent from the following description, which is presented by way of reference and not in any limiting sense, with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0023] [Figure 1] - Figure 1 shows a cross-sectional view of the furnace.

[0024] [Figure 2] - Figure 2 shows a cross-sectional view of the crown of the furnace according to the present invention.

[0025] [Figure 3] - Figure 3 shows a cross-sectional view of the individual elements. [Figure 4] - Figure 4 shows the attachment of the individual elements to the external structure of the furnace according to the present invention.

[0026] [Figure 5] - Figure 5 shows a modification of the individual element having a side portion where a complementary surface is provided; [Figure 6] - Figure 6 shows a series of such individual elements.

[0027] [Figure 7]- Figure 7 shows different arrangements of individual elements; [Figure 8] - Figure 8 shows different arrangements of individual elements.

[0028] [Figure 9] - Figure 9 shows a cross-sectional view of the individual elements, some of which are joined together with mortar.

[0029] [Figure 10a] - Figure 10a shows a different diagram of the movable panel according to the present invention; [Figure 10b] - Figure 10b shows a different diagram of the movable panel according to the present invention.

[0030] [Figure 11a] - Figure 11a shows a cross-sectional view of a different modification of the movable panel according to the present invention; [Figure 11b] - Figure 11b shows a cross-sectional view of a different modification of the movable panel according to the present invention; [Figure 11c] - Figure 11c shows a cross-sectional view of a different modification of the movable panel according to the present invention.

[0031] [Figure 12] - Figure 12 shows a modified example of an individual element having a side portion provided with a complementary surface; [Figure 13] - Figure 13 shows a series of such individual elements. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0032] The present invention, shown in Figure 1, relates to a glass furnace 1. Such a glass furnace has a tank 10 for melting raw materials. The tank 10 has an occupied area extending along two orthogonal directions. Thus, the tank has a square or rectangular shape. The tank is formed from a base 11 and vertical walls 12, each made of a layer of material resistant to the temperature of the molten raw material, such as a refractory material like concrete. These refractory materials can be sintered or electromelted.

[0033] The furnace further has a side wall portion 20 that rests on the tank. This side wall portion is in contact with a tank extension portion 21 that acts as a stop portion for the side wall portion. The side wall portion has a panel 22 and an insert portion, which allows for the placement of functional elements, such as probes, burners, electrodes, or inspection holes.

[0034] Each panel 22 has two parallel surfaces 22a (internal and external) and a peripheral end 22b having a top, bottom, and two sides. The panels and inserts are in contact with each other at their ends, and the interface between them is insulated by a flexible, heat-resistant material with low gas permeability.

[0035] The side walls are supported by a cornice 23. Finally, the furnace is closed from above by a crown 30 that is in contact with the cornice 23.

[0036] The furnace further includes an intake opening for supplying raw materials and an outlet for discharging molten material.

[0037] In the present invention, the crown section 30 enables modular and simplified construction as shown in Figure 2. To achieve this, the crown section 30 is composed of individual elements 31 assembled together. These individual elements 31 are suspended from an external structure 2, which may have at least one metal beam extending above the crown section 30. Each individual element 31 takes the form of a block. The individual elements are made of fire-resistant material.

[0038] Each individual element 31 has a first part and a second part, as shown in Figure 3. The first part takes the form of a plate 310 and is used to form the bottom surface of the crown. The second part is used to attach the individual element to the outer structure. This second part is in the form of a coupling head 312. The coupling head 312 is integrated with the plate 310 and is preferably made of the same material as the plate 310. If the coupling head is made of the same material as the plate 310, the coupling head and the plate 310 are molded together. Preferably, the coupling head 312 is positioned at the center of the plate 310 with respect to at least one axis. The coupling head 312 allows coupling means 40 to attach the individual element to the outer structure 2, as can be seen in Figure 4. These coupling means 40 have a clip 41 that grips the coupling head. The coupling head 312 and the clip 41 are molded so that the clip can support the coupling head. For example, the coupling head has a spherical cross-section, and the clip has two curved arms. In the case of a spherical coupling head, it may be possible to give a slight incline to the individual elements. This makes it possible to give curvature to the crown or to assist in the placement of the individual elements.

[0039] The advantage of having a first and second part in an individual element lies in the ability to separate its functions. In fact, the individual element according to the present invention has a first part used as a structural element of the crown, while the second part is dedicated to connecting the individual elements. Therefore, even if a connecting means 40 is used which is connected to the second part by screwing in in the form of a connecting head 312, the performance of the individual element is not lost, and this does not require compensation, such as increasing the thickness of the individual element.

[0040] This clip 41 is fixed to the end of the rod 42, which in turn is fixed to the external structure 2. This attachment is achieved, for example, by bolting. Each individual element 31 is suspended independently from the external structure 2. This ensures optimal support and allows for the clip on the individual element to withstand breakage without affecting the crown. This also provides relatively high flexibility / adaptability to assembly because the rod compensates for any possible displacement of the head relative to the coupling hole in the external structure 2.

[0041] The first plate 310 has a surface that is a square or rectangular quadrilateral with sides measuring 20 to 80 cm and a thickness of 15 to 30 cm. This plate is inventive in that it has connecting means 314 on at least two sides, as can be seen in Figure 5. These connecting means 314 take the form of two complementary surfaces 315, for example, a male (M) type and a female (F) type, such as a recess and a semicircle (or convex / concave) that join together. In this way, each plate has a first complementary surface on the first side and a second complementary surface on the opposite side. This makes it possible to combine and align the plates, as can be seen in Figure 6. The fire-resistant material I is placed between the plates. The complementary surfaces of the same plate can be placed on opposite sides of each other.

[0042] Furthermore, the plate 310 may have complementary male and female surfaces arranged on opposite sides of each other.

[0043] Preferably, complementary surfaces 315 are provided on four sides of the plate 310, which may or may not be arranged facing opposite directions. It is understood that the male M and female F surfaces of the complementary 315 may be adjacent or opposite to each other.

[0044] These complementary surfaces 315 enable the individual elements 31 to interlock together, thereby providing good mechanical bonding to the crown. The complementary surfaces 315 are positioned such that a gap remains between the plates of the two assembled individual elements 31. This space is used as an expansion joint, to compensate for the expansion of the individual elements under the influence of heat. To seal the crown 30, tiles 33 or sealing means are positioned above the space between the two plates 310, as can be seen in Figure 13. These spaces are filled with a heat-resistant, compressible material (ordinary fiber) so that these joints close as the crown expands. The spaces between the individual elements are not all the same.

[0045] Furthermore, the complementary surface 315 reduces the risk of smoke penetration.

[0046] Complementary surfaces can be positioned in such a way that they allow for a certain degree of freedom in the position of individual elements, that is, to allow for an angular misalignment between two individual elements.

[0047] The plates 310 are aligned and positioned along at least one direction of the furnace, i.e., along the width or length direction, as can be seen in Figure 7. Thus, the crown portion 30 consists of a plurality of parallel rows extending along one direction of the furnace, preferably the shortest direction.

[0048] In one preferred embodiment, the plates 310 in different rows are aligned. As an alternative to this modification, the plates 310 of individual elements 30 have complementary surfaces of the same kind. This means that the plates 310 have only complementary male or female surfaces. This alternative may be the case where the plates have complementary surfaces on two opposite sides or on four sides. In this case, the individual elements are arranged alternately, i.e., individual elements provided with complementary male surfaces are adjacent only to individual elements provided with complementary female surfaces.

[0049] Naturally, the arrangement of complementary surfaces is not limited to the configurations described above. In fact, it may have a very specific configuration, including a crown with multiple types of individual elements. This means that the crown may have individual elements 31 provided with complementary male M or female F surfaces, or individual elements 31 provided with a mixture of complementary male or female surfaces, which may be arranged adjacent to each other or opposite each other. Furthermore, as can be seen in Figure 12, the crown may also be provided with individual elements 31 having the same complementary surfaces on three sides. In another preferred embodiment, as can be seen in Figure 8, two consecutive rows of plates 310 are offset. In fact, one solution consists of ensuring that the plates are aligned in both directions. Thus, in this case, the plates form a checkerboard pattern, with four plates touching at one point. This offset can be achieved by using plates of the same dimensions, or by using identical plates but with a portion of the plate at the beginning of the row.

[0050] In one variation, the plates are grouped in the form of joined modules.

[0051] To reinforce the crown, a certain number of plates 310 can be joined with mortar M above the gap between two plates, instead of using tiles. This mortar is placed between the two plates, on the sides that form complementary surfaces or on the other side, as can be seen in Figure 9. This mortar strengthens the crown and prevents gas penetration between the plates.

[0052] To manage the overall expansion of the crown during tempering, the mortar is arranged to form modules or zones, which are separated by open joints or filled with heat-resistant compression material (conventional fibers) that close as the crown expands. Individual elements of the crown are then grouped into zones. Individual elements of a zone are joined together with mortar, while individual zones are not joined to one or more adjacent zones.

[0053] In this way, the combination with the complementary surface of the mortar strengthens the crown against the penetration of smoke / composition gases, and thus ensures excellent mechanical strength while maintaining good sealing. This excellent mechanical strength means that the crown has a relatively simple structure, thereby avoiding the need to stack blocks in different layers, which would increase the weight of the crown and require a relatively large external structure 2.

[0054] In the modified examples shown in Figures 10a and 10b, the panels 22 forming the side walls are installed to be movable. More specifically, the panels are rotatable. For this purpose, each panel consists of a metal frame 220 on which a concrete-like heat-resistant material 222 is placed. This material is molded onto the frame to form plates, to which hooks overmolded with concrete are fitted, thereby firmly attaching the material to the frame. By sandwiching a fiber mat between the material such as concrete and the metal frame, the metal can be protected from the heat of the concrete, and in particular, heat loss through the door can be reduced during tempering. Two drilled extensions 224 are provided on the frame, thereby allowing pins to be inserted to rotate the panels. A pulley system is used for rotating the panels. This ability to rotate one or more panels facilitates furnace maintenance, for example, by facilitating electrode replacement or the passage of measuring tools.

[0055] Panels on the same plane of the side wall can be arranged to rotate simultaneously. For this purpose, they are joined together by a metal beam connected to one or more pulley systems.

[0056] In certain embodiments of these panels, one or more lateral portions of the peripheral edge 22b are not perpendicular to the outer surface of the panel. These lateral portions may be angled and / or have a stepped profile, as can be seen in Figures 11a, 11b, and 11c. The stepped profile consists of a profile with notches. The lateral portions may be a combination of angle and notches.

[0057] In this way, two adjacent panels are positioned so that their contacting side portions are complementary.

[0058] Naturally, the present invention is not limited to the illustrated examples, but includes various modifications and alterations that may be apparent to those skilled in the art.

[0059] Thus, the furnace has a circular opening in the crown section, through which cullet is fed in during malfunctions (tempering, hot crown, batch feeder failure).

[0060] Furthermore, complementary surfaces having different geometric shapes may be provided. More specifically, the complementary surfaces of the plate may have a convex or concave shape along a first direction and a serrated or triangular shape along a second direction. These different complementary surfaces may be arranged on opposite or adjacent sides to each other.

Claims

1. A glass furnace (1) having a tank (10), on which a side wall portion (20) is placed, and which is closed from above by a crown portion (30), the crown portion being supported by an external structure (2), the crown portion being composed of a plurality of individual elements (31), each individual element being directly fixed to the external structure.

2. The furnace according to claim 1, wherein each individual element (31) consists of a block formed by a rectangular plate (310) and a connecting head (312), and the connecting head (312) enables a connecting means to attach the individual element to the structure.

3. The furnace according to claim 2, wherein a plurality of the individual elements in the same row are provided with connecting means (314) for connecting each other.

4. The furnace according to claim 3, wherein the connecting means (314) has male (M)-female (F) type complementary surfaces (315) located on the end of the plate (31).

5. The furnace according to any one of claims 2 to 4, wherein the coupling means has a clip for gripping the coupling head (312), and the clip is fixed to a rod fixed to the structure.

6. The furnace according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the occupied area of ​​the furnace extends in two orthogonal directions, and the individual elements of the crown are aligned in a relatively short direction.

7. The furnace according to claim 6, wherein the individual elements of two consecutive rows are not aligned.

8. The furnace according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the individual elements have the same dimensions.

9. The furnace according to any one of claims 4 to 8, wherein each plate has two complementary surfaces.

10. The furnace according to any one of claims 4 to 8, wherein each plate has four complementary surfaces.

11. The furnace according to claim 9, wherein the two complementary surfaces are located on opposite sides of each other.

12. The furnace according to claim 10, wherein the plate has two pairs of complementary surfaces facing opposite directions.

13. The furnace according to any one of claims 1 to 12, wherein the side wall portion has a series of multiple panels, and at least one of the panels is movable and rotatably installed.

14. The furnace according to claim 13, wherein the movable panel has a frame associated with a heat-resistant material, and the panel is associated with a pulley system.

15. The furnace according to any one of claims 1 to 14, wherein the individual elements are made of a refractory material.

16. The furnace according to any one of claims 1 to 15, further comprising a sealing means wherein the crown portion has a tile positioned above the space between two individual elements 310 on the individual elements 310.

17. The furnace according to any one of claims 1 to 16, wherein the individual elements of the crown are grouped into zones, adjacent zones are free from one another, and the spaces between the individual elements of one zone are connected.

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