GLASS WOOL STRETCHING TORCH

Claims

1. A torch (1) suitable for stretching glass fibers, comprising an annular combustion chamber (2), preferably limited by walls made of refractory material, opening into a circular expansion gap (3), the direction of which is substantially parallel to the axis of the burner (1); and an injection system (4) comprising at least one injector (5), preferably of tubular shape, configured to supply the combustion chamber (2) with fuel and oxidizer in a gaseous state, wherein the burner (1) is characterized in that the injector (5) contains at least one angular deflecting element (51) designed with the possibility of generating a flow of oxidizer and / or fuel, the flow of which forms a vortex.

2. The burner (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that said angular deflecting element (51) has a swirl number S that satisfies the equation S=2 / 3 tan⋅Φ, where Φ is the angle of angular deflection of the oxidizer and / or fuel flow after passing through the injector, wherein said swirl number S is between 0.10 and 2.00, preferably between 0.25 and 1.70, even more preferably between 0.35 and 1.40, even more preferably between 0.45 and 1.10, even more preferably between 0.55 and 0.90, even more preferably between 0.65 and 0.

70.

3. The burner (1) according to claim 2, characterized in that said angular deflection element (51) is a ring coaxial with the injector (5), preferably removable, containing at least one side channel (511) made with the possibility of allowing the introduction of a swirling flow of oxidizer and / or fuel into the injection chamber (52) of the injector (5) with said angular deflection angle Φ, the value of which is preferably between 10° and 80°, even more preferably between 20° and 70°, even more preferably between 30° and 60°, even more preferably between 40° and 50°.

4. A burner (1) according to one of paragraphs 1-3, characterized in that the injection system (4) is designed with the possibility of separately supplying said injector (5) with both fuel and oxidizer.

5. The burner (1) according to claim 4, characterized in that said injector (5) contains a central channel (53) designed with the possibility of injecting a fuel flow along the axis (X) of the injector (5), while the oxidizer flow is intended to flow through said deflecting element (51).

6. The burner (1) according to claim 5, characterized in that the outer surface of the section upstream from said central channel (53) has a truncated-conical shape, and the diameter of said outer surface decreases in this section, along the injection direction.

7. A burner (1) according to one of paragraphs 5 and 6, characterized in that the outlet of the injector (5) is located inside the injection chamber (52) at a distance between 0 and 45 mm from the point (21) of entry of the injected flow of oxidizer and fuel into the combustion chamber (2).

8. A burner (1) according to one of paragraphs 1-7, characterized in that said injector (5) has an outlet cross-section that is straight relative to the axis of the injector.

9. A burner (1) according to one of paragraphs 1-8, characterized in that the entry point (21) of the injected flow of oxidizer and fuel into the combustion chamber (2) is located near the center of the wall of the combustion chamber (2), which is the farthest from the axis of the burner.

10. A burner (1) according to one of paragraphs 1-9, characterized in that said entry point (21) of said injected flow of oxidizer and fuel into the combustion chamber (2) has a cross-sectional diameter adapted on the basis of the required flame stabilization distance.

11. A burner (1) according to one of claims 1-10, characterized in that said injection system (4) comprises a crown (41) for distributing a flow of oxidizer and / or fuel into said at least one injector (5), wherein said crown is preferably supplied through a plurality of inlets (411) uniformly distributed around the circumference of said crown (41), wherein the number of inlets (411) is even more preferably equal to the number of injectors (5).

12. A method for producing glass fibers, characterized in that it uses at least one burner (1) according to any one of paragraphs 1-11.

13. A method for producing glass fibres, characterised in that it uses at least one burner (1) according to claim 4 and comprises a step in which an injector (5) is separately supplied with both fuel and oxidiser, wherein said production method comprises a preceding step in which said fuel is preheated, preferably by means of gases resulting from at least partial combustion.

14. Glass fiber obtained by carrying out the production method according to one of paragraphs 12 and 13.

15. A method for controlling a burner (1) according to one of claims 1-11, wherein said method comprises the step of controlling the flow of oxidizer and / or fuel based on a measured / estimated value of temperature and / or pressure, preferably collected in the combustion chamber (2).

16. A computer program downloaded from a communications network and / or recorded on a recording medium suitable for reading by a computer and / or execution by a processor, containing a code with instructions for performing the control method according to paragraph 12.

17. A fiber stretching apparatus equipped with one or more burners according to any one of paragraphs 1-11.