An apparatus, system and method for benefication of quartz for manufacturing of ge ass

Abstract

Disclosed herein is an apparatus (100) for separation of impurities from quartz slurry, a system and a method thereof. The solution includes one or more receiving drums (102) to receive the quartz slurry. Provided in the drums are a shaft (103) with a rotor (104) to be disposed in each of the one or more receiving drums (102) for churning the slurry for attrition of the particles in quartz slurry. Further provided are one or more ultrasonicator units (105, 106) configured to be disposed on walls of the receiving drum (102). The said apparatus is configured to facilitate simultaneous churning and ultrasonication to separate impurities from the quartz slurry. It has been observed that this solution provided improved clay particles removal and improved the surface area of quartz particles. Such optimisation of the raw material improves the melting of quartz in glass manufacturing, thereby improving yield.

Description

[0001] AN APPARATUS, SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR BENEFICIATION OF QUARTZ FOR MANUFACTURING OF GLASS

[0002] TECHNICAL FIELD

[0003] The present disclosure broadly relates to a process in manufacturing of glass, it particularly relates to a process of beneficiation of quartz. More particularly, this disclosure relates to an apparatus, system and method for reduction of defects in glass for improving the yield of glass.

[0004] BACKGROUND

[0005] Background description includes information that may be useful in understanding the present disclosure. It is not an admission that any of the information provided herein is prior art or relevant to the presently claimed disclosure, or that any publication specifically or implicitly referenced is prior art.

[0006] A glass defect maybe defined as a localized enclosure in a glass object (like float glass) with different optical and / or other properties than what is desirable. Having glass defects or faults weakens the product and results in yield loss in the glass object manufacturing unit. A glass defect may originate from many different sources like disturbances in the melting process, devitrification, corrosion of refractory material or faulty raw material.

[0007] Generally, float glass is manufactured from natural and abundant raw materials including sand, soda ash and limestone. Said raw materials are melted at high temperature to form a glass. The hard body of the glass is created by the application of vast amounts of heat to sand or quartz. Said glass manufacturing process also involves resizing or reshaping or removal of undesirable matter from raw materials. One such process is typically quartz beneficiation process. It majorly involves all the resizing work and removal of impurities. The resizing process of quartz beneficiation may involve steps such as and not limited to crushing or grinding, screening and centrifugation, sintering, or palletizing. Similarly, removal of impurities involves steps such as and not limited to washing, flotation, leaching, filtration, dissolution, drying, roasting and the like.

[0008] Sand is a key raw material in the manufacturing of glass. Depending on the geography of the location the sand is sourced from, the composition of sand may vary. Sand predominantly contains silica (silicon dioxide, or S i O2), usually in the form of quartz. It has been seen observed that the presence of clay or silt on the surface of sand adversely affects the melting of the sand. This consequently results in the creation of defects in the glass. Such contamination of raw material results in the creation of alumina rich defects, which ultimately results in yield loss due to increased appearance of defects.

[0009] It is known in the art that scrubber or scrubbing bins or scrubbing drums or attrition drum scrubbers are deployed in sand beneficiation process for liberating clay from sand particles. Such drum scrubbers may not be highly effective in completely removing clay and slit from sand particles. Some residual contaminants of clay in sand may lead to suboptimal quality of the final soda lime silica glass object (such as float glass). It is particularly crucial as the presence of impurities will adversely affect the melting of sand.

[0010] Reference is made to CN114797565A that relates to a quartz raw material processing device for ultra-white glass. Said device comprises a fixed frame, a scrubbing machine arranged in the fixed frame and a rack arranged on the fixed frame. The rack is sequentially provided with a feeding bin, a concentration control assembly and a driving motor from top to bottom. The concentration control assembly comprises a concentration control bin, and a rotating shaft arranged in the concentration control bin. In the said device, ultrasonic wave installation shell is provided on the inner wall of the scrubbing machine and is equipped with supersonic generator in the ultrasonic wave installation shell. This prior art, however, focusses on the removal of iron from sand. Accordingly, the mode of action and configuration of the apparatus are intended to cater to this. From the referred solution, it is unclear, if the arrangement indicated in the referred prior art may be suitable for removal of impurities like clay and improvement of surface area of sand particles.

[0011] Another reference is made to US7604126B2 that discloses a process for beneficiating a slurry which is provided having 30% to 70% by weight of a liquid phase and having a solid phase comprising clay, sand, and phosphate rock. The slurry is exposed to ultrasonic energy released from a sonotrode located within the slurry. After exposure to ultrasonic energy, clay and sand are separated from the phosphate rock, perhaps using an air flotation process and a cycloning process. In such solutions, it appears that the separation from clay is followed by the exposure to ultrasonic energy.

[0012] Yet another reference is made to CN115382835A that discloses an integrated device producing quartz sand for photovoltaic glass. A pickling barrel is provided with the top closed, the top of the pickling barrel is provided with a sand inlet which can be opened and closed, and the bottom of the pickling barrel is provided with a liquid inlet, a liquid outlet and a sand outlet. The wall of the pickling barrel is of an acid corrosion resistant material-profiling graphite-acid corrosion resistant material sandwich structure. This pickling tank can be heated on three sides simultaneously, so that the heating efficiency can be greatly improved, and the heating time is shortened. However, it does not seem to be directed at a solution meant for efficient clay removal from sand surface. In the discussed prior art, it has been observed that there are no dedicated solutions meant for removal clay particles from quartz or meant for improving the melting of sand. Therefore, in view of the prior art solutions known hitherto, it has been observed that there is a requirement for improving the melting of sand particles. For the purpose, it is required to reduce the clay content on the surface of the sand. The present invention thus provides a solution for beneficiation of sand by directing at an apparatus, system and method for beneficiation involving a simultaneous attrition and ultrasonication steps.

[0013] SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE

[0014] An object of the present invention is to provide a solution for overcoming the drawbacks of the prior art, primarily removal of clay impurities from quartz particles.

[0015] Another object of the present invention is to provide a solution for removal of clay from the sand or quartz.

[0016] Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a solution for improving the melting efficiency of sand.

[0017] A further object of the present invention is to provide a solution that optimizes the raw material to reduce the formation of defects in glass manufacturing.

[0018] A still further object of the present invention is to provide a solution that improves the yield of glass manufacturing.

[0019] These and other objects of the invention are achieved by the following aspects of the invention. The following disclosure presents a simplified summary of the invention in order to provide a basic understanding of some aspects of the invention. This presents some concept of the invention in a simplified form to a more detailed description of the invention presented later. It is a comprehensive summary of the disclosure, and it is not an extensive overview of the present invention. The intent of this summary is to provide a fundamental understanding of some of the aspects of the present invention.

[0020] In an aspect of the present invention is provided an apparatus for separation of impurities from quartz slurry. This apparatus comprises one or more receiving drums to receive the quartz slurry. It further includes a shaft with a rotor to be disposed in each of the one or more receiving drums for churning the slurry for attrition of the particles in quartz slurry. Provided further are one or more ultrasonicator units, configured to be disposed on walls of the receiving drum. The receiving drums having the shaft with the rotor and the ultrasonicator units are operably coupled for the simultaneous attrition and ultrasonication of the particles in quartz slurry. The ultrasonicator unit comprises plurality of sonotrodes arranged on a base plate. Said sonotrodes on the base plate are completely encased with a protective outer cover. The one or more ultrasonicator units are disposed perpendicular to a churning motion of the slurry in said receiving drum to create cavitation for separation of impurities from the quartz slurry. The plurality of sonotrodes are configured to generate vibrations focused and concentrated to generate bubbles in the slurry. The base plate and the plurality of sonotrodes maybe made of piezoelectric material and the protective cover is made of chromium steel. The apparatus may include a rubber based sealant to enclose the base plate with the protective outer cover. The ultrasonicator unit is provided with multiple mechanical bearings for affixing it onto the walls of the one or more receiving drums. The apparatus has a frame to hold the receiving drum via attaching means, a motor to run the rotor and a power supply means. The receiving drum comprises an inlet for receiving the quartz slurry into the receiving drum at a top region of the drum or at a bottom region of the receiving drum. It may include an outlet for flowing the impurities liberated quartz slurry at the bottom region of the receiving drum. The ultrasonicator unit is configured to operate at a resonance frequency of 15 Khz to 100 Khz, preferably at a resonance frequency 15Khz to 30 Khz. The rotor of the apparatus can comprise plurality of blades configured for churning the slurring. The apparatus further comprises one or more locking elements configured to prevent the dislocation of the one or more ultrasonicator unit from the walls of the receiving drum. Such a locking element is particularly needed as the churning or attrition of the slurry happens at a high speed. Since the ultrasonicator unit is fully submerged within the slurry, the locking means advantageously prevents its dislocation due to this high speed slurry movement. This apparatus is configured for liberation of clay, silt or alumina silicon alloy based impurities from sand particles in the quartz slurry with 10-15% reduction in specific surface area of sand particles for improved melting of sand during manufacturing of glass.

[0021] In another aspect of the present invention is provided a system for beneficiation of quartz for manufacturing glass. This system comprises a sequential pre-wash unit to segregate primary impurities from quartz and an apparatus for separation of impurities configured to receive quartz slurry from the sequential pre-wash unit. This apparatus comprises one or more receiving drums to receive the quartz slurry and a shaft with a rotor to be disposed in each of the one or more receiving drums for churning the slurry for attrition of the particles in quartz slurry. It further includes one or more ultrasonicator units, configured to be disposed on walls of the receiving drum. The ultrasonicator units, are configured to be fully submerged in the slurry. These ultrasonicator units are configured to send ultrasonic waves into the slurry for simultaneously with the churning of the shaft with rotor to separate impurities from the quartz slurry. In other words, the receiving drums having the shaft with the rotor and the ultrasonicator units are operably coupled for the simultaneous attrition and ultrasonication of the particles in quartz slurry. The system comprises a mixing unit for mixing the quartz with water before sending to the apparatus for separation of impurities. Said one or more ultrasonicator units are disposed in either all the receiving drums or in selective receiving drums such that quartz particles are subjected to simultaneous attrition and ultrasonication. The receiving drums and ultrasonicator units are configured for liberation of clay, silt or alumina silicon alloy based impurities from sand particles of the quartz slurry. The system comprises means to receive the impurities liberated quartz slurry such that said clay impurities liberated quartz is adapted to reduce formation of defects during manufacturing of glass.

[0022] In the disclosed invention, a method for beneficiation of quartz for manufacturing of glass. This method comprises receiving a quartz slurry comprising sand, silt, clay and other particles in a receiving drum. Further provided in the method is churring the quartz slurry for attrition of the particles. This method further includes simultaneously subjecting the quartz slurring being churred to plurality of sonotrodes. Still further, it includes exposing the quartz slurry to ultrasonic energy released from said plurality of sonotrodes. The ultrasonic energy has a resonance frequency within the range of from 20 kHz to 100 kHz. The method further includes liberating sand particles in the slurry from clay, silt or alumina silicon alloy based impurities said sand particles with improved surface area of said sand particles. The method is adapted to reduce formation of the defects in the glass thereby improving the yield in manufacturing.

[0023] The solution disclosed in the various aspects of the present invention provide one or more detachable ultrasonicator units in the receiving drums or cells or an attritor or a system for attrition. The apparatus and the disclosed system facilitates for simultaneous attrition and ultrasonication, thereby facilitating in significant reduction of the clay material from sand particles. As per the disclosed results, it has been observed that the solution also brings in a significant change in specific surface area of the quartz or sand particles which in turn promote improved melting of the same in manufacturing of float glass. Such optimization of raw material also reduces the presence of defects in manufacturing of glass, thereby improve yield.

[0024] The significant features of the present invention and the advantages of the same will be apparent to a person skilled in the art from the detailed description that follows in conjunction with the annexed drawings.

[0025] BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE ACCOMPANYING DRAWINGS

[0026] The following briefly describes the accompanying drawings, illustrating the technical solution of the embodiments of the present invention or the prior art, for assisting the understanding of a person skilled in the art to comprehend the invention. It would be apparent that the accompanying drawings in the following description merely show some embodiments of the present invention, and persons skilled in the art can derive other drawings from the accompanying drawings without deviating from the scope of the disclosure.

[0027] FIG. 1 illustrates a schematic diagram of an apparatus for quartz beneficiation according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0028] FIG. 2A illustrates a top view of the ultrasonicator units according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0029] FIG. 2B illustrates a lateral view of the ultrasonicator units according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0030] FIG. 3 A illustrates a multi-receiving drum based system according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3B illustrates a block diagram of the system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0031] FIG. 4 illustrates a method for quartz beneficiation according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0032] Persons skilled in the art will appreciate that elements in the figures are illustrated for simplicity and clarity and have not necessarily been drawn to scale. For example, the dimensions of some of the elements in the figures may be exaggerated relative to other elements to help to improve understanding of embodiments of the disclosure.

[0033] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DISCLOSED INVENTION

[0034] The present disclosure is now discussed in more detail referring to the drawings that accompany the present application. It would be appreciated by a skilled person that this description is to assist in the understanding of the invention, but these are to be regarded as merely exemplary.

[0035] The terms and words used in the following description are not limited to the bibliographical meanings and the same are used to enable a clear and consistent understanding of the invention. Accordingly, the terms / phrases are to be read in the context of the disclosure and not in isolation. Additionally, descriptions of well-known functions and constructions are omitted for clarity and conciseness.

[0036] In the one or more embodiments of the present invention is disclosed a solution of eliminating clay and silt particles adhered to the surface of quartz or sand particles. This solution improvises the surface area of the sand particles which helps in improving the melting of the sand during manufacturing of glass. This ultimately reduces the formation of defects in float glass, thereby increasing the yield of manufacturing by reducing the losses.

[0037] In an embodiment of the present invention is disclosed an apparatus (100) for separation of impurities from quartz slurry. FIG. 1 discloses the apparatus as per this embodiment. The apparatus comprises one or more receiving drums (102) to receive the quartz slurry. In each of the said drums are provided a shaft (103) with a rotor (104) for churning the slurry for attrition of the particles in quartz slurry. In an implementation of the present invention said drum may be a scrubber or an attrition drum scrubber, or simply called an attritor, however, not limited to this. It could be of any size or shape depending upon the capacity of the slurry. Further provided in the drums are ultrasonicator units (105, 106). One or more ultrasonicator units (105, 106) are configured to be disposed on walls of the receiving drum (102). Said ultrasonicator units (105, 106) are configured to be fully submerged in the slurry to send ultrasonic waves into the slurry. The step of ultrasonication is simultaneously to the churning of the slurry by the shaft with rotor to separate impurities, particularly clay impurities, from the quartz slurry. In a preferred embodiment, said churning of the slurry is the process of attrition.

[0038] The disclosed apparatus comprises a frame (101) to hold the receiving drum (102) via attaching means (108, 109), a motor (107) to run the rotor (104), and a power supply means. Intuitively, the power supply means supplies power to the motor for running the shaft with rotor. The receiving drum (102) comprises an inlet for receiving the quartz slurry into the receiving drum (102) at a top region of the drum or at a bottom region of the receiving drum. It further comprises an outlet for flowing the impurities liberated quartz slurry at the bottom region of the receiving drum (102). In an embodiment of the present invention, the rotor (104) of the apparatus comprises plurality of blades (104a, 104b, 104c,... ) configured for churning the slurring. In an implementation, there may be four blades and they may be rectangular in shape. The number of blades, and the shape of the blades are dependent on the capacity, nature of the slurry and the inflow velocity of the slurry. The apparatus comprises one or more locking elements (not shown in the figure) configured to prevent the dislocation of the one or more ultrasonicator unit (105) in the receiving drum (102). In an implementation, the inflow velocity of the slurry may be high due to which the ultrasonicator unit (105) need to be stopped from being dislocated. In an implementation, said locking element may be a plate like structure.

[0039] Reference is made to FIGs. 2A and 2B discloses ultrasonicator unit (105) as per an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2A provides the top view of the ultrasonicator unit (105) while FIG. 2B provides the lateral view of the ultrasonicator unit (105). Ultrasonicator unit (105) comprises a plurality of sonotrodes (1052a, 1052b,..) arranged on a base plate (1051). Said sonotrodes (1052a, 1052b,..) on the base plate (1051) are being completely encased with a protective outer cover (1054). In an implementation, ultrasonicator unit may be a box like structure. The one or more ultrasonicator units (105) are disposed perpendicular to a churning motion of the slurry in said receiving drum (102) to create cavitation for separation of impurities from the quartz slurry. The plurality of sonotrodes (1052a, 1052b,..) are configured to generate vibrations focused and concentrated to generate bubbles the slurry. In an implementation of the present invention, the base plate (1051) and the plurality of sonotrodes (1052a, 1052b,....) are made of piezoelectric material, and the protective cover (1054) is made of chromium steel. Said apparatus comprises a rubber-based sealant to enclose the base plate (1051) with the protective outer cover (1054). Such rubber sealant lining to improve the sealing and prevent erosion. The ultrasonicator unit (105) is provided with multiple mechanical bearings (1053) for affixing it onto the walls of the one or more receiving drums (102). Such mechanical bearings (1053) may be hinges. Such mechanical bearings make ultrasonicator units detachable parts, making it scalable and suitable for retro-fitting in convention beneficiation systems.

[0040] In an embodiment, the ultrasonicator unit (105) is configured to operate at a resonance frequency of 15 Khz to 100 Khz, preferably at a resonance frequency 15Khz to 30 Khz. In an implementation of the present invention, the sonotrodes or alternatively known as ultrasonic probes, or ultrasonic cell disruptors, are configured to generate high- frequency vibrations 12referably exceeding 20 kHz. The sonotrodes are ultrasonic probe comprising a piezoelectric crystal that, when excited with a high voltage electricity, initiates vibrations at the tip of the sonotrode. The vibrations are focused and concentrated, leading to the generation of small bubbles in the quartz slurry. These bubbles undergo rapid implosion, creating shock waves that propagate through the liquid based slurry, thereby leading to cavitation. The cavitation disrupts the weak van der Waals bonds between the quartz particles and the impurities, thereby separating from the desired sand particles from the impurities within the drum. Said apparatus (100) is configured for liberation of clay, silt or alumina silicon alloy-based impurities from sand particles of the quartz slurry with 10-15% reduction in specific surface area of sand particles. Advantageously, the reduction in specific surface area of sand particles contributes to improved melting of sand during manufacturing of glass.

[0041] In an embodiment of the present invention is disclosed a system (200) for beneficiation of quartz for manufacturing glass. FIG. 3B shows a block diagram of the system (200). Said system comprises a sequential pre- wash unit (201) to segregate primary impurities from quartz. The system comprises an apparatus (203) for separation of impurities configured to receive quartz slurry from the sequential pre-wash unit. This apparatus is the same as the apparatus (100) detailed above in the different embodiments. There may be provided a mixing unit (202) in the system for mixing the quartz with water before sending to the apparatus for separation of impurities. The system comprises means to receive the impurities liberated quartz slurry. The sand particles obtained from said impurities liberated quartz slurry is adapted to reduce formation of defects during manufacturing of glass.

[0042] In an embodiment of the present invention, the one or more ultrasonicator units (105) are disposed in either all the receiving drums (102) or in selective receiving drums (102) of the system. The ultrasonicator units are so disposed that the quartz particles are subjected to simultaneous attrition and ultrasonication. The receiving drums (102) and ultrasonicator units (105) are together configured for liberation of clay, silt or alumina silicon alloy based impurities from sand particles of the quartz slurry.

[0043] In an exemplary implementation of the present invention, the system (200) may include three receiving drums (102a, 102b, 102c). According to the present disclosure, the three receiving drums (102a, 102b, 102c) are together responsible for the liberation of impurities from the quartz material, especially clay. The three receiving drums (102a, 102b, 102c) are together responsible for attrition of the quartz slurry. Ultrasonicator units (105a, 106b) may be disposed on either all the receiving drums as seen in the figure, or alternatively on selective receiving drums. However, the receiving drums and the ultrasonicator units are together configured to simultaneously perform attrition and ultrasonication. In this exemplary implementation, one of the receiving drums may receive the quartz slurry from a top region (110), while the other one may be filled from a bottom region. The receiving drums also comprise means (111) for flowing out the clay liberated quartz slurry. Such an arrangement of the receiving drums or cells are provided by means of example alone and not by way of limitation.

[0044] In an embodiment of the present invention is provided a method (300) for beneficiation of quartz for manufacturing of glass as has been broadly depicted in FIG. 4. This method comprises the step of receiving (S301) a quartz slurry comprising sand, silt, clay and other particles in a receiving drum. At step S302, the quartz slurry is churred for attrition of the particles. At step S303, the quartz slurring is simultaneously subjected to being churred to plurality of sonotrodes. At step S304, quartz slurry is exposed to ultrasonic energy released from said plurality of sonotrodes. In this case, the ultrasonic energy has a resonance frequency within the range of from 20 kHz to 100 kHz. At step S305, sand particles in the slurry are liberated from clay, silt or alumina silicon alloy based impurities said sand particles with improved surface area of said sand particles. This method is adapted to reduce formation of the defects in the glass thereby improving the yield in manufacturing. The apparatus and system disclosed in the embodiments of the present invention facilitate for the efficient removal of clay from the surface of the sand particles in the quartz slurry.

[0045] The invention disclosed in the various embodiments herein utilizes ultrasonic technology and cavitation to enhance clay separation processes, providing improved results, greater control, and increased efficiency compared to conventional solutions.

[0046] Industrial Applications: The disclosed invention may be applied to various settings, including ultrasonic baths. In ultrasonic baths, the transducers may operate at lower power levels compared to ultrasonic probes, ensuring efficient and controlled separation of clay minerals from sand mixtures. The disclosed solution offers several advantages over traditional clay separation methods. The use of ultrasonic technology enhances the efficiency and effectiveness of clay mineral separation by specifically targeting and disrupting the bonds between clay particles. The resulting separation allows for improved purification and higher quality of the final product, such as in the manufacturing of soda lime silica glass. Experiment 1: In an exemplary embodiment of the present invention is provided, the system for quartz beneficiation may include three receiving drums for attrition. Herein, two ultrasonicator units may be provided in one of the receiving drums. The system has been configured to simultaneously execute the process of attrition and ultrasonication with a practical relay, if the need be. For the experiment, sand containing significant clay impurities have been used. It has been observed that with the solution disclosed herein, there has been a significant reduction of clay impurities in sand beneficiation. This is indicated by the reduction in surface area of the sand particles. Additionally, there has been significant improvement in the surface area of sand. This consequently results in the improvement of the melting of sand in glass manufacturing. In the following table is provided the improvement of the BET value of sand.

[0047] Table: 1 It would be understood by the skilled person that the above experiment has been disclosed to highlight the technical impact of the solution and is not any means of limitation. Experiment 2: In an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, clay content of different batches of sand (100g each) was evaluated before the installation of one or more ultrasonicator units (105, 106) and after the installation of one or more ultrasonicator units (105, 106). The average of the clay content before the installation of one or more ultrasonicator units (105, 106) was measured to be 0.86% while the average of the clay content after the installation of one or more ultrasonicator units (105, 106) was measured to be less then 0.08%. this reduction in the clay content is evidently resulting from the simultaneous attrition and ultrasonication as taught by the present invention. While the above reported measurements were performed for batches of 100g of sand the reduction of clay content can be extrapolated for the huge tons of sand typically used in glass making.

[0048] Consecutively, usage of the ultrasonicated sand in glass making was found to have a direct impact on reduction of the defects originating form sand melting and thereby reduced the associated process yield losses. The defects averaging at 3 - 4% before the installation of ultrasonicator units were significantly reduced to 1-1.5% post the installation of ultrasonicator units. Thus providing strong validation to the technical improvement resulting from implementation of the present invention.

[0049] Some advantages of the present invention are enlisted in the following:

[0050] • The disclosed solution facilitates for effectively removing clay and slit from sand particles and modify the sand surface, thereby helping in improving the melting efficiency and vitreous defect reduction for glass manufacturing.

[0051] • There is an improved control on the sand quality and optimisation of the raw material for manufacturing glass.

[0052] • The disclosed solution is scalable. Ultrasonication may be easily scaled up to accommodate larger volumes of sand without compromising its efficiency. This scalability allows for increased production capacity and flexibility in meeting manufacturing demands.

[0053] Features that are described and / or illustrated with respect to one embodiment may be used in the same way or in a similar way in one or more other embodiments and / or in combination with or instead of the features of the other embodiments.

[0054] It would be appreciated by the skilled person that present invention includes various combinations of mechanical elements and features. It is understood that the invention may be practiced with various combinations of elements or features, and that such combinations are within the scope of the invention as defined by the claims. Although embodiments have been described with reference to specific example embodiments, it will be evident that various modifications and changes may be made to these embodiments without departing from the broader spirit and scope of the system and method described herein. Accordingly, the specification and drawings are to be regarded in an illustrative rather than a restrictive sense.

[0055] Many alterations and modifications of the present invention will no doubt become apparent to a person of ordinary skill in the art after having read the foregoing description. It is to be understood that the phraseology or terminology employed herein is for the purpose of description and not of limitation. It is to be understood that the description above contains many specifications, these should not be construed as limiting the scope of the invention but as merely providing illustrations of some of the personally preferred embodiments of this invention. Thus, the scope of the invention should be determined by the appended claims and their legal equivalents rather than by the examples given. List of reference numerals appearing in the accompanying drawings and the corresponding features:

[0056] 100, 203: apparatus for separation of impurities

[0057] 101 : frame

[0058] 102, 102a, 102b, 102c: receiving drum

[0059] 103: shaft

[0060] 104: rotor

[0061] 104a, 104b, 104c, 104d: blades of rotor

[0062] 105, 106, 105a, 106a, 105b, 106b, 105c, 106c: ultrasonicator units

[0063] 107: motor

[0064] 108, 109: frame attaching means

[0065] 110: inlet

[0066] 111 : outlet

[0067] 1051: base plate

[0068] 1052a, 1052b: sonotrodes

[0069] 1053: mechanical bearings

[0070] 1054: protective cover

[0071] 200: system

[0072] 201 : pre- wash unit

[0073] 202: mixing unit

[0074] 300: method

[0075] S301-S305: method steps

Claims

ClaimsWe claim1. An apparatus (100) for separation of impurities from quartz slurry comprising: one or more receiving drums (102) to receive the quartz slurry; a shaft (103) with a rotor (104) disposed in each of the one or more receiving drums (102) for churning the slurry for attrition of the particles in quartz slurry; and one or more ultrasonicator units (105, 106) configured to be disposed on walls of the receiving drum (102); said ultrasonicator units (105, 106) are configured to be fully submerged in the slurry to send ultrasonic waves into the slurry; wherein the receiving drums (102) having the shaft (103) with the rotor (104) and the ultrasonicator units are operably coupled for the simultaneous attrition and ultrasonication of the particles in quartz slurry.

2. The apparatus (100) as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the ultrasonicator unit (105) comprises plurality of sonotrodes (1052a, 1052b,..) arranged on a base plate (1051), said sonotrodes (1052a, 1052b,..) on the base plate (1051) being completely encased with a protective outer cover (1054).

3. The apparatus (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the one or more ultrasonicator units (105) are disposed perpendicular to a churning motion of the slurry in said receiving drum (102) to create cavitation for separation of impurities from the quartz slurry.

4. The apparatus (100) as claimed in claim 2, wherein the plurality of sonotrodes (1052a, 1052b,..) are configured to generate vibrations focused and concentrated to generate bubbles in the slurry.

5. The apparatus (100) as claimed in claim 2, wherein the base plate (1051) and the plurality of sonotrodes (1052a, 1052b,... .) are made of piezoelectric material, and the protective cover (1054) is made of chromium steel.

6. The apparatus (100) as claimed in claim 2, wherein the ultrasonicator unit (105) further comprises a rubber-based sealant to enclose the base plate (1051) with the protective outer cover (1054).

7. The apparatus (100) as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the ultrasonicator unit (105) is provided with multiple mechanical bearings (1053) for affixing the units onto the walls of the one or more receiving drums (102).

8. The apparatus (100) as claimed in claim 1, comprising a frame (101) to hold the receiving drum (102) via attaching means (108, 109), a motor (107) to run the rotor (104), and a power supply means.

9. The apparatus (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the receiving drum (102) comprises: an inlet for receiving the quartz slurry into the receiving drum (102) at a top region of the drum or at a bottom region of the receiving drum; and an outlet for flowing the impurities liberated quartz slurry at the bottom region of the receiving drum (102).

10. The apparatus (100) as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the ultrasonicator unit (105) is configured to operate at a resonance frequency of 15 Khz to 100 Khz, preferably at a resonance frequency 15Khz to 30 Khz.

11. The apparatus (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the rotor (104) comprises plurality of blades (104a, 104b, 104c,... ) configured for churning the slurring.

12. The apparatus (100) as claimed in claim 1, comprising one or more locking elements configured to prevent the dislocation of the one or more ultrasonicator unit (105) in the receiving drum (102).

13. The apparatus ( 100) as claimed in claim 1 , wherein said apparatus is configured for liberation of clay, silt or alumina silicon alloy based impurities from sand particles of the quartz slurry with 10-15% reduction in specific surface area of sand particles for improved melting of sand during manufacturing of glass.

14. A system (200) for beneficiation of quartz for manufacturing glass, wherein said system comprises: a sequential pre- wash unit (201) to segregate primary impurities from quartz; an apparatus (203) for separation of impurities configured to receive quartz slurry from the sequential pre-wash unit; characterized in that said apparatus (203) comprises: one or more receiving drums (102) to receive the quartz slurry; a shaft (103) with a rotor (104) to be disposed in each of the one or more receiving drums (102) for churning the slurry for attrition of the particles in quartz slurry; one or more ultrasonicator units (105, 106) configured to be disposed on walls of the receiving drum (102); wherein said ultrasonicator units (105, 106) are configured to be fully submerged in the slurry to send ultrasonic waves into the slurry,such that the receiving drums (102) having the shaft (103) with the rotor (104) and the ultrasonicator units (105, 106) are operably coupled for the simultaneous attrition and ultrasonication of the particles in quartz slurry.

15. The system (200) as claimed in claim 14, comprises a mixing unit (202) for mixing the quartz with water before sending to the apparatus (203) for separation of impurities.

16. The system (200) as claimed in claim 14, wherein said one or more ultrasonicator units (105) are disposed in either all the receiving drums (102) or in selective receiving drums (102) such that quartz particles are subjected to simultaneous attrition and ultrasonication.

17. The system (200) as claimed in claim 14, wherein said receiving drums (102) and ultrasonicator units (105) are configured for liberation of clay, silt or alumina silicon alloy based impurities from sand particles of the quartz slurry.

18. The system (200) as claimed in claim 17, comprising means to receive the impurities liberated quartz slurry from said apparatus (203) in which said the sand particles obtained from said impurities liberated quartz slurry is adapted to reduce formation of defects during manufacturing of glass.

19. A method (300) for beneficiation of quartz for manufacturing of glass, wherein said method comprising: receiving (S301) a quartz slurry comprising sand, silt, clay and other particles in a receiving drum; churring (S302) the quartz slurry for attrition of the particles;simultaneously subjecting (S303 ) the quartz slurring being churred to ultrasonic energy released from a plurality of sonotrodes; and liberating (S305) sand particles in the slurry from clay, silt or alumina silicon alloy based impurities such that the surface area of sand particles are reduced; wherein the ultrasonic energy has a resonance frequency within the range of from 20 kHz to 100 kHz.

20. The method (300) as claimed in claim 19, wherein said method is adapted to reduce formation of the defects in the glass thereby improving the yield in glass manufacturing process.

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