Agglomerated Glass Batch Roller Press Melting
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing glass manufacturing processes using fine shards face challenges in achieving energy savings while maintaining homogeneity and strength, particularly in the production of thin-walled glass bodies, due to issues like dust formation, foam creation, and the presence of difficult-to-dissolve impurities.
Innovation Solution
The process involves crushing glass shards into fine shards, mixing them with glass raw materials to form a standard mixture, and then agglomerating this mixture by compacting it using a roller press to increase packing density and improve melting behavior, while adding a binder to enhance homogeneity and strength.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Use of energy by moving object
If shards are crushed into fine shards to improve melting speed and reduce energy consumption, then energy requirements are reduced, but dust formation and foam creation increase causing melting disturbances
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the physical state parameters of the fine shards by controlling moisture content (adding 1-10% water) and applying mechanical pressure (5-20 MPa) during agglomeration. This transforms the fine shards from a dusty, foam-prone state into compacted granulates that maintain the energy benefits of fine particle size while eliminating the harmful dust and foam effects
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces water as an intermediary substance that facilitates agglomeration of fine shards. The water acts as a binding medium that enables particles to stick together during compression, forming stable granulates. This intermediary allows the fine shards to be handled in a dust-free manner while maintaining their melting advantages
2Productivity
If shards are crushed into fine shards to improve melting speed, then melting behavior is improved, but homogeneity and strength of glass bodies deteriorate due to difficult-to-dissolve impurities
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies mechanical pressure (5-20 MPa) during agglomeration to compact fine shards and their impurities into dense granulates. This pre-compaction ensures that impurities like ceramics, stones and porcelain are broken down and distributed uniformly throughout the glass batch before melting, eliminating strength-reducing inclusions in the final product while maintaining fast melting characteristics
3Use of energy by moving object
If fine shards are used to reduce energy consumption, then energy savings are achieved, but homogeneity of glass bodies deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the glass batch into uniformly sized granulates (0.5-5 mm diameter) through agglomeration of fine shards. This segmentation creates consistent particle sizes that melt uniformly, ensuring homogeneous glass bodies. The granulate structure maintains the high surface area-to-volume ratio of fine shards for energy-efficient melting while eliminating the homogeneity problems through controlled size distribution
Solution Approach 2:
The patent controls moisture content (1-10% water) during agglomeration to optimize particle bonding. This parameter control ensures that granulates form with consistent density and composition, preventing segregation during handling and melting. The controlled moisture level allows particles to bind uniformly, creating homogeneous granulates that maintain composition stability throughout the melting process
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This approach reduces energy consumption, improves the homogeneity and strength of glass bodies, extends the service life of the melting tank, and minimizes dust and foam formation, resulting in the production of particularly homogeneous and solid glass bodies.
Implementation Method 1
compacting the standard mixture by roller pressing a rolling press
Data Source
Figure 1A
Figure 1B
Figure 1C
AI summary
The invention relates to a glass production method for producing glass from glass raw materials and broken glass, comprising the following steps: making glass raw materials available in the form of a mixture (10, 11); comminuting the broken glass to give finely broken glass (21); combining the mixture and the finely broken glass (21) to give a standard mixture (30); and agglomerating (31) the standard mixture (30).