Submerged Combustion Melter Drainage for Condensate Management
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Submerged combustion glass melters experience excessive water condensate formation due to combustion processes, leading to refractory material leaching, reduced thermal insulation, and corrosion issues, as water vapor condenses inside the melter rather than exiting through the exhaust stack.
Innovation Solution
Incorporating fluid-cooled refractory material and metallic shells with coolant passages, and employing drain conduits to remove condensed water vapor from saturated regions, thereby preventing water accumulation and enhancing melter durability and insulation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If submerged combustion burners are used to heat the melter, then melting efficiency is improved, but excessive water condensate forms causing refractory leaching and corrosion
Solution Approach 1:
The patent converts the harmful water condensate into a beneficial cooling medium by channeling it through coolant passages in the refractory lining and metallic shell. The condensate that would otherwise cause damage is now used to cool structural components, transforming a harmful factor into a useful cooling resource that extends system life.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces drain conduits and coolant passages as intermediary elements between the combustion zone and the external environment. These intermediaries capture and redirect water condensate away from sensitive refractory and metallic components, preventing direct contact and damage while maintaining the combustion process.
2Temperature
If refractory material is used for the melter structure, then thermal insulation is improved, but water condensate saturates the refractory reducing its insulation properties
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs hydraulic principles by using water condensate flow through coolant passages embedded in the refractory structure. The condensate is channeled through these passages to cool the refractory and metallic shell, preventing saturation and maintaining thermal insulation properties while utilizing the condensate's cooling potential.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a composite structure combining refractory material with integrated coolant passages and metallic shell with drain conduits. This composite design allows the refractory to maintain its insulating function while the integrated cooling system prevents water saturation, combining thermal insulation with active moisture management.
3Strength
If the melter structure is kept cool through coolant passages, then structural integrity is improved, but the system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent makes the coolant passages and drain conduits serve multiple functions: they cool the structural components, drain water condensate away from sensitive areas, and extend the operational life of the melter. This multi-functionality reduces the need for separate systems, thereby limiting the increase in complexity while achieving structural integrity and moisture management.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent embeds coolant passages within the refractory lining and integrates drain conduits into the metallic shell structure. This nesting approach incorporates the cooling and drainage functions within the existing structural components rather than adding separate external systems, thereby managing complexity while maintaining structural integrity.
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
The solution effectively reduces water condensate-related issues, extending refractory and melter shell life while maintaining thermal insulation, by actively draining condensed water from critical areas within the melter.
Implementation Method 1
fluid-cooled refractory material comprising one or more coolant passages
Implementation Method 2
fluid-cooled refractory material comprising one or more coolant passages
Implementation Method 3
water vapor in flue gases may condense inside of the SCM rather than exit up the exhaust stack
Data Source
Figure 1A~1B
Figure 2~3
Figure 4~5A
AI summary
Submerged combustion glass manufacturing systems and methods include a melter having a floor, a roof, a wall structure connecting the floor and roof, and one or more submerged combustion burners mounted in the floor, roof, and/or wall structure discharging combustion products including water vapor under a level of material being melted in the melter and create turbulent conditions in the material. The floor, roof, or wall structure may include fluid-cooled refractory material and an optional metallic external shell, or the metallic shell may include coolant passages. One or more conduits drain water condensed from the water vapor from regions of refractory material substantially saturated with the water, and/or from burner supports.