CN117685850A - Residual thickness measuring device, residual thickness measuring method, and glass manufacturing method - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a remaining thickness measuring device, a remaining thickness measuring method, and a glass manufacturing method, and provides a technology for measuring the remaining thickness of a wall of a melting tank without stopping electrical heating of molten glass. The remaining thickness measuring device measures the remaining thickness of the wall of the melting tank that stores the electrically heated molten glass. The remaining thickness measuring device includes: a metal scale inserted into a through hole of the wall; and an insulating cover covering at least part of the outer peripheral surface of the scale outside the wall.

Description

Remaining thickness measuring device, remaining thickness measuring method and glass manufacturing method

Technical field

The present invention relates to a remaining thickness measuring device, a remaining thickness measuring method and a glass manufacturing method.

Background technique

The melting tank stores molten glass obtained by melting glass raw materials. The walls of the melting tank are in contact with the molten glass and gradually erode over time. Therefore, the thickness of the wall gradually decreases. If the thickness of the wall is less than the threshold value, repairs are performed to extend the life, or the operation of the melting tank is deemed to have been exhausted and the operation of the melting tank is stopped.

Patent Document 1 describes measuring the remaining thickness of the side wall of the melting tank by inserting a metal scale into the joint between bricks constituting the side wall of the melting tank (see paragraph [0006] of Patent Document 1) .

Patent Documents 2, 3, and 4 disclose techniques for electrically heating molten glass. The molten glass is electrically heated by a plurality of electrode rods inside the melting tank. Joule heat is generated by applying a voltage to the molten glass to cause an electric current to flow through the molten glass.

existing technical documents

patent documents

Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2012-13512

Patent Document 2: Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2018-193268

Patent document 3: Japanese Patent Publication No. 61-21170

Patent Document 4: Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 4-342425

Contents of the invention

The problem to be solved by the invention

When the remaining thickness of the wall of the melting tank for electrical heating is measured using a metal scale, electrical heating of the molten glass is temporarily stopped in order to prevent the operator from getting an electric shock during the remaining thickness measurement.

If the electric heating of the molten glass is temporarily stopped, the temperature of the molten glass may fluctuate, and the quality of the product glass may fluctuate. In particular, if the erosion of the wall progresses and the remaining thickness decreases, the frequency of measuring the remaining thickness increases, so the risk of temporarily stopping the electric heating becomes higher.

One aspect of the present disclosure provides a technology for measuring the remaining thickness of the wall of the melting tank without stopping the electrical heating of the molten glass.

Technical solutions to solve problems

A remaining thickness measuring device according to one aspect of the present disclosure measures the remaining thickness of the wall of a melting tank that stores electrically heated molten glass. The remaining thickness measuring device includes: a metal scale inserted into a through hole of the wall; and an insulating cover covering at least part of the outer peripheral surface of the scale outside the wall.

Invention effect

According to one aspect of the present disclosure, since at least part of the outer circumferential surface of the scale is covered with an insulating cover, electric shock to the operator can be suppressed, and the remaining thickness of the wall of the melting tank can be measured without stopping the electric heating of the molten glass.

Description of the drawings

1 is a cross-sectional view showing a remaining thickness measuring device according to one embodiment. (A) is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which a scale is inserted into a through hole of a side wall. (B) is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which a cover is in contact with the side wall. (C) is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which the scale is pulled out from the through hole in the side wall.

2 is a cross-sectional view showing a remaining thickness measuring device and a dissolution tank according to a modified example. (A) is a cross-sectional view showing a state before a scale is inserted into a through hole of a side wall. (B) is a cross-sectional view showing a state before a scale is inserted into a through hole of a side wall. (C) is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which the scale is pulled out from the through-hole in the side wall.

Detailed ways

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings. In addition, in each drawing, the same or corresponding structures may be assigned the same reference numerals, and description thereof will be omitted. In the specification, "～" indicating a numerical range means that the numerical values described before and after it are included as the lower limit and the upper limit.

Referring to FIG. 1 , a remaining thickness measuring device 100 according to one embodiment will be described. The remaining thickness measuring device 100 measures the remaining thickness of the wall of the dissolution tank 10 . The melting tank 10 stores molten glass G obtained by melting glass raw materials. The wall of the melting tank 10 is in contact with the molten glass G and is gradually eroded as time passes. Therefore, the thickness of the walls of the melting tank 10 gradually decreases. If the thickness of the wall of the melting tank 10 is less than the threshold value, repairs are performed to extend the life, or the operation of the melting tank 10 is deemed to have expired and the operation of the melting tank 10 is stopped.

The melting tank 10 has a side wall 11 that surrounds the molten glass G from the sides, and a bottom wall 12 that supports the molten glass G from below. The side walls 11 and the bottom wall 12 are also simply referred to as walls. The wall of the dissolution tank 10 is composed of a plurality of bricks. A plurality of bricks are arranged with gaps so as not to come into contact with each other due to thermal expansion. The gap is large enough to prevent molten glass G from leaking, and is, for example, 0.1 mm to 5 mm. The gap between adjacent bricks can be used as the through hole 13 for remaining thickness measurement. Since there are multiple gaps between adjacent bricks, the remaining thickness can be measured at multiple locations.

The remaining thickness measuring device 100 is used, for example, to measure the remaining thickness of the side wall 11 . In addition, the remaining thickness measuring device 100 can also be used to measure the remaining thickness of the bottom wall 12 . The remaining thickness measuring device 100 is provided with a scale 110 . As shown in FIG. 1(A) , the scale 110 is inserted into the through hole 13 of the side wall 11 and comes into contact with the molten glass G. Since the molten glass G is robbed of heat by the wall of the melting tank 10, it becomes hardened to a certain extent near the wall, thereby preventing the scale 110 from intruding.

The scale 110 is, for example, plate-shaped. The thickness of the plate-shaped scale 110 is large enough to allow the scale 110 to be inserted into the gap between adjacent bricks, and is, for example, 0.1 mm to 3 mm. In addition, the scale 110 may be rod-shaped. The diameter of the rod-shaped scale 110 is, for example, 0.1 mm to 3 mm.

The scale 110 has a front end surface 111 in contact with the molten glass G, a base end surface 112 facing opposite to the front end surface 111, and an outer peripheral surface 113. In addition, the scale 110 has a scale 114 indicating the distance from the front end surface 111 . The scale 114 may also indicate the distance from the base end surface 112 . In summary, as shown in FIGS. 1(A) to 1(C) , the remaining thickness of the side wall 11 can be measured using the scale 114 , details of which will be described later.

When the scale 110 is inserted into or pulled out of the through hole 13 of the side wall 11 , it rubs against the bricks constituting the side wall 11 . If the scale 110 is made of metal, the scale 110 is not easily broken and the operation is easy. Therefore, in this embodiment, the metal scale 110 is used.

Molten glass G is energized and heated by a plurality of electrodes (not shown) inside the melting tank 10 . By applying a voltage to the molten glass G, a current flows through the molten glass G, thereby generating Joule heat. The electrode is, for example, rod-shaped. The rod-shaped electrode is inserted into the molten glass G from the bottom wall 12 of the melting tank 10 . In addition, the rod-shaped electrode may be inserted into the molten glass G from above or from the side.

When the plurality of electrodes energize and heat the molten glass G while the front end surface 111 of the scale 110 is in contact with the molten glass G, an electric current flows to the metallic scale 110 via the molten glass G. In addition, as a heater for heating the molten glass G, a plurality of electrodes and a gas burner may be used together. In this case, the electric current also flows to the metal scale 110 via the molten glass G.

Therefore, the remaining thickness measuring device 100 is provided with an insulating cover 120 outside the side wall 11 that covers at least a part of the outer peripheral surface 113 of the scale 110 . The operator holds the scale 110 via the cover 120 . Therefore, electric shock to the operator can be suppressed, and the remaining thickness of the side wall 11 can be measured without stopping the electrical heating of the molten glass G. During the remaining thickness measurement, the temperature variation of the molten glass G can be suppressed, and the variation in the quality of the product glass can be suppressed. The insulation resistance of the cover 120 is preferably 0.4 MΩ or more, more preferably 100 MΩ or more, and further preferably 1 GΩ or more. It is preferable that the insulation resistance of the cover 120 is larger and is not particularly limited. However, from the viewpoint of practicality, it is preferably 100 TΩ or less.

The cover 120 only needs to be installed outside the side wall 11 , and unlike the scale 110 , it does not need to be inserted into the through hole 13 of the side wall 11 . This is because the operator performs work outside the side wall 11 . In addition, by not inserting the cover 120 into the through hole 13 of the side wall 11 , it is possible to prevent the cover 120 from being broken inside the through hole 13 and to prevent fragments of the cover 120 from remaining in the through hole 13 .

The cover 120 has a covering part 121 covering at least a part of the outer peripheral surface 113 of the scale 110 . In a cross section perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the scale 110 (the left-right direction in FIG. 1 ), it is preferable that the entire outer peripheral surface 113 of the scale 110 is covered by the covering portion 121 . In this embodiment, the cover 120 is slidable in the length direction of the scale 110, but it may not be slidable.

When the scale 110 is plate-shaped, the covering part 121 includes, for example, a pair of insulating plates 121a and 121b. The pair of insulating plates 121a and 121b are arranged with the plate-shaped scale 110 interposed therebetween. The pair of insulating plates 121a and 121b are obtained by processing bricks, for example. The width of the pair of insulating plates 121 a and 121 b is preferably larger than the width of the scale 110 . The contact between the scale 110 and the operator can be restricted.

The covering part 121 may include an insulating tape (not shown) in addition to the pair of insulating plates 121a and 121b. The insulating tape is wound around a pair of insulating plates 121a and 121b. Accordingly, in a cross section perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the scale 110 , the entire outer peripheral surface 113 of the scale 110 can be covered with the covering portion 121 .

In addition, when the scale 110 is rod-shaped, the covering part 121 includes, for example, a hollow insulating cylinder. The hollow insulating cylinder is obtained, for example, by processing bricks. A scale 110 is inserted inside the hollow insulating cylinder. Accordingly, in a cross section perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the scale 110 , the entire outer peripheral surface 113 of the scale 110 can be covered with the covering portion 121 .

The remaining thickness measuring device 100 is provided with a restriction member 130 that restricts the movement of heat from the scale 110 to the cover 120 between the scale 110 and the cover 120 . The restriction member 130 has, for example, a lower thermal conductivity than both the scale 110 and the cover 120 . Thereby, the temperature rise of the cover 120 can be suppressed. In addition, when the thermal conductivity of the cover 120 is sufficiently low, the restricting member 130 may not be required.

In a cross section perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the scale 110 , it is preferable that the entire outer peripheral surface 113 of the scale 110 is covered with the restricting member 130 . The restriction member 130 is integrated with the cover 120 and can slide in the length direction of the scale 110 together with the cover 120 . In addition, the restricting member 130 may not slide.

The restriction member 130 is obtained by processing bricks, for example. The bricks constituting the restriction member 130 have lower thermal conductivity than the bricks constituting the cover 120 . On the other hand, the bricks constituting the cover 120 preferably have a higher resistivity than the bricks constituting the restriction member 130 .

The restriction member 130 may be a spacer that forms an air layer (not shown) between the scale 110 and the cover 120 . The thermal conductivity of the air layer is lower than that of the bricks. Therefore, by forming the air layer, the movement of heat from the scale 110 to the cover 120 can be further restricted.

Next, an example of a method of measuring the remaining thickness will be described with reference to FIG. 1 again. For example, as shown in FIG. 1(A) , the operator inserts the scale 110 into the through hole 13 of the side wall 11 , and uses the edge of the scale 110 in a state where the front end surface 111 of the scale 110 is in contact with the molten glass G. Scale 114 reads the position of outer surface 15 of side wall 11 . The remaining thickness T of the side wall 11 is equal to the distance L1 from the front end surface 111 of the scale 110 to the outer surface 15 of the side wall 11 .

As shown in FIG. 1(B) , the operator can also slide the cover 120 relative to the scale 110 in a state where the front end surface 111 of the scale 110 is in contact with the molten glass G, so that the cover 120 abuts the side wall 11 . catch. In this case, the operator measures the remaining thickness T of the side wall 11 by reading the distance L2 from the base end surface 112 of the scale 110 to the end surface 129 of the cover 120 on the opposite side to the side wall 11 . The length of the scale 110 and the length of the cover 120 are measured in advance and are referred to when measuring the remaining thickness T.

The operator can also remove the scale 110 from the through hole 13 of the side wall 11 as shown in FIG. 1(C) after prohibiting the cover 120 from sliding relative to the scale 110 in the state of FIG. 1(B) . In this case, the operator measures the remaining thickness T of the side wall 11 by reading the distance L1 from the front end surface 111 of the scale 110 to the end surface 128 of the cover 120 that faces the side wall 11 .

In addition, the operator can also read the distance from the base end surface 112 of the scale 110 to the cover 120 and the side wall after pulling out the scale 110 from the through hole 13 of the side wall 11 as shown in FIG. 1(C) . The distance L2 between the end surface 129 on the opposite side of the side wall 11 is used to measure the remaining thickness T of the side wall 11 . The length of the scale 110 and the length of the cover 120 are measured in advance and are referred to when measuring the remaining thickness T.

Next, the remaining thickness measuring device 100 according to the modified example will be described with reference to FIG. 2 . The following mainly explains the differences. The remaining thickness measuring device 100 includes a metal scale 110, an insulating cover 120, and a regulating member 130. The cover 120 has a covering part 121 that covers at least part of the outer peripheral surface 113 of the scale 110 and an opposing part 122 that faces the base end surface 112 of the scale 110 .

The covering part 121 and the facing part 122 are integrated. This can further suppress electric shock to the operator. In addition, when the covering part 121 and the facing part 122 are integrated, the cover 120 may not slide in the longitudinal direction of the scale 110. The cover 120 may also have a cover 123 opposite to the side wall 11 . The cover part 123, the covering part 121, and the facing part 122 may be integrated.

The remaining thickness measuring device 100 is provided with a vernier 140 that is in contact with the side wall 11 from the outside and relatively slides with the scale 110 . The cursor 140 can slide in the length direction of the scale 110 to indicate the current position of the cursor 140 relative to the scale 110 . In a state where the front end surface 111 of the scale 110 is in contact with the molten glass G and the cursor 140 is in contact with the outer surface 15 of the side wall 11 , the cursor 140 indicates the remaining thickness T of the side wall 11 on the scale 114 . By setting the cursor 140, the remaining thickness T can be easily read.

Next, an example of a method of measuring the remaining thickness will be described with reference to FIG. 2 again. For example, as shown in FIGS. 2(A) and 2(B) , the operator inserts the scale 110 into the through hole 13 of the side wall 11 and brings the front end surface 111 of the scale 110 into contact with the molten glass G. Before the front end surface 111 of the scale 110 comes into contact with the molten glass G, the vernier 140 comes into contact with the outer surface 15 of the side wall 11 , and the vernier 140 relatively slides with respect to the scale 110 .

As shown in FIG. 2(B) , the operator measures the remaining thickness T of the side wall 11 by reading the distance L1 from the front end surface 111 of the scale 110 to the outer surface 15 of the side wall 11 . Cursor 140 is preferably transparent. However, even if the cursor 140 is opaque, it suffices as long as the cursor 140 has a shape that allows the operator to read the scale 114. For example, the cursor 140 may have a window for reading the scale 114.

The operator can also disable the slide of the cursor 140 relative to the scale 110 in the state of FIG. 2(B) and then pull out the scale 110 from the through hole 13 of the side wall 11 as shown in FIG. 2(C) . In this case, as shown in FIG. 2(C) , the operator pulls out the scale 110 from the through hole 13 of the side wall 11 and then reads the distance L1 from the front end surface 111 of the scale 110 to the cursor 114 , to measure the remaining thickness T of the side wall 11.

The remaining thickness measuring device, the remaining thickness measuring method, and the glass manufacturing method according to the present disclosure have been described above. However, the present disclosure is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiments and the like. Various changes, modifications, substitutions, additions, deletions and combinations are possible within the scope of the claimed scope. Of course, these also belong to the technical scope of this disclosure.

Label description

10 melting tanks;

11 side wall;

12 bottom wall;

13 through holes;

100 remaining thickness measuring device;

110 scale;

113 Peripheral surface;

120 hood.

Claims (7)

1. A residual thickness measuring device for measuring the residual thickness of a wall of a melting tank for storing a molten glass heated by electric current, wherein the residual thickness measuring device comprises:

a metal scale inserted into the through hole of the wall; and

An insulating cover covers at least a part of the outer peripheral surface of the scale on the outer side of the wall.

2. The residual thickness measuring device according to claim 1, wherein,

the graduated scale is plate-shaped or rod-shaped.

3. The residual thickness measuring device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein,

a restricting member is provided between the scale and the cover, and restricts movement of heat from the scale to the cover.

4. The residual thickness measuring device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein,

the residual thickness measuring device includes a cursor that is in contact with the wall from the outside and slides relative to the scale.

5. The residual thickness measuring device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein,

the scale has a front end surface which is in contact with the molten glass, a base end surface which faces the front end surface in an opposite direction, and the outer peripheral surface,

the cover has a covering portion that covers at least a part of the outer peripheral surface of the scale and an opposing portion that opposes the base end surface of the scale,

the cover portion and the opposing portion are integrated.

6. A method of residual thickness determination, comprising: the residual thickness is measured using the residual thickness measuring device according to claim 1 or 2.

7. A glass manufacturing method comprising measuring the residual thickness using the residual thickness measuring device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein,

the glass manufacturing method comprises the following steps: and carrying out electric heating on the molten glass.