Classifications

• • C—CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
  • C03—GLASS; MINERAL OR SLAG WOOL
  • C03B—MANUFACTURE, SHAPING, OR SUPPLEMENTARY PROCESSES
  • C03B18/00—Shaping glass in contact with the surface of a liquid
  • C03B18/02—Forming sheets
  • C03B18/14—Changing the surface of the glass ribbon, e.g. roughening
• • C—CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
  • C03—GLASS; MINERAL OR SLAG WOOL
  • C03B—MANUFACTURE, SHAPING, OR SUPPLEMENTARY PROCESSES
  • C03B23/00—Re-forming shaped glass
  • C03B23/02—Re-forming glass sheets
• • C—CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
  • C03—GLASS; MINERAL OR SLAG WOOL
  • C03B—MANUFACTURE, SHAPING, OR SUPPLEMENTARY PROCESSES
  • C03B25/00—Annealing glass products
  • C03B25/04—Annealing glass products in a continuous way
  • C03B25/06—Annealing glass products in a continuous way with horizontal displacement of the glass products
  • C03B25/08—Annealing glass products in a continuous way with horizontal displacement of the glass products of glass sheets
• • C—CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
  • C03—GLASS; MINERAL OR SLAG WOOL
  • C03B—MANUFACTURE, SHAPING, OR SUPPLEMENTARY PROCESSES
  • C03B29/00—Reheating glass products for softening or fusing their surfaces; Fire-polishing; Fusing of margins
  • C03B29/04—Reheating glass products for softening or fusing their surfaces; Fire-polishing; Fusing of margins in a continuous way
  • C03B29/06—Reheating glass products for softening or fusing their surfaces; Fire-polishing; Fusing of margins in a continuous way with horizontal displacement of the products
  • C03B29/08—Glass sheets
• • C—CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
  • C03—GLASS; MINERAL OR SLAG WOOL
  • C03B—MANUFACTURE, SHAPING, OR SUPPLEMENTARY PROCESSES
  • C03B32/00—Thermal after-treatment of glass products not provided for in groups C03B19/00, C03B25/00 - C03B31/00 or C03B37/00, e.g. crystallisation, eliminating gas inclusions or other impurities; Hot-pressing vitrified, non-porous, shaped glass products
• • C—CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
  • C03—GLASS; MINERAL OR SLAG WOOL
  • C03C—CHEMICAL COMPOSITION OF GLASSES, GLAZES OR VITREOUS ENAMELS; SURFACE TREATMENT OF GLASS; SURFACE TREATMENT OF FIBRES OR FILAMENTS MADE FROM GLASS, MINERALS OR SLAGS; JOINING GLASS TO GLASS OR OTHER MATERIALS
  • C03C17/00—Surface treatment of glass, not in the form of fibres or filaments, by coating
• • C—CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
  • C03—GLASS; MINERAL OR SLAG WOOL
  • C03C—CHEMICAL COMPOSITION OF GLASSES, GLAZES OR VITREOUS ENAMELS; SURFACE TREATMENT OF GLASS; SURFACE TREATMENT OF FIBRES OR FILAMENTS MADE FROM GLASS, MINERALS OR SLAGS; JOINING GLASS TO GLASS OR OTHER MATERIALS
  • C03C17/00—Surface treatment of glass, not in the form of fibres or filaments, by coating
  • C03C17/001—General methods for coating; Devices therefor
  • C03C17/002—General methods for coating; Devices therefor for flat glass, e.g. float glass

Definitions

• the invention relates to a method for producing a structure using an engraving roller on one of the faces of a glass ribbon, manufactured continuously.
• structure designates a set of recesses and reliefs engraved on the considered face of the glass ribbon.
• the invention relates more particularly, but not exclusively, to such a process for manufacturing flat glass for modules equipped with photovoltaic cells.
• photovoltaic cells make it possible to transform the light energy, in particular the solar light, into electrical energy.
• the cells are in a thin layer or in the form of platelets and are fragile. They must be protected not only mechanically, but also against moisture and corrosion.
• photovoltaic cells in the form of platelets are generally fixed by gluing against the underside of a glass protective plate, those in the form of a thin layer being deposited directly on the underside of the glass. The active surface of the cells is applied against this planar face so as to receive light through the glass plate.
• sheets or tapes of float glass obtained by forming on a tin bath, are used in particular.
• the float glass process creates very flat faces with few defects.
• the smooth face of a float glass plate remote from the photovoltaic cells, causes parasitic reflections and active light loss.
• Patent FR 2832814 gives examples of this type of structure.
• US Pat. No. 4,746,347 proposes, in a float glass process, to etch the top face of a glass ribbon by placing an engraving roller above the ribbon in the chamber containing the tin bath. Such an arrangement is relatively complicated and makes it difficult to work on the engraving roll, in particular to clean and / or change it.
• the patent application EP 1 057 791A2 proposes various solutions for producing unevenness on the underside of a float glass ribbon.
• the unevenness can be achieved either with a ribbon dewatering roll at the exit of the flotation bath, or by one of the rollers of an annealing furnace which is following the flotation bath.
• the conditions of realization of the structure or the etching according to this last provision are not entirely satisfactory, because the state of the glass ribbon may not correspond to the optimum state for good etching and / or may require a pressure of 20 ° C. application of the engraver roll too high.
• the use of one of the ribbon lifting rollers has other disadvantages, for example the rapid fouling of the engraving roller by the tin residues present on the ribbon or by the condensation of tin vapors. on this one.
• the solution proposed by the patent EP 1 057 791A2 does not fully address the problem posed because it does not allow to achieve certain structures, including structures with pronounced curvatures that require too high pressures.
• the pressure applicable on the ribbon by the printing roll and the printing duration, the temperature T2 and the thickness to be heated are determined, in particular by calculation or, for more complex cases by means of simulations. digital or laboratory experiments.
• the thickness to be heated to a temperature close to T2 The speed of the ribbon,.
• the float glass lines allow a wide range of glass thicknesses, for example from 0.5 to 25 mm.
• the profiles printed on the laminated glass lines also have very different depths and morphologies, for example depths of 0.1 to 4 mm. The variety of these ranges of products on a float glass line therefore requires a complex thermal dimensioning to obtain the desired impression while avoiding overheating of the glass, installation too large or excessive energy consumption.
• the invention makes it possible to define the appropriate parameters by proposing a method which makes it possible in a simple and rapid manner to determine the optimal conditions for heating and cooling the ribbon to be printed at different depths for a wide range of productions of the float glass.
• the object of the invention is, above all, to provide a method of the kind defined above which makes it possible, in optimal conditions, to produce a glass ribbon at least one face of which has a precise structure, which makes it possible to avoid, or at least to significantly reduce parasitic reflections, and this for a wide range of production parameters.
• the method of producing a structure using a printing device, in particular an engraving roller, on one of the faces of a ribbon of glass, in particular floated, made continuously is characterized in that
• the printing device is arranged in an area where the ribbon is at an average temperature T1 insufficient to print on the ribbon the pattern of the printing device, according to the nature of the pattern to be engraved, the pressure between the printing device and the ribbon and the contact time between the ribbon and the printing device,
• the face to be etched is heated upstream of the printing device so as to bring a limited and sufficient thickness of the ribbon to a temperature T2> T1 required to print on the ribbon the pattern of the printing device according to the nature of the pattern to be etched and the pressure between the printing device and the ribbon, and the contact time between the ribbon and the printing device, . and the heat flux transmitted to the ribbon by the heating means is such that the "printing number" is between 0.05 mm -1 and 2.00 mm -1 and preferably 0.3 mm -1 , the "printing number" N mp being defined by the formula:
• the temperature T2 is advantageously between 650 ° C. and 1100 ° C., preferably between 750 ° C. and 950 ° C., while the temperature T1 is less than or equal to 620 ° C., and greater than 570 ° C.
• the structure can be made on the upper or lower side of the ribbon.
• the thickness of the ribbon brought to the temperature T2 is such that the volume of glass brought to the temperature T2 is at least equal to the volume displaced during the etching.
• the process defined above is advantageously implemented in a float glass production plant, in particular after leaving the bath or in the lehr following the flotation pond.
• the invention also relates to a device for producing a structure on one of the faces of a glass ribbon, manufactured continuously, with the aid of a printing device, characterized in that: the printing device is arranged in an area where the ribbon is at an average temperature T1 insufficient to print on the ribbon the pattern of the printing device according to the nature of the pattern to be engraved, the pressure between the printing device and the ribbon, and the contact time between the ribbon and the printing device, .
• a heating means of the face to be engraved is installed upstream of the printing device so as to bring a limited and sufficient thickness of the ribbon to a temperature T2> T1 required to print on the ribbon the pattern of the printing device according to the nature of the pattern to be etched and the pressure between the printing device and the ribbon, and the contact time between the ribbon and the printing device while keeping the remainder of the ribbon at a temperature close to T1,
• the power transmitted to the ribbon by the heating means is such that the "number of printing" N ⁇ mp is between 0.05 mm “1 and 2.00mm “ 1 and preferably equal to 0.3 mm "1 .
• the ribbon is cooled so that the lower face of the ribbon in contact with the support rollers remains at a temperature less than or equal to T1 but greater than the temperature T3 corresponding to the setting temperature of the glass.
• T3 is about 570 ° C.
• rapid cooling of the etched side of the ribbon after the engraving roller is carried out in order to rapidly stabilize the etched structure and bring the ribbon to a temperature close to T1.
• the device comprises means for blowing gas, in particular air, on the opposite side to the gravure roller in order to apply the ribbon against the roller at an appropriate pressure.
• the engraving roller may be disposed above the glass ribbon to etch the upper face of the ribbon, and the blowing means may be constituted by an air-blowing levitation table which supports the underside of the ribbon.
• the device is advantageously provided so that a contact arc is established between the ribbon and the roller at an angular extent sufficient to prolong the contact time.
• the heating means of the surface layer may comprise a ramp of burners extending transversely across the width of the strip and whose flames are directed on the side to be etched of the strip.
• the cooling means may be a radiative means, for example formed by a tube extending transversely across the width of the strip and internally traversed by a cooling fluid, in particular air or water, this tube being located at near the engraved face.
• the cooling means can also be a convective means by blowing a gas on the ribbon.
• a characteristic number connects the heating length, the printing depth, the running speed of the ribbon and the thermal diffusivity of the glass. This number, hereafter referred to as the "print number”, makes it possible to determine the heating parameters to bring the required depth of the ribbon to a temperature T2. This number is valid for a very wide range of production parameters and print depths.
• the print number N, mp is given by the formula:
• Prof T2 designates the thickness of glass to be brought to the temperature T2 for the printing of the structure
• speed refers to the speed of advance of the glass ribbon.
• the speed parameter is imposed by the float process as a function of the production and the thickness of the ribbon.
• diffusivity therm ic denotes the thermal diffusivity of the glass which is a property intrinsic to the nature of the glass. For soda-glass, this value varies little in the temperature range required for printing. It is thus 4.2 x10 "7 m 2 / sec at 700 0 C. and 4.6 x 10 -7 m 2 / sec to 1000 0 C. It can therefore use an average value of 4.4 x10" 7 m 2 / sec for a precision satisfactory for determining the number of prints.
• long heatin g e denotes the length, in the direction of advance of heating of the ribbon.
• the number of prints according to the invention makes it possible to define the appropriate heating equipment for a wide production range, for example a printing depth of 0.2 to 4 mm for a ribbon speed of 2 to 30 m / min.
• An exemplary embodiment of the invention is now described.
• the next step is to calculate the temperature reached by the heated side of the ribbon so as to verify that it does not exceed a critical temperature detrimental to the quality of the glass.
• distj mp is the distance between the end of the heating and the point of contact between the ribbon and the printer roll. It is advantageous to choose this as short as possible so as to reduce the heat loss between the heating and the printing point, preferably less than 20 cm.
• this temperature exceeds a critical value, for example 1100 ° C for a soda water glass, it would be necessary to repeat the calculation with a slightly reduced printing number, for example 0.2.
• the next step is to determine the thermal flow to be injected per meter of ribbon width. I! is obtained using the following formula:
• Q, mp is the thermal power to be injected per meter width of the ribbon
• H v is the enthalpy of the glass
• glass density is the average density of the glass.
• RE expresses the energy ratio, that is the actual consumption of the device compared to the energy required to bring the thickness profe to the temperature T2. RE is obtained by the following equation:
• the required flux density is thus 454 kW / m 2 . Again, if the required flow density is greater than that achievable by the available heating means, it is necessary to slightly decrease the print number so as to increase the heating length.
• a print number ⁇ 0.05 mm "1 would lead to unacceptable lengths for the heating zone and too low heat fluxes that would generate significant energy consumption.
• a print number> 2 mm " 1 would lead to excessive heat flux values that are no longer achievable with conventional heating means.
• the surface temperature increases at the same time excessively and leads to overheating of the glass surface with its degradation by bubbling and evaporation. The best compromise is obtained for a print number of
• the invention also consists in a method for continuously producing a structure on one of the faces of a float glass ribbon using a printing device in an area located after the tin bath. where the ribbon is at an average temperature T1 insufficient to print on the ribbon the pattern of the printing device according to the nature of the pattern to be engraved, the pressure between the printing device, in particular a gravure roller, and the ribbon, and the contact time between the ribbon and the printing device characterized in that:
• a heating of the face to be etched upstream of the printing device is carried out so as to bring at the beginning of printing a limited and sufficient thickness of the ribbon to a temperature T2> T1 necessary to print on the ribbon the pattern of the device of printing, according to the nature of the pattern to be etched and the pressure between the printing device, and the tape, and the contact time between the tape and the printing device, - the heat flux is transmitted to the tape by induction or by microwaves with a frequency adapted to limit the absorption to the thickness of the layer to be printed.
• FIG. 1 is a schematic longitudinal section of a float glass production line, implementing the method of the invention
• FIG. 2 is a schematic view on a larger scale of a portion of the glass ribbon with an engraving roller underneath.
• FIG. 3 shows, similarly to FIG. 2, an alternative embodiment with gravure roller located above the glass ribbon.
• - Fig. 4 is a schematic cross section of the glass ribbon with, above, a burner ramp.
• - Fig.5 is a schematic section of the glass ribbon, with, above, a radiative cooling means.
• FIG. 6 is a diagram representing on the ordinate the heat flow density imposed on the two faces of the ribbon, as a function of the longitudinal position on the abscissa.
• Fig. 7 is a diagram representing ordinates of the temperature profiles of the ribbon, as a function of the longitudinal position on the abscissa
• Fig.8 is a longitudinal vertical sectional diagram of an exemplary embodiment of the invention.
• FIG.1 of the drawings schematically shown, a glass ribbon production facility according to the float glass method.
• the installation comprises an oven 1 in which the material is introduced, silica sand, flux, cullet, etc., used for the manufacture of glass.
• a pasty glass ribbon B leaves the oven 1 while being supported by a molten tin bath 2 occupying the lower part of a flotation chamber 3 under a reducing atmosphere, in particular a nitrogen and hydrogen atmosphere. .
• the forming of the glass on the tin bath takes place at a temperature of between approximately 1000 ° C. and 600 ° C.
• the glass ribbon B is lifted from the tin bath and passes into the "drossbox" (or bath outlet) on metal rollers 4 called “LOR rollers” (Lift Out Rolîers ).
• the ribbon B then passes through a space 5 in the open air, over a length of a few tens of centimeters.
• the ribbon B then enters a lehr 6 where the temperature of the glass ribbon decreases gradually passing below the glass transition temperature Tg, 550 ° C for soda-lime glass.
• Tg glass transition temperature
• 550 ° C soda-lime glass
• the glass ribbon is supported horizontally by rollers 7 rotated at the speed of advance of the ribbon.
• An adjustable traction force F is exerted on the ribbon B.
• the intensity of the traction F makes it possible to act on the thickness of the ribbon B.
• the float glass process has the advantage of creating very flat surfaces with few defects both on the lower face and on the upper face of the ribbon B.
• the lower face is however more exposed to the risk of defects because of the possible clogging of the rollers 4 on which the ribbon B supports while still in a viscoelastic state.
• the invention aims to provide, continuously, a glass ribbon B whose at least one face comprises a structure, that is to say a set of reliefs and recesses, capable of creating an anti-reflective effect of the light the other face is preferably kept smooth, in particular for the application of photovoltaic cells.
• the etching of a structure on one side of a glass ribbon according to the invention takes into account the following parameters:
• a printing device preferably consisting of an engraving roller 8 is placed at a point A where the ribbon B is at an average temperature T1 insufficient to print on the glass ribbon the pattern of the engraving roller according to:
• the printing device could be constituted by means other than a roll, in particular by ribbons describing a closed loop in a vertical plane parallel to the direction of advance of the ribbon, or by a printing plate.
• the temperature T1 is chosen to be less than or equal to 620 ° C.
• the point A where the engraving roll is placed can thus be located upstream of the lehr 6, in the lehr, or even outside the 'lehr downstream of it.
• the face to be etched is heated upstream of the printing device, in particular upstream of the engraving roll 8, so as to bring a limited and sufficient thickness of the ribbon B to a temperature T2 at the beginning of printing, greater than T1 , necessary to engrave on the ribbon B the pattern of the engraving roll 8, according to the nature of the pattern to be etched and the pressure between the engraving roll 8 and ribbon B, and the contact time between the ribbon B and the engraving roll 8.
• This heating is performed under conditions such that the remainder of the ribbon B maintains a temperature close to T1 and that only the thickness of the ribbon B concerned by the etching is heated.
• the glass ribbon remains at a relatively low average temperature T1
• the mechanical properties of the ribbon make it possible to avoid permanent deformations of the ribbon
• the temperature T2 is less than 1000 D C, preferably about 800 ° C.
• the temperature T2 is chosen so that the pressure required for etching remains less than 2 MPa.
• the thickness of the tape brought to the temperature T2 is such that the volume of glass brought to this temperature T2 is at least equal to the volume displaced during the etching.
• the thickness of the ribbon brought to temperature T2 is at least equal to the height of the reliefs, in particular at least equal to 1.5 times this height.
• this etched face is rapidly cooled downstream of the etching roll 8 to preserve the engraved pattern by freezing it.
• cooling the unprinted ribbon face contributes to limiting the increase in temperature in the center of the ribbon so as to prevent the ribbon from becoming softened.
• This cooling will be dimensioned so that the temperature of the unprinted ribbon face is not lower than the temperature T3 of the beginning of solidification of the glass, about 570 0 C for a soda-lime glass.
• This cooling may be radiative type.
• the engraving roll 8 may be disposed above the ribbon B as illustrated in Fig.2, or below as shown in Fig.3.
• the heating of the side to be etched can be provided by a heating means 9 installed just upstream of the gravure roller 8 and extending along the width of the ribbon B.
• This heating means 9 is located on the same side of the ribbon B as the 8.
• the heating may be performed by induction, microwave, hot air blown, radiation, plasma gas or other known means.
• An advantageous solution consists in producing the heating means 9 in the form of a ramp 10 of burners 10a (FIG. 4), vertical, whose flame is directed towards the face to be heated, the ramp 10 being arranged transversely to the ribbon B, mainly perpendicular to its direction in advance.
• an H2 / O2 combustion is implemented to obtain a very high heat transfer.
• the heating of the face to be engraved can also be provided directly by the engraver roll 8 by equipping it with a heating means to raise the temperature of the roll table to a sufficient level.
• the face subjected to etching may be the lower face of the ribbon B as illustrated in FIG.
• the engraving roll 8 is generally raised relative to the other rollers 7 upstream and downstream, which are tangent to the same horizontal plane H.
• the contour of the roll 8 overflows above the plane H so as to lift the ribbon B which is thus applied by its weight against the roller 8, which may be sufficient to create the pressure for etching.
• the thickness of the ribbon may be modified. It is also possible to provide a counter roll on the face opposite to that subjected to etching.
• Another solution for acting on the application pressure of the gravure roller 8 against the ribbon B is to provide a means for blowing the pressurized gas 11 on the side of the ribbon B opposite the roller 8, at the level of this roll.
• a blower box 11 is disposed above the ribbon B and the roller 8 and extends over the entire width.
• the gas supplying the blowing means is advantageously preheated so as to avoid cooling the ribbon to a temperature below the starting point of solidification.
• a cooling means 12 is installed after the engraving roll 8, in its vicinity, to rapidly cool the tape B to preserve the engraved pattern by freezing the engraved side.
• the cooling means 12 may be constituted by a cooling air blowing ramp.
• An advantageous solution which avoids turbulent air movements in the cooling zone consists in providing a radiative element 13 (FIG. 5) traversed by a cooling fluid, generally water, extending transversely to the ribbon B over all its width, at a reduced distance.
• the element 13 may be located at a distance d of the order of a few centimeters.
• the engraving roller 8 is disposed above the ribbon B, which is supported by a gas-blowing levitation table 14, generally of air, which holds the ribbon. Blowing is performed at a pressure sufficient to apply the tape against the roller 8.
• the levitation table 14 is disposed between two spaced rollers 7.
• the application pressure of the ribbon B against the roller 8 is greater than the air blowing pressure in a ratio which substantially corresponds to the ratio of the surface of the levitation table to the contact surface between the gravure roller 8 and the side to engrave ribbon.
• the pressure of the table is thus concentrated on the limited surface of the contact between the engraving roll and the glass ribbon.
• This contact surface when printing on a ribbon plane is determined by the depth and geometry of the structure to be printed.
• An extension of the contact time is obtained by marrying the roll by the tape.
• the blowing pressure, the diameter of the engraving roll 8 and the space between the rollers 7 surrounding the roll 8, are determined so that the contact arc K between the roll 8 and the ribbon B, both in the case of Fig. 2 that in the case of Fig.3, has a sufficient angular extent ⁇ .
• the upper wall 15 of the levitation table has a concave shape which matches the convex arc of the engraving roll 8 to lengthen the contact area between ribbon and roll.
• Another means for prolonging the contact time lies in a deformable geometry of the printing die such as a flexible sheet guided by rollers.
• the cooling means 12 makes it possible to rapidly remove the heat after the etching so as to freeze the structure and to prevent an increase in the average temperature of the ribbon.
• the cooling means 12 is provided to evacuate a quantity of heat substantially equal to that which has been provided to the surface layer before etching.
• Radiative or convective cooling means may also be provided on the face of the ribbon opposite to the printing face where the cooling means 12 is located.
• An example of possible embodiment is given below, with:
• the structure to be printed on the ribbon requires a depth of 0.2 mm to be heated to the T2 temperature of 830 ° C.
• the printing is carried out after the rolls LOR but before the beginning of the annealing of the ribbon, the glass being at a temperature T1 of 600 0 C.
• a levitation table is placed under the printer roll. It exerts a pressure of the order of 5-10 MPa.
• the printing roll is made of ceramic material, it has a diameter of 400mm and is globally adiabatic. . The distance between the heating zone and the printing point is 10 cm.
• the heating length is calculated with a printing number of 0.3 mm -1 , which gives 0.38 m, then the surface temperature is calculated and 968 ° C. is found.
• the total thermal flux to be injected to the glass over the width of the ribbon is then calculated by taking an enthalpy of 609 kJ / kg at 600 ° C. and 930 kj / kg at 830 ° C. and 223kW / ml, the flow density is then calculated and 588 kW / m 2 is found to obtain the desired temperature of 830 ° C.
• FIG. 6 shows a numerical simulation of the temperature field obtained with parameters of the device as described above.
• the diagram of Fig. 6 shows the heat flux imposed on both sides of the ribbon.
• the printing point is at 1.45m.
• the curve Fimp represents the heat flux on the printed side of the ribbon, the dashed curve F opp, the curve on the opposite side. We see that the heating flow is transmitted almost continuously. A slight cooling is achieved on the opposite side from the end of the heating while rapid cooling on the printed side is achieved at the end of printing.
• the graph of FIG. 7 represents the temperature profiles in the glass ribbon, with the Tsup curves for the upper surface temperature, Tr ⁇ f for the lower surface temperature, Tcentre for the center temperature, and Tdimp for the temperature. at the print depth.
• the ribbon is at a temperature of 800 ° C. at the printing depth (to be compared to the desired 830 ° C.).
• the method of determining the heating length and heat flow described above thus makes it possible to quickly find the appropriate parameters for heating the ribbon.
• the difference of 30 ° C. will simply require a slight adjustment during commissioning of the installation.
• the values of 0.38 m and 588 kW / m 2 found according to the method of the invention are reasonable and technically feasible.
• FIG. 1 Another embodiment of the invention is diagrammatically shown in FIG. Elements of this example that are identical or play roles similar to elements described above are designated by the same references, without their description being repeated.
• the engraving roller 8, with a diameter of 40 cm, is disposed above the ribbon B to engrave the upper face.
• the heating means 9 comprises a series of burners 10a slightly inclined in the vertical direction, arranged upstream of the roll 8, above the ribbon B. The flame of the burners is directed downwards on the ribbon.
• the support rollers 7 have a diameter of 35 cm.
• the levitation table 14, located under the ribbon B at the vertical of the roller 8, extends at a distance of 24cm in the direction of advance.
• the cooling of the ribbon B, downstream of the roller 8, is ensured on the upper face by air blowing 12, schematized by arrows, over a length of about 100 cm, and under the underside by air jets 12a. . According to this example.
• Cooling is performed on the printed surface by convection over a length of about 100 cm with a fiux of about 20OkVWm 2 and then by radiation (element 13) over a length of 50 cm with an evacuated flow of about 30kW / m 2 .
• Radiative cooling using element 13a and low convection with air jets 12a is performed on the underside below the rollers over a length of 3m with an evacuated flow of about 5OkVvVm 2 .
• This device is placed so that the cooling starts at the position 1.3 m of the diagram of Fig.6.
• the levitation table 14 placed under the printing roll exerts a pressure of the order of 5-10 MPa.
• the levitation table 14 used for this exemplary embodiment has an application area on the ribbon equal to 20 times the contact area between the printing roll and the ribbon, ie 240 mm multiplied by 3.5 m ribbon width.
• the pressure to be supplied by the levitation table on the ribbon is thus 20 times less than that required between the printing roll and the ribbon.
• a levitation table generally has a yield of the order of 50% (the efficiency of the levitation table is defined as the ratio of the active air pressure to the object, to the inlet pressure in the table) . It will therefore be powered by a pump or fan type system that can provide air at a pressure of 0.5 to 1 MPa (5 to 10 bar).
• thermocoupes means for measuring the temperature of the glass ribbon, in particular pyrometers or thermocoupes, are provided at various points of the installation for controlling the temperature of the ribbon.
• the various possibilities of heating the glass ribbon are now considered.
• the heating methods can be classified in: 1 / Surface methods:
• Hot air convection and conduction on the glass surface
• Hot gas radiation, convection and conduction of a combustion
• Plasma ionized gas in contact with the glass sheet
• the power density absorbed by the glass is given by:
• the absorbed power density (P) therefore depends on the frequency f of the microwave transmitter, the imaginary permittivity ⁇ which represents the absorption power of the glass, ⁇ 0 being the permittivity of the vacuum, and the electric field strength E.
• the glass material is a bad absorber of microwaves, similar to ice water where the dipoles are fixed in the matrix.
• a glass ribbon already at a temperature of 600 ° C., has mobile ions which make it possible to better absorb the microwaves (losses by ion resonance and by deformation of the matrix), it is therefore particularly advantageous to heat microwaves a glass ribbon already above the transformation temperature.
• the depth of penetration of microwaves into the glass follows an exponential law.
• the attenuation of the penetration depth is characterized by the value 1 / e, where e is the mathematical constant of value 2.7.
• the depth of penetration or attenuation of the e at 37% can be determined by
• the permittivities of glass depend on the frequency, the composition and the temperature. It is advantageous to have a penetration depth di / e less than or equal to the printing depth. This depth then determines the frequency and the wavelength to choose.
• the frequency will be determined with:
• the real and imaginary permittivity spectrum for the glass and the target temperatures are measured beforehand.
• the range of acceptable frequencies is then identified to obtain an acceptable power density (in the case of soda-lime glass, the microwave frequency is advantageously greater than 10 GHz, the frequency of the induction advantageously remains below 1 kHz).
• the frequency and the desired power is achievable by the construction of a transmitter (magnetron, gyrotron or other). And finally, it remains to be seen whether the frequency selected is free to use at the legislative level.
• the emitters are then arranged in line before the printing engraver roll to ensure uniform heating over the width of the tape. It is particularly advantageous to choose a high power density, injected just before printing the ribbon to limit the heat diffusion depth of the sheet.
• the di / e depth calculation gives 0.38mm for the 30 GHz frequency.
• the desired print depth is 0.4mm.
• a slight correction of the frequency to 28GHz makes it possible to respect this depth.
• the verification of the permittivity gives a negligible variation of the values. A successive iteration of the frequency determination is no longer necessary in this case.
• the change in the glass permittivity as a function of temperature may demand correction values particularly if the temperature of the print is higher than 600 0 C.
• the etching process of the invention is not limited to a horizontal ribbon, but can also be applied to the etching of one side of a vertical glass ribbon produced by another method.
• the invention makes it possible to obtain a glass ribbon having a smooth face and the other face provided with a precise and organized structure to ensure an anti-reflective effect and to allow a maximum of luminous flux to enter the ribbon and to reach the other side.
• Glass plates thus obtained are intended mainly for the production of photovoltaic modules but can also be used for the production of solar heating panels, flat screens, optoelectronic substrates, decorative glasses.

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• Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Materials Engineering (AREA)
• Organic Chemistry (AREA)
• General Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
• Chemical Kinetics & Catalysis (AREA)
• Life Sciences & Earth Sciences (AREA)
• Geochemistry & Mineralogy (AREA)
• Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
• Thermal Sciences (AREA)
• Re-Forming, After-Treatment, Cutting And Transporting Of Glass Products (AREA)
• Surface Treatment Of Glass (AREA)
• Printing Methods (AREA)
• Impression-Transfer Materials And Handling Thereof (AREA)
• Shaping Of Tube Ends By Bending Or Straightening (AREA)

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• 2008
  • 2008-07-30 FR FR0804344A patent/FR2934588B1/fr active Active
  • 2008-10-24 FR FR0805930A patent/FR2934587B1/fr active Active
• 2009
  • 2009-06-30 US US13/056,601 patent/US8661851B2/en not_active Expired - Fee Related
  • 2009-06-30 EP EP09786486A patent/EP2326600A1/de not_active Withdrawn
  • 2009-06-30 BR BRPI0916821A patent/BRPI0916821A2/pt not_active IP Right Cessation
  • 2009-06-30 WO PCT/IB2009/052828 patent/WO2010013149A1/fr active Application Filing
  • 2009-06-30 AU AU2009278020A patent/AU2009278020B2/en not_active Ceased
  • 2009-06-30 CA CA2732367A patent/CA2732367A1/fr not_active Abandoned
  • 2009-06-30 CN CN200980129753.XA patent/CN102112405B/zh not_active Expired - Fee Related
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  • 2009-06-30 MX MX2011000900A patent/MX2011000900A/es active IP Right Grant
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  • 2009-06-30 KR KR1020117004133A patent/KR101661487B1/ko active IP Right Grant
  • 2009-07-14 TW TW098123767A patent/TWI477460B/zh not_active IP Right Cessation
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  • 2009-07-24 JP JP2011520547A patent/JP5564500B2/ja not_active Expired - Fee Related
  • 2009-07-24 KR KR1020117004132A patent/KR101661485B1/ko active IP Right Grant
  • 2009-07-24 CN CN200980129747.4A patent/CN102112407B/zh not_active Expired - Fee Related
  • 2009-07-24 MY MYPI2011000333A patent/MY159092A/en unknown
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  • 2009-07-24 AU AU2009275776A patent/AU2009275776B2/en not_active Ceased
  • 2009-07-24 EP EP09784299A patent/EP2321232A2/de not_active Withdrawn
  • 2009-07-24 CA CA2732162A patent/CA2732162A1/fr not_active Abandoned
  • 2009-07-24 MX MX2011001142A patent/MX2011001142A/es unknown
  • 2009-07-24 WO PCT/FR2009/000922 patent/WO2010012890A2/fr active Application Filing
  • 2009-07-29 TW TW098125569A patent/TWI501930B/zh not_active IP Right Cessation

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