JP6673076B2 - How to supply molten glass - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a technique of a method of supplying molten glass, and more particularly, to a technique of a method of supplying molten glass by a transfer pipe that is hardly affected by thermal expansion and contraction.

In general, a glass article is produced by melting a predetermined glass raw material to produce a molten glass, and then performing various steps for forming the molten glass into a desired shape.
These various processes are performed in a melting tank for melting the glass raw material, a fining tank for removing fine bubbles contained in the molten glass, a stirring tank for homogenizing the glass components, and a molding apparatus for molding glass articles. , By performing appropriate processing.
Incidentally, at least the fining tank and the stirring tank are often communicated with each other by a transfer pipe, and the clarified molten glass is transferred to the stirring tank through the transfer pipe (for example, “ See Patent Documents 1 and 2).
Further, the transfer tube is made of a heat-resistant member made of a platinum group metal such as platinum or a platinum alloy (including lodium).

JP 2013-216520 A JP 2015-91745 A

By the way, the temperature of the molten glass changes by changing the operating conditions of the melting furnace and the like. Accordingly, the temperature of the transfer tube also changes, and the transfer tube undergoes thermal expansion or contraction.
Conventional transfer pipes are often provided so as to extend in a straight line in a plan view, and thus are susceptible to such thermal expansion and contraction. Cracks may occur in the tube, which may cause deterioration of the quality of the molten glass and, eventually, the quality of the glass article as the final product.

  The present invention has been made in view of the current problems described above, a first tank for processing molten glass, and a new treatment for the molten glass processed by the first tank. And a transfer pipe communicating with the second tank, the molten glass is supplied from the first tank to the second tank by a method of supplying molten glass, which is affected by thermal expansion and thermal contraction. It is an object of the present invention to provide a method for supplying molten glass capable of preventing a deterioration in quality of a glass product as a final product without causing cracks in a transfer tube and causing a deterioration in quality of molten glass. .

  The problem to be solved by the present invention is as described above. Next, means for solving the problem will be described.

  That is, the supply method of the molten glass according to the present invention, a first tank for processing the molten glass, and a second tank for performing a new processing on the molten glass processed by the first tank, A method of supplying molten glass for supplying molten glass from the first tank to the second tank by a transfer pipe communicating the transfer pipe, wherein the transfer pipe is formed to be bent in a crank shape in plan view. And extending horizontally.

In the case of the molten glass supply method having such a configuration, for example, when the transfer tube undergoes thermal expansion, the transfer tube is deformed into a Z-shape in a plan view, so that the expansion cost is not restricted by the outside. Can be absorbed.
Therefore, it is possible to prevent the quality of the molten glass from deteriorating without causing cracks due to the influence of thermal expansion as in a conventional transfer pipe that is linear in plan view.
Further, in the present invention, since the transfer pipe is arranged so as to extend in the horizontal direction, the molten glass flowing inside the transfer pipe is flowed at a constant flow rate, and the generation of bubbles and foreign matter is caused. The molten glass is homogenized without causing mixing of the molten glass, and the occurrence of devitrification and striae can be prevented.

  Further, in the method for supplying molten glass according to the present invention, the transfer pipe extends in a cross direction from a first pipe part extending linearly from the first tank and an extension end of the first pipe part. The second pipe portion, and a third pipe portion extending in a straight line toward the second tank in a cross direction from an extending end of the second pipe portion, and the first pipe portion. The angle between the second pipe and the second pipe, and the angle between the second pipe and the third pipe are both 45 ° or more and 135 ° or less.

  With the molten glass supply method having such a configuration, the expansion and contraction allowances of the transfer tube caused by the influence of thermal expansion and thermal contraction can be sufficiently absorbed, and the influence of the thermal expansion and thermal contraction can be obtained. It is possible to flexibly respond to the deformation of the shape of the transfer tube.

  Further, in the method for supplying molten glass according to the present invention, a ratio of a total length of the first tube portion and the second tube portion and / or a ratio of a total length of the third tube portion and the second tube portion. Is 1: 1 or more.

  With the molten glass supply method having such a configuration, the expansion and contraction allowances of the transfer tube caused by the influence of thermal expansion and thermal contraction can be sufficiently absorbed, and the influence of the thermal expansion and thermal contraction can be obtained. It is possible to flexibly respond to the deformation of the shape of the transfer tube.

The present invention has the following effects.
That is, according to the method for supplying molten glass according to the present invention, the transfer pipe is not cracked by the influence of thermal expansion and thermal contraction, and the quality of the molten glass is not reduced. Quality deterioration can be prevented.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS It is the figure which showed the whole structure of the glass melting apparatus which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention, (a) is the sectional plan view, (b) is the sectional side view. FIG. 2 is a partial cross-sectional plan view illustrating a detailed configuration of a transfer path. It is the figure which showed the detailed structure of the transfer path in another embodiment, (a) is the top view which showed the whole structure of the transfer path which has the bending part which bends at an acute angle, (b) is bent at an obtuse angle. FIG. 3 is a plan view showing the overall configuration of a transfer path having a bent portion.

Next, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.
In the following description, the direction of arrow A in FIGS. 1 to 3 is defined as the flow direction of the molten glass G for convenience.

[Manufacturing equipment 1]
First, an overall configuration of a glass article manufacturing apparatus 1 (hereinafter, simply referred to as “manufacturing apparatus 1”) including a transfer pipe 100 that embodies a method for supplying a molten glass according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. This will be described with reference to FIG.

The production apparatus 1 is an apparatus for producing a molten glass G by melting a predetermined glass raw material and then forming the molten glass G into a predetermined shape to produce a desired glass article.
The manufacturing apparatus 1 mainly includes a glass melting furnace 10, a stirring tank 20, and the like, for example, as shown in FIG.

  The glass melting furnace 10 and the stirring tank 20 are arranged in order from the upstream side to the downstream side in the flow direction of the molten glass G (the direction of arrow A in FIG. 1), and a transfer pipe 100 described later. Communicate with each other.

The glass melting furnace 10 is for generating a molten glass G from a predetermined glass raw material.
As shown in FIG. 1B, the glass melting furnace 10 includes a furnace tank 11 including furnace walls 11a, 11a,..., A ceiling 11b, a bottom 11c, and the like. For example, the chamber is partitioned into two chambers located on the upstream side and the downstream side in the flow direction by a partition wall 11d provided hanging down from the ceiling portion 11b.

Note that the lower end of the partition wall 11d does not reach the upper surface of the bottom plate 11c, and the two chambers in the furnace tank 11 are provided through a throat 11e formed by a gap between the partition wall 11d and the bottom plate 11c. They are in communication with each other.
The furnace wall 11a, the ceiling 11b, the bottom 11c, and the partition wall 11d constituting the furnace tank 11 are formed of a high zirconia-based refractory (fire-resistant brick). Instead, a known material can be used.
Furthermore, in order to suppress the occurrence of striae and foreign substances caused by the elution of the refractory component into the molten glass G, the surface of the refractory in the furnace is made of platinum or a platinum alloy (including lodium). It may be covered with a metal consisting of

  The glass melting furnace 10 is configured such that the upstream side of the partition wall 11d is a melting tank 10A for generating the molten glass G, while the downstream side is formed of the molten glass G It is configured as a fining tank 10B for fining.

Specifically, on the upstream side of the glass melting furnace 10 (that is, on the melting tank 10A), a raw material inlet 11f is provided in the furnace wall 11a on the upstream side of the furnace tank 11, and the raw material inlet 11f is provided. Is provided with a transfer device 12 formed of, for example, a belt conveyor.
Heating means comprising a plurality of burners 13, 13 and heater electrodes 14, 14,... Are provided on the upper and lower sides of the furnace walls 11a, 11a located on both sides (in the direction perpendicular to the flow direction in a plan view). Is arranged.

Then, the predetermined glass raw material Ga is transferred by the transfer device 12, and is charged into the melting tank 10A via the raw material charging port 11f.
Thereafter, the charged glass raw material Ga is heated to a predetermined melting temperature by the burner 13 and the heater electrode 14.
Thus, molten glass G is generated.

  On the other hand, on the downstream side of the glass melting furnace 10 (that is, on the refining tank 10B), the upstream end of the transfer pipe 100 is fitted to the furnace wall 11a on the downstream side of the furnace tank 11, and both sides are connected. Heating means including a plurality of heater electrodes 14 is disposed below the furnace walls 11a and 11b (on the side orthogonal to the flow direction in a plan view).

Then, the molten glass G generated in the melting tank 10A flows into the fining tank 10B via the throat 11e, and is cooled to a predetermined temperature while being heated by the heater electrode 14.
Thereby, fining of the molten glass G is performed.

As described above, the melting tank 10A and the fining tank 10B in the present embodiment have an integrated configuration with each other as components for constructing the glass melting furnace 10, but are not limited thereto, and the flow direction is not limited to this. As long as the melting tank and the fining tank are arranged in order from the upstream side to the downstream side, they may be provided independently of each other.
Further, in this case, it is more preferable that the melting tank and the fining tank which are arranged independently of each other are connected by a transfer pipe 100 described later, because the influence of thermal expansion and thermal contraction is reduced.

Next, the stirring tank 20 will be described.
The stirring tank 20 is a tank for homogenizing the glass components of the molten glass G that has been refined.
The stirring tank 20 includes a tank body 21 made of a high zirconia-based refractory (fire-resistant brick), and a stirrer 22 is rotatably provided inside the tank body 21.
The downstream end of the transfer tube 100 is fitted to the upstream wall surface of the tank body 21, and the stirring tank 20 is connected to the glass melting furnace 10 (more specifically, the fining It communicates with the tank 10B).

In addition, similarly to the furnace tank 11 of the glass melting furnace 10 described above, the material of the refractory constituting the tank body 21 is not particularly limited, and a known material can be used.
In addition, in order to suppress the occurrence of striae and foreign matter caused by the elution of the refractory component into the molten glass G, the surface of the refractory in the furnace is made of platinum or a platinum alloy (including lodium). It may be covered with a metal consisting of

Then, the molten glass G that has been refined in the fining tank 10B flows into the stirring tank 20 via the transfer pipe 100, and is stirred by the stirrer 22.
Thereby, the homogenization of the molten glass G is achieved.

The molten glass G in which the glass components have been homogenized in the stirring tank 20 is then sent to a forming device (not shown) provided on the downstream side of the stirring tank 20.
Then, the molten glass G sent to the forming apparatus is formed into a predetermined shape, and a desired glass article is manufactured.

[Transfer tube 100]
Next, the configuration of the transfer pipe 100 will be described in detail with reference to FIGS.
As described above, the transfer pipe 100 in the present embodiment is a member that connects the glass melting furnace 10 (more specifically, the fining tank 10B) and the stirring tank 20 to each other, and via the transfer pipe 100. The molten glass G flows from the refining tank 10B to the stirring tank 20.
In other words, the transfer pipe 100 is, for example, from the fining tank 10B as the first tank for performing the processing (more specifically, the fining processing) of the molten glass G, to the molten glass G processed by the fining tank 10B. It is a member for supplying the molten glass G to the stirring tank 20 as a second tank for performing a new process (more specifically, a stirring process).

As shown in FIG. 1A, for example, the transfer pipe 100 is formed of a metal pipe member made of platinum or a platinum alloy (including lodium) bent in a crank shape (S-shape) in plan view. It is configured and arranged to extend horizontally.
Specifically, the transfer pipe 100 extends horizontally and in a downstream direction from the first pipe section 100a, and extends from the extending end of the first pipe section 100a in the horizontal and cross directions (in the flow direction). A second pipe portion 100b extending linearly toward one side (in a direction perpendicular to the plane view), and a straight line extending horizontally and in a cross direction (downstream direction) from an extended end of the second pipe portion 100b. It is constituted by an extending third tube portion 100c.

  The upstream end of the first pipe 100a is fitted to the furnace tank 11 of the fining tank 10B, and the downstream end of the third pipe 100c is fitted to the tank body 21 of the stirring tank 20. .

  In addition, since the arrangement | positioning attitude | position of the transfer pipe 100 is made into a horizontal attitude | position, the molten glass G which flows inside the said transfer pipe 100 flows with a fixed flow velocity. Therefore, the molten glass G can be homogenized without generating bubbles or mixing of foreign matter, and it is possible to prevent the occurrence of devitrification and striae.

  Further, in the present embodiment, the transfer pipe 100 is configured by a cylindrical pipe member. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, a square tubular pipe member or the like may be used. .

  With the transfer tube 100 having such a configuration, it is possible to prevent a crack from being caused by the influence of thermal expansion and thermal contraction and causing a deterioration in quality of the molten glass G as seen in a conventional transfer tube. it can.

Specifically, since the conventional transfer pipe is configured by a cylindrical member that is linear in plan view between the fining tank 10B and the stirring tank 20, the transfer pipe extends in the axial direction due to thermal expansion, for example. Even if it is attempted, the fining tank 10B and the stirring tank 20 become obstacles and cannot be arbitrarily extended, and are deformed into an irregular shape or have excessive internal stress without deformation in appearance. Was supposed to be.
Therefore, in the conventional transfer pipe, a crack is generated while repeating such a phenomenon many times, which is a factor of causing a deterioration in quality of the molten glass G.

On the other hand, for example, as shown in FIG. 2, when the transfer pipe 100 in the present embodiment causes thermal expansion, the first pipe portion 100 a is based on the fitting position of the fining tank 10 </ b> B with the furnace tank 11. It extends axially and downstream.
Further, the third pipe portion 100c extends in the axial direction and in the upstream direction based on the fitting position of the stirring tank 20 with the tank body 21.
Further, the second pipe portion 100b is connected to the first pipe portion 100a and the third pipe portion 100c while extending in the axial direction (specifically, the downstream end portion of the first pipe portion 100a, and the second pipe portion 100b. The posture can be inclined with the movement of the upstream end of the three tube portion 100c).
As a result, the transfer tube 100 is deformed into a shape bent in a Z-shape in plan view (the shape of the transfer tube 100A shown by a two-dot chain line in FIG. 2).

As described above, the transfer tube 100 is deformed into a Z-shape in plan view within the range of the elastic limit, so that at least the first tube portion 100a expands in the axial direction without being restricted from the outside. The allowance X1 and the allowance for expansion X2 in the axial direction of the third pipe portion 100c can be absorbed.
Therefore, unlike the conventional transfer pipe, it is possible to prevent the quality of the molten glass G from deteriorating without cracking due to the influence of thermal expansion.

  Further, according to the transfer pipe 100 of the present embodiment, the expansion allowance that occurs in the case of the transfer pipe that is linear in a plan view as in the related art is reduced by the expansion allowance X1 of the first pipe 100a and the third pipe 100c. (That is, since the total (X1 + X2) of the expansion allowance X1 and the expansion allowance X2 corresponds to the expansion allowance of the conventional transfer pipe), the entire manufacturing apparatus 1 can be used. The equipment layout can be made more compact.

In the above description, the influence of thermal expansion of the transfer tube 100 has been described. Similarly, even when thermal contraction occurs, the transfer tube 100 is slightly moved in the flow direction in plan view. By deforming into an elongated crank shape, the shrinkage allowance generated in the first pipe portion 100a and the third pipe portion 100c can be absorbed.
As a result, it is possible to prevent the quality of the molten glass G from deteriorating without causing a crack due to the effect of thermal expansion unlike the conventional transfer pipe.

The inner diameter of the transfer tube 100 is set to 30 mm to 150 mm.
Further, as shown in FIG. 1 (a), the total length L1 of the first tube 100a and the total length L2 of the third tube 100c are both set to 300 to 2000 mm, and the total length L3 of the second tube 100b. Is set to 600 to 2000 mm.
That is, the ratio of the total length L1 (L2) of the first tube portion 100a and / or the third tube portion 100c to the total length L3 of the second tube portion 100b is about 1: 1 (= L1 (L2): L3) or more. It is set to be. Preferably, the ratio is set to be 1: 2 (= L1 (L2): L3) or more.

  With the transfer pipe 100 having such a configuration, it is possible to sufficiently absorb the expansion allowance and the contraction allowance caused by the thermal expansion and heat shrinkage. Can respond flexibly.

By the way, as shown in FIG. 2, in the present embodiment, the angle formed by the first pipe portion 100a and the second pipe portion 100b (hereinafter, referred to as “first bending angle θ1”) is set to 90 °. The angle formed by the second pipe portion 100b and the third pipe portion 100c (hereinafter, referred to as a "second bending angle θ2") is also set to 90 ° (θ1 = θ2 = 90 °).
However, the values of the first bending angle θ1 and the second bending angle θ2 are not limited to the present embodiment.

That is, as shown in FIG. 3A, for example, in a state affected by heat shrinkage, the first bending angle θ1 and the second bending angle θ2 are approximated to 90 ° so that the first bending angle θ1 and the second bending angle θ2 are close to 90 °. The angle θ1 and the second bending angle θ2 may be set to acute angles in advance.
In this case, the first bending angle θ1 and the second bending angle θ2 are both set within a range of 45 ° to 90 ° in consideration of the overall rigidity of the transfer pipe 200, the shrinkage allowance due to heat shrinkage, and the like. Preferably.

Further, as shown in FIG. 3B, for example, the first bending angle θ1 and the second bending angle θ2 in a state affected by thermal expansion are approximated to 90 ° so that the first bending angle θ1 and the second bending angle θ2 are close to 90 °. The angle θ1 and the second bending angle θ2 may be set to obtuse angles in advance.
In this case, the first bending angle θ1 and the second bending angle θ2 are both set within the range of 90 ° to 135 ° in consideration of the overall rigidity of the transfer pipe 200, the expansion allowance due to thermal expansion, and the like. Preferably.

10B Refining tank (first tank)
20 stirring tank (second tank)
100 transfer pipe 100a first pipe 100b second pipe 100c third pipe G molten glass θ1 angle θ2 angle

Claims (3)

A first tank for processing the molten glass,
A second tank for performing a new treatment on the molten glass processed by the first tank,
Through the transfer pipe
A method for supplying molten glass for supplying molten glass from the first tank to the second tank,
The transfer tube is
While being formed in a crank shape in plan view,
It is arranged to extend horizontally,
A method for supplying molten glass, comprising: The transfer tube is
A first pipe portion extending linearly from the first tank,
A second pipe extending in the cross direction from the extending end of the first pipe, and extending in a cross direction from the extending end of the second pipe, and linearly toward the second tank. It is composed of a third pipe part that comes out,
The angle formed by the first tube and the second tube, and the angle formed by the second tube and the third tube are both 45 ° or more and 135 ° or less.
The method for supplying molten glass according to claim 1, wherein: A ratio of the total length of the first pipe portion and the second pipe portion, and / or
The ratio of the total length of the third pipe portion and the second pipe portion is 1: 1 or more,
The method for supplying molten glass according to claim 2, wherein:

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