Method of heating a glass melting furnace using a roof mounted, staged combustion oxygen-fuel burner.

摘要

A method of melting glass forming material in a glass melting furnace, said furnace having a back wall, breast walls above sidewalls, and a downstream front wall connected to a roof, wherein at least one batch charger for charging glass forming batch material is contained in at least one of the back wall and the sidewall, comprising providing at least one oxy-fuel burner in the roof of said furnace over said batch material, wherein said at least one oxy-fuel burner is adapted for staged combustion; providing a flow of fuel to said at least one oxy-fuel burner; providing a flow of gaseous oxidant in association with said at least one oxy-fuel burner; injecting the fuel and the oxidant into the furnace, wherein the fuel jet comprises one of a substantially fuel only jet and a fuel rich fuel-oxidant mixture, and wherein the oxidant jet comprises one of a substantially oxidant only jet and a fuel lean fuel-oxidant mixture, wherein the injected fuel jet and the injected oxidant jet are separated, and are optionally angled with respect to the other, by an amount sufficient to cause the respective flows to converge proximate to or at the surface of the glass forming material, preferably wherein the fuel jet and oxidant jet are separated and angled with respect to each other from 0 DEG to about 90 DEG ; and, combusting said fuel from at least said one oxy-fuel burner such that at least a portion of combustion is effected in the vicinity of said glass forming material to enhance convective and radiative transfer of heat to said glass forming material without substantially disturbing said glass forming material; optionally wherein the mixing of said fuel and said oxidant is delayed to localize combustion proximate to or at the surface of said glass forming material, optionally including staging the flow of fuel from the oxy-fuel burner, and further optionally including fully combusting reactive intermediate species proximate to or at the glass forming material surface. IMAGE