Glass melting oven

Abstract

A combustion method for melting glass in which two fuels of the same nature or different natures are fed into a fusion furnace at two locations remote from each other for distributing the fuel to reduce NOx emissions. The combustion air is supplied at only one of the locations. In a method for operating a glass melting furnace, the fuel injection is distributed to reduce NOx emissions. The furnace includes a melting vessel for receiving the glass to be melted and containing a bath of molten glass, walls defining the furnace, a hot combustion air inlet, a hot smoke outlet, at least one burner for injecting a first fuel, and at least one injector for injecting a second fuel. The injector has an adjustable flow complementary relative to the flow to the burner so that up to 100% of the totality of the first and second fuels used may be injected.

1 . A combustion process for melting glass comprising:
 supplying two fuels, of the same nature or of different natures, to a melting chamber at two spaced apart locations, thereby distributing the fuel in the melting chambers and limiting NOx emissions, and   supplying combustion air at only one of the two locations.   
   
   
       2 . A process of limiting production of NOx by a glass melting furnace which has a melting tank for receiving glass to be melted and a holding bath of melted glass, with, above the glass, chamber walls, at least one intake for supplying hot combustion air, at least one outlet for outputting hot waste gases, and at least one burner and at least one injector for respectively injecting a first fuel and a second fuel into the chamber, the process including:
 injecting the first fuel and the second fuel into the furnace through the burner and injector, the injector being arranged on a different wall from a wall on which the burner is positioned,   adjusting the burner and the injector in a complementary manner so that the total of the first and second fuels used by the injector and the burner corresponds to a predetermined total flow rate, regardless of whether the first and second fuels are of the same nature or of different natures.   
   
   
       3 . A glass melting furnace comprising:
 a melting tank for receiving glass to be melted and for accommodating a melted glass bath;   above the glass, a front wall, a rear wall, side walls, and a roof constituting a melting chamber;   at least one intake for receiving hot combustion air;   at least one outlet for outputting hot waste gases;   at least one burner for introducing a first fuel into the chamber, and   at least one injector for injecting a second fuel into the chamber, wherein
 the injector is located on a different wall of the melting chamber from the burner and is spaced from the burner in a zone situated between the roof and a horizontal plane situated at a level at least as high as a horizontal plane passing through a lower edge of the hot air intake, and 
 the injector is adjustable in flow rate in a complementary manner with respect to the burner so that up to 100% of the total of the first and second fuels is used by the injector and the burner, regardless of whether the first and second fuels are of the same nature or of different natures. 
   
   
   
       4 . The furnace according to  claim 3 , including a plurality of injectors, wherein at least some of the injector are arranged on at least one axis of symmetry of the roof of the furnace. 
   
   
       5 . The furnace according to  claim 3 , including a plurality of injectors, wherein at least some of the injectors are arranged on at least one of the side walls of the melting chamber. 
   
   
       6 . The furnace according to  claim 3 , including a plurality of injectors, wherein at least some of the injectors are arranged on the rear wall of the melting chamber. 
   
   
       7 . The furnace according to  claim 3 , including a plurality of injectors, wherein the injectors are oriented at least approximately in a direction opposite from flames of the burner of the furnace. 
   
   
       8 . The furnace according to  claim 3 , including a plurality of injectors, wherein the injectors are oriented at least approximately in a direction transverse to flames of the burner of the furnace. 
   
   
       9 . The furnace according to  claim 3 , including a plurality of injectors and a plurality of burners wherein the burners and the injectors are made for first and second fuels of the same nature. 
   
   
       10 . The furnace according to  claim 3 , including a plurality of injectors and a plurality of burners, wherein the burners and the injectors are made for first and second fuels of different natures. 
   
   
       11 . The furnace according to  claim 3 , wherein the first and second fuels are selected from the group consisting of natural gas, LPG, fuel oil, coke-oven gas, blast furnace gas, reforming gas, biogas, and hydrogen. 
   
   
       12 . The furnace according to  claim 3 , consisting of at least one injector including a device putting the second fuel injected into rotation. 
   
   
       13 . The furnace according to  3 , comprising at least one injector including a device impulsively adjusting injection of the second fuel.