Patent ID: 11919798
Assignee: OWENS-BROCKWAY GLASS CONTAINER INC.
Field: Other special machines (Mechanical engineering)
Classification: CPC C | IPC C

Claim 14:
15. A gradient fining tank for refining foamy molten glass, the gradient fining tank comprising:
a roof, a floor, a front end wall, and a pair of sidewalls that connect the roof and floor, the roof, floor, the front end wall, and sidewalls at least partially defining an interior chamber for holding a molten glass bath, the floor having an entry section that includes a flow surface, an exit section that includes a flow surface, and a transition section that extends downwardly and outwardly from the entry section of the floor to the exit section of the floor, the transition section of the floor having a flow surface that slopes downwardly and outwardly from the flow surface of the entry section of the floor;
an inlet in the roof or in the front end wall or in one or both of the sidewalls that communicates with an upstream portion of the interior chamber defined by an extended shallow portion of the gradient fining tank that includes the entry section of the floor, the extended shallow portion of the gradient fining tank having an inlet end adjacent to the front end wall and an outlet end; and
an outlet that communicates with a downstream portion of the interior chamber defined by a deep holding portion of the gradient fining tank that includes the transition section and the exit section of the floor, the deep holding portion of the gradient fining tank having an inlet end that communicates with the outlet end of the extended shallow portion and an outlet end, wherein a depth of the downstream portion of the interior chamber at the outlet end of the deep holding portion is greater than a depth of the upstream portion of the interior chamber at the outlet end of the extended shallow portion, and wherein the outlet of the gradient fining tank is downwardly displaced from the inlet of the gradient fining tank, wherein one or more skimmers extend downwardly from the roof of the gradient fining tank.