Patent ID: 7779653
Filing Date: 2010-08-24
Classification: C03B,D04H,F16L

Abstract:
1. A method of reducing carbon monoxide and hydrocarbon emissions in a rotary glass fiberization process without degrading the insulating properties of a fibrous product produced by the rotary glass fiberization process, comprising: introducing molten glass into an interior of a fiberizing spinner of a rotary glass fiberizing apparatus radially inward of an annular peripheral sidewall of the fiberizing spinner; the fiberizing spinner having a disc shaped base and annular peripheral sidewall extending upward from a peripheral edge of the base; the annular peripheral sidewall having a mid-portion extending between an upper annular edge portion and a lower annular edge portion; the mid-portion of the sidewall having thousands of glass fiberization holes therein through which molten glass is passed to form primary glass fibers that are introduced into an annular heat bath region formed by gases of combustion and extending from the upper edge portion down through the mid-portion of the annular sidewall of the fiberizing spinner and radially outward from the sidewall of the fiberizing spinner substantially to an annular fluid attenuation region; passing the molten glass through the glass fiberization holes in the annular peripheral sidewall of the fiberizing spinner by centrifugal force to form the primary glass fibers and to pass the primary glass fibers through the annular heat bath region into the annular fluid attenuation region; heating the annular heat bath region with external burner means with gases of combustion to provide a net heat flux into the primary glass fibers passing through the annular heat bath region wherein the heating includes introducing oxygen into the annular heat bath region to oxygen enrich the annular heat bath region and combusting the introduced oxygen in the annular heat bath region to obtain a relatively high localized temperature increase, for reducing primary glass fiber viscosity prior to introducing the primary fibers into the annular attenuation region to be subjected to high rates of shear an attenuating fluid from an attenuation fluid emitting means that attenuates the primary glass fibers into the lesser diameter glass fibers and to reduce carbon monoxide and unburned hydrocarbon emissions produced by the process; introducing at least part of the oxygen into the annular heat bath region to oxygen enrich the annular heat bath region from an oxygen emitting means that emits into the annular heat bath region, by volume, predominantly oxygen and is separate from the external burner means; and attenuating the primary glass fibers with the attenuating fluid to form the lesser diameter glass fibers.