Granted Patent B2

US 12,195,381 · App. 17/839,812 · Granted Jan 14, 2025

Inventors: Shane T. Rashley (Bowling Green, OH); Robert Kuhlman (Dundee, MI); David Soley (Swanton, OH); Jian Jiao (Perrysburg, OH); Walter Anderson (Maumee, OH); Susan L. Smith (Rossford, OH)

Assignee: Owens-Brockway Glass Container Inc.

C03B5/44

Abstract

Claims (30)

1. A cooling panel for a melter, comprising:

first and second outer walls and a plurality of side walls coupled to the first and second outer walls, defining an interior space, where each of the first and second outer walls has a plurality of openings; and

a plurality of baffles disposed in the interior space, where the baffles include a plurality of projections;

wherein respective openings and projections fit together and are connected from outside of the cooling panel so that the outer walls and the baffles are fixed together, and the side walls are fixed to the outer walls so that the cooling panel is fluid-tight.

2. The cooling panel of claim 1 , wherein the cooling panel does not include interior welds inside the cooling panel.

3. The cooling panel of claim 1 , wherein at least one of the baffles has a first side and a second side, and the respective projections for each baffle extend from both of the first and second sides so that a plurality of first projections extend from the first side to fit in respective first openings of the plurality of openings of the first outer wall, and a plurality of second projections extend from the second side to fit in respective second openings of the plurality of openings of the second outer wall.

4. The cooling panel of claim 1 , wherein the side walls, outer walls, and baffles form a serpentine flow path for passing a coolant within the interior space.

5. The cooling panel of claim 1 , wherein the cooling panel has a bottom portion and a top portion and includes a coolant inlet at the bottom portion and a coolant outlet at the top portion for passing a coolant.

6. The cooling panel of claim 1 , wherein the cooling panel does not include a temperature sensor.

7. The cooling panel of claim 1 , further comprising refractory material and one or more protrusions extending from one of the first and second outer walls so that the one or more protrusions are embedded into the refractory material.

8. The cooling panel of claim 7 , further comprising a first outer edge extending about a perimeter of one of the first and second outer walls so that the first outer edge extends about the refractory material.

9. The cooling panel of claim 8 , further comprising a second outer edge extending about a perimeter of the other of the first and second outer walls wherein the second outer edge forms one or more internal apertures.

10. The cooling panel of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of baffles divides the interior space into a plurality of rows.

11. The cooling panel of claim 1 , further comprising refractory material extending from the second outer wall, and wherein the cooling panel includes a door and a frame for the door.

12. The cooling panel of claim 11 , further comprising one or more wall extensions extending from at least one of the door or frame beyond the second outer wall and at least partially surrounding a portion of the refractory material.

13. The cooling panel of claim 1 , wherein the side walls are fillet welded to both of the first and second outer walls.

14. The cooling panel of claim 1 , wherein the projections of the baffles are welded from outside of the cooling panel.

15. The cooling panel of claim 14 , wherein the projections of the baffles are plug welded.

16. The cooling panel of claim 1 , wherein at least some of the baffles have lengths shorter than that of the first and second outer walls.

17. The cooling panel of claim 1 , further comprising one or more protrusions on one of the first and second outer wall, wherein the protrusions include studs extending away from the first or second outer wall.

18. A cooling panel for a melter, comprising:

a first outer wall having a first interior surface, a first exterior surface, and first openings extending through the first outer wall between the first interior and exterior surfaces;

a second outer wall having a second interior surface facing the first interior surface of the first outer wall, a second exterior surface, and second openings extending through the second outer wall between the second interior and exterior surfaces;

a plurality of side walls welded to the first and second outer walls and, together with the first and second outer walls, defining an interior space of the cooling panel; and

a plurality of baffles disposed in the interior space, wherein at least one of the plurality of baffles has a first side and a second side, and projections extending from the first and second sides so that a plurality of first projections extend from the first side to fit in the first openings of the first outer wall, and a plurality of second projections extend from the second side to fit in the second openings of the second outer wall, and wherein the baffles are welded to the first and second outer walls from outside of the cooling panel at the projections.

19. The cooling panel of claim 18 , wherein the cooling panel does not include interior welds connecting the baffles to the outer walls.

20. The cooling panel of claim 18 , further comprising:

a refractory material carried by the first outer wall;

a first outer edge extending about a perimeter of the first outer wall so that the first outer edge extends about the refractory material; and

a second outer edge extending about a perimeter of the second outer wall, wherein the second outer edge includes one or more apertures.

Assignments (2)

Continuity (2)

References Cited (79)