Selective chemical fining of small bubbles in glass

1. A method of producing and fining glass, the method comprising:

discharging combustion products from one or more submerged burners directly into a glass melt contained within an interior reaction chamber of a submerged combustion melter, the combustion products discharged from the one or more submerged burners agitating the glass melt;

discharging foamy molten glass obtained from the glass melt out of the submerged combustion melter;

supplying the foamy molten glass into a fining chamber of a fining vessel as input molten glass, the input molten glass combining with a molten glass bath contained within the fining chamber and introducing entrained bubbles into the molten glass bath, the input molten glass having a density and comprising up to 60 vol % bubbles;

flowing the molten glass bath through the fining chamber in a flow direction, the molten glass bath having an undercurrent that flows beneath a skimmer, which is partially submerged in the molten glass bath, and through a submerged passageway defined in part by the skimmer;

introducing one or more fining agents into the undercurrent of the molten glass bath directly beneath the skimmer from a dissolvable fining material component; and

discharging output molten glass from the fining vessel, the output molten glass having a density that is greater than the density of the input molten glass and further comprising less than 1 vol % bubbles.

2. The method set forth in claim 1 , wherein introducing one or more fining agents into the undercurrent of the molten glass bath comprises releasing one or more fining agents from the dissolvable fining material component, the dissolvable fining component being supported within the skimmer and having an exposed portion that protrudes beyond a distal free end of the skimmer into the submerged passageway.

3. The method set forth in claim 2 , further comprising:

advancing the dissolvable fining material component relative to a main body of the skimmer along a height of the skimmer to maintain the exposed portion of the component as the component disintegrates in the undercurrent of the molten glass bath.

4. The method set forth in claim 1 , wherein the fining vessel includes a housing that defines the fining chamber, the housing comprising a floor, and wherein introducing one or more fining agents into the undercurrent of the molten glass bath comprises releasing one or more fining agents from the dissolvable fining material component, the dissolvable fining material component being supported in the floor of the housing directly beneath the skimmer and rising above the floor into the submerged passageway.

5. The method set forth in claim 1 , wherein the glass melt in the submerged combustion melter and the molten glass bath in the fining vessel have a soda-lime-silica glass chemical composition.

6. The method set forth in claim 5 , further comprising:

forming the output molten glass discharged from the fining vessel into at least one glass container having an axially closed base and a circumferential wall, the circumferential wall extending from the axially closed base to a mouth that defines an opening to a containment space defined by the axially closed base and the circumferential wall.

7. The method set forth in claim 1 , wherein the one or more fining agents that are introduced into the undercurrent of the molten glass bath include sodium sulfate, Cr 2 O 3 , WO 3 , carbon, aluminum, a carbonate, silicon carbide (SiC), an oxidized metal powder, or a combination thereof.

8. A method of producing and fining glass, the method comprising:

discharging combustion products from one or more submerged burners directly into a glass melt contained within an interior reaction chamber of a submerged combustion melter, the combustion products discharged from the one or more submerged burners agitating the glass melt;

discharging foamy molten glass obtained from the glass melt out of the submerged combustion melter;

supplying the foamy molten glass into a fining chamber of a fining vessel as input molten glass, the input molten glass combining with a molten glass bath contained within the fining chamber and introducing entrained bubbles into the molten glass bath, the input molten glass having a density and comprising up to 60 vol % bubbles;

flowing the molten glass bath through the fining chamber in a flow direction, the molten glass bath having an undercurrent that flows beneath a skimmer, which is partially submerged in the molten glass bath, and through a submerged passageway defined in part by the skimmer;

introducing one or more fining agents into the undercurrent of the molten glass bath directly beneath the skimmer from a dissolvable fining material component; and

discharging output molten glass from the fining vessel, the output molten glass having a density that is greater than the density of the input molten glass.

9. The method set forth in claim 8 , wherein the dissolvable fining material component comprises a mixture of a glass compatible base material and one or more fining agents.

10. The method set forth in claim 9 , wherein the mixture of the glass compatible base material and one or more fining agents is physically compacted together.

11. The method set forth in claim 8 , wherein introducing one or more fining agents into the undercurrent of the molten glass bath comprises releasing one or more fining agents from the dissolvable fining material component, the dissolvable fining material component being supported within the skimmer and having an exposed portion that protrudes beyond a distal free end of the skimmer into the submerged passageway.

12. The method set forth in claim 11 , further comprising:

advancing the dissolvable fining material component relative to a main body of the skimmer along a height of the skimmer to maintain the exposed portion of the dissolvable fining material component as the exposed portion disintegrates into the undercurrent of the molten glass bath.

13. The method set forth in claim 12 , further comprising:

cooling the main body of the skimmer.

14. The method set forth in claim 11 , wherein the dissolvable fining material component is a solid plate, a perforated plate, or at least one rod.

15. The method set forth in claim 8 , further comprising:

forming the output molten glass discharged from the fining vessel into at least one glass container having an axially closed base and a circumferential wall, the circumferential wall extending from the axially closed base to a mouth that defines an opening to a containment space defined by the axially closed base and the circumferential wall.

16. The method set forth in claim 8 , wherein the fining vessel includes a housing that defines the fining chamber, the housing comprising a floor, and wherein introducing one or more fining agents into the undercurrent of the molten glass bath comprises releasing one or more fining agents from the dissolvable fining material component, the dissolvable fining material component being supported in the floor of the housing directly beneath the skimmer and rising above the floor into the submerged passageway.

17. The method set forth in claim 16 , wherein the dissolvable fining material component is in the form of a rod that extends along a width of the skimmer.

18. The method set forth in claim 8 , wherein 95% or more of gas bubbles that pass beneath the skimmer in the undercurrent of the molten glass bath have a diameter of 0.7 millimeters or less.