SUBMERGED COMBUSTION MELTING EXHAUST SYSTEMS

1 . A submerged combustion melting system, comprising:

a submerged combustion melting furnace, including:

a tank including a floor, a roof, a perimeter wall extending between the floor and the roof, and an interior,

submerged combustion melting burners extending through the tank to melt glass feedstock into molten glass in the interior of the tank,

a batch inlet at an upstream end of the tank,

a molten glass outlet at a downstream end of the tank, and

an exhaust outlet; and

an exhaust system in fluid communication with the interior of the tank, and including:

a fluid-cooled flue in fluid communication with the exhaust outlet, extending upwardly from the roof, and including fluid-cooled perimeter walls,

a refractory-lined hood in fluid communication with, and extending to a hood outlet from, the fluid-cooled flue, and including refractory-lined walls and a dilution air duct inlet,

a dilution air input duct having an outlet in fluid communication with the dilution air duct inlet of the refractory-lined hood, and

non-cooled, non-refractory outlet conduit extending away from the refractory-lined hood.

2 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the fluid-cooled flue extends upwardly from the roof of the tank along a first central vertical axis, a central oblique axis extending from the first central vertical axis, and a second central vertical axis extending from the central oblique axis.

3 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the refractory-lined hood also includes

a vertical portion downstream of and extending upwardly from the fluid-cooled flue, and

a horizontal portion downstream of and extending away from the vertical portion to a hood outlet.

4 . The system of claim 3 , wherein the dilution air duct inlet extends through at least one of the perimeter walls of the horizontal portion.

5 . The system of claim 3 , wherein the hood outlet is in an upper wall of the horizontal portion and vertically opposite a condensate cleanout port in a lower wall of the downstream horizontal portion.

6 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the fluid-cooled perimeter walls include

a lower vertical segment in fluid communication with the exhaust outlet of the roof of the tank and with a lower central longitudinal axis,

an upper vertical segment with an upper central longitudinal axis and a flue outlet, and

an intermediate oblique segment extending between the lower and upper vertical segments and having an intermediate central longitudinal axis,

wherein an offset distance between the lower and upper central longitudinal axes is greater than or equal to a transit section dimension of the fluid-cooled flue.

7 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the fluid-cooled flue extends upwardly from the roof of the tank along a central longitudinal axis and the refractory-lined hood extends upwardly from the fluid-cooled flue along the central longitudinal axis.

8 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the refractory-lined hood also includes

refractory-lined obliquely angled walls extending upwardly and inwardly from the refractory-lined walls, and

a conduit extending upwardly from the refractory-lined obliquely angled walls.

9 . The system of claim 8 , wherein the dilution air duct inlet extends transversely through the conduit.

10 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the non-cooled, non-refractory outlet conduit includes

an inverted bight having a bight inlet in fluid communication with the hood outlet of the refractory-lined hood and also having a bight outlet,

a J-shaped section extending downwardly from the bight outlet and having an inlet at an upper end and also having an outlet at a lower end, and

a horizontal section in fluid communication with the outlet of the J-shaped section and extending away therefrom along a longitudinal axis below a level of the dilution air duct inlet of the refractory-lined hood and above the fluid-cooled flue.

11 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the fluid-cooled perimeter walls have a lower non-cooled baffle extending upwardly at an oblique angle and intersecting a central longitudinal axis, and an upper non-cooled baffle extending upwardly at another oblique angle and intersecting the central longitudinal axis.

12 . The system of claim 3 , wherein the horizontal portion of the refractory-lined hood includes a dilution air duct inlet extending through a side wall of the horizontal portion.

13 . The system of claim 12 , wherein the exhaust system further includes a dilution air input duct having an outlet in fluid communication with a dilution air inlet of the refractory-lined hood.

14 . The system of claim 13 , wherein the horizontal portion of the refractory-lined hood includes a plurality of dilution air inlet ports in at least one of the side wall or a bottom wall of the horizontal portion of the hood.

15 . A submerged combustion melting system, comprising:

a submerged combustion melting furnace, including:

a tank including a floor, a roof, a perimeter wall extending between the floor and the roof, and an interior,

submerged combustion melting burners extending through the tank to melt glass feedstock into molten glass in the interior of the tank,

a batch inlet at an upstream end of the tank,

a molten glass outlet at a downstream end of the tank, and

an exhaust outlet through the roof; and

an exhaust system in fluid communication with the interior of the tank, and including:

a fluid-cooled flue in fluid communication with the exhaust outlet, extending upwardly from the roof, and having fluid-cooled perimeter walls including:

a lower vertical segment in fluid communication with the exhaust outlet of the roof of the tank of the submerged combustion melting furnace and having a lower central longitudinal axis,

an upper vertical segment having an upper central longitudinal axis and a flue outlet, and

an intermediate oblique segment extending between the lower and upper vertical segments and having an intermediate central longitudinal axis, wherein an offset distance between the lower and upper central longitudinal axes is greater than or equal to a transit section dimension of the fluid-cooled flue.

16 . The system of claim 15 , wherein the exhaust system further comprises:

a refractory-lined hood in fluid communication with the fluid-cooled flue, and including an upstream vertical portion downstream of and extending upwardly from the fluid-cooled flue along the upper central longitudinal axis and a downstream horizontal portion downstream of and extending away from the upstream vertical portion to a hood outlet, and including refractory-lined perimeter walls and a dilution air duct inlet extending through at least one of the perimeter walls of the downstream horizontal portion, and

a dilution air input duct having an outlet in fluid communication with the dilution air duct inlet of the refractory-lined hood.

17 . The system of claim 16 , wherein the downstream horizontal portion includes a lower wall with a protrusion that protrudes into a downstream horizontal exhaust path and has an excurvate upper surface to streamline flow of exhaust gas through the refractory-lined hood to prevent gas recirculation and formation of condensate piles in the refractory-lined hood.

18 . The system of claim 16 , wherein the exhaust system further comprises:

non-cooled, non-refractory outlet conduit extending away from the refractory-lined hood at the hood outlet, which is in an upper wall of the downstream horizontal portion and vertically opposite a condensate cleanout port in a lower wall of the downstream horizontal portion.

19 . The system of claim 15 , wherein the fluid-cooled flue is liquid-cooled and includes liquid-cooled perimeter panels.