Christopher T Metcalfe

US Patent:

48759198, Oct 24, 1989

Filed:

Apr 13, 1988

Appl. No.:

7/186989

Inventors:

Robert DeSaro - Acton MA
Edward F. Doyle - Dedham MA
Christopher I. Metcalfe - East Walpole MA
Keith D. Patch - Lexington MA

Assignee:

Gas Research Institute - Chicago IL

International Classification:

C03B 300
C03B 500

US Classification:

65 27

Abstract:

An improved method and apparatus for preheating cullet used as feedstock for a glass furnace. A direct contact raining bed is described through which cullet is fed by gravity flow, with furnace flue gases as combustion products of a separately-fired heater passed in counterflow to heat the cullet by direct contact. The preheater includes deflectors to retard passage and increase the path length of cullet flowing through the raining bed, and the deflector plates are mounted at specific declination angles and have their geometric parameters selected to optimize cullet residence time. Glass furnace systems are described which include the raining bed cullet preheater in series and parallel flow relationships with a glass batch preheater.

US Patent:

61980382, Mar 6, 2001

Filed:

Jan 13, 2000

Appl. No.:

9/483043

Inventors:

Kailash C. Shukla - Boxborough MA
Edward F. Doyle - Dedham MA
Christopher I. Metcalfe - Walpole MA

Assignee:

Thermo Power Corporation - Waltham MA

International Classification:

H01L 31058
H01L 3104

US Classification:

136253

Abstract:

A burner/emitter/recuperator assembly for providing a high temperature radiant emitting surface, includes an elongated fuel pipe in communication with a fuel source and extending toward the combustion chamber, and adapted to flow fuel from the fuel source to a nozzle end of the fuel pipe proximate the combustion chamber, a primary air pipe disposed around the fuel pipe and in communication with a relatively cool primary air source, a nozzle end of the primary air pipe being substantially coincident with the nozzle end of the fuel pipe, and a recuperator for preheating secondary air disposed around a distal portion of the primary air pipe and in communication with a secondary air source and a swirler downstream of the recuperator. The relatively cool air from the primary air source and fuel from the fuel source flow through the primary air pipe and the fuel pipe, respectively, and mix with the hot air from the recuperator and swirler, exterior to the fuel nozzle and the primary air pipe nozzle end, to maintain a relatively cool fuel pipe nozzle end, and a relatively hot flame in the combustion chamber.