| Apparatus for shaping melts comprising inorganic oxides or minerals with an improved heating device -> Monitor Keywords |
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Apparatus for shaping melts comprising inorganic oxides or minerals with an improved heating deviceApparatus for shaping melts comprising inorganic oxides or minerals with an improved heating device description/claimsThe Patent Description & Claims data below is from USPTO Patent Application 20090159236, Apparatus for shaping melts comprising inorganic oxides or minerals with an improved heating device. Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims
This application claims the benefit of co-pending application 61/060,692 filed Jun. 11, 2008 and German patent application DE 10 2007 061 695.5 filed Dec. 19, 2007 which is relied on and incorporated herein by reference. The invention relates to an apparatus for shaping melts comprising inorganic oxides or minerals, in particular for producing glass fibers and basalt fibers. The apparatus contains a melt container with a container casing and an individual orifice or orifice plate arranged in the base of the melt container. Fibers, tubes, rods, strips or profiles made of high-melting inorganic oxides or minerals are produced in large amounts. Fibers from said materials are used, for example for reinforcing plastics, ceramics and metals. An early apparatus for the production of glass threads is shown in the patent publication GB 361,220. The cylindrical heating chamber is made from refractory material, such as burnt fireclay or heat resisting metal alloy, and along one side is provided with one or more spinning nozzles through which the glass can be withdrawn from the chamber. Within the heating chamber is arranged a plurality of heating elements parallel to the cylinder axis. Each consists of a tube manufactured from porcelain or heat resisting metal alloys having arranged on their inner surface an electrical resistance. This apparatus, due to the preferred use of burnt fireclay and porcelain, cannot cope with today\'s quality requirements and the required diversity of raw materials for the fibers. In case the apparatus is manufactured from refractory metal alloys the heating current will flow through the whole apparatus because heating element, resistance and heating chamber form an integral unit. The today\'s apparatuses for manufacturing glass fibers or mineral fibers predominantly consist of alloys of the platinum group metals and are heated by direct current flowing through the casing of the apparatus. Such apparatuses contain a melt container with an individual orifice or orifice plate arranged in the base of the melt container. The melt container may be a tub, a trough, a cone, a cylinder or the like. The melt in the melt container has to have as homogeneous as possible a temperature distribution above the individual orifice or orifice plate so that fibers, without disturbances of the drawing process, can be drawn from all of the shaping orifices having the same fiber cross section. An orifice plate can be equipped with several hundred individual orifices for shaping fibers. Apparatuses with an orifice plate are shown in laid-open specifications DE 196 38 056 A1, US 2003/0145631 A1 and US 2003/09041627 A1; an apparatus with an individual orifice is described in DE 10108 831 C1. The inorganic oxides or minerals are melted in a furnace using known methods and are introduced into the apparatus. In the case of remelt processes, the apparatus is connected directly to the furnace; in direct-melt processes, the apparatus is fixedly connected to a distributor channel. Metals, in particular platinum and platinum alloys, are usually used as the materials for the apparatus and for the orifice plate and orifices. Because of the high thermal conductivity of the metals, the apparatus is insulated against heat loss in order to ensure a constant viscosity of the melt and as homogeneous as possible a temperature distribution above the individual orifice or orifice plate. By contrast, the individual orifice or the orifice plate in the base of the melt container cannot be thermally insulated, and therefore transfer of heat convection and radiation of heat to the colder surroundings occur. The heat loss is usually compensated for by a higher operating temperature of the melt and by direct electric heating of the metallic apparatus and thus results in a high energy consumption. As a consequence of the heat loss to the surroundings, there is a temperature gradient and, associated therewith, a viscosity gradient in the melt. It is the object of the present invention to specify an apparatus for shaping melts comprising inorganic oxides or minerals, the apparatus having a more homogeneous temperature distribution in the melt and a significantly reduced energy consumption than conventional apparatuses of this type. This object is achieved by means of an apparatus (1) for shaping melts comprising inorganic oxides or minerals, the apparatus containing a melt container (2) with a container casing (3, 4) and an orifice plate (7) with a plurality of orifices (8), or an individual orifice, arranged in the base (6) of the melt container. In the apparatus, one or more pipes (9) are located in the melt container. The pipes having at least one connection/opening to the outside through the container casing, and wherein electric heating elements (10) are inserted into the pipes. The melt container (2), the individual orifice or orifice plate (7) and the tubes (9) are manufactured from platinum, palladium or alloys thereof with one or more metals selected from rhodium, iridium and gold. The heating elements or heating cartridges may be commercially available heating elements which can be obtained e.g. from the company Kanthal for working temperatures up to 1850° C. It is essential for the invention that the heating elements are electrically isolated from the tubes in which they are inserted. Contrary to GB 361,220 the apparatus according to the invention is not heated by direct current flowing through the casing of the melt container. According to the invention, the temperature of the melt is kept at an operating temperature with the aid of the heating elements inserted into the pipes. The heat source for heating the melt is therefore placed directly into the melt. The heat is delivered to the melt by thermal conduction and radiation of heat. As a result, in comparison to the direct heating of the metallic apparatus, the heat losses of the heating system to the surroundings are reduced by more than 50%. Bus bars are also no longer required for introducing the current into the metallic apparatus, and therefore precious metal can be saved. In addition, the apparatus according to the invention makes it possible for the temperature of the melt to be easily adjusted. The apparatus is suitable both for an orifice plate with several hundred orifices and also for individual orifices. In the first case, the melt container has a rectangular base surface and is delimited by four side walls. In this case, it is advantageous if the pipes together with the heating elements are guided between two opposite container walls and a plurality of such pipes are arranged parallel to one another. Such an apparatus is suitable for the mass manufacturing of technical fibers from glass or minerals. If, by contrast, container glass and high-grade technical glass are to be formed, then it is expedient to use an apparatus with just a few orifices or just one individual orifice. The melt container is then in the form of a pot, cone or cylinder. In this case, the pipe for heating the melt can be designed as a closed circular pipe. The heating pipe is therefore matched to the internal geometry of the melt container. A supply pipe leads from the outside through the casing of the melt container and is connected to the circular pipe. The heating element is inserted into the circular pipe via the supply pipe and is supplied with electric energy. The container casing of the apparatus, the individual orifice or the orifice plate and the pipes are manufactured from platinum, palladium or alloys of said platinum metals with one or more of the metals rhodium, iridium and gold. In order to satisfy more high temperature strength requirements, the platinum or the platinum alloy can be stabilized by oxidic material finely distributed in the metal. Zirconium oxide and yttrium oxide are particularly suitable for stabilization purposes. The heating pipes are welded to the container casing so as to provide a seal against the melt escaping. The invention is explained in more detail with reference to an exemplary embodiment and Continue reading about Apparatus for shaping melts comprising inorganic oxides or minerals with an improved heating device... Full patent description for Apparatus for shaping melts comprising inorganic oxides or minerals with an improved heating device Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims Click on the above for other options relating to this Apparatus for shaping melts comprising inorganic oxides or minerals with an improved heating device patent application. ###  How KEYWORD MONITOR works... a FREE service from FreshPatents1. Sign up (takes 30 seconds). 2. Fill in the keywords to be monitored. 3. Each week you receive an email with patent applications related to your keywords. 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