US 12,441,646 B2
Method for tin bath monitoring and control
Reed Jacob Hendershot, Orefield, PA (US); Liang He, Allentown, PA (US); Michael J. Gallagher, Coopersburg, PA (US); and Ranajit Ghosh, Macungie, PA (US)
Assigned to AIR PRODUCTS AND CHEMICALS, INC., Allentown, PA (US)
Appl. No. 17/434,654
Filed by Air Products and Chemicals, Inc., Allentown, PA (US)
PCT Filed Mar. 20, 2020, PCT No. PCT/US2020/023806
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Aug. 27, 2021,
PCT Pub. No. WO2020/191275, PCT Pub. Date Sep. 24, 2020.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/821,363, filed on Mar. 20, 2019.
Prior Publication US 2022/0169549 A1, Jun. 2, 2022
Int. Cl. C03B 18/22 (2006.01)
CPC C03B 18/22 (2013.01) 22 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method of controlling defects in a glass product produced in a tin bath furnace, comprising:
measuring at least one parameter of an atmosphere associated with the tin bath furnace, wherein the parameter includes a dew point of the atmosphere and/or a density of the atmosphere;
correlating the measured parameter with defects in the glass product;
controlling the measured parameter in a direction corresponding to decreased defects in the glass product by controlling a flow rate of a process gas relative to the tin bath furnace such that a flow rate of a purge gas exiting the tin bath furnace is increased to lower the dew point of the atmosphere to control the dew point of the atmosphere and the flow rate of the purge gas is decreased to increase the dew point of the atmosphere to control the dew point of the atmosphere; wherein the process gas includes one or more of hydrogen and nitrogen; and
controlling a line speed of glass production to adjust a width of a ribbon of the glass product positioned on a tin bath of the tin bath furnace to decrease defects in the glass product.