PROCESS AND APPARATUS FOR REFINING MOLTEN GLASS

摘要

A process and an apparatus for refining molten glass by introducing a stream of unrefined molten glass into a controlled environment, distributing the stream of molten glass over a flow surface (48), and collecting the stream of molten glass from a downstream end (56) of the flow surface to form a body of molten glass having a free surface (70) exposed to the controlled environment. The controlled environment may have a pressure less than ambient atmospheric pressure, such that introducing the stream of molten glass into the controlled environment causes gaseous inclusions in the stream of molten glass to rise to a surface thereof and escape.