| 摘要 |
<p>Disclosed are a glass production apparatus and a glass production method, both of which enable the improvement in quality of a glass and the improvement in productivity. In the glass production apparatus, a drain tube (40) is arranged at an opening (23) which is formed at the bottom of an upstream-side agitation pot (22), wherein the drain tube (40) is composed of an exhaust tube (42) and an orifice (44). The exhaust tube (42) is equipped with an electrothermal heating unit (46), and the orifice (44) is arranged detachably at a lower part of the exhaust tube (42). When a molten glass mainly containing zirconia in a large amount and deposited at the bottom of the upstream-side agitation pot (22) is to be exhausted, the exhaust tube (42) is heated to a predetermined temperature by means of the electrothermal heating unit (46) to maintain the molten glass (G) in the exhaust tube (42) at a viscosity suitable for the exhaust, and the molten glass maintained in this state is exhausted to the outside through an outlet (45) of the orifice (44). When the orifice (44) is to be replaced by a new one, only the orifice (44) is removed from the exhaust tube (42) and is then replaced by a new orifice (44).</p> |
