Importance

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Abstract

Methods and apparatus provide for: feeding glass batch material into a plasma containment vessel in such a way that the glass batch material is dispensed as a sheet of glass batch material particles; directing one or more sources of plasma gas into the inner volume of the plasma containment vessel in such a way that the plasma gas enters the plasma containment vessel as at least one sheet of plasma gas; and applying an alternating electric field to facilitate production of a plasma plume within the inner volume of the plasma containment vessel, where the plasma plume is of dimensions sufficient to envelope the sheet of glass batch material particles, and is of sufficient thermal energy to cause the glass batch material to react and melt thereby forming substantially homogeneous, spheroid-shaped glass intermediate particles.

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First Claim