Patent Application
20180312420
The present invention relates to a float glass production process and to a float glass production installation.
In the float glass production process, in short “float process”, a continuous stream of molten glass from a glass melting furnace is poured onto the surface of a bath of molten tin inside a chamber referred to as the “float bath”. The molten glass spreads over the surface of the tin melt and forms a glass ribbon which floats on the tin bath. The glass ribbon is moved along the tin bath by conveyor rollers located opposite the molten glass inlet.
Initially, i.e. in the vicinity of the molten glass inlet, the glass is maintained at a sufficiently high temperature for the glass to spread and even out on top of the tin bath. Further downstream, the ribbon is progressively cooled until its viscosity is high enough for the ribbon to be lifted from the tin bath by the conveyor rollers without being damaged.
A first critical aspect of the float process is therefore a closely controlled temperature profile of the glass ribbon in the float chamber.
Temperature control within the float bath is achieved by means of electrical heating elements in or near the roof of the float bath, optionally in combination with cooling elements proximate the glass ribbon at the downstream end of the float bath. A typical float bath may be equipped with hundreds of heating electrodes heating different zones of the float bath. Proper temperature control saves energy and reduces the amount of glass rejects, thus increasing the productivity of the float chamber.
A second critical aspect is the need to prevent oxidation of the molten tin. This is achieved by maintaining a reducing atmosphere throughout the float bath.
Good practice requires a gas turnover of at least 3 to 5 times per hour, the gas turnover being the number of times per hour the reducing atmosphere in the float bath is completely replaced. A typical float tank consumes about 1200 to 1500 Nm3/h of high purity nitrogen and 70 to 100 Nm3/h of high purity hydrogen to provide a nitrogen/hydrogen reducing atmosphere for the tin bath.
An additional function of the reducing atmosphere is to blanket the glass inlet and exit of the float tank to prevent infiltration of oxygen-containing air.
Conventionally, a gas corresponding to the reducing atmosphere is injected into the top of the float bath at near-ambient temperature and is heated by the electrical heating elements before it comes into contact with the glass ribbon and the molten tin. The gas is thereafter evacuated from the float chamber and vented into the atmosphere.
In order to reduce the gas consumption of the float chamber, recycling systems for the reducing atmosphere have been proposed, whereby the evacuated gas is subjected to cooling, filtering, H2S-removal, O2-removal, H2O-removal and optionally other purification steps. The cooled and purified gas is then topped up with fresh gas, for example fresh nitrogen and hydrogen, before being re-injected into the float chamber in the manner previously described.
With or without a recycling system for the reducing atmosphere, a significant part of the electrical energy consumption of the float bath is used to heat the gas inside the float bath before it comes into contact with the glass ribbon and the tin bath.
It is an aim of the present invention to provide a float process with improved energy efficiency.
In accordance with the present invention, this is achieved by means of a glass production process in which molten glass is produced in a melting furnace heated by combustion of a fuel with an oxidant.
The oxidant is preferably an oxygen-rich oxidant, i.e. an oxidant having an oxygen content which is greater than 21% vol and up to 100% vol. The oxygen content of the oxygen-rich oxidant advantageously at least 50% vol, more advantageously at least 80% vol, preferably at least 90% vol and more preferably at least 97% vol. The fuel and the oxidant are hereafter to as the “combustion reactants”.
The combustion of the fuel in the melting furnace generates heat and combustion gases or fumes. The fumes are evacuated from the melting furnace at a temperature of at least 900° C. and up to 1550° C.
From the melting furnace, the molten glass is continuously poured into the float chamber, i.e. into the float bath.
The molten glass forms a glass ribbon which floats on a molten tin bath inside the float chamber. This glass ribbon is thereafter continuously evacuated from the float chamber by means of conveyor rollers.
During said process, a gas composition, also referred to as “reducing gas composition” and consisting for at least 99.9% vol and up to 100% vol of an inert gas and a reducing gas, is introduced into the float chamber so as to maintain a reducing atmosphere above the tin bath and the glass ribbon.
This gas composition is continuously or intermittently evacuated from the float chamber and replaced with new reducing gas composition. In this manner, the composition of the reducing atmosphere in the float chamber can be maintained effective and substantially constant.
In accordance with the present invention, a gas component, corresponding to at least part of the gas composition, is preheated by heat exchange with the fumes evacuated from the melting chamber before said preheated gas component is introduced into the float chamber as part of the gas composition, whereby said part may be 100% of the gas composition, i.e. the gas composition itself.
According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the gas component is preheated by indirect heat exchange with the fumes evacuated from the melting furnace.
In the present context, the expression “indirect heat exchange” between a first and a second fluid refers to a process whereby the first fluid, which is a relatively hot fluid, is used to heat an intermediate heat-transfer fluid by heat exchange or heat transfer across a first wall separate the two fluids. Thereafter, the thus heated heat-transfer fluid is used to heat the second fluid by heat exchange or heat transfer across a second wall separating the heat-transfer fluid and the second fluid.
The expression “direct heat exchange” between a first and a second fluid refers to a process whereby the first fluid, which is a relatively hot fluid, is used to heat the second fluid by heat transfer across a wall separating the first fluid and the second fluid.
Thus, in the above-described indirect heat exchange, the first fluid heats the intermediate heat-transfer fluid by direct heat exchange and the heated heat-transfer fluid heats the second fluid by direct heat exchange.
According to one example of the glass production process whereby the gas component is preheated by indirect heat exchange with the fumes, the fumes evacuated from the melting furnace are introduced into a boiler, in particular a heat recovery boiler, in order to generate steam. This generated steam is thereafter used as the heated heat-transfer fluid for preheating the gas component by direct heat exchange with the steam.
According to an alternative embodiment, the fumes evacuated from the melting furnace are used to heat a gaseous intermediate heat transfer fluid, referred to as “intermediate gas”, by direct heat exchange with the fumes and the thus obtained heated intermediate gas is used to preheat the gas component by direct heat exchange with the heated intermediate gas. In that case, the heated intermediate gas is preferably also used to preheat at least one of the combustion reactants by direct heat exchange.
In other words, the heated intermediate gas is then also used to heat part or all of the fuel and/or of the oxidant by direct heat exchange upstream of the melting furnace, preferably at least (part of) the oxidant and, more preferably both (at least part of) the oxidant and (at least part of) the fuel.
The preheating of the gas component and of the at least one combustion reactant can be conducted in parallel or in series, depending, in particular, on the temperature at which said fluids are to be preheated.
The intermediate gas may advantageously be air, which is freely available and generally safe to use. Other intermediate gases may also be used.
After the preheating step or steps, the intermediate gas may be released into the atmosphere, in particular when the intermediate gas is air. The intermediate gas may also circulate in a closed loop. In that case, after the preheating step or steps, the intermediate gas is again heated by direct heat exchange with the fumes evacuated from the furnace. This embodiment is particularly desirable when the intermediate gas is a gas other than air, but is also useful when the intermediate gas is air.
The gas composition may likewise circulate in a closer loop. In that case, the gas composition evacuated from the float chamber is cooled, purified and, where necessary, topped up with additional gas composition, in particular with additional reducing gas and/or additional inert gas, before being reintroduced into the float chamber in the manner described above.
In the present context, “inert gas” refers to a gas which does not reacti with the molten tin or with the glass in the float chamber. The inert gas may in particular be nitrogen, argon or helium or a mixture of at least two of said gases. Nitrogen is generally preferred as the inert gas for use in the present invention.
The reducing gas may be ethane, methane, hydrogen, ammonia or carbon monoxide hydrogen or a mixture of at least two of said gases. Hydrogen is generally preferred as the reducing gas for use in the present invention.
Consequently, the preferred reducing gas composition consists for at least 99.9% vol and up to 100% vol of nitrogen and hydrogen.
In particular when the fumes evacuated from the melting furnace are not heavily charged with dust and/or substances susceptible to condense during the preheating step, the gas component may also be preheated by direct heat exchange with the fumes evacuated from the melting furnace.
In that case, the fumes evacuated from the melting furnace may also be used to preheat (part of) at least one of the combustion reactants. It is preferred that (part or all of) the oxidant is preheated by means of the evacuated fumes, more preferably (part or all) of the oxidant and (part or all) of the fuel. This preheating of at least one of the combustion reactants is in this case preferably achieved by direct heat exchange between the evacuated fumes and the combustion reactant(s).
According to an alternative embodiment, the gas component is preheated by direct heat exchange with the fumes evacuated from the melting furnace, where-after the preheated gas component is used to preheat (all or part of) at least one of the combustion reactants (i.e. the oxidant, the fuel, or the oxidant and the fuel) by direct heat exchange between the at least one combustion reactant with the preheated gas component. Following the preheating of the at least one combustion reactant, the preheated gas component is introduced in the float chamber as described above and the at least one preheated combustion reactant is supplied to the melting furnace for combustion therein.
According to one embodiment, a flow of gas component circulates in a closed loop which does not include the float chamber.
In that case, said flow of gas component may be heated by direct heat exchange with the fumes evacuated from the melting furnace. The thus heated flow of gas component is then used to preheat (part or all) of at least one of the combustion reactants (i.e. part or all of the oxidant, of the fuel or of both the oxidant and the fuel). In addition, a portion of the heated flow of gas component is extracted from the closed loop upstream or downstream of the preheating of the at least one combustion reactant, or alternatively between the heating of both combustion reactants. The extracted portion of the heated flow of gas component is introduced into the float chamber as part of the gas composition in the manner described above.
The gas component which is preheated in accordance with the present invention may be the inert gas, in particular nitrogen. Alternatively, the gas component and the gas composition introduced into the float chamber may have an identical or a substantially identical technical composition.
According to one embodiment, the gas composition evacuated from the float chamber is released into the atmosphere, preferably following the removal of at least some pollutants present therein.
According to a further embodiment, the gas component which is preheated comprises or consists of gas composition which has been previously evacuated from the float chamber.
In that case, at least part of the reducing gas composition which is evacuated from the float chamber is recycled and is preheated before being reintroduced into the float chamber.
In that case, it is generally advisable to purify the recycled part of the evacuated gas composition before it is reintroduced into the float chamber. As such a purification of the evacuated gas composition usually requires the gas composition to be cooled, the purification of the evacuated gas composition advantageously takes place before the recycled part of the gas composition is preheated in accordance with the invention and reintroduced into the float chamber.
When the gas component comprises or consists of gas composition which has previously been evacuated from the float chamber, it is topped up with fresh reducing gas, such as hydrogen, and/or fresh inert gas, such as nitrogen, before or after being preheated and before being reintroduced into the float chamber. In this manner, it can be ensured that the gas composition introduced into the float chamber has the required reducing-gas composition and that sufficient gas composition is available to ensure the required gas turnover in the float chamber.
The process according to the present invention thus uses heat present in the fumes evacuated from the upstream melting furnace to preheat a gas component of the reducing gas composition before the gas composition is introduced into the float chamber so as to generate a regularly renewed reducing atmosphere inside the float chamber. By thus preheating a gas component of the gas composition, the essential temperature control of the float chamber is facilitated, and the amount of additional energy, in particular electricity, required for the temperature control within the float chamber, typically by means of heating elements in or near the roof of the float bath, is very significantly reduced, thus improving the overall energy efficiency of the glass production process.
According to an optimized embodiment, the process of the invention includes the step of detecting the temperature with which the gas composition is introduced into the float chamber and the step of adjusting the heat supplied by said heating elements in function of the detected temperature, thereby ensuring that the desired temperature profile is maintained inside the float chamber with minimal energy consumption by said heating elements.
The present invention also relates to a glass production installation suitable for use in the process of the invention.
Said installation comprises a glass melting furnace equipped with one or more burners. The melting furnace has a molten-glass outlet and a fumes outlet.
The installation also comprises a float chamber downstream of the molten-glass outlet of the melting furnace.
The float chamber has a basin for containing a molten tin bath. The float chamber has a roof above the basin, a molten-glass inlet, conveyor rolls for evacuating a glass ribbon from the float chamber via a glass outlet.
The float chamber further comprises one or more gas inlets for introducing a reducing gas composition into the float-chamber and a gas outlet for evacuating the reducing gas composition from the float chamber. The one or more gas inlets are located in or adjacent the roof of the float chamber.
The float chamber is usually also equipped with at least one and generally more than one heating element in or near the roof of the float chamber and may I comprise one or more cooling elements above the basin near the glass outlet.
The glass production installation also includes a heat-recovery unit downstream of the fumes outlet of the melting furnace.
This heat-recovery unit is adapted for recovering heat from fumes evacuated from the melting furnace via its fumes outlet.
In accordance with the present invention, the heat-recovery unit is connected to a source of a gas component-selected among:
As mentioned earlier, the inert gas is preferably nitrogen and the reducing gas is preferably hydrogen. The preferred gas composition consists for at least 99.9% vol of nitrogen and hydrogen.
The heat recovery unit is further adapted for preheating the gas component by direct or indirect heat exchange with fumes evacuated from the melting furnace via its fumes outlet.
The heat recovery unit presents a gas-component outlet. This gas-component outlet is in fluid connection with at least one gas inlet of the float chamber, and preferably with all gas inlets of the float chamber. By means of this fluid connection, gas component heated in the heat recovery unit can be introduced into the float chamber.
In the present context, two elements are “in fluid connection” or “fluidly connected” when said two elements are connected, for example by means of a channel or conduct, so as to enable a fluid to flow from one of the elements to or into the other of the two elements.
According to one embodiment of the installation, the gas outlet of the float chamber is in fluid connection with a stack for venting gas evacuated from the float chamber via its gas outlet into the atmosphere.
The heat recovery unit may also comprise a closed circulation circuit which fluidly connects the gas outlet of the float chamber to the one or more gas inlets of the float chamber, thereby enabling reducing gas composition evacuated from the float chamber to be recycled lack into the float chamber. As already described above, this generally requires cooling and purification of the evacuated reducing gas, so that said closed circulation circuit generally comprises at least one cooling unit and at least one purification unit. Due to the chemical reactions of the reducing gas composition, and more specifically of the reducing-gas, and reducing gas composition loss during purification, it is generally necessary to top up the recycled reducing gas composition before it is reintroduced into the float chamber. Thereto, the closed circulation circuit is in fluid connection with at least a source of inert gas and with a source of reducing gas.
When the heat recovery unit comprises such a closed circulation loop, the heat recovery unit is normally adapted to heat recycled reducing gas composition in said circuit downstream of the cooling and purification unit.
In that case, the gas component heated by the heat recovery unit is the purified recycled reducing gas composition and the float chamber acts as a source of said gas component.
In the absence of such a closed circulation circuit the gas component to be heated in the heat recovery unit is typically:
The heat recovery unit of the installation according to the invention may be adapted for heating the gas component by indirect heat exchange with the fumes in that said unit comprises:
Instead of a heat recovery boiler, a heat recovery unit for heating the gas component by indirect heat exchange with the fumes may be used which comprises:
In the present context, the term “heat exchanger” refers to a device in which two fluids circulate in different circuits which are separated from one another by at least one wall, the heat exchange wall, which is in contact with both fluids and through which heat can be transferred from the hotter of the two fluids to the cooler of the two fluids.
The primary and secondary heat exchangers may be two different heat exchange devices or may be part of a single heat exchange device.
The primary heat exchanger and the secondary heat exchanger may be integrated in a closed circulation loop of the intermediate gas. By means of said closed circulation loop, the intermediate gas heated in the primary heat exchanger is transported to the secondary heat exchanger as a heat source for heating the gas component. Thereafter, the closed circulation loop transports the now cooled intermediate gas back to the primary heat exchanger.
Alternatively, the intermediate gas may be transported in an open circuit and not be returned to the primary heat exchanger after having been used to heat the gas component in the secondary heat exchanger.
According to a specific embodiment, the heat-recovery unit comprises a further heat exchanger in addition to the primary and secondary heat exchangers. Said further heat exchanger is fluidly connected to a source of a combustion reactant which is:
In addition, the further heat exchanger is also fluidly connected to at least one burner of the melting furnace for the supply of the combustion reactant heated in the further heat exchanger to said at least one burner
The oxidant is preferably an oxygen-rich oxidant as defined above.
The secondary heat exchanger and the further heat exchanger may be positioned in series or in parallel to one another with respect to the flow of the intermediate gas which has been heated in the primary heat exchanger. When the secondary and further heat exchangers are positioned in parallel, the secondary heat exchanger may be upstream or downstream of the further heat exchanger. The further heat exchanger may comprise a heat exchanger for preheating fuel by direct heat exchange with the intermediate gas and a heat exchanger for preheating the oxidant by direct heat exchange with said intermediate gas. Each one of said heat exchangers may be positioned in parallel or in series (upstream or downstream) with the secondary heat exchanger, as described above with respect to the further heat exchanger as such. The primary, the secondary and the further heat exchanger may all be integrated in a closed circulation loop of the intermediate gas as described above.
According to an alternative embodiment, the heat recovery unit may comprise a first heat exchanger adapted for heating the gas component by direct heat exchange with the fumes evacuated from the melting furnace via its fumes outlet. As already mentioned above, this embodiment is particularly useful when said fumes are not heavily loaded with dust pollutants which may condense in the first heat exchanger.
In that case too, the installation may comprise a further heat exchanger as described above in the context of the embodiment with indirect gas component heating. Optionally, the further heat exchanger comprises a fuel heat exchanger and an oxidant heat exchanger.
In some cases, the further heat exchanger may be adapted for preheating fuel and/or oxidant by means of direct heat exchange with the fumes evacuated from the melting furnace.
According to a preferred embodiment, the further heat exchanger is adapted for heating fuel and/or oxidant by means of direct heat exchange with the gas component heated in the first heat exchanger.
In that case, the heat recovery unit may comprise a closed gas circulation circuit for circulating a flow of the gas component, for example a flow of inert gas or a flow of a gas with the same chemical composition as the reducing gas composition introduced into the float chamber, between the first heat exchanger where the gas component is heated and the further heat exchanger where the heated gas component is used to preheat fuel and/or oxidant. Such a closed gas circulation circuit further presents a bleed opening and a feed opening.
The bleed opening is in fluid connection with at least one gas inlet of the float chamber. The bleed opening is thus adapted for extracting a portion of the gas component heated in the first heat exchanger and for introducing same into the float chamber as at least part of the gas composition.
The feed opening of the gas circulation circuit is in fluid connection with a source of the gas component and is thus adapted to replace the extracted portion of gas component with new gas component from said source.
The float chamber of the glass production installation typically comprises heating elements located in or adjacent its roof as well as a control unit for controlling the heat generated by each of said heating elements.
According to a preferred embodiment of the installation, it also comprises one or more temperature detectors for detecting the temperature of the gas composition which is introduced into the float chamber via the one or more gas inlets. In that case, the control unit is advantageously adapted to control the heat generated by each one of the heating elements in function of the detected temperature(s) of the gas composition introduced into the float chamber and in particular in function of the detected temperature(s) of the gas composition injected via the one or more gas inlets closest to the respective heating element.
The present invention and its advantages are illustrated in the following examples, reference being made to
In the following examples, the inert gas is nitrogen and the reducing gas is hydrogen.
As illustrated in
In melting furnace 2, the glass-forming material 1 is heated and melted.
The molten glass 3 thus obtained is introduced into a float chamber 4, downstream of the melting furnace 2. As illustrated in
As also illustrated in
In addition, the float chamber 4 also comprises a number of heating elements 45, such as electrical heaters, which are used to maintain the desired temperature profile in the float chamber 4 so as to obtain the desired temperature profile of the glass—5 as it travels through chamber 4. The number of heating elements 45 may run into the hundreds. In some cases, the float chamber 4 may also contain cooling elements (not shown) near the glass outlet of the chamber 4 and in the vicinity of the glass ribbon to further control the temperature of the glass ribbon 5 as it leaves chamber 4.
The melting furnace 2 is heated by means of at least one burner 21 (only a single burner 21 is represented in
The one or more burners 21 inject fuel 23 and combustion oxidant 24 into the melting furnace 2, where the fuel combusts with the combustion oxidant so as to generate heat for melting the glass-forming material 1. In the illustrated embodiments, the combustion oxidant is “industrial oxygen” with a purity of about 92% vol.
Other heating elements (not shown), such as electric loop electrodes, may also be present in the melting furnace 2.
The combustion of the fuel 23 generates fumes 25 which leave the melting furnace at a temperature of about 1450° C.
In the embodiment illustrated in
In the embodiment illustrated in
The heated gas component (nitrogen) 104 leaving heat exchanger 90 is then admixed with hydrogen 105 (and optionally with other gases present in the gas composition) so as to obtain gas composition 100 which is introduced into the float chamber 4 as described above.
Using the waste energy present in the fumes of the melting furnace 2, gas composition 100 can be injected into the float chamber 4 at a substantially higher temperature, for example at 400° C., thus reducing the additional heat requirement of the float chamber 4 and the energy consumption of heating elements 45.
Although it is preferred to incorporate the preheating of combustion oxidant 23 and fuel 24 in the process of the invention, the process can also be performed without such preheating, i.e. without heat exchanger 80 and 90 (in this case temperature at which the gas composition is injected into the float chamber 4 may be higher, for example about 650° C.).
In the embodiment illustrated in
Following the controlled evacuation of the gas composition from chamber 4, the evacuated gas composition 110. In such a closed circuit, the evacuated gas composition is typically cooled in a cooling unit 111.
Thereafter, humidity (H2O) 112 is removed from the gas composition in drying unit 113. In addition, other contaminants 114, such as H2S, are removed in one or more purification units 115.
The dried and purified gas composition 115 is then topped up with additional nitrogen 116 and hydrogen 117 (if necessary) and optionally also with other desired components of the gas composition.
In the embodiment illustrated in
In heat exchanger 60, an intermediate fluid such as air, nitrogen, CO2, etc. is heated by direct heat exchange with the hot fumes. The thus heated intermediate fluid 201 is then introduced into heat exchanger 70 where the gas mixture 118 is heated by direct heat exchange with the heated intermediate fluid 201. The heated gas mixture is thereafter introduced into float chamber 4 as the gas composition 100.
The intermediate fluid may flow in an open circuit, in particular when the intermediate fluid is air. In the illustrated embodiment, however, the intermediate fluid flows back to heat exchanger 60 in a closed circuit. It is also possible to combine the heating of the gas composition with fuel and/or oxidant preheating. In the illustrated embodiment, the heated intermediate fluid leaving heat exchanger 70 is introduced into heat exchanger 80 in which the combustion oxidant 23 is preheated by direct heat exchange with the intermediate fluid 202 and thereafter into heat exchange 90 for preheating the fuel 24 by direct heat exchange with the heated intermediate fluid 203. Finally, the intermediate fluid is sent back to heat exchanger 60 to be heated by direct heat exchange with the hot fumes 25.
As mentioned before preheating of the oxidant 23 and the fuel 24 is not necessary, but preferred.
It will be appreciated that may variants may be envisaged.
For example, in the embodiment shown in
Likewise, in the embodiment of
When the intermediate fluid 200 is nitrogen, i.e. the inert gas of the gas composition, heated nitrogen 201, 202 from the closed circuit may be used as top-up nitrogen 116 for the gas composition, after which additional (unheated) nitrogen 118 is added to the closed circuit (shown as an interrupted line and arrow in
As further illustrated in
In general, the control unit is programmed in a manner specifically adapted to the type of glass, ribbon thickness and any coating or other glass-treatment process taking place in the float chamber 2.
Control unit may also be connected to temperature detectors in the float chamber, so that the operation of the heating (and cooling) elements 45 may be adjusted as a function of the detected actual temperature (s) in the float chamber.
When, in accordance with the present invention, a gas component, corresponding to at least part of the gas composition, has been preheated by direct or indirect heat exchange with the fumes 25 evacuated from the melting furnace 2, so that the gas composition 100 is introduced into the float chamber 4 at a higher temperature, it is desirable to determine the temperature at which said gas composition 100 is fed to the float chamber 2, for example by means of temperature detector 301 which is connected to control unit 300. In this manner, the control unit can adjust the operation of the heating elements 45 in function of the temperature with which the gas composition 100 is introduced into the float chamber 4. This embodiment also permits to take into account any changes in the temperature to which the gas composition is heated, for example due to variations in the operation of the melting furnace 2 and the corresponding changes in the temperature and/or volume of the fumes evacuated from the furnace 2.
While the invention has been described in conjunction with specific embodiments thereof, it is evident that many alternatives, modifications, and variations will be apparent to those skilled in the art in light of the foregoing description. Accordingly, it is intended to embrace all such alternatives, modifications, and variations as fall within the spirit and broad scope of the appended claims. The present invention may suitably comprise, consist or consist essentially of the elements disclosed and may be practiced in the absence of an element not disclosed. Furthermore, if there is language referring to order, such as first and second, it should be understood in an exemplary sense and not in a limiting sense. For example, it can be recognized by those skilled in the art that certain steps can be combined into a single step.
The singular forms “a”, “an” and “the” include plural referents, unless the context clearly dictates otherwise.
“Comprising” in a claim is an open transitional term which means the subsequently identified claim elements are a nonexclusive listing i.e. anything else may be additionally included and remain within the scope of “comprising.” “Comprising” is defined herein as necessarily encompassing the more limited transitional terms “consisting essentially of” and “consisting of”; “comprising” may therefore be replaced by “consisting essentially of” or “consisting of” and remain within the expressly defined scope of “comprising”.
“Providing” in a claim is defined to mean furnishing, supplying, making available, or preparing something. The step may be performed by any actor in the absence of express language in the claim to the contrary.
Optional or optionally means that the subsequently described event or circumstances may or may not occur. The description includes instances where the event or circumstance occurs and instances where it does not occur.
Ranges may be expressed herein as from about one particular value, and/or to about another particular value. When such a range is expressed, it is to be understood that another embodiment is from the one particular value and/or to the other particular value, along with all combinations within said range.
All references identified herein are each hereby incorporated by reference into this application in their entireties, as well as for the specific information for which each is cited.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 15306869.7 | Nov 2015 | EP | regional |
This application is a 371 of International Application PCT/EP2016/078708, filed Nov. 24, 2016, which claims priority to European Patent Application 15306869.7, filed Nov. 25, 2015, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.
| Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/EP2016/078708 | 11/24/2016 | WO | 00 |
