A float glass furnace has a similar structure to other flat glass furnaces. It is a shallow cross-fired furnace. But, on the scale, the float glass furnace has a much bigger scale. Currently, in the world, the melting capacity of float glass furnaces can reach up to 1100 t/d. 

A float glass furnace is mainly composed of  a feeding system, melting system, heat supply system, waste heat reuse system and fume exhaust and air supply system.
 

The feeding pool is located at the starting end of the melting furnace. It is a rectangular pool, standing out of the furnace, interlinked with the furnace. 

 

Feeding is an important step in the melting process. It concerns the melting rate, the hot spot location and the stability of bubble boundaries. Those will finally affect the quality and yield of glass. Since the melting capacity of the glass furnaces is bigger, the cross-fired furnace is adopted.  In the cross-fired furnace, the feeding port is located in the front end of the melting furnace. The size of the feeding pool varies with the size of the melting furnace, the state of the batch material, the feeding method and the number of the feeding machines. The batch materials can be powdery, granular and slurry. Generally, powdery materials are used. The feeding method is up to the type of the feeding machine. It can be screw type, ridge type, drum type, reciprocating type, wrapping type, electromagnetic vibrating type or suspended type. 

 

Currently, the ridge and suspend feeding machine are the most widely used. For the ridge feeding machine, the width of the feeding pool is up to the number of the machines, while the length is up to the process arrangement and the structure of the breast wall. The suspended feeding machine is widely used now. Its working mechanism is like that of the ridge feeding machine, but it is much wider than the ridge feeding machine. So, there is no big difference between them in the size. 

 

With the update of the melting technology, the feeding pool  is wider and wider. Since the heat absorbed by the batch materials is  proportional to its coverage area. The wider the feeding pool, the bigger the coverage area. This is helpful to improve the thermal efficiency, energy conservation and the melting rate. Currently, in large float glass furnaces, the feeding pool and the melting furnace have equal or quasi equal width. As the feeding pool becomes wider and wider, large suspend feeding machine is developed to meet the needs. For a furnace with a 11 m wide melting furnace and a 11 m wide feeding pool, two suspend feeding machines are enough to meet the requirements of the production and technology.