Conditions of EM forced laminar mixing in a special glass melter

V. Geża¹ - A. Jakoviċs¹ - U. Krieger² - B. Halbedel²

¹ Faculty of Physics and Mathematics, University of Latvia, 8 Zellu str., LV-1002, Riga, Latvi
² } Institute of Materials Engineering, Technical University Ilmenau, Gustav-Kirchhoff-Strasse 6, D-98693 Ilmenau, Germany

Abstract
The aim of this numerical investigation is to enhance thermal and chemical homogenization of the glass melt in a special glass melter outlet channel by means of electromagnetic (EM) mixing. Series of experiments with soda lime glass show that it is possible to ensure a significant EM mixing by elongating the inhomogeneity in the glass melt with a generation of a Lorentz force in the azimuthal direction of the outlet pipe and by utilizing diffusion to realize the radial distribution of the melt homogeneity. A commercially interesting application of the investigated equipment should be found -- a broad variety of glasses with different material properties are known, but, due to physical restrictions, this approach can be used only for a certain class of glass with sufficiently large electrical conductivities, diffusion coefficients and small viscosities. Figs 10, Refs 9.