Use of Mathematical Modeling in Determining the Effects of Electrode Configuration on Convection Currents in an Electric Glass Melter

A mathematical analysis of coupled heat transfer and natural convection in an all-electric glass furnace was conducted using a two-dimensional computer model. The model simulated numerically the complex interactions which occur among energy, mass, and momentum transfer in a vertical plane section through the melter. Computer-generated isotherm and streamline contour maps are presented for each of twelve different cases of vertical and horizontal rod-electrode pair configurations on the centerline section of a hypothetical all-electric glass furnace. The total electrical power consumption was held constant in all cases to establish a basis for comparison of the results. It is shown that both the temperature distribution and the circulation flow pattern in a glass melt can be markedly influenced by the power density distributions associated with electrodes of different length and orientation.