Patent ID: 6044667
Filing Date: 2000-04-04
Classification: C03B,Y10S

Abstract:
In a melter for melting a glass from batch material therein in which the batch material is floated on top of a pool of molten glass and the batch is melted by heating means so located as to form a finite volume of molten glass within said pool of molten glass, which finite volume is at a temperature substantially higher than the remainder of the molten glass within said pool, said melter including a side wall, a bottom wall, and at least one discharge port located within at least one of said walls and wherein said side and bottom walls and said discharge port are comprised of a material which has a rate of corrosion which increases with temperature, the improvement comprising:said heating means being so located so as to create glass flow currents which circulate said molten glass within said melter and to create and confine said finite volume of substantially higher temperature at a distance sufficiently spaced from said side and bottom walls and said discharge port such that said side and bottom walls and said discharge port are maintained at a temperature such that they wear out at substantially the same time during melting of glass in the melter.