Patent Number: 055641024
Section: claims

1. A glass melting method for use in vitrification of radioactive liquid waste, comprising the steps of: charging a radioactive liquid waste and a glass material into an interior of a melting furnace in a cold-crucible induction melting apparatus,  inserting a conductor having a melting point which is higher than that of said glass material into an interior of said melting furnace,  supplying a high-frequency current to a high-frequency coil disposed in said melting apparatus so as to generate heat in said conductor and to indirectly heat said glass material with the generated heat by induction heating,  withdrawing said conductor after a part of said glass material has been changed to a molten state, and thereafter  keeping said glass material as a whole in a molten state while maintaining the induction heating by said molten glass material. 2. A method according to claim 1, wherein said conductor inserted into the interior of said melting furnace is a silicon carbide rod.