Multiphase modelling of pouring glass over the spout lip of an industrial float in the flat glass forming process
This paper describes the numerical modelling of the three-phase flow that is established when pouring molten glass onto a till bath (float) under a non-reactive atmosphere. Discharged front the furnace. the glass is spouted over a lip onto the bath, where it floats and spreads out in the form of a long ribbon. beading to the flat glass forming process. Numerically. the physical modelling Must consider a multiphase problem with three immiscible phases: glass. till and air. The simulation of this complex free-surface flow involves the solution Of the Navier-Stokes Set of equations for all the phases simultaneously, using a volume-of-fluid formulation that introduces a marker function convected by the flow to identify each phase. The evolution Of the interphase is tracked over time with the implementation Of a continuous Surface force algorithm. A general purpose, well-tested commercial code, FLUENT, is employed for the computations. Firstly, a two-dimensional model considering the symmetry plan(,, Of the float is developed to fit accurate physical and numerical parameters. The high complexity of the interphases in addition to great differences between the physical properties of the phases has required extensive tests to ensure the consistency and accuracy of the solutions. Afterwards, a complete three-dimensional model is built to simulate the pouring process in a real geometry and predict the behaviour of the industrial facility when the operating conditions are modified. Typical flow phenomena inside the till bath, such as till Currents, wet back flow or even the equilibrium thickness, are also obtained as a promising result of the numerical modelling. Copyright (C) 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
multiphase modelling flat glass equilibrium thickness float manufacturing volume of fluid (vof) continuum surface force (csf)