Article ID: MRA2007259
In this study, fluid flow behavior of molten glass in a melting furnace, which is characterized by the stirring range of gas bubbles and trajectories of tracer particles, is investigated by a reduced physical model and a mathematical model. The reduced physical model was made of an acrylic tank, which was similar in shape of the actual glass melting furnace but one fifth in size, with heating electrodes and air bubbling devices. The gas flow rates were set at 8.27, 10.42 and 14.75 Ncm3/sec based on similarity conversions. The electrode temperatures were set at 25°C and 150°C. The mathematical model was based on the SOLA-VOF technique, which incorporated a Quasi-single Phase method to accommodate the gas bubbling phenomena. Results from the physical model showed that the trajectories of tracer particles and minimum residence time (MRT) increase with gas flow rates. This is caused by the increase in stirring range of gas bubbles, which was demonstrated by the physical model as well as the mathematical model. The trajectories of tracer particles at the electrode temperature of 150°C were observed to be longer than those for the electrode temperature of 25°C from the physical model. This is due to the free convection induced by the heating electrodes, which is also shown by the mathematical model.
