Abstract: A method of making a glass product includes: melting a batch of raw materials to form a glass melt in a melting tank; heating the batch and/or the glass melt using two or more electrodes, the electrodes including an electrode material and heating the batch and/or the glass melt includes operating the electrodes at a current frequency of at least 1,000 Hz and at most 5,000 Hz; withdrawing the glass melt from the melting tank; and forming the glass melt into the glass product.

Abstract: A method of making a glass product includes the steps of: melting a batch of a plurality of glass raw materials in a melting tank to form a glass melt; heating at least one of the plurality of glass raw materials and the glass melt using at least one fuel burner by reacting hydrogen and oxygen; withdrawing the glass melt from the melting tank; obtaining a glass product, the glass product having an Fe2+ to Fe3+ ratio of less than 0.2 or less than 0.05 and having at least one of less than 80 bubbles in a size range of from 0.1 mm to 0.2 mm per 10 kg of glass and less than 2 bubbles of a size larger than 0.2 mm per 10 kg of a glass.

Abstract: A method and an apparatus for melting down glass are provided. The method includes using microwave radiation for at least part of the energy supply for melting for transforming a batch into a glass melt. The microwave radiation captures at least part of the transition between batch and primary melt. The method and apparatus include melting assembly with a melting tank which has walls within which both the batch for melting and the molten batch can be accommodated as a glass melt, where above the batch and above the glass melt there is at least one microwave-emitting source disposed.

Abstract: An energy-efficient device for refining a glass melt to produce a glass and/or a glass ceramic is provided. The device includes a refining crucible defined at least by lateral walls with a metallic lining as a melt contact surface, so that a melt refining volume is defined by a base surface, a top surface and a circumferential surface; at least one heating device that conductively heats the lining by an electric current in the lining, so that the melt is heated through the lining, the heating device and the lining are connected to one another by a feeding device. The feeding device establishes contact with the lining so that an electric current runs from the top surface to the base surface or from the base surface to the top surface, at least in sections of the lining.

Abstract: For permitting temperature manipulation of a melt even at a conductivity below 10?1 ??1 cm?1 and thus permitting refining of the melt at temperatures about 1700° C., the invention provides a method and a device for temperature manipulation of a melt (16), in particular in a refiner unit. The melt (16) is heated at least by ohmic resistance heating with at least two electrodes (4) that are arranged in the melt (16). At least a part of the melt (16) is cooled. The device (1) for temperature manipulation, refining, purification and homogenisation of a melt (16) comprises at least one arrangement for accommodating melt material (36, 16), defining an inner chamber, and at least two electrodes (4) for ohmic resistance heating of the melt (16). The electrodes (4) project into the inner chamber of the arrangement, in particular of a vessel (2).

Abstract: The present invention relates to a device and to a method for the continuous fining or homogenizing of inorganic matter, preferably low-viscosity glass melts in an apparatus. The device and method are distinguished in that the inclusion of bubbles and the occurrence of striations in the glass end product are significantly reduced or even entirely avoided when the melt contact surface of the apparatus has iridium or a high-iridium alloy as its material.

Abstract: An energy-efficient device for refining a glass melt to produce a glass and/or a glass ceramic is provided. The device includes a refining crucible defined at least by lateral walls with a metallic lining as a melt contact surface, so that a melt refining volume is defined by a base surface, a top surface and a circumferential surface; at least one heating device that conductively heats the lining by an electric current in the lining, so that the melt is heated through the lining, the heating device and the lining are connected to one another by a feeding device. The feeding device establishes contact with the lining so that an electric current runs from the top surface to the base surface or from the base surface to the top surface, at least in sections of the lining.

Abstract: A method for melting inorganic materials, preferably glasses and glass-ceramics, in a melting unit with cooled walls is provided. The method includes selecting the temperature of at least one region of the melt is selected in such a way as to be in a range from Teff?20% to Teff+20%, where the temperature Teff is given by the temperature at which the energy consumption per unit weight of the material to be melted is at a minimum, with the throughput having been selected in such a way as to be suitably adapted to the required residence time.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a device and to a method for the continuous fining or homogenizing of inorganic matter, preferably low-viscosity glass melts in an apparatus. The device and method are distinguished in that the inclusion of bubbles and the occurrence of striations in the glass end product are significantly reduced or even entirely avoided when the melt contact surface of the apparatus has iridium or a high-iridium alloy as its material.

Abstract: For permitting temperature manipulation of a melt even at a conductivity below 10?1 ??1 cm?1 and thus permitting refining of the melt at temperatures about 1700° C., the invention provides a method and a device for temperature manipulation of a melt (16), in particular in a refiner unit. The melt (16) is heated at least by ohmic resistance heating with at least two electrodes (4) that are arranged in the melt (16). At least a part of the melt (16) is cooled. The device (1) for temperature manipulation, refining, purification and homogenisation of a melt (16) comprises at least one arrangement for accommodating melt material (36, 16), defining an inner chamber, and at least two electrodes (4) for ohmic resistance heating of the melt (16). The electrodes (4) project into the inner chamber of the arrangement, in particular of a vessel (2).

Abstract: A heating apparatus for the conductive heating of melts, in particular for the rapid melting-down, refining and/or conditioning of melts, is provided. The heating apparatus includes at least one electrode, as well as a first cooling system with a cooling power, which can be set and/or controlled variably.

Abstract: A method and an apparatus for the rapid melting of glasses in a skull crucible is provided. The method and apparatus introduce high-frequency energy into the contents of the crucible by means of a coil arrangement surrounding the skull crucible, in order to heat the melt, and the batch is laid and the molten glass discharged in the upper region of the crucible, and undissolved constituents of the batch are retained by means of a cooled bridge which is immersed in the melt. The glass is taken off above the coil arrangement and is fed for further processing without flowing through the coil region.

Abstract: The invention relates to an apparatus and a method for low-contamination melting of high-purity, aggressive and/or high-melting glass or glass-ceramic. According to the invention, for this purpose a melt is heated in a crucible or melting skull crucible by means of high-frequency radiation and is mixed or homogenized in the melting crucible. It is preferable for a gas nozzle, from which gas bubbles, e.g. oxygen bubbles (known as O2 bubbling), escape into the melt, to be provided at the base of the crucible. This alone makes it possible to achieve surprising multiple benefits in the melting skull crucible. Firstly, unmelted batch which drops into the melt in solid form, for example from above, is melted down more quickly as a result of more intensive mixing with the liquid fraction of the melt, secondly the temperature distribution in the melt is made more even, thirdly a uniform distribution or mixing of different glass constituents is achieved, and fourthly the redox state of the glass can be adjusted.

Abstract: The double crucible for a glass drawing method has a heatable outer crucible (1) and an inner crucible (2) surrounded by the outer crucible (1), which is heatable separately from the outer crucible (1). Both crucibles (1,2) have an outlet nozzle (1a, 2a) for the glass to be drawn. To make glass fibers from heavy metal oxide glass (HMO-glass) with higher quality and comparatively simple crucible features, the outlet nozzle (1a) of the outer crucible (1) extends a certain distance beyond the outlet nozzle (2a) of the inner crucible (2). Surfaces of the outlet nozzles coming in contact with the glass melt are polished and are provided on a material, which has a reducing action on heavy metal glass in the melt in all cases. These surfaces also have sufficient mechanical strength for and chemical inertness to heavy metal oxide glass.

Abstract: A method for melting inorganic materials, preferably glasses and glass-ceramics, in a melting unit with cooled walls is provided. The method includes selecting the temperature of at least one region of the melt is selected in such a way as to be in a range from Teff?20% to Teff+20%, where the temperature Teff is given by the temperature at which the energy consumption per unit weight of the material to be melted is at a minimum, with the throughput having been selected in such a way as to be suitably adapted to the required residence time.

Abstract: The double crucible for a glass drawing method has a heatable outer crucible (1) and an inner crucible (2) surrounded by the outer crucible (1), which is heatable separately from the outer crucible (1). Both crucibles (1,2) have an outlet nozzle (1a, 2a) for the glass to be drawn. To make glass fibers from heavy metal oxide glass (HMO-glass) with higher quality and comparatively simple crucible features, the outlet nozzle (1a) of the outer crucible (1) extends a certain distance beyond the outlet nozzle (2a) of the inner crucible (2). Surfaces of the outlet nozzles coming in contact with the glass melt are polished and are provided on a material, which has a reducing action on heavy metal glass in the melt in all cases. These surfaces also have sufficient mechanical strength for and chemical inertness to heavy metal oxide glass.

Abstract: A method and an apparatus for heating a melt in a melting vessel with cooled walls is provided. The melt is heated conductively by current flowing between at least two cooled electrodes, which each replace part of the wall of the melting vessel.

Abstract: A heating apparatus for the conductive heating of melts, in particular for the rapid melting-down, refining and/or conditioning of melts, is provided. The heating apparatus includes at least one electrode, as well as a first cooling system with a cooling power, which can be set and/or controlled variably.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method for changing glass compositions in continuously operated melting installations which has a significantly shortened melt changeover time and therefore lower costs and in which the glass quality is not adversely affected.

Abstract: A structural component for a device for the treatment of melts, especially of glass melts, having a base body of metal or of a metal alloy and a cooling system in which a cooling medium is led through the structural component for the leading-off of heat. The base body is provided with a coating of a material the decomposition temperature of which lies below the temperature of the melt, and the cooling system is designed and arranged in such manner that the temperature of the boundary layer of the melt that immediately surrounds the structural component lies below the decomposition temperature of the coating material.