摘要
Continuous glass melting tanks represent thermo-chemical reactors with very complex flow patterns. Controlling the flow patterns within the glass melting tanks with the aim of improving their performance is one of the glass industry primary challenges. The tank performance is basically determined by the RTD （residence time distribution） of the glass melt, which directly impacts the glass quality and energy distribution. In the present work, numerical simulations are carried out on the electromagnetic flow control to investigate how well the flow can be controlled by externally generated electromagnetic （Lorenz） forces that are added to the glass melt. Furthermore, the melting tanks are equipped with supplementary electric heating systems called ＂electric boosters＂. The desired result would be an improved RTD. The electromagnetic flow control is called ＂electromagnetic boosting＂ and can be realized by exposing the glass bath to an external magnetic field generating Lorentz forces on the glass melt as an additional flow component. The numerical simulations of the present study require coupled calculations of electromagnetic field, flow field, and temperature field, because the material properties of glass melt are strongly temperature-dependent. The computational results show that electromagnetic boosting is an excellent way of improving the RTD in glass melting tanks, ultimately resulting in better glass quality and increased productivity. Of course, the glass industry is highly interested in achieving exactly this result.
