Ceramics-Silikáty 56 (3) 286-293 (2012)

THE FINING PERFORMANCE UNDER THE INFLUENCE OF PHYSICO-CHEMICAL PARAMETERS

M. Jebavá, L. Němec

The specific energy consumption and the fining performance of a continuous model fining space were defined for the evaluation of the glass-fining process in the space. A horizontal rectangular channel with a uniform isothermal flow of the molten glass and the experimentally obtained values of the bubble-growth rates − measured under different physicochemical conditions − were applied to calculate the fining times and, consequently, the fining performance of the channel. The fundamental significance of the temperature and the optimal concentration of the fining agent were confirmed by the calculations. The bubble-growth rate was proved to be a crucial quantity determining the efficiency of the fining process, and its values can be used for a comparison of the fining abilities of different glasses. The application of quantity space utilisation facilitates the comparison of the glass-fining processes, occurring at both different fining kinetics and glass-flow character.

Keywords: Glass fining, Melting performance, Space utilisation, Bubble growth rate, Physico-chemical parameters, Fining channel