In various embodiments, refractory-metal glass melt electrodes are single-crystalline, at least within an outer layer thereof.

A method of treating a ceramic body in a glass making process includes delivering a molten glass to a heated ceramic body, the ceramic body including a ceramic phase and an intergranular glass phase, the molten glass being in contact with a surface of the ceramic body. The method further includes contacting the ceramic body with a first electrode and contacting the molten glass with a second electrode. The method further includes applying an electric field between the first electrode and the second electrode to create an electric potential difference across the ceramic body between the first and second electrodes, the electric potential difference being less than an electrolysis threshold of the ceramic phase and the intergranular glass phase. The intergranular glass phase demixes under driven diffusion in the applied electric field and mobile cations in the intergranular glass phase enrich proximate one of the first and second electrode.

The invention includes systems and methods for melting materials to make glass and other materials subject to electric melting that improve the capacity of the melters and/or the melt quality and/or the melting costs and/or the life of tank melters. These systems and methods use one or more of boosting with one or more streams of super hot melt coming from one or more boosting melters, cooling one or more components of one or more of the melters normally cooled using water with a high temperature cooling fluid or fluid suspension and protecting the normally high wear areas of refractory linings by covering those high wear areas with one or more strips of a corrosion and oxidation resistant metal or alloy useful above 2400 degrees F.

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.

Disclosed herein are modular molten glass delivery apparatuses and glass manufacturing apparatuses including the same. A module of a modular molten glass delivery apparatus includes a lower carriage comprising a plurality of lower carriage rollers. An upper rail system is supported on the lower carriage. The upper rail system includes upper support rails oriented at an elevation angle ? greater than 0 degrees relative to horizontal. The module further includes an upper carriage. The upper carriage includes a base plate oriented at an elevation angle ? greater than 0 degrees relative to horizontal and a plurality of upper carriage rollers engaged with the upper support rails of the upper rail system to facilitate translation of the upper carriage on the upper rail system. A support frame is coupled to the base plate and a molten glass delivery conduit assembly is supported on the base plate within the support frame.

A method of of fining low-density submerged combustion glass includes introducing unfined molten glass produced in a submerged combustion melter into a fining chamber of a fining tank and, further, introducing additive particles into the fining chamber that comprise a glass reactant material and one or more fining agents. The one or more fining agents are released into the molten glass bath upon consumption of the additive particles in the molten glass bath to chemically fine the molten glass bath and the glass reactant material includes one or more materials that integrate into the molten glass bath upon melting. Additionally, the method includes discharging fined molten glass out of the fining chamber of the fining tank. The discharged fined molten glass has a volume percentage of gas bubbles that is less than the volume percentage of gas bubbles in the unfined molten glass introduced into the fining chamber.

Disclosed herein are modular molten glass delivery apparatuses and glass manufacturing apparatuses including the same. A module of a modular molten glass delivery apparatus includes a lower carriage comprising a plurality of lower carriage rollers. An upper rail system is supported on the lower carriage. The upper rail system includes upper support rails oriented at an elevation angle ? greater than 0 degrees relative to horizontal. The module further includes an upper carriage. The upper carriage includes a base plate oriented at an elevation angle ? greater than 0 degrees relative to horizontal and a plurality of upper carriage rollers engaged with the upper support rails of the upper rail system to facilitate translation of the upper carriage on the upper rail system. A support frame is coupled to the base plate and a molten glass delivery conduit assembly is supported on the base plate within the support frame.

Apparatus and methods used in the manufacture of glass articles, the apparatus and methods including a surface of crystal zirconia are disclosed. Methods of making glass articles utilizing the apparatus and methods of manufacturing the apparatus are also disclosed.

A submerged combustion melting system includes a submerged combustion melter having a housing that defines a melting chamber and one or more vibration damping devices operatively coupled to the housing.

A submerged combustion melting system includes a submerged combustion melter having a housing that defines a melting chamber and one or more vibration damping devices operatively coupled to the housing.