Three-Dimensional Numerical Simulation of Circulation and Heat Transfer in an Electrically Boosted Glass Melting Tank

A three-dimensional numerical methodology to simulate the effect of electric boosting on glassmelt circulation and heat transfer in a glass melting furnace is presented. Due to a small, characteristic Hartmann number, the ponderomotive forces in the momentum equation were neglected. The voltage and electric current fields within the melt were determined by solving real and imaginary parts of the electric potential. The Joulean heat dissipation was determined and coupled to the energy equation of the melt. Other relevant processes, such as batch-melting and heat transfer from combustion space, were integrated into a system model. Merits of electric boosting were examined by obtaining some representative results and comparing model predictions with and without electric boosting.