Cold top (all electric) melters Flashcards
What are the characteristics of cold top melters?
~ deep tanks
~ the melt is covered by a floating blanket of batch that condenses volatiles
~ rotating chutes distribute the batch over entire surface
~ electrodes enter through refractory walls or batch layer
What are the materials used to make cold top/all electric melters?
~ made of refractory metals, graphite, or semiconducting SnO2 (Mn most widely used)
~ graphite is used when constant release of cobubbles is acceptable
~ Pt and SnO2 are used when their chemical inertness justifies their high cost
What’s the thermal efficiency of all electric melters?
~ 2-3x higher than that of fuel-fired melters with regenerators (but they are much more expensive)