# US 11,028,001 B2 · High temperature glass melting vessel > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 11,028,001 B2 - Document ID: US11028001B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 16/348,142 - Filed: 2017-11-07 - Published: 2019-09-12 - Granted: 2021-06-08 - Earliest claimed: 2016-11-08 - Assignees: Corning Incorporated - Applicants: Corning Incorporated - Inventors: Gilbert De Angelis; Megan Aurora DeLamielleure; Guido Peters - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11028001B2 ## CPC - C03B 5/03: Tank furnaces - C03B 5/43: Use of materials for furnace walls, e.g. fire-bricks - C03B: MANUFACTURE, SHAPING, OR SUPPLEMENTARY PROCESSES ## Abstract A glass melt delivery system vessel has at least one sidewall and floor made of a refractory material, such as zirconia, and at least one electrode extending through the refractory material. The at least one electrode is configured to heat a glass melt in contact with the refractory material at an average temperature of at least about 1600 C° without exceeding a breakdown condition of the refractory material in contact with the glass melt. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A glass melt delivery system vessel comprising: at least one sidewall and floor, wherein the at least one sidewall and floor comprise a refractory material; at least one electrode extending through the refractory material; wherein the at least one electrode is configured to heat a glass melt in contact with the refractory material at an average temperature of at least about 1600° C. without exceeding a breakdown condition of the refractory material in contact with the glass melt; wherein the melting vessel has a length and a width and the ratio of the length to the width ranges from about 2.4:1 to about 3.6:1 and wherein the melting vessel is configured to accept a glass melt having a depth of at least about 50% of the width of the melting vessel. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The glass melt delivery system vessel of claim 1, wherein the refractory material comprises zirconia. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The glass melt delivery system vessel of claim 1, wherein the vessel is configured to heat the glass melt in contact with the refractory material to an average temperature of at least about 1600° C. for a period of at least about 5,000 hours. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The glass melt delivery system vessel of claim 1, wherein the melting vessel is configured to accept the glass melt having the depth of at least about 70% of the width of the melting vessel. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The glass melt delivery system vessel of claim 1, wherein the melting vessel comprises two opposing sidewalls, each opposing sidewall comprising at least two electrodes extending there through, wherein the ratio of the closest distance between electrodes and a width of the electrodes in the lengthwise direction of the sidewall ranges from about 0.8:1 to about 2.4:1. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The glass melt delivery system vessel of claim 1, wherein a volume of the glass melt in the vessel (V) and a vertical distance (Y) between the floor and the bottom of the at least one electrode satisfies the relationship (V)/(Y)3<60,000. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The glass melt delivery system vessel of claim 1, wherein the at least one electrode comprises an elongated body that extends a predetermined distance into an interior chamber of the melting vessel. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The glass melt delivery system vessel of claim 7, wherein the at least one electrode extends at an angle ranging from about 0 degrees to about 75 degrees relative to a plane parallel to the floor. ### Claim 9 (depends on 7) The glass melt delivery system vessel of claim 7, wherein the melting vessel comprises at least one electrode comprising an elongated body that extends a predetermined distance into the interior chamber of the melting vessel from a position on the floor that is a predetermined distance away from the at least one sidewall. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The glass melt delivery system vessel of claim 1, wherein the at least one electrode comprises at least one material selected from the group consisting of tin, molybdenum, platinum, and alloys and oxides of the same. ### Claim 11 A method of making a glass article, the method comprising processing a glass composition in a glass melt delivery system vessel, the glass melt delivery system vessel comprising: at least one sidewall and floor, wherein the at least one sidewall and floor comprise a refractory material; at least one electrode extending through the refractory material; wherein the at least one electrode heats a glass melt in contact with the refractory material at an average temperature of at least about 1600° C. without exceeding a breakdown condition of the refractory material in contact with the glass melt; wherein the melting vessel comprises two opposing sidewalls, each opposing sidewall comprising at least two electrodes extending therethrough, wherein the ratio of the closest distance between the electrodes and a width of the electrodes in the lengthwise direction of the sidewall ranges from about 0.8:1 to about 2.4:1, and wherein a vertical distance between the floor and a bottom of one of the electrodes is at least about 5% of a length of the electrode in a vertical direction. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The method of claim 11, wherein the refractory material comprises zirconia. ### Claim 13 (depends on 11) The method of claim 11, wherein the glass melt in contact with the refractory material is heated to an average temperature of at least about 1600° C. for a period of at least about 5,000 hours. ### Claim 14 (depends on 11) The method of claim 11, wherein the melting vessel has a length and a width and the ratio of the length to the width ranges from about 2.4:1 to about 3.6:1. ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) The method of claim 14, wherein the glass melt has a depth of at least about 50% of the width of the melting vessel. ### Claim 16 (depends on 14) The method of claim 14, wherein each opposing sidewall comprises N electrodes that each comprise a width of A such that N times A is from about 30% to about 50% of the length of the melting vessel. ### Claim 17 (depends on 11) The method of claim 11, wherein a volume of the glass melt in the vessel (V) and a vertical distance (Y) between the floor and the bottom of the at least one electrode satisfies the relationship (V)/(Y)3<60,000. ### Claim 18 (depends on 11) The method of claim 11, wherein the at least one electrode comprises an elongated body that extends a predetermined distance into an interior chamber of the melting vessel. ### Claim 19 (depends on 18) The method of claim 18, wherein the at least one electrode extends at an angle ranging from about 0 degrees to about 75 degrees relative to a plane parallel to the floor. ### Claim 20 (depends on 18) The method of claim 18, wherein the melting vessel comprises at least one electrode comprising an elongated body that extends a predetermined distance into the interior chamber of the melting vessel from a position on the floor that is a predetermined distance away from the at least one sidewall. ### Claim 21 (depends on 11) The method of claim 11, wherein the at least one electrode comprises at least one material selected from the group consisting of tin, molybdenum, platinum, and alloys and oxides of the same. ### Claim 22 A glass article made by a method comprising processing a glass composition in a glass melt delivery system vessel, the glass melt delivery system vessel comprising: at least one sidewall and floor, wherein the at least one sidewall and floor comprise a refractory material; at least one electrode extending through the refractory material; wherein the at least one electrode heats a glass melt in contact with the refractory material at an average temperature of at least about 1600° C. without exceeding a breakdown condition of the refractory material in contact with the glass melt; wherein the melting vessel comprises the two opposing sidewalls, each opposing sidewall comprising at least two electrodes extending therethrough, wherein a ratio of the closest distance between the electrodes and a width of the electrodes in a lengthwise direction of the sidewall ranges from about 0.8:1 to about 2.4:1, and wherein a vertical distance between the floor and a bottom of the one of the electrodes is at least about 5% of a length of the electrode in the vertical direction. ### Claim 23 (depends on 22) The glass article of claim 22, wherein the glass article is a glass sheet. ### Claim 24 An electronic device comprising a glass article made by a method comprising processing a glass composition in a glass melt delivery system vessel, the glass melt delivery system vessel comprising: at least one sidewall and floor, wherein the at least one sidewall and floor comprise a refractory material; at least one electrode extending through the refractory material; wherein the at least one electrode heats a glass melt in contact with the refractory material at an average temperature of at least about 1600° C. without exceeding a breakdown condition of the refractory material in contact with the glass melt: wherein the melting vessel comprises the two opposing sidewalls, each opposing sidewall comprising at least two electrodes extending therethrough, wherein a ratio of the closest distance between the electrodes and a width of the electrodes in a lengthwise direction of the sidewall ranges from about 0.8:1 to about 2.4:1, and wherein a vertical distance between the floor and a bottom of the one of the electrodes is at least about 5% of a length of the electrode in the vertical direction, wherein the glass article is the glass sheet.