Methods for melting reactive glasses and glass-ceramics and melting apparatus for the same

A submerged combustion melting apparatus, comprising:

• a melting vessel configured to prepare a molten material, the melting vessel comprising a plurality of walls and a floor, each of the plurality of walls and the floor comprising a metal alloy and a water-cooling element;
• a port in one of the walls configured to convey raw materials into the melting vessel;
• a burner in the floor configured to direct a flame into the melting vessel with sufficient energy to melt the raw materials into the molten material;
• and
• a delivery orifice assembly in the floor configured to deliver the molten material;
• wherein the delivery orifice assembly comprises:
• a susceptor sleeve comprising walls and a sleeve end configured to be coupled to the floor of the melting vessel;
• a coil surrounding the susceptor sleeve, the coil being configured to:
• inductively heat a volume within the susceptor sleeve;
• and
• conductively cool the walls of the susceptor sleeve via a heat transfer fluid flowing within the coil;
• an inner liner configured within the susceptor sleeve having a first refractory composition, the inner liner comprising a liner end in proximity to, or contact with, the sleeve end and configured to convey the molten material from the melting vessel;
• a top cap positioned over the sleeve end and the liner end, the top cap having the first refractory composition and configured to contact the molten material in the melting vessel, and the top cap further comprising an orifice substantially coincident with the liner end;
• and
• an induction heating controller coupled to the coil configured to inductively heat the coil to control a flow of the molten material through the orifice and the inner liner into a containment vessel.