Sensors for monitoring waste glass quality and method of using the same

A probe system for determining oxygen and alkali activity of a glass melt, said system comprising:

• a first probe having
• a shell with a hollow and a capillary formed therein, said capillary communicating with said hollow,
• a first conducting wire,
• a second conducting wire,
• a first quantity of oxygen in said hollow, and
• a first reference electrolyte in said hollow and adjacent to said first quantity of oxygen,
• said first wire in electrical connection with said second wire and placed in said quantity of oxygen,
• said first wire extending into said first reference electrolyte;
• a second probe having
• a shell having a hollow,
• a first wire,
• a second wire,
• a second quantity of oxygen in said hollow, and
• a second reference electrolyte in said hollow and adjacent to said second quantity of oxygen,
• said first wire in electrical connection with said second wire and placed in said second quantity of oxygen,
• said first wire extending into said second reference electrolyte;
• and
• a third probe having
• a body,
• a first wire carried by and extending through said body,
• a second wire carried by and extending through said body and in electrical connection with said second wire outside said body,
• said first wire extending beyond said second wire,
• said first, second and third probes positioned in spaced relation in said melt, said first and said second reference electrolytes and said first wire of said third probe being in electrical connection with said melt, said first reference electrolyte flowing through said capillary to said melt when heated, so that a first electrical potential difference can be measured across said first wire of said first probe and said first wire of said second probe, and a second electrical potential difference can be measured across said first wire of said second probe and said first wire of said third probe,
• said first measurement indicating alkali activity of said melt and said second measurement indicating oxygen activity of said melt.

A method for determining the alkali and oxygen activities of a glass melt, said method comprising the steps of:

• placing a first reference electrolyte in electrical connection with said melt;
• placing a second reference electrolyte in electrical connection with said melt and spaced apart from said first reference electrolyte;
• placing a conducting wire in electrical communication with said melt and in spaced relation to said first and second reference electrolytes;
• measuring a first potential difference between said first reference electrolyte and said second electrolyte;
• and
• measuring a second potential difference between said second reference electrolyte and said conducting wire
• said first potential difference being proportional to said alkali activity and said second potential difference being proportional to said oxygen activity.