Process for fining oxide melts
AssigneeSchott Glaswerke
InventorsFriedrich G. K. Baucke, Thomas Pfeiffer
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
In a process for fining oxide melts, comprising fining an oxide melt with gas generated electrochemically in situ in the oxide melt, oxygen is generated in situ electrolytically as the fining gas. Alternating, as well as direct, voltage may be employed.
Claims12
In a process for fining oxide melts, comprising applying an electric voltage to a fining electrode and a counterelectrode, immersing the fining electrode completely in the oxide melt so as to electrolytically generate oxygen in situ as a fining gas for the removal of unwanted gases from the oxide melt, the improvement comprising contacting the counterelectrode with the oxide melt and with sufficient O.sub.2 dissolved in said oxide melt to prevent precipitation by electrolysis of components of said oxide melt onto said counterelectrode wherein the counterelectrode is immersed near the surface of said oxide melt where there is sufficient dissolved O.sub.2 to prevent said precipitation by electrolysis of components of said oxide melt onto said counterelectrode.
In a process for fining oxide melts, comprising applying an electric voltage to a fining electrode and a counterelectrode, immersing the fining electrode completely in the oxide melt so as to electrolytically generate oxygen in situ as a fining gas for the removal of unwanted gases from the oxide melt, the improvement comprising contacting the counterelectrode with the oxide melt and with sufficient O.sub.2 dissolved in said oxide melt to prevent precipitation by electrolysis of components of said melt onto the counterelectrode wherein the counterelectrode is immersed near the surface of the melt where there is sufficient dissolved O.sub.2 to prevent said precipitation by electrolysis of components of said melt onto said counterelectrode,
- wherein O.sub.2 dissolved in said glass melt is converted at said counterelectrode to O.sup.2- ions according to the reaction of the following equation:
- ##STR2## wherein LE stands for refining electrode, and
- GE stands for counterelectrode.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.