Measurement of electrode length in a melting furnace

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2017268823-A1
Application number	US-201515528948-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Nov 19, 2015
Priority date	Nov 25, 2014
Publication date	Sep 21, 2017
Grant date	—

Abstract

The disclosure relates to apparatuses melting batch materials, the apparatuses comprising a vessel; an electrode assembly comprising an electrode and at least one detection component coupled to the electrode; and at least one device configured to measure an electrical or optical property of the electrode assembly. Also disclosed herein are electrode assemblies for the optical or electrical detection of electrode length, and apparatuses comprising such electrode assemblies.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . An apparatus for melting batch materials, comprising:
a vessel; at least one electrode assembly disposed within the vessel, the electrode assembly comprising:
an electrode; and
at least one detection component coupled to the electrode; and
at least one device configured to measure an electrical or optical property of the electrode assembly.

2 . The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the at least one device is configured to measure at least one of conductivity, impedance, resistance, capacitance, light intensity, backscattered light intensity, or optical reflectivity of the electrode assembly.

3 . The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the at least one detection component is an electrical probe comprising a conductive core and at least one insulating layer surrounding the conductive core, and wherein the at least one device is configured to measure an electrical property of the probe.

4 . The apparatus of claim 3 , wherein the electrical probe is disposed at least partially within the electrode or is located on an exterior surface of the electrode.

5 . The apparatus of claim 3 , wherein the electrical property is a resistance or capacitance between the conductive core and the electrode, time of flight of electromagnetic wave, or spectral impedance.

6 . The apparatus of claim 3 , wherein the conductive core comprises at least one conductive material chosen from metals, metal alloys, and metal oxides, and wherein the at least one insulating layer comprises at least one insulating material chosen from ceramic and glass materials.

7 . The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the at least one detection component is an insulating layer disposed between two separate portions of the electrode, and wherein the at least one device is configured to measure an electrical property of the electrode.

8 . The apparatus of claim 7 , wherein the electrical property is a capacitance between the two separate portions of the electrode.

9 . The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the at least one detection component is an insulating rod disposed at least partially within the electrode, the insulting rod comprising two conductive wires connected to an electrical oscillator circuit, and wherein the at least one device is configured to measure an electrical property of the detection component.

10 . The apparatus of claim 9 , wherein the electrical property is an oscillation period or frequency of the electrical oscillator circuit.

11 . The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the at least one detection component is an optical fiber disposed at least partially within the electrode, and wherein the at least one device is configured to measure an optical property of the optical fiber.

12 . The apparatus of claim 11 , wherein the optical property is a light intensity, backscattered light intensity, or optical reflectivity of the optical fiber.

13 . The apparatus of claim 11 , wherein the optical fiber is chosen from hollow fibers and fibers comprising a silica core optionally doped with at least one index-increasing dopant and at least one cladding layer comprising silica optionally doped with at least one index-increasing or index-decreasing dopant.

14 . The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the at least one detection component is at least partially soluble in the batch materials at an operating temperature of the apparatus.

15 . The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the at least one detection component has a multi-dimensional geometry.

16 . An electrode assembly comprising:
an electrode; at least one electrical probe coupled to the electrode, wherein the electrical probe comprises a conductive core and at least one insulating layer surrounding the conductive core; and at least one device configured to measure the resistance or capacitance of the electrical probe.

17 . The electrode assembly of claim 16 , wherein the electrical probe is disposed at least partially within the electrode or is located on an exterior surface of the electrode.

18 . The electrode assembly of claim 16 , wherein the conductive core comprises at least one conductive material chosen from metals, metal alloys, and metal oxides, and wherein the at least one insulating layer comprises at least one insulating material chosen from ceramic and glass materials.

19 . An electrode assembly comprising:
an electrode; at least one optical probe coupled to the electrode; and at least one device configured to measure at least one optical property of the optical probe.

20 . The electrode assembly of claim 19 , wherein the optical probe is disposed at least partially within the electrode.

21 . The electrode assembly of claim 20 , wherein the optical probe comprises two ends and a center portion disposed between the two ends, and wherein the center portion is disposed inside the electrode and the two ends are disposed outside the electrode.

22 . The electrode assembly of claim 19 , wherein the optical probe is chosen from hollow fibers and fibers comprising a silica core optionally doped with at least one index-increasing dopant and at least one cladding layer comprising silica optionally doped with at least one index-increasing or index-decreasing dopant

23 . An electrode assembly comprising:
an electrode; at least one probe coupled to the electrode, wherein the probe comprises an insulating rod and two conductive wires connected to an electrical oscillator circuit; and at least one device configured to measure the oscillation period or frequency of the electrical oscillator circuit.

24 . The electrode assembly of claim 23 , wherein the probe is disposed at least partially within the electrode.

25 . The electrode assembly of claim 23 , wherein the conductive wires comprise at least one conductive material chosen from metals, metal alloys, and metal oxides, and wherein the at least one insulating rod comprises at least one insulating material chosen from ceramic and glass materials.

26 . An apparatus for melting glass batch materials comprising at least one electrode assembly as described in any one of claims 16 to 25 .

27 . A method for measuring electrode length in a melting furnace, wherein the melting furnace comprises an electrode assembly comprising an electrode and at least one detection component coupled to the electrode, the method comprising:
measuring an optical or electrical property of the electrode assembly at one or more points during operation of the melting furnace; and correlating the measured optical or electrical property to a length of the electrode.

28 . The method of claim 27 , wherein an abrupt change in the measured optical or electrical property is correlated to a minimum length of the electrode.

29 . The method of claim 27 , wherein a gradual change in the measured optical or electrical property is correlated to a gradual change in the length of the electrode.

30 . The method of claim 27 , wherein the at least one detection component is an electrical probe comprising a conductive core and at least one insulating layer surrounding the conductive core, and wherein the measured electrical property is a resistance or capacitance of the conductive core.

31 . The method of claim 27 , wherein the at least one detection component is an insulating layer disposed between two portion

Assignees

• Corning Inc

Inventors

• Ehrenberg David Gustave
• Hay Dennis Eugene
• Li Ming-Jun
• Mattingly William Brashear
• Potapenko Sergey Y

Classifications

• F27B3/10 Primary

  Details, accessories or equipment, e.g. dust-collectors, specially adapted for hearth-type furnaces · CPC title

• G01B7/02

  for measuring length, width or thickness (G01B7/004, G01B7/12 take precedence) · CPC title

• G01S13/08

  Systems for measuring distance only (indirect measurement G01S13/46) · CPC title

• F27D21/00

  Arrangement of monitoring devices; Arrangement of safety devices · CPC title

• G01N27/02

  by investigating impedance · CPC title