TO DEVELOP A NEW TECHNOLOGY OF FUSING GLASS COMPOUNDS WITH LESS FLUORINE SALTS.

THE USUAL WAY TO PREPARE GLASS IS TO MIX IN A FURNACE THE RAW MATERIALS AND TO FUSE THEM TOGETHER ADDING FLUORINE SALTS FOR HOMOGENIZATION OF THE LIQUID GLASS PASTE. THE FLUORINE GAS IS THEN EMITTED INTO THE AIR, HARMFUL TO THE ENVIRONMENT.

THE NEW TECHNOLOGY CONSISTS OF ELECTRICAL HEATING OF THE GLASS PASTE, INSTALLING A NUMBER OF ELECTRODES IN SUCH A MANNER THAT THE HEATING IS MORE UNIFORM AND THE NEED OF FLUORINE SALTS, AS WELL AS THE HEATING ENERGY, IS REDUCED.

THE RESEARCH AIMS TO BUILD AN ELECTRICAL FURNACE AND TO DETERMINE THE INFLUENCE OF THE TYPE, SHAPE AND POSITION OF ELECTRODES IN THE GLASS PASTE UPON THE REDUCTION OF FLUORINE SALTS AND OF HEATING ENERGY WHICH CAN BE ACHIEVED.THIS HAS TO BE MADE AT THE INDUSTRIAL SCALE BECAUSE A SMALLER SCALE EXPERIMENT WOULD NOT GIVE RESULTS ADAPTED TO THE REAL SITUATION.