The lifetimes of different glass tanks can vary greatly between a few months & several years. Lifetime depends on many factors including: the glass composition;furnace temperature & daily glass pull rate. The duration of a tank campaign is determined by the extent of wear within the tank & the subsequent failure of important functions. The following glass contact areas of the tank are critical: doghouse; throat; bubbler area & barrier wall. Cladding with molybdenum sheet can protect these critical areas of the glass tank against wear, maintaining their performance & reliability for longer periods. This helps sustain melting efficiency, glass quality & may significantly improve the service life of the tank. An important issue is the possible impact of molybdenum reinforcements on the operating parameters of an electrically heated tank. To demonstrate that ther is no relevant influence of the reinforcements, mathematical simulations were undertaken.
