Improved corrosion resistance of Molybdenum glass melting electrodes by doping with ZrO2

Mark Partridge - Plansee


The usage of Molybdenum glass melting electrodes for electrical heating or boosting is state of the art in today’s glass production. The consumption of the electrodes in the process is mainly determined by the electrical load on the electrodes as well as by the glass composition and used refining agents. In particular in Sb2O3- and SO4- refined glass qualities considerable corrosion of the electrodes can be observed, limiting the service time of the glass melting electrodes and increasing the production costs.
In order to reduce such corrosion, new electrode materials have been developed. As a result, Molybdenum doped with ZrO2 has been introduced. Comprehensive tests at the University of Bayreuth and in industrial production have shown promising results with respect to the corrosion rates of MoZrO2. Results and the potential benefits for economic glass melting will be presented.