We apply numerical simulation to understand the effect of heating conditions on melt convection in an industrial Ky furnace. The direct numerical simulation (DNS) approach was used to investigate the features of melt flow during the seeding stage. Two different cases of Kyropoulos furnace hot zone design were studied numerically, and results were compared with experimental data to understand the effect of modifications on melt convection. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.