CHEM1013

Lesson on
REFRACTORIES

30 Years of Development
Chemistry Department
 Introduction
What is a Furnace
• Equipment to melt metals
– Casting
– Change shape
– Change properties
• Type of fuel important
– Mostly liquid/gaseous fuel or electricity
• Low efficiencies due to
– High operating temperature
– Emission of hot exhaust gases
 Chimney: Burners: raise or
remove maintain chamber

Furnace Components combustion

gases
temperature

Furnace chamber:
constructed of
insulating materials

Hearth: support or
carry the steel.
Consists of
refractory materials

Charging & discharging doors for

loading & unloading stock
 Introduction
What are Refractories
Materials that
– Withstand high temperatures and sudden
changes
– Withstand action of molten slag, glass, hot
gases etc
– Withstand load at service conditions
– Withstand abrasive forces
– Conserve heat
– Have low coefficient of thermal expansion
– Will not contaminate the load
Refractories

Refractory lining of a furnace

arc

Refractory walls of a furnace

interior with burner blocks
(BEE India, 2005)
Properties of Refractories

• Melting point
– Temperature at which a ‘test pyramid’ (cone)
fails to support its own weight
• Size
– Affects stability of furnace structure
• Bulk density
– Amount of refractory material within a volume
(kg/m3)
– High bulk density = high volume stability, heat
capacity and resistance
Properties of Refractories

• Porosity
– Volume of open pores as % of total refractory
volume
– Low porosity = less penetration of molten
material
• Cold crushing strength
– Resistance of refractory to crushing
• Creep at high temperature
– Deformation of refractory material under
stress at given time and temperature
Properties of Refractories

• Pyrometric cones
– Used in ceramic industries
to test ‘refractoriness’ of
refractory bricks
– Each cone is mix of oxides
that melt at specific
temperatures
• Pyrometric Cone Equivalent (PCE)
• Temperature at which the refractory brick
and the cone bend
• Refractory cannot be used above this temp
Properties of Refractories

• Volume stability, expansion & shrinkage

– Permanent changes during refractory service
life
– Occurs at high temperatures
• Reversible thermal expansion
– Phase transformations during heating and
cooling
Properties of Refractories

• Thermal conductivity
– Depends on composition and silica content
– Increases with rising temperature
• High thermal conductivity:
– Heat transfer through brickwork required
– E.g. recuperators, regenerators
• Low thermal conductivity:
– Heat conservation required (insulating
refractories)
– E.g. heat treatment furnaces
 Type of Refractories
Classification of Refractories
Classification method Examples

Chemical composition
ACID, which readily combines with bases Silica, Semisilica, Aluminosilicate

BASIC, which consists mainly of metallic oxides Magnesite, Chrome-magnesite, Magnesite-chromite,

that resist the action of bases Dolomite

NEUTRAL, which does not combine with acids Fireclay bricks, Chrome, Pure Alumina
nor bases

Special Carbon, Silicon Carbide, Zirconia

End use Blast furnace casting pit

Method of manufacture Dry press process, fused cast, hand moulded,

formed normal, fired or chemically bonded, unformed
(monolithics, plastics, ramming mass, gunning
castable, spraying)
 Type of Refractories
Fireclay Refractories
• Common in industry: materials available and inexpensive
• Consist of aluminium silicates
• Decreasing melting point (PCE) with increasing impurity
and decreasing Al2O3
High Alumina Refractories
• 45 - 100% alumina
• High alumina % = high refractoriness
• Applications: hearth and shaft of blast furnaces, ceramic
kilns, cement kilns, glass tanks
 Type of Refractories
Silica Brick
• >93% SiO2 made from quality rocks
• Iron & steel, glass industry
• Advantages: no softening until fusion point is reached;
high refractoriness; high resistance to spalling, flux and
slag, volume stability
Magnesite
• Chemically basic: >85% magnesium oxide
• Properties depend on silicate bond concentration
• High slag resistance, especially lime and iron
 Type of Refractories
Chromite Refractories
• Chrome- magnesite
– 15-35% Cr2O3 and 42-50% MgO
– Used for critical parts of high temp furnaces
– Withstand corrosive slags
– High refractories
• Magnesite-chromite
– >60% MgO and 8-18% Cr2O3
– High temp resistance
– Basic slags in steel melting
– Better spalling resistance
 Type of Refractories
Zirconia Refractories
• Zirconium dioxide ZrO2
• Stabilized with calcium, magnesium, etc.
• High strength, low thermal conductivity, not reactive, low
thermal loss
• Used in glass furnaces, insulating refractory
Oxide Refractories (Alumina)
• Aluminium oxide + alumina impurities
• Chemically stable, strong, insoluble, high resistance in
oxidizing and reducing atmosphere
• Used in heat processing industry, crucible shaping
 Type of Refractories
Monolithics
• Single piece casts in equipment shape
• Replacing conventional refractories
• Advantages
– Elimination of joints
– Faster application
– Heat savings
– Better spalling resistance
– Volume stability
– Easy to transport, handle, install
– Reduced downtime for repairs
 Selecting the Right Refractory

Selection criteria
• Type of furnace • Structural load of furnace
• Type of metal charge • Stress due to temp
• Presence of slag gradient & fluctuations
• Area of application • Chemical compatibility
• Working temperatures • Heat transfer & fuel
• Extent of abrasion and conservation
impact
• Costs
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OLD FURNACE
Gas fired furnace
Blast furnace
Iridium Crucible
Ceramic_Crucible
 Porcelain
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Graphite

Crucible heating
To succeed in your mission , you must
have single – minded devotion to your
goal.

Dr A P J Abdul Kalam