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Refractory lining of blast furnace

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Refractory lining of blast furnace

A modern blast furnace (BF) is refractory lined to protect the furnace shell from the high temperatures and
abrasive materials inside the furnace. The refractory lining is cooled to further enhance the protection against
the dispatch of excess heat that can destroy the refractory lining. BF has a complex refractory system to provide
a long, safe life that is necessary for the blast furnace availability and for permitting nearly continuous furnace
operation and casting.

Conditions within the blast furnace vary widely by region and the refractories are subjected to a variety of wear
mechanisms. Details are given in Tab 1. The application condition of different regions of a blast furnace is not
the same due to the very nature of its geometry and also due to the pyrometallurgical process occurring at
different stages. There are diverse physical and chemical wear mechanisms in the different regions of the blast
furnace and they are complex in nature. For example mechanical wear or abrasion occurs mainly in the upper
stack region and is caused by the decent of the charge materials and by the dust laden gases. High thermal loads
are a major factor in the lower stack and the belly regions. In the hearth region, horizontal and vertical flow of
hot metal combined with thermal stresses often form undesirable elephant foot shaped cavitation. The
refractory materials in these regions are to take care of these wear mechanisms to avoid damage due to them.
Therefore, the BF stack (upper middle and lower), belly, bosh, raceway and tuyere region, hearth, and taphole
all require different quality of refractories depending on the respective application conditions.

Tab 1 Attack mechanisms in different regions of blast furnace

Region Attack mechanism Resulting damage

Upper stack Abrasion Abrasive wear

Medium temperatures fluctuations Spalling
Impact Loss of bricks

Medium to heavy temperatures

Middle stack Spalling
fluctuations
Gas erosion Wear
Oxidation and alkali attack Deterioration

Lower stack Heavy temperatures fluctuations Severe spalling

Erosion by gas jets and abrasion Wear

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Oxidation and alkali attack Deterioration

Thermal fatigue Shell damage and cracks

Belly Medium temperatures fluctuations Spalling

Oxidation and alkali attack Deterioration
Abrasion, gas erosion and high
Wear
temperature

Bosh High temperature Stress attack

Slag and alkali attack Deterioration and wear
Medium temperatures fluctuations Spalling
Abrasion Wear

Raceway and Very high temperature Stress cracking and wear

Tuyere region Temperatures fluctuations Spalling
Oxidation (water and oxygen) Deterioration
Slag attack and erosion Wear
Loss of cooling elements and
Damage from scabs
tuyeres

Hearth Oxidation (water) Wear

Zinc, slag and alkali attack Deterioration
High temperature Stress build up and cracking
Erosion from hot liquids Break out risk

Iron notch Heavy temperatures fluctuations Spalling

(tap hole) Erosion (slag and iron) Tap hole wear
Zinc and alkali attack Deterioration
Gas attack and oxidation (water) Wear and deterioration

Selection of appropriate refractory combination depending on the wear mechanism is very important. An
improper selection of the refractories often leads to a refractory failure which, subsequently, becomes a
complex problem to solve. Types of refractory lining required in a blast furnace region wise as well as the trend
in the refractory lining pattern is given in the Fig 1.

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Fig 1 Refractory lining in various region of a blast furnace

Presently the campaign life of a BF is expected to be around 15 years or more. Further there is a trend towards
large capacity BFs, which are being subjected to stringent operating conditions. To achieve the goal of long
lining life under stringent operating conditions, it is necessary to have a good combination of high grade
refractories combined with highly efficient cooling systems and tight control on furnace operation to ensure
high productivity without excessive wall working and with minimization of massive ‘slips’ in the BF which can
cause excessive premature damage to the refractory linings.

It is known that the bottom and a part of the hearth are corroded mainly by pig iron, slag and
alkalis. Refractory bricks in these areas are subjected to high load and temperature. So it requires
a refractory lining which should have high strength, lower creep in compression value and higher RUL
(refractoriness under load) and PCE (pyrometric cone equivalent) values. Some BFs use low iron, dense 42 %
-62 % alumina, mullite refractory bricks, conventional carbon blocks etc. in the bottom and lower hearth while
the present trend is to replace it with super micro pore graphite blocks. BF hearth life mainly depends on the
following factors.

Operational factors such as (i) high productivity leading to high heat loads, (ii) high fluid velocity that
causing more erosion and (iii) high coal injection means lower permeability. None of these factors are
under the control of BF operator and hence, the only solution for this can be a robust refractory lining.
Refractory lining system design – The entire refractory lining is also subjected to thermal stress which
also plays a dominant role especially when the design is inadequate. The refractory lining system or
design must (i) optimize thermal resistance, (ii) provide expansion relief, (iii) prevent cracking, and (iv)
eliminate built-in barriers.
Refractory properties – These include (i) High thermal conductivity, (ii) alkali resistance, (iii) low
permeability, (iv) low thermal expansion, and (v) low elasticity.

The recent development of micro porous carbon bricks and improvement in the quality of semi graphite and
graphite blocks has led to higher infiltration resistance to iron and slags, and thermal conductivity. The problem
of brittle layer formation around 800 deg C isotherm by alkali condensation and thermal stresses have been
addressed to by using smaller blocks, optimum expansion allowances etc. The carbon refractories are covered
by fireclay or mullite bricks to protect it against oxidation. The design of this ‘ceramic cup’ is important, as the
isotherms are altered depending on the quality and thickness of the cup material.

The stack bricks are particularly exposed to high abrasion and erosion by charge material from top as well as
high velocity fume and dust particles going out due to high blast pressure in a CO (carbon mono oxide)
environment. Hence, the application condition demands refractory materials which must have high strength,
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low permeability, high abrasion resistance and resistance to CO disintegration. Super duty
fireclay refractory brick or dense alumina brick having Al2O3 around 39 % – 42 % can impart these
characteristics required for stack application.

The tuyere and bosh are attacked by temperature change, abrasion and alkalis; and the belly and lower shaft by
thermal shock, abrasion and CO attack etc. In the critical areas of the BF, i.e. tuyere, bosh, belly and lower
stack, silicon carbide, SiC-Si3N4 and corundum refractories have replaced carbon and 62 % Al2O3 or mullite
bricks. This takes advantage of the high thermal conductivity of SiC in combination with the stave coolers.
However due to the problem of water leakage around taphole and tuyere area many blast furnaces are lined with
high alumina or alumina-chrome corundum refractories. The present and the trend in the Bf refractories are
given in Tab 2.

Tab 2 Blast furnace refractories

Area Present Trend

Stack 39 % – 42 %% Al2O3 Super duty fireclay

Belly 39 % – 42 % Al2O3 Corundum, SiC-Si3N4
Bosh 62 % Al2O3, Mullite SiC-Si3N4
SiC self bonded, Alumina-chrome
Tuyere 62 % Al2O3, Mullite
(Corundum)
42 %-62 % Al2O3, Mullite, Carbon/Graphite block with super
Lower hearth
Conventional carbon block micro pores
Fireclay tar bonded, High alumina / Fireclay tar bonded, High alumina
Tap hole
SiC tar bonded / SiC tar bonded
Ultra low cement castables
Pitch / water bonded clay / Grog / Tar
Main trough (ULCC), SiC / Alumina mixes,
bonded ramming masses, Castables
Gunning repairing technique
High alumina / SiC ramming masses / High alumina / SiC / Carbon /
Tilting spout
Low cement castables ULCC

Different types of BF refractories

Different types of refractories which are used in blast furnace lining are described below.

Baked carbon blocks – Micro porous carbon block, semi graphitic carbon block, and micro porous carbon
silicon block are made with high temperature electrically calcined anthracite, synthetic graphite and
silicon carbide as main raw materials. They possess higher thermal conductivity, lower permeability,
good hot metal and alkali resistance. Semi graphitic carbon blocks are used as the lower bottom lining.
Micro porous carbon blocks are used as the linings of the upper bottom and lower hearth of blast furnaces
with intensified smelting. Micro porous carbon silicon blocks are used in laying the hearth, tap hole and
slag hole of the blast furnace.
Small sized baked carbon bricks – Moulded micro porous carbon bricks and carbon silicon carbide bricks
are produced through hot pressed forming, high temperature baking and finished grinding with high
temperature electrically calcined anthracite, synthetic graphite and silicon carbide as main raw materials
and the oils deriving from coal or phenolic formaldehyde resin as binder as well as ultra micro powder
additives. Moulded micro porous carbon silicon carbide bricks can be used for the brickwork of tuyere,
slag hole, tap hole, the hearth and the slag forming zones of the blast furnace.
Ceramic cup brick – These are plastic phase bonded composite corundum brick. The brick is composed
of high quality mullite and high purity fused corundum as raw materials with addition of specified binder
by shaping at high pressure and sintering at high temperature. With features of high refractoriness under
load (RUL), compact structure, low porosity and high resistance to corrosion, the bricks are used for the
BF bottom, ceramic cup bottom lining and combined brick of tuyere, tap hole and slag hole of the large
blast furnace.
Corundum brick – The corundum brick is made of brown fused corundum and silicon carbide as starting
materials, combined with special additives, through mould press process and sintering before fine

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machining. The brick is characterized by good alkaline resistance and slag corrosion resistance, which is
suitable for lining the bottom, hearth ceramic cup, tuyere, tap hole and slag hole.
SiC- Si3N4 brick – There are many different types of SiC brick with different bonding systems and
varying SiC content. In general, direct bonded SiC have high resistance to alkalis and zinc. Also, they
have high thermal conductivity, excellent erosion resistance, very good thermal shock properties, and are
resistant to corrosion and CO attack. Generally, nitride bonded SiC are used in applications, such as BF
belly.
Micro porous alumina carbon brick – These bricks are made by adopting special grade bauxite clinker,
corundum, graphite and mid alumina as main raw materials, combined with several kinds of super fine
powder additives. It features micro pore, good alkali resistance and high thermal conductivity. It is used
for lining of bosh, stack and cooling wall of BF.
50 % alumina class bricks – Typically refractories in this class are upgraded super duty firebricks. They
are generally composed of a mixture of bauxite, flint clay/chamotte and plastic clay. 50 % alumina bricks
usually have low porosity, expand upon reheating to 1600 deg C and have good resistance to thermal
cycling. A brick in this class containing higher purity materials exhibit good load bearing qualities and
have excellent resistance to alkali attack.
60 % alumina class bricks – Bricks in this class are composed of a wide variety of materials. The most
common and highly regarded mid alumina bricks are composed of minerals from the sillimanite group
(usually combined with small amounts of calcined alumina and plastic clays). Other 60 % alumina
qualities in this class are composed of a mixture of synthetic chamotte, bauxites, calcined alumina and
plastic clays. High levels of mullite formation allow bricks in this class (especially sillimanite containing
refractories) to exhibit excellent creep resistance. Sillimanite bricks can be often phosphate/chemically
bonded and cured as a means of improving thermal shock resistance.
70 % alumina class bricks – This class of bricks is based on primary raw materials bauxite or high
alumina chamotte which is added with fireclay. These bricks are fired to around 1400 deg C to prevent
excessive expansion during firing (caused by a reaction of siliceous ingredients with bauxite, forming
mullite). 70 % alumina bricks exhibit high expansion values in service thus reducing joint sizing.
80 % alumina class bricks – These are based on bauxite with additions of calcined alumina and clay
materials. They are fired to around 1420 – 1480 deg C to maintain consistent brick sizing. Fired products
in this class have about a 20 % porosity, good strength and resistance to thermal cycling. These products
are associated with phosphate/chemical bonding (both cured and fired) as a means of imparting greater
resistance to abrasion and reducing porosity.
Fireclay bricks – Fireclay bricks are composed from a blend of usually two or more clays. The use of flint
and kaolin clays imparts refractoriness, calcined clays (chamottes) control the drying and firing
shrinkages and plastic clays facilitate forming and bonding strength. Fireclay bricks are usually grouped
into (i) super duty bricks (PCE > 33) that have a typical alumina content of 40 % to 45 % and have a
good refractoriness, resistance to thermal shock and volume stability at higher temperatures, (ii) high
duty firebricks (PCE 31 ½ to 33) that are similar to super duty equivalents but are typically manufactured
from lower quality flint clays/chamottes and plastic clays (typical Al2O3 40 % to 45%) and are
commonly used as a replacement for medium duty firebricks where thermal cycling is a potential
problem, (iii) medium duty firebricks (PCE 29 to 31) (typical Al2O3 38 % to 42%) are used in less
severe applications and their thermal shock resistance is lower than on super and high duty firebricks, (iv)
low-duty firebricks (PCE 15 to 29) (typical Al2O3 35 % to 38%) are used as backing linings and other
applications where moderate temperatures are prevalent, and (v) semi silica firebricks that have typical
alumina contents of 18 % to 25% with silica values ranging 72 % to 80 % and have excellent load
bearing strength and volume stability at relatively higher temperatures.
Tap hole mass – The main characteristics needed from tap hole mass include good viscosity and good
sintering properties combined with corrosion and erosion resistance.

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1 Comment

1. Feb19
John Duan

We, Shandong Hongyang Insulation Material Share Co. Ltd., is a manufacturer of ceramic fiber with over
30years experience in China. We can manufacture all kinds of ceramic fiber products. We hope to have
opportunity to cooperate with you.

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