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Resource-friendly refractory technologies for the cupola furnace

Article · March 2011

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K MATERIALS
Author: Dipl.-Min. Daniel Cölle, EKW GmbH, Eisenberg
Resource-friendly refractory tech-
nologies for the cupola furnace
Novel composite for refractory ceramics in iron foundries
As part of current studies, the rising
demands on sustainable and envi-
ronmentally compatible production
of refractories were translated into an
objective to integrate the specific sili-
cate-ceramic raw material fractions of
the Eisenberg loamy (or sticky) sand,
known in Europe as klebsand, in com-
bination with selected carbon sub-
strates based on latest material and
procedural steps, into a so-called com-
posite material that can be included
into the manufacture of state-of-the-
art refractory material. The composite,
in the form of a granulated material
with its fine-scaled fractions and partly
nano-scaled additive systems, is to be a
key building block for the manufacture
of refractories for iron foundries, since
the material has to withstand tempera-
tures of up to 1550 °C and is exposed to
a variety of corrosive conditions.
In general terms, one can say that
in view of earlier installations, which
can in principle be carried over to the
present time, refractory wear in a cu-
pola furnace is generally controlled
2 Casting Plant & Technology 3/ 2011
by a combination of thermal, chem-
ical and mechanical stresses. For in-
stance, the infiltration and decom-
position of refractory components
constitute an essential mechanism of
chemical corrosion, followed by trans-
port via melting phases. Besides such
parameters as temperature level, tem-
perature change, furnace atmosphere,
hot wear, or scorification, especially in
modern long-term cupolas metallurgi-
cal reactions within the lower part lin-
ing – molten metal – slag – gas system
have to be counted in. The slag volume
and slag characteristics have a signifi-
cant influence on the wear properties
of the lining [1].
Typically exposed to temperatures
around 1540 °C, the refractories have
to withstand aggressive slags, vary-
ing furnace atmospheres (both reduc-
ing and oxidizing) as well as the liquid
metal itself. At the same time, reactions
and phase formations that may lead to
wear and tear as well as destruction of
the refractory lining must be reduced
to a technically and, hence, economi-
The cupola – contemporary
melting technology in the foundry
industry (Photos: EKW)
cally acceptable minimum level. By to-
day’s standards these tough demands
can be met by materials that are repre-
sented by the system SiO2-CaO-Al2O3.
The resulting refractories are used in
applications within the charge makeup
zone and the shaft with their distinct
resistance to hot abrasion and carbon
monoxide. By adding carbon carri-
ers such as graphite, specifically pro-
cessed coke or synthetic, in situ coking
binders, refractory ceramics obtain the
necessary resistance to process-related
corrosive, fused, but also gaseous media
due to the characteristic wetting behav-
iour of carbon. The application of SiC
and other carbidic, siliceous, oxidic, or
nitridic compounds primarily serve as
optimisation measures and particular
fine-tuning to local conditions.
Innovative refractory solu-
tions made in Rhineland-Pala-
tinate
EKW GmbH, based in Eisenberg in the
German federal state of Rhinland-Pali-
tinate (Figure 1), works on the subject
of innovative refractory solutions, from
project management through installa-
tion to operations monitoring. The
company focuses on technically effi-
cient and economic solutions, provid-
ing its customers solutions ranging from
cooperative material developments to
modern application concepts. More-
over, combined system solutions are of-
fered for the functional lining of fur-
naces with specific unshaped refractory
materials and prefabricated products.
EKA-Cast CSC and EKA-Rammix RSC
are two recently established product
ranges of unshaped refractory materi-
als. Apart from specific “silicon carbide”
and “carbon” as common denomina-
tors, EKA-Cast suggests a refractory con-
crete or a castable, while EKA-Rammix is
a ramming mixture (semi-plastic mass).
The primary target of development
was set at developing a so-called corro-
sion-stabilised material system to face
progressive chemical wear, especially
in melting zones and siphons, in order
to increase the life cycle of the melting
shop – a feature that is already success-
fully taking shape in the market. De-
pending on the type of furnace, the
operating conditions and installation
requirements, various specified prod-
ucts are available from both ranges of
material, not least from an economic
point of view, too.
Progress in development
via post-mortem analysis
As part of current R&D projects, com-
pletely new approaches are being de-
veloped to line the critical zones of the
cupola – such as main tap hole, siphon,
or standpipe, but also entire channel
systems – with pre-fabricated compo-
nents of a simple or complex geometry.
In doing so, the significant reduction
of time required for new installations
or revision work is paramount. In ad-
dition, a medium-term goal is to com-
bine the excellent properties of tech-
nical ceramics (fine ceramics) with
those of the classic refractory ceramics
(heavy ceramics). This may include, for
instance, resistance to thermal shocks,
fracture toughness at high tempera-
tures, and sealing mechanisms against
acid and neutral slag. In the process, an
optimised microstructure of the mate-
Figure 1: EKW GmbH – Combination of own raw material deposits and
high-tech production
rials based on long-term secure sup-
plies of aluminosilicate raw materials
is a key component of the overall sys-
tem. Previous studies and experiences
made with selected prototype materi-
als give much hope for the future [2–4].
Representing the overall system, an
essential performance parameter was
examined more closely on two selected
composites that differed in the choice
of additives (antioxidants): the corro-
sion resistance to fusible metallurgical
phases. The composite material system
generated by press technology was sub-
jected to standardized static and dy-
namic – and, thus, application orient-
ed – corrosion tests. At the same time
mechanisms are in place that lead to a
considerable improvement of the resis-
tance to oxidation of refractory ceram-
ics even with a high oxygen content of
the gas species, which from experience
has a positive effect on the lining life
due to reduced carbon burnout at the
phase boundary between slag and ce-
ramic matrix.
In order to create near-industrial
conditions as regards corrosion com-
pared to a shaft furnace, tests were car-
ried out at 1550 °C with a holding time
of 80 h and a heating rate of 65 K/h. Re-
markably, the slag only showed infil-
tration depths between 500 and 1500
μm in the Al2O3-SiO2-C composite.
Even though FeO phases have a high
reduction potential in SiO2-rich zones
forming fayalithic slag, the material
tested withstood the corrosive envi-
ronment of a specific furnace.
The reduced corrosion rate is main-
ly due to the formation of a highly vis-
cous melt at the reaction zone between
the slag and stone as well as the low
partial pressure of oxygen, which slows
down the removal of solutes. More-
over, the formation of the melting
phase seals the refractory, leading to
reduced carbon oxidation. Deep with-
in the stone, the fines of the Eisenberg
loamy sand increase the resistance to
oxidation by forming barrier layers in
the carbon matrix.
As the temperatures of the base iron
are relatively low ranging between 1510
°C and 1550 °C, resistance to erosion
and chemical corrosion (slag attack) is
of more importance than high refrac-
toriness (cf. synthetic raw materials).
Primarily, maximum wear is expected
to happen around the tap hole and si-
phon (separation of iron and slag) due
to the flow conditions that have to be
taken into account. Not least of all, the
cupola floor is subject to increased risk
of corrosion from being relatively un-
protected against the hot wind.
Harmonizing ecology,
economy, and logistics
As part of current studies, the rising
demands on sustainable and envi-
ronmentally compatible production
of refractories were translated into an
objective to integrate the specific sili-
cate-ceramic raw material fractions of
the Eisenberg loamy sand, in combi-
nation with selected carbon substrates
based on latest material and procedur-
al steps, into a so-called composite
material that can be included into the
manufacture of state-of-the-art refrac-
tory material. The composite, in the
form of a granulated material with its
fine-scaled fractions and partly nano-
scaled additive systems, is to be a key
building block for the manufacture of
refractories for iron foundries, since
the material has to withstand temper-
atures of up to 1550 °C and is exposed
to a variety of corrosive conditions.
Casting Plant & Technology 3/2011 3
 K MATERIALS

The Eisenberg loamy sand, with its

striking mineralogical characteristics
(Figure 2) and its differentiability, has
an interesting technical and economic
potential for the development of inno-
vative refractory products that fulfil in
no small measure the requirement of
sustainable raw material supply.
The development target to establish
a process for the production of a com-
posite of carbonaceous binder and SiO2-
rich loamy sand was reached by a newly
specified mixing technique in the pro-
duction plant as well as optimized wet-
ting of nanoscale loamy sand constit-
uents during mixing with resin-based
materials. Hydrophilization of carbona-
ceous granulate with a loamy sand layer
was achieved by fluid bed granulation.
Granulated material with a mixture of
carbonaceous binding matrix and SiO2-
rich loamy sand within the μm and sub-
μm range showed technologically feasi-
ble application properties.
The implementation of this procedure
was a major challenge from a process en-
gineering and economic point of view.
At EKW, it was integrated in the existing
manufacturing processes on an industri-
al scale. The resulting granulated materi-
al has a carbonaceous binding matrix re-
inforced by the finest fraction of < 25μm
of the loamy sand. This composite im-
proves the chemical, mechanical and
thermal properties. The grain size result-
ing from the granulation process in the
Al2O3-SiO2-C system can be further pro-
cessed by pressing and pouring.
The composite material made from
carbon and loamy sand has the po-
tential to substitute existing refracto-
ries within the metallurgical process,
which is of great economic interest es-
pecially in regard to the scarcity and in-
crease in costs of synthetic aluminium
silicates and clay grades. The reliable
availability of the natural alumo-sili- Figure 2: The “Eisenberg klebsand” mystery: A typical irregularly shaped
cate materials of the Eisenberg loamy grain of the loamy sand, surrounded by clay particles (above); structure of
sand is of topical interest in the con- globular Al-Si gel phases forming a loosely packed network (below) [5]
text of the current tight supply situa-
tion of ceramic materials on an inter- ecological perspective, of combining a loamy sands used in a composite with
national scale, as shown by statistics of new technology with native raw mate- carbon carriers has considerable indus-
the Association of the German Refrac- rial that is available on a long-term ba- trial potential in the field of metallur-
tory Industry in Bonn/Germany [6]. sis, with supplies of about 200 million gical melting technologies.
Not least of all, using the composite t of loamy sand at the Eisenberg de-
on the basis of loamy sand provides posit. There has been evidence show- ekw-feuerfest.de
the possibility, from an economic and ing that the technical application of

4 Casting Plant & Technology 3/ 2011

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