MSE 3133

Refractories and Furnaces

28 March, 2021

Lecture 8: Insulation and Special Bricks

Insulation Bricks
• Insulating refractories are used as thermal barrier that minimizes the heat loss from
furnace and thus help in saving energy.
• The cost of energy has been increasing in the recent past giving more importance to
insulating refractories.
• All the furnaces used for melting, heat treatment, heat regeneration or for any other
purpose demand maximum heat conservation so as to minimize heat losses for
maximum thermal efficiencies.
• To ensure minimum fuel consumption with high production rate resulted by high
working temperature, insulation is important.
Quality of bricks
The insulation bricks are classified in three grades depending on the maximum
temperature of use:
• 1. Grade A – Suitable for temperature up to 1500 °C
• 2. Grade B – Suitable for temperature up to 1250 °C
• 3. Grade C – Suitable for temperature up to 850 °C
Raw Materials Needed
Diatomite: It is a naturally occurring mass of aquatic plant deposits found on sea bed
and lakes in some countries. The diatomite analyses as 73% silica, 8.5% alumina, 2%
iron oxide, 1% lime, 0.83% magnesia, 0.3% alkali and 7.7% organic matter.
Fireclay: It is the most commonly used material and its quality is same as used for
making fireclay bricks.
Silica sand: Silica sand used for making silica bricks can be used for making high
porosity silica bricks as insulating brick.
Asbestos: It is a naturally occurring fibrous silicate mineral of formula Mg3Si2O5(OH)4 .
Its use is very limited due to health hazard posed by its manufacture and use.
Vermiculite : It is a hydrated biotite (magnesia-iron mica). It is a flaky solid mineral,
and on heating the flakes burst in number of flakes giving air gap.
Applications
The insulations bricks are used on outer wall in a wide variety of furnaces. The
selection of brick follows guideline as :
1. High thermal insulating capability with low bulk density
2. Sufficient mechanical strength with good surface . The cold compressive strength is
less important compared to the hot properties of the brick. In general, the
mechanical loads are not high. The strength of insulating fire bricks is fully sufficient
for safe transport, handling and installation work.
3. High thermal resistance under a variety of atmospheric conditions . Reducing furnace
atmospheres require bricks with low iron content (carbon bursting). Higher
shrinking occurs in reducing atmospheres.
Applications(Contd.)
4. Resistance to temperature shocks and changes: The different insulating fire bricks
vary in their thermal shock behavior due to their specific composition and porosity.
High (> 10%) cristobalite contents have a negative effect on thermal shock
resistance. When cristobalite content is below 10%, other criteria are more
essential.
5. Shrinkage should not exceed 2%, after being subjected to heat on all sides for 24
hours. CaO-bonded bricks are sensitive to overheating due to lower sintering
temperatures. Sulphuric gases can attack the bricks.
Graphite based Refractory
The properties of graphite are listed below:
• 1. It is grey in color.
• 2. It possess high crushing strength.
• 3. It can withstand high temperature (provided not exposed to air).
• 4. It burns is air when heated.
• 5. It is not attacked by either acid or basic slag.
• 6. It is practically infusible, insensitive to spalling.
• 7. It is close textured and can withstand under fluctuation of temperature.
• 8. It can withstand attack by corrosive slag, etc.
Natural Graphite
It is naturally occurring carbon as mineral. It is mined as carbon mineral containing
other minerals as impurity which requires beneficiation process like froth floatation.
It is stable over wide temperature ranges for use as refractory material. It is
chemically inactive to many liquids, and is preferred as hearth lining material for
liquid metals.
Amorphous Graphite: These are carbon deposits which have undergone minimum
graphitization process. The word amorphous is a misnomer. The crystallite size is
very small during initial period.
Flake Graphite: This carbon form represents intermediate stage which has
undergone graphitization for some time. Flake graphite is generally found in
metamorphic rocks.
Crystalline Graphite: This is highly graphitized form of carbon which has undergone
considerable time, temperature and pressure resulting crystalline form.
Synthetic Graphite
• The synthetic graphite can be prepared from coke and pitch. Synthetic graphite
consists mainly of graphitic carbon that has been obtained by graphitization and
heat treatment of non-graphitic carbon, or by chemical vapor deposition from
hydrocarbons.
• There are essentially two types of synthetic graphite.
1. The first is electro-graphite, which is pure carbon produced from calcined
petroleum coke and coal tar pitch heated in an electric furnace.
2. The second type of synthetic graphite is produced by heating calcined
petroleum pitch to 2800 °C.
Application of Graphite Based Refractory
The high temperature stability and chemical inertness graphite renders it as a good
refractory material. Various products are made by using graphite refractory in the metal
industry.
1. In the production of pig iron, graphite blocks are used to form part of the lining of the
blast furnace. Its structural strength at high working temperature, thermal shock
resistance, high thermal conductivity, low thermal expansion and good chemical
resistance are of paramount importance in this application.
2. The graphite electrodes in electric arc furnaces are used for providing electric arc
struck between metal charge and graphite electrode generating thermal energy
needed for steel making.
3. It is used in the production of carbon bricks and in the production of magnesia–
carbon refractory bricks (mag-carbon).
4. Graphite is also used to manufacture crucibles, ladles and molds for molten metals.
Application of Graphite Based Refractory
5. Graphite blocks are used in non-ferrous metal industry (copper, aluminum and
lead smelting furnaces) for making hearth.
6. Graphite is one of the most common materials used in the production of
functional refractories for the continuous casting of steel.
In this application, graphite flake is mixed with alumina and zirconia and then
isostatically pressed to form components such as stopper rods, subentry nozzles
and ladle shrouds used both in regulating flow of molten steel and protecting
against oxidation.
Zirconia Bricks
Properties of zirconia bricks:
• These bricks can be used up to 2000° C but it can be used with load (3.5 kg/cm2) up
to 1600 °C.
• These bricks have low thermal expansion behavior. These are quite resistant to
thermal shock.
• Specially made zirconia bricks can be used up to 2600 ° C .
• Zirconia does not react with any metal except Ti and hence it is used in receptacles
of refractory metals and high temperature alloys.
• Small articles like burner tips, thermocouple sheaths, ignition boats etc. are made
by zirconia.
• Zirconia-hafnia ceramics are used as tiles for supporting high melting alloys
heated to 2300°C .
Cermets
• A combination ceramics and metal or metal alloy is called “cermet”. It is a special
type of refractory which combines the good properties of both the ceramics and
metals.
• Cermets are produced by pressing and sintering of powdered ceramics and
metallic materials to desired compact shapes by powder metallurgy methods.
• Ceramic materials are brittle, have low thermal spalling resistance and have high
temperature strength, while metals are ductile but loose strength on heating.
Cermets have good properties of both.
• Ceramics that are used in production of cermets are mainly highly pure metal
oxides or carbides. (e.g. alumina, silica, chromite, magnesia, zirconia, beryllia etc.)
• Metals that are used in cermet production are Al, Be, Cr, Fe, Ni, Mn, SS etc.
Cermets
• In cermets, metal phase acts as a bonding material for ceramic phase grains.
• High strength and high temperature resistance make them suitable for use in very
special and more recent application like those in space vehicles, missiles and
nuclear power plants.
• They are used in rock boring drill bits, cutting off wheels and different parts of
space vehicles which requires high temperature and high wear resistance.
• UO2 dispersed in a matrix of stainless steel can be easily molded into various
shapes and is suitable for use as nuclear reactor fuel.
Failure of Refractories
Besides the common causes there are some particular reactions those take place in
actual performance of refractories.
1. Bursting expansion is caused by a solid solution of ferrous chromite and
magnesite in chrome of the composite basic brick.
2. Dusting takes place due to the transformation of C 2S. This can be prevented by
addition of P2O5, B2O5 or Cr2O3.
3. Corrosion of refractories by glass takes place due to diffusion of alkali ions into
solid phase.
4. Higher temperature is essential for faster working and improved quality of glass.
But generally a rise of 50°C reduces the life of refractories by 50%.
5. V2O5 in presence of 2% Na2O lowers the refractoriness of both silica and firebrick
by 20 °C .
6. 4-5% Fe2O3 lowers the refractoriness of silica bricks by about 30 °C.
Failure of Refractories
• The second important factor for failure is spalling. Spalling may be thermal,
mechanical, or structural.
Thermal spalling may be due to unequal expansion or contraction caused by the
difference in temperature at different parts or by rapid change in temperature.
Mechanical spalling is due to the impact during loading or removal of materials
for the furnace.
Structural spalling takes place because of the sudden change in composition of
the refractory due to the reactions with slags etc. with the results that its
coefficient of thermal expansion changes.
• Abrasion is the third cause of refractory failure. Abrasion means the mechanical
rubbing away of material from its surface.
End of Insulation and Special Bricks