Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Drying Stages During The Heating of High-Alumina, Ultra-Low-Cement Refractory Castables
Drying Stages During The Heating of High-Alumina, Ultra-Low-Cement Refractory Castables
net/publication/229622153
CITATIONS READS
69 2,647
4 authors, including:
Some of the authors of this publication are also working on these related projects:
Development and optimization of physical and/or chemical processes for recovery of potassium dissolved in vinasse effluent from sugar cane industry View project
All content following this page was uploaded by Victor C Pandolfelli on 13 October 2017.
The purpose of this work was to investigate the drying kinetics (calcined aluminas A1000 SG and A3000 FL, 22 wt%, dp ⬍ 100
of high-alumina, ultra-low-cement refractory castables under m, where dp is the particle diameter) and the aggregate grains
continuous heating conditions. Three main drying stages were (white fused aluminas, grades 4/10, 8/20, 10/36, 20/40, and 200F,
identified during the castable heat-up and were related to the 76 wt%, dp ⬍ 4.5 mm). The particle size distribution of this
phase change of free water and to the decomposition of composition was adjusted to a theoretical curve based on Andreas-
hydrated products present in the body. A clear correlation was en’s packing model to obtain a potentially self-flow castable, with
found between the actual heating profile inside the castable a coefficient of distribution (q) of 0.21.
and the dewatering stages under various heating schedules. Samples were cast as 4 cm diameter ⫻ 4 cm thick cylinders,
Thermal analysis was used to assess the drying temperature cured in the mold at 50°C (relative humidity of ⬃100%) for 48 h
that represents the highest risk of steam pressure buildup and, and heat-treated for 6 h at 800°C (heating rate of 1°C/min). During
thus, of explosive spalling. casting, two thin K-type thermocouples (diameter of 0.2 mm) were
inserted into some of these samples at a height of 20 mm, the first
at a depth of 1 mm (lateral surface) and the second at 20 mm
I. Introduction (center of the body). To focus the analysis on the removal of
physically absorbed water, the samples were saturated with dis-
R EFRACTORY castables are hydrated materials that require
special attention during their first heat-up. Depending on
the heating schedule applied, the steam that is generated may
tilled water under a vacuum for 2 h before each test.
Dewatering tests were conducted in an electric furnace con-
trolled by a proportional-integral-derivative (PID) system to a
become pressurized within the ceramic structure, occasionally maximum temperature of 700°C and according to various heating
causing cracking or even explosive disintegration of the prod- schedules. The test sample was suspended in the center of the
uct.1–5 For this reason, the dry-out schedules of preshaped furnace to enable heat to reach every face of the body simulta-
refractories are often divided into steps, aiming for safe removal neously. No forced air convection was provided in the furnace
of both free casting water at around 100°C and cement during the heat-up.
decomposition products at higher temperatures. However, the In the first set of experiments, the temperatures at the surface
choice of suitable heating rates and dwell times is based mostly and center of the saturated specimen were monitored during each
on empirical knowledge that takes into account the ceramic heating program. New tests were then conducted with similar
composition, and the geometry and size of the product. In fact, samples without thermocouples to monitor the sample’s water
lack of reliable data on the duration and intensity of transfor- loss under the same heating conditions. Data on mass and
mations that take place inside the heated structure make temperature were computer-recorded at 5 s intervals throughout
long-term schedules preferable. This minimizes the risks of the experiments.
explosive spalling but makes the dry-out of green castables an Mass loss during drying was assessed through the normalized
expensive and time-consuming operation. parameter W, which measures the cumulative fraction of water
In this context, this study focused on the optimization of the expelled during the heat-up per total amount of water initially
dewatering process of high-alumina, ultra-low-cement refractory present in the body. W varies from 0%–100% and is defined as:
castable compositions. The drying kinetics of physically absorbed
water was assessed during the castable heat-up at various heating
rates. The water loss pattern was directly related to the temperature
gradients measured in the sample, allowing for the identification of
W共%兲 ⫽ 100 ⫻ 冉 Mo ⫺ M
Mo ⫺ Mf 冊 (1)
different drying stages and providing guidelines to optimize where M is the instantaneous mass recorded at time ti during the
refractory castable heating schedules. heating stage, Mo the initial mass, and Mf the final mass of the
tested sample.
The experimental drying rate during heat-up was obtained
II. Experimental Procedure through the derivative dW/dt by
The castable composition chosen for this study consisted of a
mixture of 98 wt% alumina, 2 wt% calcium aluminate cement
(CAC; CA-14, Alcoa, Pittsburgh, PA), and 4.52 wt% water (dry
冉 冊
dW
dt i
⫽
Wi⫹1 ⫺ Wi⫺1
ti⫹1 ⫺ ti⫺1
(2)
1146
July 2003 Drying Stages of High-Alumina, Ultra-Low-Cement Refractory Castables 1147
Fig. 1. Drying profiles as a function of the furnace temperature for Fig. 3. Drying profiles for CAC-containing and cement-free samples at a
various heating schedules. furnace heating rate of 10°C/min.
1148 Journal of the American Ceramic Society—Innocentini et al. Vol. 86, No. 7
Nevertheless, the similarities among the drying profiles of the and center of the body. In this case, the abrupt increase in the
different tested samples confirmed that removal of unbound water heating rate at the center signals the end of the boiling process and
should, in fact, be the main concern during the heat-up process of of the second dewatering stage, reestablishing similar heating
green ultra-low-cement compositions, requiring further attention to profiles for the center and surface for the remainder of the test.
avoid excessive pore pressurization and explosive spalling. Therefore, although heated to over 100°C, the body retains
water in liquid form during most of the second drying stage. This
(2) Thermal Changes during Dewatering may occur if the structure’s permeability is sufficiently low to
Dewatering is associated with important thermal transforma- increase the vapor pressure inside the pores, shifting the boiling of
tions that take place inside the heated castable. Although part of water to higher temperatures. This effect is dangerously enhanced
the incoming heat is conducted into the body through the solid during the time interval in which the discrepancy in the heating
phase, some of it is also absorbed by the liquid water retained in profiles inside the body is maintained, when the heating rate
the pores, first enhancing evaporation under 100°C and then increases rapidly on the surface while water is still boiling in the
promoting boiling above that temperature.9 center.
The profiles in Fig. 4 indicate that these endothermic phase Figure 4(c) shows that, for the castable heated at 10°C/min, the
change processes are remarkably intense during the first and critical displacement interval refers to a temperature increase from
second dewatering peaks, causing a temporary slowdown in the 160°–220°C. According to Antoine’s equation,4 this implies a
heating rate inside the castable. This effect is further accentuated theoretical steam pressure buildup from 0.6 –2.3 MPa, which can
by the flux of steam leaving the body, which decreases the be sufficiently high to cause the explosion of a green castable.
efficiency of heat absorption and increases the thermal gradient These values obviously refer to the maximum pressure buildup
between the body and the surrounding atmosphere. The result is achievable in the center of the body if no release is provided for
that the end of both dewatering stages is immediately followed by steam. In practice, the castable’s permeability and the heating
an acceleration of the castable heating rate.9 schedule determine the amount of water retained in the pores and,
The heating schedule also has a marked effect on the thermal hence, the actual intensity of the pressure buildup. Nevertheless,
changes inside the castable, as can be observed in Fig. 4. For the the values calculated by Antoine’s equation for the critical dewa-
sample size tested here, the furnace heat-up at 1°C/min is suffi- tering interval represent the upper limit for steam pressurization
ciently slow to produce no important internal thermal gradient, and may be reasonably compared with the mechanical tensile
with both the center and surface of the sample becoming equally strength of green castables with the purpose of evaluating the risk
heated during the dewatering stages. of explosive spalling.
This behavior changes with heating rates of 5°C/min and
10°C/min, especially during the second stage when there is a
temporary discrepancy between the heating profiles at the surface IV. Conclusions
References
1
M. Velez, A. Erkal, and R. E. Moore, “Computer Simulation of the Dewatering of
Refractory Concrete Walls,” Taikabutsu Overseas, 20 [1] 5–9 (2000).
2
R. E. Moore, J. D. Smith, W. L. Headrick Jr., and T. P. Sander, “Monolithic
Dewatering Theory Testing and Practice: New Challenges”; presented at the 32th
Annual Symposium on Refractories, St. Louis, MO, Mar. 1996. American Ceramic
Society, St. Louis Section, 1996.
3
M. D. M. Innocentini, C. Ribeiro, J. Yamamoto, A. E. M. Paiva, L. R. M.
Bittencourt, R. P. Rettore, and V. C. Pandolfelli, “Drying Behavior of Refractory
Castables,” Am. Ceram. Soc. Bull., 80 [11] 47–56 (2001).
4
D. A. Bell, “First Heat-up of Ladle Linings”; pp. 292–94 in UNITECR ’97
Proceedings. American Ceramic Society, Westerville, OH, 1997.
5
P. Kalifa, F. D. Menneteau, and D. Quenard, “Spalling and Pore Pressure in HPC
at High Temperatures,” Cem. Concr. Res., 30, 1915–1927 (2000).
6
G. W. Scherer, “Theory of Drying,” J. Am. Ceram. Soc., 73 [1] 3–14 (1990).
7
W. C. J. Wei and C. L. Hsieh, “Drying Kinetics of Ultrafine Alumina Cake with
Drying Control Chemical (DCC),” J. Ceram. Soc. Jpn., 107 [4] 313–17 (1999).
8
K. Oda, H. Itoh, T. Matsumoto, and Y. Ono, “Drying Characteristic of High-
Dense Castable,” Taikabutsu Overseas., 13 [2] 21–28 (1992).
9
M. D. M. Innocentini, C. Ribeiro, L. R. M. Bittencourt, and V. C. Pandolfelli,
“Fluid Dynamics and Thermal Aspects of the Dewatering of High-Alumina Refrac-
tory Castables: Removal of Physically Absorbed Water,” J. Am. Ceram. Soc., 84 [11]
Fig. 4. Correlation found between the actual heating profiles inside the 2696 –98 (2001).
castable and the dewatering stages for various furnace heating schedules 10
N. Schmitt, J. F. Hernandez, V. Lamour, Y. Berthaud, P. Meunier, and J. Pourier,
((a) heating rate of 1°C/min, (b) heating rate of 5°C/min, and (c) heating “Coupling Between Kinetics of Dehydration, Physical and Mechanical Behaviour of
rate of 10°C/min). High Alumina Castable,” Cem. Concr. Res., 30, 1597– 607 (2000). 䡺