Refractory Material

Refractory materials have a crucial impact on the cost and quality of steel products.
The
diversification on steel products and their cleanliness requirement in recent years have
increased the demand for high quality refractory. Steelmaking requires high
temperatures of the order of 1600 degree centigrade. In addition steelmaking handles
high temperature phases like molten steel, slag and hot gases. These phases are
chemically reactive; refractory materials are required to produces steels. High quality
refractory at a cheaper cost is the main requirement because cost of refractory adds
into the cost of product.
Refractories are inorganic nonmetallic material which can withstand high temperature
without undergoing physicochemical changes while remaining in contact with molten
slag, metal and gases. It is necessary to produce range of refractory materials with
different properties to meet range of processing conditions.
To minimize heat losses from the reaction chamber

To allow thermal energy dependent conversion of chemically reactive reactants
into products because metallic vessels are not suitable.
In steelmaking, the physico-chemical properties of the following phases are important:
Mixture of acidic and basic inorganic oxides like SiO2, P2O5, CaO, MgO, and FeO etc.
temperature varies in between 1400Cto1600C.
Iron containing carbon, silicon, manganese, phosphorous, tramp elements, non-metallic

inclusions, dissolved gases like nitrogen, oxygen and hydrogen and different alloying
elements like Cr, Ni, Mo, W, Mo etc. Temperature is 1600C.
CO, CO2, N2, Air containing solid particles of Fe2O3, Fe3O4 etc. Temperature
1300Cto1600C.
The above phases are continuously and constantly in contact with each other and are in
turbulent motion.
The refractory materials should be able to withstand

High temperature.
Sudden changes of temperature.
Load at service conditions.
Chemical and abrasive action of phases.
The refractory material should not contaminate the material with which it is in contact.
MgO (pure sintered) 2800

CaO (limit) 2571
SiC (pure) 2248
MgO (90-95%) 2193
Cr2O3 2138
Al2O3(pure sintered) 2050
Fireclay1871
SiO21715
Kaolin (Al2O3.SiO2) 1816
Chromite (FeO.Cr2O3) 2182
Properties required in a refractory
The diversified applications of refractory materials in several different types
of industries require diversified properties to meet the physico-chemical
and thermal requirements of different phases. In some industrial units more
than one phase are present e.g. in steel-making vessels slag /metal /gases
are simultaneously present in the vessel at high temperatures. In the heat
treating furnaces solid/reducing or oxidizing gases are simultaneously
present. Below are briefly described the properties of the refractory
materials:
Refractoriness
Refractoriness is a property at which a refractory will deform under its own
load. The refractoriness is indicated by PCE (Pyro metric cone equivalent).
It should be higher than the application temperatures.
Refractoriness decreases when refractory is under load. Therefore more

important is refractoriness under load (RUL) rather than refractoriness.
Porosity and Slag permeability
Porosity affects chemical attack by molten slag, metal and gases. Decrease in
porosity increases strength and thermal Conductivity.
Strength
It is the resistance of the refractory to compressive loads, tension and shear stresses.
In taller furnaces, the refractory has to support a heavy load; hence strength
under the combined effect of temperature and load, i.e. refractoriness under load
is important.
Specific gravity
Specific gravity of the refractory is important to consider the weight of a brick.
Cost of bricks of higher specific gravity is more that of lower specific gravity. But
strength of bricks of higher specific gravity is greater than one with lower specific
gravity.
Spalling
Spalling relates to fracture of refractory brick which may occur due to the
following reasons :
A temperature gradient in the brick which is caused by sudden heating or

cooling.
Compression in a structure of refractory due to expansion
Variation in coefficient of thermal expansion between the surface layer and
the body of the brick
Variation in coefficient of thermal expansion between the surface layer and
the body of the brick is due to slag penetration or due to structural change.
In materials certain permanent changes occur during heating and these changes may be due to
Change in the allotropic form
Chemical reaction
Liquid phase formative
Sintering reactions
Thermal conductivity
Thermal conductivity of the bricks determines heat losses. Increase in porosity
decreases thermal conductivity but at the same time decreases strength also.
Bulk density:
Decrease in bulk density increases volume stability, heat capacity.

Refractory Material

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Refractory materials have a crucial impact on the cost and quality of steel products.

To minimize heat losses from the reaction chamber

In steelmaking, the physico-chemical properties of the following phases are important:

Iron containing carbon, silicon, manganese, phosphorous, tramp elements, non-metallic

The refractory materials should be able to withstand

MgO (pure sintered) 2800

Refractoriness decreases when refractory is under load. Therefore more

A temperature gradient in the brick which is caused by sudden heating or

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