Furnace Linings With Environmentally Friendly Materials

The monolithic lining solution for ferroalloys furnaces has developed from the use of hot ramming pastes with coal tar pitch binder, to cold ramming pastes with less harmful components, or non-harmful components. New materials demand improved installation procedures, but they also improve work environment. A good installation is then easier to obtain and control. Recommended changes in installation of new and health friendly materials are given together with measurements of baked properties. We have shown that coal tar pitch containing materials are robust against different heating rates and temperature plateaus, in the previous Infacon. Heating and curing of environmentally friendly materials, are often much more demanding. Measured temperatures inside a monolithic lining during baking are shown together with simulated temperatures done with COMSOL. Properties of new and old materials together with temperatures, and different heating rates are given. These show which changes that should be done in procedures when old and harmful materials are changed into health friendly materials. Temperature measurements and simulations also show when critical areas of the lining are baked, and metal production can start.