Lifetime Critical Analysis of Alumina Calciner Refractories
1 Alcoa Latin America and Caribbean, Research, Development and Innovation Area Primary Products Commercial Dept., Brazil
2 Alcoa World Alumina Point Comfort Refinery/USA
3 Federal University of São Carlos, Materials Microstructural Engineering Group, Materials Engineering Dept./Brazil
Revision 19.01.2013, 12.04.2013
Volume 5, Issue 3, Pages 101-106
Abstract
References of optimized refractory materials for lining circulating fluidized bed alumina calciners are commonly found in the literature. However, unexpected failures of these refractories are relatively usual, affecting the performance of alumina refineries in various aspects. Due to the importance of this subject, this work addresses the performance analysis of a gunning refractory that faced harsh operational conditions and resulted in a short working life. “Post-mortem” evaluation, “in situ” observation and property characterization were used to study and understand the materials’ behavior in use. Based on the attained results, discussions related to a better performance potential of distinct refractories is presented, highlighting that significant improvements of calciner refractory life can still be attained having a direct benefit on the processing operational time and lost income reduction.
Keywords
refractories, calciners, alumina
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