Refractory thermal conductivity

Refractories are materials that resist the action of hot environments by containing heat energy and hot or molten materials (1). There is no weU-estabhshed line of demarcation between those materials that are and those that are not refractory. The abiUty to withstand temperatures above 1100°C without softening has, however, been cited as a practical requirement of industrial refractory materials (see Ceramics). The type of refractories used in any particular apphcation depends on the critical requirements of the process. For example, processes that demand resistance to gaseous orHquid corrosion require low permeabihty, high physical strength, and abrasion resistance. Conditions that demand low thermal conductivity may require entirely different refractories. Combinations of several refractories are generally employed. 

Thermal Conductivity. The refractory thermal conductivity depends on the chemical and mineral composition of the material and increases with decreasing porosity. The thermal conductivities of some common refractories are shown in Figure 2. 

Fig. 2. Thermal conductivity of refractories where ASF = aluminosiUcate fiber and ZF = 2ii conia fiber. See Table 13 for group classifications (5,25).

Any refractory material that does not decompose or vaporize can be used for melt spraying. Particles do not coalesce within the spray. The temperature of the particles and the extent to which they melt depend on the flame temperature, which can be controlled by the fueLoxidizer ratio or electrical input, gas flow rate, residence time of the particle in the heat zone, the particle-size distribution of the powders, and the melting point and thermal conductivity of the particle. Quenching rates are very high, and the time required for the molten particle to soHdify after impingement is typically to... 

The most important properties of refractory fibers are thermal conductivity, resistance to thermal and physical degradation at high temperatures, tensile strength, and elastic modulus. Thermal conductivity is affected by the material s bulk density, its fiber diameter, the amount of unfiberized material in the product, and the mean temperature of the insulation. Products fabricated from fine fibers with few unfiberized additions have the lowest thermal conductivities at high temperatures. A plot of thermal conductivity versus mean temperature for three oxide fibers having equal bulk densities is shown in Figure 2. 

Fig. 2. Thermal conductivity of refractory fiber insulations with 96-mg/cm density.

Because of high thermal conductivity and low thermal expansion, siUcon carbide is very resistant to thermal shock as compared to other refractory materials. 

Refractories. Its low coefficient of expansion, high thermal conductivity, and general chemical and physical stabihty make sihcon carbide a valuable material for refractory use. Suitable apphcations for sihcon carbide refractory shapes include boiler furnace walls, checker bricks, mufflers, kiln furniture, furnace skid rails, trays for zinc purification plants, etc (see Refractories). 

The pure metal has a very high melting point (2996°C) and is blue-grey and like lead in appearance. It has a density of about twice that of carbon steel (16.6 g/cm ) and a similar thermal conductivity. It is one of the refractory metals and suitable for high temperature application under protective conditions. 

Resistance to medium-high temperatures (higher temperatures than most glasses but lower than the refractory oxides) and low thermal conductivity. 

The refractory-metal borides have a structure which is dominated by the boron configuration. This clearly favors the metallic properties, such as high electrical and thermal conductivities and high hardness. Chemical stability, which is related to the electronic... 

Thermal conductivity and heat capacity In practical applications, refractory materials processing high thermal capacity as well as low thermal conductivity are required, depending upon (of course) the functional requirements. In most situations, a refractory that serves as a furnace wall should have a low thermal conductivity in order to retain as much as heat as possible. However, a refractory used in the construction of the walls of muffles or retorts or coke ovens should have a high thermal conductivity in order to transmit as much heat as possible to the interior. The charge remains separated from flame in these specific examples of installations. 

The porosity of refractory bricks has a direct bearing on the thermal conductivity. The densest and the least porous bricks have the highest thermal conductivity owing to the absence of air voids. On the other hand, in porous bricks the entrapped air in the pores acts as a nonconducting material. 

The problems associated with direct reaction calorimetry are mainly associated with (1) the temperature at which reaction can occur (2) reaction of the sample with its surroundings and (3) the rate of reaction which usually takes place in an uncontrolled matmer. For low melting elements such as Zn, Pb, etc., reaction may take place quite readily below S00°C. Therefore, the materials used to construct the calorimeter are not subjected to particularly high temperatures and it is easy to select a suitably non-reactive metal to encase the sample. However, for materials such as carbides, borides and many intermetallic compounds these temperatures are insufficient to instigate reaction between the components of the compound and the materials of construction must be able to withstand high temperatures. It seems simple to construct the calorimeter from some refractory material. However, problems may arise if its thermal conductivity is very low. It is then difficult to control the heat flow within the calorimeter if some form of adiabatic or isothermal condition needs to be maintained, which is further exacerbated if the reaction rates are fast. 

Adiabatic calorimeters have also been used for direct-reaction calorimetry. Kubaschewski and Walter (1939) designed a calorimeter to study intermetallic compoimds up to 700°C. The procedure involved dropping compressed powders of two metals into the calorimeter and maintaining an equal temperature between the main calorimetric block and a surrounding jacket of refractory alloy. Any rise in temperature due to the reaction of the metal powders in the calorimeter was compensated by electrically heating the surrounding jacket so that its temperature remained the same as the calorimeter. The heat of reaction was then directly a function of the electrical energy needed to maintain the jacket at the same temperature as the calorimeter. One of the main problems with this calorimeter was the low thermal conductivity of the refractory alloy which meant that it was very difficult to maintain true adiabatic conditions. 

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