Refractories for the Chemical Industries

Book excerpt: The book provides process engineers, an insight into refractories focusing on its importance and requirements in chemical process industries such as refinery and petrochemicals, syngas manufacturing, coal gasification, limestone calcinations, carbon black, glass, and cement production. Additionally the book discusses the refractory requirements for the CFBC boiler, and waste heat utilization process to generate steam. The book describes characterization of refractory material and selection process of the refractory for lining different equipments pertaining to the chemical process industry. The book covers refractory installation techniques, and the precautions to be taken during installation are discussed in detail along with the theoretical background. It explains the physical and chemical factors that influence the performances of refractory, mechanism of its degradation in service and emphasizes on the thermo-chemical and thermo-mechanical aspects and their role in that process . The content lays out different methods of monitoring Refractory lining conditions while the furnace is in operation and also elucidates few methods to repair the worn out lining without taking a shutdown. The scheme of investigation of a refractory failure is an added feature.