Development of models and online diagnostic monitors of the high-temperature corrosion of refractories in oxy/fuel glass furnaces : final project report.

Technical Report · Tue Feb 01 00:00:00 EST 2005

DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/922757· OSTI ID:922757

Griffiths, Stewart K; Gupta, Amul ^[1]; Walsh, Peter M; Rice, Steven F; Velez, Mariano ^[2]; Allendorf, Mark D; Pecoraro, George A ^[3]; Nilson, Robert H; Wolfe, H Edward ^[4]; Yang, Nancy Y. C.; Spear, Karl E ^[5]; Ghani, M Usman ^[6]

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1. Monofrax Inc., Falconer, NY
2. University of Missouri, Rolla, MO
3. PPG Industries, Inc., Pittsburgh, PA
4. ANH Refractories, Pittsburgh, PA
5. Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA
6. American Air Liquide, Countryside, IL

This report summarizes the results of a five-year effort to understand the mechanisms and develop models that predict the corrosion of refractories in oxygen-fuel glass-melting furnaces. Thermodynamic data for the Si-O-(Na or K) and Al-O-(Na or K) systems are reported, allowing equilibrium calculations to be performed to evaluate corrosion of silica- and alumina-based refractories under typical furnace operating conditions. A detailed analysis of processes contributing to corrosion is also presented. Using this analysis, a model of the corrosion process was developed and used to predict corrosion rates in an actual industrial glass furnace. The rate-limiting process is most likely the transport of NaOH(gas) through the mass-transport boundary layer from the furnace atmosphere to the crown surface. Corrosion rates predicted on this basis are in better agreement with observation than those produced by any other mechanism, although the absolute values are highly sensitive to the crown temperature and the NaOH(gas) concentration at equilibrium and at the edge of the boundary layer. Finally, the project explored the development of excimer laser induced fragmentation (ELIF) fluorescence spectroscopy for the detection of gas-phase alkali hydroxides (e.g., NaOH) that are predicted to be the key species causing accelerated corrosion in these furnaces. The development of ELIF and the construction of field-portable instrumentation for glass furnace applications are reported and the method is shown to be effective in industrial settings.

• Research Organization: Sandia National Laboratories (SNL), Albuquerque, NM, and Livermore, CA (United States)
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE
• DOE Contract Number: AC04-94AL85000
• OSTI ID: 922757
• Report Number(s): SAND2005-1196; TRN: US200818%%461
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE
32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATION
REFRACTORIES
CORROSION
MATHEMATICAL MODELS
GLASS INDUSTRY
FURNACES
SILICON OXIDES
ALUMINIUM OXIDES
CHEMICAL REACTION KINETICS
SODIUM HYDROXIDES
CORROSIVE EFFECTS
ON-LINE MEASUREMENT SYSTEMS
LASER SPECTROSCOPY
FLUORESCENCE
Corrosion resistant materials.
Glass-Thermal properties.
Furnaces-Combustion.
Furnaces-Testing.
Materials at high temperatures-Corrosion