Effects of alternate fuels Refractory Test Facility (RTF) test 1. Analysis of selected aluminosilicate refractory bricks, mortars, and fibrous insulations degraded by domestic residual oil combustion products

Technical Report · Thu Jun 01 04:00:00 EDT 1978

DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/6792950· OSTI ID:6792950

Pasto, A. E.; Tennery, V. J.

Industrial conversion in the U.S. to alternate fuels from natural gas is presently underway and is anticipated to accelerate rapidly in the next few years. Currently the prime alternate fuels are distillate and residual oils. Conversion to residual oils for high-temperature process heat applications is anticipated to result in accelerated refractory and insulation corrosion and degradation due to reactions between fuel impurities and the ceramic linings of high-temperature equipment. Analyses are presented of several generic types of refractories and fibrous insulations which were exposed to residual oil combustion products under well-controlled conditions for times ranging from hundreds to thousands of hours in a Refractory Test Facility (RTF) designed to simulate industrial process heat combustors. Results are presented for aluminosilicate refractory firebricks, mortars, and refractory fibrous insulations following exposure to domestic residual oil combustion for 500 hr at temperatures near 1375/sup 0/C (2500/sup 0/F). For all three types of refractory material, compositions with two different Al/sub 2/O/sub 3/ contents were included. The fuel oil impurities included Fe, Ca, Zn, Ni, Pb, and S in concentrations from tens to hundreds of weight ppM. Some of these impurities reacted with the refractory samples by producing a slag layer on the exposed surfaces followed by penetration into the materials. The more reactive impurities were Fe, Ca, and Zn. Reaction products include an Fe-Zn-Al oxide spinel and hercynite (FeAl/sub 2/O/sub 4/). Test samples with considerable porosity reacted more extensively with the slag. Fibrous insulation materials evaluated in this test underwent extensive shrinkage and other structural changes during the test due to reactions with the fuel oil impurities.

• Research Organization: Oak Ridge National Lab., Tenn. (USA)
• DOE Contract Number: W-7405-ENG-26
• OSTI ID: 6792950
• Report Number(s): ORNL/TM-6351
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

42 ENGINEERING
421000* -- Engineering-- Combustion Systems
CHEMICAL REACTIONS
COHERENT SCATTERING
COMBUSTION PRODUCTS
DECOMPOSITION
DESIGN
DIFFRACTION
ELECTRON MICROSCOPY
ENERGY SOURCES
FLUIDS
FOSSIL FUELS
FUEL GAS
FUEL OILS
FUEL SUBSTITUTION
FUELS
FURNACES
GAS FUELS
GASES
INDUSTRIAL PLANTS
MATERIALS TESTING
MICROSCOPY
NATURAL GAS
OILS
OPERATION
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
OTHER ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
PETROLEUM PRODUCTS
REFRACTORIES
SCATTERING
TEST FACILITIES
TESTING
THERMAL DEGRADATION
THERMAL INSULATION
VERY HIGH TEMPERATURE
X-RAY DIFFRACTION