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 00:00:00 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. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)
• 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
FURNACES
FUEL SUBSTITUTION
THERMAL INSULATION
INDUSTRIAL PLANTS
REFRACTORIES
THERMAL DEGRADATION
COMBUSTION PRODUCTS
DECOMPOSITION
DESIGN
ELECTRON MICROSCOPY
FUEL OILS
MATERIALS TESTING
NATURAL GAS
OPERATION
TEST FACILITIES
VERY HIGH TEMPERATURE
X-RAY DIFFRACTION
CHEMICAL REACTIONS
COHERENT SCATTERING
DIFFRACTION
ENERGY SOURCES
FLUIDS
FOSSIL FUELS
FUEL GAS
FUELS
GAS FUELS
GASES
MICROSCOPY
OILS
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
OTHER ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
PETROLEUM PRODUCTS
SCATTERING
TESTING
421000* - Engineering- Combustion Systems