Designing high‐performance refractory castables for aluminum and petrochemical applications is not a straightforward target as at their operation temperature range (800°C–1250°C) usual refractory binders show low‐bonding effectiveness and also low sinterability. Taking this into account, colloidal binders can anticipate the castable's densification and inhibit the drawbacks regarding the calcium aluminate hydrates’ decomposition, as the former does not present the typical hydraulic setting of traditional binders. To attain even better results, sintering additives can be incorporated to induce lower temperature densification. Nevertheless, the key issue is to select a suitable additive that is able to generate a transient liquid, leading to densification but with no refractoriness drawbacks, such as low‐hot mechanical properties. Considering these aspects, the objective of this work was to design a novel refractory material able to display a high performance within a wide temperature range. High erosion, hot mechanical and thermal shock resistances were attained pointing out an outstanding potential to increase the refractory lining working life of aluminum and petrochemical equipment units.
The deterioration of refractories used in fluidized catalytic cracking units (FCC-units) is responsible for high costs of maintenance for the petrochemical industry. This is commonly associated with coke deposition during the production of light hydrocarbons. However, other mechanisms responsible for causing damage may also occur, such as the generation of cracks by expansive phase transition. The aim of the work herein was to study the contribution of the a-b phase transition of quartz particles to the deterioration of a commercial aluminosilicate refractory used in a riser by the means of slow thermal cycles. Such damage may occur if the working temperature of the equipment fluctuates around the a-b transition temperature (573 °C). The current study considered the material with and without coke impregnation to evaluate the combined effect of coke presence and phase transition. To evaluate the damage, it was used the Young's modulus as a function of temperature by applying the Impulse Excitation Technique under controlled atmosphere. An equipment recently developed by the authors research group was applied. Specimens were prepared and submitted to slow thermal cycles of temperatures up to 500 °C and up to 700 °C, with a heating rate of 2 °C/min. Part of the specimens was previously impregnated with coke by a reactor using propen. To complete the evaluation, characterization by X-ray diffraction, as well as by dilatometry and scanning electron microscopy were performed. The findings of this study showed that the presence of quartz particles determine the thermo-mechanical behaviour of the material, as well as the thermocycling damage resistance. In spite of the fact that the a-b phase transition stiffens the material during the heating stage, it increases the damage by slow thermal cycling. The coke impregnation increases the resistance to slow thermal cycles, however it decreases the resistance to the damage evolution.
Os concretos refratários usados em unidades de craqueamento catalítico fluidizado (UFCC) podem sofrer deterioração pela deposição de coque durante o processo de produção de hidrocarbonetos leves, ocasionando a diminuição do tempo de funcionamento do reator e conseqüente perda financeira para as petroquímicas. Diversos estudos foram feitos, porém nenhum deles aponta conclusivamente para a parcela que esta deposição tem na deterioração do concreto, permanecendo a dúvida se ele é o responsável pelos danos observados macroscopicamente no riser de uma UFCC. Este trabalho visou estudar o efeito do tempo de exposição a uma atmosfera coqueificante sobre um concreto refratário anti-erosivo, classe C, buscando identificar mudanças nas propriedades físicas e microestruturais que evidenciem o mecanismo de degradação e que possam fornecer subsídios para análises conclusivas acerca do entendimento do fenômeno. Para isso, prepararam-se amostras de um concreto usado industrialmente em UFCC, submetidas a um processo de coqueificação forçado em reator piloto. Fixou-se a temperatura e a taxa de aquecimento em 540 ºC e 50 ºC/h, respectivamente, variando-se os tempos de exposição ao gás propeno em 10, 60, 120, 240 e 480 h. Os corpos de prova tiveram suas microestruturas caracterizadas via microscopia ótica e eletrônica de varredura e suas fases por difração de raios X. Outros ensaios complementares foram necessários para o entendimento do fenômeno. Os resultados mostraram que a superfície e a microestrutura do material gradativamente se impregnam de coque, que preenche os poros, as microtrincas e as trincas. Não foram encontradas evidências de microtrincamento em torno dos poros da matriz do concreto preenchidos com coque, porém os agregados apresentam algum tipo de deterioração com o tempo de exposição ao propeno, não necessariamente causados diretamente pelo coque.
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