Year: 2024
Type: article
Abstract: The lifespan of refractory linings is a major industrial concern for safety, on-line availability, and financial reasons. In copper smelting, batchwise operating matte converters are the furnaces that pose the greatest challenge when it comes to refractory wear and lining life. In this work, the structure and morphology of used magnesia–chrome bricks were studied using X-ray computed tomography and mineralogical techniques. The bricks were taken from various locations of an end-of-life brick lining of an industrial Peirce–Smith converter, after a normal campaign at Boliden Harjavalta smelter (Finland). The results show that it is possible to visualize in 3D, e.g., porosity, metal-containing phases, and refractory magnesia in the used bricks. Different digital images, such as cross-sections and average volume fractions, were used as a non-destructive method to characterize the bricks’ internal structure. The metal/matte infiltration in the open porosity was found to differ based on the location in the converter, with some bricks having no metal/matte infiltration and the tuyere line showing metal/matte infiltration at a depth of about 100 mm from the hot face.
Source: JOM
Authors: Iida Pankka, Muhammad Saboor Ahmed, Joonas Tammela, Pekka Taskinen, Daniel Lindberg
Institution: Aalto University
Language: English
Subfield: Mechanical Engineering
Field: Engineering
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: hybrid
Estimated APC paid: $3,790
Funder: Aalto-Yliopisto
OpenAlex ID: W4402192252