In-situ gravimetric studies of wetting, penetration and wear of refractories by molten slags

Abstract

Slag attack on refractories usually involves wetting, penetration, dissolution and severe wear of refractories. Conventional refractory testing techniques, relying on post mortem analysis, provide limited information on the process. To overcome this limitation, a new gravimetric technique, based on wetting and capillary effects, has been developed for studying these interactive and dynamic processes. The technique has been successfully applied to three slag-refractory systems pertinent to typical ferrous and non-ferrous processes. The in-situ gravimetric data gave insights into a variety of refractory-slag interactions and provided quantitative information on the wetting and penetration of the refractories by molten slags.