Silica crown refractory corrosion in glass melting furnaces

Abstract

The critical parameters of silica refractories, such as compressive strength, bulk, density, quantity of silica, microstructure and porosity were evaluated of unused and used bricks to line the crowns of glass furnaces, when the rate of corrosion of crowns were about 2 times greater. The change of these parameters, the chemical composition and formation of the microcracks in the used silica refractories material were studied. It was established that the short time at service of container glass furnace crown can be related to low quality of silica brick: high quantity of CaO and impurities, low quantity of silica, low quantity of silica, transferred to tridymite and cristobalite and formation of 5-10 μm and more than 100 μm cracks in the crown material. The main reason of corrosion high quality silica bricks used to line the crown of electrovacuum glass furnace is the multiple cyclic change of crown temperature at 1405 - 1430 °C range in the initial zone of crown and at 1575 - 1605 °C range in the zone of highest temperatures.