Modelado del proceso de secado de refractarios

F. BALZAROTTI; T. SÍMARO; P. MARINO; P. GALLIANO

Concepcion

Congreso; XV Congreso Internacional de Metalurgia y Materiales SAM/ CONAMET 2015; 2015

SAM/ CONAMET

The drying process of a refractory material is a critical step to assure a suitable lining installation and further performance in operation. During this stage, water vapor is eliminated through the hot surface and internal pressures are generated in the refractory pores that could lead to material damage. To avoid this risk, empirical heating curves that assure materials integrity are usually employed. These empirical curves can be optimized with the help of laboratory measurements and numerical tools. Drying of shaped and monolithic refractories can be also critical when the refractory lining becomes wet due to operative events such as cooling panel leakages or rapid cooling steps in steelmaking and iron making vessels. In this work, reported models of heat and mass transfer that simulates refractory drying stage are reviewed, as well as information about measurements and process characterization methodologies available in the open literature. In these models, the temperature field is coupled with the transport of water inside the material, with the aim to predict both the amount of released water and the achieved internal pressure. Water behavior inside the material is characterized by means of its permeability and a state equation that relates amount of water with relative humidity and temperature. The implemented model is presented together with the experimental device that was developed for its validation through permeability and internal pressure measurements under different testing conditions. After this stage, the model will be used as a tool for improving drying cycles with the aim to minimize drying time without increasing internal pressures inside the lining.