REFRACTORY SELECTION, MAINTENANCE AND RELATED DEFECTS (INTRODUCTORY TRAINING)

The course will provide you with insight into why different parts of the furnace, including melter, refiner, working end/forehearth channels and regenerator chambers, require different refractory types with specific chemistry and properties. The course will also provide you with some maintenance techniques that can be used to increase the furnace lifetime and reduce the risk of refractory failures.

Contents:

• Key refractory materials, requirements and properties
• Interaction mechanisms of refractories in contact with the glass melt and in contact with flue gases
• Exercises on:
  – Refractory selection for different furnace parts
  – Thermal insulation of refractory walls
• Refractory testing and on-line monitoring techniques
• Preventive maintenance of the furnace structure
• Corrective maintenance and hot repair of the furnace structure
• Identifying and understanding refractory related solid defects and cords
• Exercises on:
  – Refractory defect identification
  – Technique for furnace maintenance