Alteration of Refractories in Glass Furnaces

The physical and chemical erosion resistance of refractories is mainly determined by the type, distribution and bonding state of their constituent phases. General refractories are composed of one or more crystalline phases, glass phases and gas phases (pores). Glass is less chemically stable than crystal, and pores are channels (especially open pores) through which the erosive agent penetrates into the interior of refractories. The corroder first acts on the glass phase in the refractory, reacting with each other. After the solution penetrates into the refractory and melts the glass phase, the crystal in the refractory will be eroded by the glass liquid, and it is possible to continuously appear and continue to be eroded by the new part.  Porosity and glass phase are mostly present in the binder of sintered refractory, so the binder becomes the weak link of resistance to physical and chemical erosion of refractory. 

Now large furnaces mostly use bubble clarification technology, in order to improve the melting rate, but also strengthen the convection of glass liquid, increase the temperature of deep glass liquid, but also strengthen the erosion of refractory materials. 

When adding the table material to the furnace, the powder is easy to be taken away by the flowing gas in the furnace, and the dust contains a lot of alkali, which is often deposited on the upper surface of the pool wall brick to generate glaze, and flows down along the surface of the brick, so that the brick surface forms a deep groove, and even drops in the glass liquid, causing the glass liquid to produce stripes and other defects. 

The superstructure of furnace is often eroded by compound dust and volatiles.  But the dust and refractory chemical reaction, the product is left on the surface of refractory material, forming a layer of film, has a protective effect, can prevent the further erosion of refractory material with material dust.