Refractory Corrosion Behaviour Under Air-Fuel And Oxy-Fuel Environments

Various candidate refractories for furnace crown applications were independently tested for corrosion resistance under air-fuel and oxy-fuel combustion conditions, both in a laboratory test furnace at GRP Inc. and in a pilot-scale glass melting furnace at Corning Inc. Empirical refractory corrosion results from tests with a wide range of glass compositions are discussed with reference to theoretical behavioural predictions, and corrosion mechanisms are explained. Identical corrosion mechanisms and relative performance behaviour of the different refractories were defined in both tests, in agreement with results obtained from testing in industrial glass melting furnaces.