Introduction to silica bricks

2024-11-27 10:48:03
Silica bricks are an important refractory material, widely used in the construction of high-temperature industrial kilns and furnace bodies. It is mainly composed of silica (SiO2) and a small amount of other oxides. It has high refractoriness, chemical stability and resistance to high-temperature shock. It is widely used in high-temperature environments in industrial production such as steel, glass, fertilizers, and cement.

1. Composition and characteristics of silica bricks
Silica bricks are mainly composed of silica (SiO2) as the basic component, and its silicon content is usually above 93%. Silica is a mineral crystallized from silicon dioxide (SiO2) and has good high-temperature resistance. The structure of silica bricks is generally porous or honeycomb, which increases its thermal shock resistance and strength.

The main characteristics of silica bricks include:

High refractoriness: The refractoriness of silica bricks is usually above 1600°C, and some high-quality silica bricks can even withstand high temperatures of more than 1700°C, so they can meet the needs of high-temperature industrial furnaces.

Good chemical stability: Silica bricks have strong resistance to acidic substances, but will corrode to a certain extent in alkaline environments.
Excellent thermal shock resistance: Silica bricks can maintain stable physical properties in high temperature and drastic temperature change environments, and are suitable for high-temperature operations that require thermal shock resistance.
High strength and high hardness: Silica bricks have high compressive strength and hardness and can withstand greater mechanical stress.
Low thermal expansion: Silica bricks have a low thermal expansion coefficient and can effectively prevent cracks and damage caused by thermal expansion.
2. Classification of silica bricks
According to the composition, firing process and performance requirements of silica bricks, silica bricks can be divided into several different types:

Ordinary silica bricks: Mainly composed of natural silica and other small amounts of oxides. It is a common type of silica brick and is widely used in furnace bodies, furnace linings and kiln walls in industries such as steel smelting, ceramic production, and glass kilns.

High-quality silica bricks: Made of high-quality silica and raw materials treated with special processes. It has a higher silicon content and better refractoriness, and is widely used in industrial furnaces with strict high-temperature requirements.

Low-porosity silica bricks: This type of silica brick has a lower porosity, higher density and strength, and is suitable for high-temperature environments with greater mechanical stress.

Anti-slag silica bricks: This type of silica bricks adds specific anti-slag ingredients to ordinary silica bricks, making it more resistant to corrosion in the metallurgical and chemical industries, and can resist the erosion of molten metals and chemical solutions at high temperatures.

3. Application fields of silica bricks
Since silica bricks have excellent high-temperature performance, they are widely used in various high-temperature industrial fields. The following are some typical applications:

Steel industry: In the process of steel smelting, silica bricks are often used for linings of blast furnaces, converters, kilns and other equipment. Since silica bricks are resistant to high temperatures and can resist the erosion of acidic gases and slag in blast furnaces, they can effectively improve the service life and production efficiency of the furnace body.

Cement industry: In equipment such as preheaters, kilns and coolers in cement production, silica bricks are used as lining materials, which can withstand high temperature environments and strong thermal shocks during cement production, reducing the frequency of equipment maintenance and replacement.

Glass industry: Glass melting furnaces need to maintain high temperatures and have high chemical stability. Silica bricks can be effectively used as lining materials for glass melting furnaces, helping the melting furnaces maintain efficient and stable working conditions.

Fertilizer industry: In the process of producing nitrogen fertilizer, phosphate fertilizer, potash fertilizer and other fertilizers, silica bricks are widely used in various reactors and pipelines, which can resist the erosion of chemical media and ensure the safety of equipment in the production process.

Petrochemical industry: In petrochemical plants, silica bricks are often used for lining of high-temperature reactors and pipelines, which can effectively resist high temperature and chemical corrosion.

IV. Production process of silica bricks
The production process of silica bricks is relatively complicated, mainly including the selection of raw materials, molding, drying, firing and other steps. The specific process is as follows:

Raw material selection: Select silica with higher purity as the main raw material, supplemented with a small amount of other minerals such as bauxite, quartz sand, etc., to adjust its chemical composition.
Preparation and molding: The silica raw material is crushed, screened, mixed with an appropriate amount of adhesive, and molded using a press or mold.
Drying: Dry the molded silica bricks to remove moisture from them to prevent cracks during firing.
Firing: The dried silica bricks are fired in a high-temperature kiln, and the temperature is usually between 1500°C and 1700°C. The firing process can promote the crystallization of silicon dioxide in silica and improve its refractoriness.
Inspection and packaging: After firing, silica bricks must undergo strict quality inspection. Only qualified silica bricks can be shipped, and unqualified ones need to be reprocessed or discarded.
V. Advantages and disadvantages of silica bricks
Advantages:
High refractoriness: Able to withstand extremely high temperatures, suitable for high-temperature industrial furnaces.
Strong chemical stability: Has good corrosion resistance to most acidic substances and is suitable for acidic environments.
Good thermal shock resistance: Has strong thermal shock resistance and can cope with drastic temperature changes.
High strength: Has high mechanical strength and can withstand large external forces.
Disadvantages:
Poor erosion resistance to alkaline substances: In a high-temperature alkaline environment, silica bricks are prone to chemical corrosion, resulting in performance degradation.
Strong brittleness: Although the strength is high, silica bricks are brittle and easily broken under mechanical impact.
VI. Summary
As an important refractory material, silica bricks are widely used in many high-temperature industrial fields such as steel, glass, and cement due to their excellent high-temperature resistance, chemical stability, and thermal shock resistance. As industrial production has increasingly higher requirements for high efficiency, energy saving and environmental protection, the research and production technology of silica bricks are also constantly innovating and developing, and its application prospects in more high-temperature fields will be broad in the future.
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