Papers by Author: Jacques Poirier

Abstract: Corrosion of refractories results from reactive transport namely, transport of agents and chemical reactions of these agents with impregnated medium. On one hand, the transport involves either diffusion or impregnation depending on the state of the corrosive agents and the microstructure of the host media. On the other hand, chemical reactions may be very numerous and complex. This study focused on the reactive impregnation of Al₂O₃-CaO slag into porous high alumina refractory.Transport properties of the porous media have been assessed by performing wicking test. Chemical reactions between the solid high alumina skeleton and Al₂O₃-CaO slag involve successive dissolution/precipitation mechanisms forming aluminates of lime. Contrary to the thermodynamic properties of the binary system, the kinetics of these solid/liquid reactions is not well known. Corrosion tests associated with quenching method, XRD and high temperature XRD were performed for a better understanding of the kinetics.

Abstract: Damage of SiC oxide bonded refractories in waste-to-energy facilities (WtE) has been characterized. Different phenomena were observed: wear by slag phases, volume expansion of tiles and fracture in different locations. These results are in agreement with laboratory experiments. The role of gas composition and tiles temperature profile on deposit composition, on condensation of gaseous alkali chloride and on formation of liquid phase inside the porosity of the refractories has been emphasized. Gaseous alkali species are involved, not only in the formation of liquid phases, but also as a precursor of cristoballite formation around the SiC grains as well as in the rich alumina-silica matrix. On the hot face of the refractories, oxo-reduction reactions produce the formation of wollastonite. Post-mortem analysis after several thousand hours of operation point to three main corrosion mechanisms:

Abstract: Corrosion by liquid oxides is one of the most severe modes of degradations which limit the lifetime of the refractory linings. The study of the microstructures of corroded refractories provides essential information. However, the interpretation of the microscopic observations is difficult : - The refractories are multi-component and heterogeneous ceramics, - The microscopic observations are carried out at room temperature. They are not representative of the mineral and vitreous phases existing at high temperature, - During cooling, new solid phases appear by crystallization of liquid oxides. The composition of the vitreous phases also evolves with the temperature. Consequently, the information obtained is often limited. In this paper , we will present a method to analyse and interpret the microstructures of refractories after use. The concept of local thermodynamic equilibrium and the use of the phase rule make it possible to interpret the microstructures of corroded refractories, to explain the observed mineral zonation and to quantify the composition of the liquid phase at high temperature from chemical profiles established by S.E.M. Experimental data from corrosion of MgO-C, Al2O3-MgO and high alumina refractories will illustrate and validate this theoretical approach.