Corrosion of high alumina refractories by Al₂O₃-CaO slag: thermodynamic and kinetic approaches

CEMHTI, CNRS UPR3079/ Université Orléans, 1D avenue de la Recherche Scientifique, 45071 Orléans Cedex 2, France
e-mail: jacques.poirier@univ-orleans.fr

Received: 10 September 2015
Accepted: 14 October 2015

Abstract

The corrosion of refractories results from reactive transport, namely, transport of slag through the open porosity of refractory and chemical reactions of the impregnated medium. The transport involves either diffusion or penetration, depending on the properties of the corrosive slag and the microstructure of the refractory material. In addition, the chemical reactions of dissolution and precipitation of new phases are highly numerous and complex. The mechanisms of corrosion are well-described in the literature. However, the corrosion kinetics is not well-known. This paper focused on the corrosion of high alumina refractories by Al₂O₃-CaO slag. The transport properties of the refractory material were assessed by a capillary rising test. Corrosion tests associated with XRD and SEM-EDS analyses were performed for a better understanding of the kinetics. The aim of this study is to predict the corrosion wear of refractories.