Monolithic Refractory Crown for Glass Furnace Regenerator
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Solution Overview
Problem
The current process for building glass regenerator structures is labor-intensive and prone to degradation due to mortar joints, which are susceptible to corrosive gases, leading to frequent shutdowns and rebuilding needs.
Innovation Solution
The use of monolithic refractory crown and rider arches, formed from pre-cast refractory materials with concentric arcuate surfaces and interlocking designs, reduces the number of mortar joints and provides a more durable structure by compressively holding buck stays and tie rods, enhancing structural integrity.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If traditional refractory bricks with mortar joints are used to construct regenerator structures, then the construction process is simpler and more flexible, but the structure is more susceptible to degradation from corrosive gases and requires frequent rebuilding
Solution Approach 1:
Multiple separate refractory brick units are merged into a single monolithic crown arch structure that spans across the regenerator walls. This integration eliminates the need for numerous mortar joints between individual bricks, creating a continuous refractory barrier that resists corrosive gas penetration while maintaining structural integrity over extended periods
Solution Approach 2:
The monolithic crown arch is divided into multiple modular segments or panels that can be manufactured separately and then assembled on-site. This segmentation allows for simplified construction and installation while maintaining the overall monolithic structure's resistance to corrosive gases, as the segments fit together to form a complete arch without requiring traditional mortar joints
2Productivity
If hundreds of thousands of refractory bricks are individually placed with mortar, then the regenerator structure can be constructed using traditional methods, but the labor intensity increases and construction time extends to many weeks
Solution Approach 1:
The crown arch structure is pre-manufactured as a complete monolithic unit or modular segments in a controlled manufacturing environment before being transported to the regenerator site. This preliminary fabrication of the entire arch structure eliminates the need for on-site brick-by-brick construction, dramatically reducing installation time to a matter of days rather than weeks while the pre-casting process ensures consistent quality and dimensional accuracy
3Object-affected harmful factors
If mortar joints are used to assemble refractory bricks, then the structure can be built more easily, but the mortar joints become the weakest part and are more readily susceptible to degradation by corrosive hot gasses
Solution Approach 1:
Multiple refractory brick units are merged into a single monolithic crown arch structure that spans across the regenerator walls. This integration eliminates the need for numerous mortar joints between individual bricks, creating a continuous refractory barrier that resists corrosive gas penetration while maintaining structural integrity over extended periods
Solution Approach 2:
The crown arch is constructed using composite refractory materials that combine different refractory substances with complementary properties. This composite construction provides both the structural strength needed to support the regenerator roof and the chemical resistance required to withstand prolonged exposure to corrosive hot gases, with the composite material itself serving as the bonding medium rather than traditional mortar
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This solution significantly reduces the labor required for construction and refurbishment, prolongs the regenerator structure's lifespan, and minimizes downtime by creating a more robust and corrosion-resistant structure.
Implementation Method 1
tie rods connecting opposite ones of the buck stays on the exterior of the side and end walls so as to compressively hold the buck stays against the side and end walls
Implementation Method 2
a crown arch assembly forming an arched roof of the regenerator
Implementation Method 3
fresh combustion air is drawn up through the pack of heated checker bricks in the regenerator structure and preheated by means of heat transfer
Implementation Method 4
waste combustion gas exits the glass furnace and passes through a second regenerator structure. As the waste gasses pass through the second regenerator the checkers in the pack are heated by means of heat transferred from the waste gas
Data Source
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AI summary
Glass furnace regenerators having opposed pairs of side and end walls (16,18) formed of refractory blocks, a crown arch assembly (40) forming an arched roof of the regenerator, and a rider arch assembly (50) forming an interior floor of the regenerator are provided, wherein at least one of the crown arch assembly and rider arch assembly is formed of adjacently positioned one-piece monolithic precast structures of refractory materials.