Self-Supporting Refractory Checker Brick Modules for Glass Furnace Regenerators
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Solution Overview
Problem
The current methods for replacing and installing checker bricks in glass furnace regenerator structures are labor-intensive and time-consuming, requiring the placement of thousands of bricks, which leads to significant downtime and inefficiencies in maintaining optimal production efficiencies.
Innovation Solution
The development of self-supporting refractory checker brick modules, formed by preformed refractory checker bricks bonded with a sacrificial or non-sacrificial bonding agent, such as epoxy adhesive, arranged in a honeycomb structure to facilitate easier assembly and replacement within the regenerator structure.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If individual checker bricks are installed manually one by one, then the regenerator structure can be assembled with simple components, but the installation time and labor requirements increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The checker brick structure is divided into modular segments or courses that can be pre-assembled and then installed as complete units. This segmentation allows the regenerator to be built using standardized modules rather than individual bricks, reducing on-site assembly time while maintaining the structural integrity and functional characteristics of the traditional checker brick design
Solution Approach 2:
Checker bricks are pre-assembled into complete courses or modules off-site before installation in the regenerator. This preliminary assembly allows for quality control, proper bonding agent application, and structural verification to occur before the modules are installed in the furnace, significantly reducing on-site installation time and labor requirements
2Productivity
If thousands of individual checker bricks are placed manually, then the regenerator can be constructed with traditional methods, but labor costs and installation complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The regenerator structure is segmented into standardized modular courses that can be manufactured and installed as complete units. This reduces the number of individual placement operations from thousands of individual bricks to a manageable number of module installations, improving productivity while the modular design maintains the structural complexity needed for proper function
Solution Approach 2:
Multiple individual checker bricks are merged into single modular courses or assemblies that function as integrated units. These merged modules are installed together rather than as separate components, reducing the overall number of installation steps and improving productivity while the internal brick arrangement within each module maintains the required structural complexity
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 approach reduces the downtime required for replacement and installation of checker brick packs by allowing for prefabricated modules that can be easily assembled and transported, improving thermal efficiency and reducing labor costs.
Implementation Method 1
the checker bricks in the module are bonded to one another by a bonding agent
Implementation Method 2
which are consumed or combusted in the high heat (e.g., temperatures of about 1100°C to about 1650°C) during use of the regenerator structure
Data Source
Figure 1
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Figure 4~5
AI summary
Refractory checker brick modules for glass furnace regenerators are provided which include multiple preformed refractory checker bricks (e.g., tubular checker bricks, cruciform checker bricks, interweave checker bricks, interlock checker bricks, pigeon-hole checker bricks, basket weave checker bricks and the like) stacked in multiple off-set courses to form a honeycomb structure thereof, the checker bricks in the module being bonded to one another by a bonding agent.