Where are alumina hollow ball bricks used?
Release time: 2025-04-30
Hollow alumina balls belong to the category of lightweight bricks, and their usage is not very widespread at present.
Hollow alumina balls belong to the category of lightweight bricks, and their usage is not very widespread at present.
Lightweight hollow ball bricks use hollow alumina balls as the main raw material, adding ultrafine powder and other process components for drying and molding. The alumina raw material is melted into a liquid state in a tilting electric furnace. The furnace is tilted to a certain angle, allowing the solution to flow out from the pouring trough. Then, hollow alumina balls, sintered alumina fine powder, and a binder are mixed in a certain proportion, molded, and fired at 1750℃ in a shuttle kiln. It is a good lightweight refractory material. Hollow ball bricks are lightweight, high-temperature resistant, have low linear change, and excellent thermal shock resistance. They can be used as insulation layers and directly in the working layer.
Currently, the proportion of heavy refractory bricks used is higher. However, some furnace types require reducing the weight of the furnace body to optimize the structure. The bulk density of high-temperature resistant heavy refractory bricks is above 2.6g/cm³, while the bulk density of alumina hollow ball bricks is only 1.1~1.5g/cm³. Using hollow ball bricks in the same cubic meter volume can reduce the kiln weight by 1-2 tons.
From a cost perspective, the prices of heavy bricks and hollow ball bricks are similar. In special areas, the price of alumina hollow ball bricks may be slightly higher than that of heavy bricks. However, in terms of weight, using hollow ball bricks reduces the weight by 1-2 tons per cubic meter. Furthermore, there is no need for an additional insulation layer, reducing the amount used and saving fuel. Not only is the effect good, but the cost is also significantly reduced.
Due to the good thermal insulation performance of alumina hollow balls, heat dissipation is reduced, improving thermal efficiency and achieving energy savings of up to 30%. Therefore, some high-temperature zones of kiln linings or the linings of shuttle kilns use hollow ball bricks entirely, resulting in significant weight reduction and improved performance.
Alumina hollow ball bricks have high aluminum content, low iron content, and low bulk density. They are used in the high-temperature working areas of shuttle kilns and tunnel kilns, and can also be used as insulation layers in high-temperature zones.
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