The advent of Carbon bearing refractories
with high thermal conductivity
in order to achieve high hot strength
and reduced thermal stress has
also led to the increased use
of insulation materials as back-up
lining in order to reduce the
loss of energy in absolute terms.
These materials also need to stand
a much higher temperature than
the conventional insulating materials.
The ceramic fibre based materials
are available in various forms
and sizes, for the convenience
of modern applications, namely
blanket; paper; board;
and bulk fibre .
Insulating blankets are used in
the ceramic, chemical processing;
glass and metals industries in
a wide variety of insulating and
heat protection applications.
These products are lightweight
and flexible consisting of fibres
interlocked to form a strong,
resilient material. They are extremely
efficient insulators, with low
heat storage capacity and complete
resistance to thermal shock. A
strong, lightweight double needled
blanket has application temperature
of 12600C. A high alumina material
can be used till 12000C providing
excellent handling qualities in
both hot and cold states. A zircon
blanket is suitable for continuous
use at elevated temperatures.
This blanket is made from high
purity raw materials with a very
low shrinkage characteristic.
Insulating papers have very good
strength and flexibility, and
superior insulating and handling
characteristics. These ceramic
fibre based products can be easily
trimmed, shaped and fitted to
cover irregular shapes using ordinary
hand scissors. In the metals industries,
it has found increased use, in
the equipments where volume availability
is matter of concern and directly
affect the plant productivity.
As regards to steel industry,
it has become the preferred choice
in ladle and tundish back-up.
Its maximum application temperature
has been 12500C.
Insulating board has low permeability,
low thermal conductivity and high
temperature stability. These boards
have excellent resistance to thermal
shock, have good strength and
rigidity and are easy to install.
This insulation is low density
product with uniform density across
its entire thickness and ideal
for thermal areas subject to vibration
or mechanical stress. Its maximum
application temperature has been
13500C. It has got good acceptance
as ladle back-up lining in Iron
& Steel industry.
Bulk fibre insulation is a soft,
fluffy material, which provides
superior resilience and ease of
compression in insulating and
maintenance applications. It is
used as a high temperature fill
or packing material in a variety
of high temperature applications.
