Tank Wall Brick Corrosion

Glass Tank Wall · Tank Wall

Problem Details

Background

The glass furnace tank wall (melting-end walls) directly contacts 1500–1600℃ glass melt—the most severely attacked furnace zone. Tank-wall bricks long-term bear melt chemical attack, scouring and gas action; erosion and thinning are the key limits on furnace life.

Failure Mechanism

Melt chemical attack: alkali oxides in the melt react with and dissolve the brick surface, forming erosion grooves and an "upper erosion line" (worst at the three-phase interface). Melt-flow scouring: melt convection and flow near weirs scour the walls. Thermal shock and stress: temperature swings impose thermal stress, cracking the bricks. Alkali-vapor attack: alkali vapor above the melt line attacks the upper wall.

Consequences

After thinning, wall strength drops with melt-breakout risk; upper-erosion-line attack can perforate the wall at the melt line; wall life shortens, forcing cold repair and shortening the campaign and glass output.

Solution

Material Selection and Parameters

Select tank walls for "high erosion resistance + low penetration":

Material system: fused-cast AZS (Al₂O₃≥48%, ZrO₂≥32%) for the most eroded melting-end walls—extreme density (porosity ≤2%) and outstanding melt resistance; zirconia brick (ZrO₂≥95%) for local doghouse and weir zones;
Structural design: thick wall bricks (e.g. 100–150mm) laid with staggered joints and zirconia mortar; replaceable "upper-erosion-line bricks" at the melt line;
Cooling protection: external air cooling to lower brick temperature and extend life.

Installation Essentials

Masonry control: lay AZS bricks with staggered joints ≤1mm and full mortar. Leveling: level and seat each course to prevent voids. Air-cooling installation: install with adjustable airflow. Kiln heating: heat slowly per the curve to avoid moisture and thermal-shock damage.

Maintenance

Control melt temperature and level stability to reduce three-phase-interface fluctuation; monitor wall temperature and upper-erosion-line position, adjusting promptly on anomalies. At mid-campaign maintenance, check residual wall thickness and replace thinned zones (especially the melt-line zone), recording erosion data to optimize grade and cooling design.

Recommended Products

Featured

Fused-Cast AZS Block

Fused-cast AZS block (Al₂O₃≥48%, ZrO₂≥32%, bulk density ≥3.60 g/cm³, porosity ≤2%) is cast from the melt to near-zero porosity, giving outstanding resistance to glass-melt erosion and scouring.

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Zirconia Brick

Zirconia brick (ZrO₂≥95%, 2300℃ max, bulk density ≥5.20 g/cm³) with stabilized high-purity zirconia resists ultra-high-temperature melts and atmospheres—among the highest-temperature oxide refractories.