Paths for Optimization of Refractory Castables Drying - Approximating the Industrial Reality Through Laboratory Development and the Academy-Industry Partnership

• Grant number: 24/03606-1
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Post-Doctoral
• Start date: March 01, 2025
• End date: February 28, 2027
• Field of knowledge: Engineering - Materials and Metallurgical Engineering - Nonmetallic Materials
• Principal Investigator: Victor Carlos Pandolfelli
• Grantee: Murilo Henrique Moreira
• Host Institution: Centro de Ciências Exatas e de Tecnologia (CCET). Universidade Federal de São Carlos (UFSCAR). São Carlos , SP, Brazil

Abstract

The research project proposed aims to continue the studies conducted during the candidate's doctoral program (FAPESP Grant 2021/00251- 0) within the scope of optimizing the drying process of refractory concretes. Thus, starting from the developed computational model in conjunction with experimental results, paths are suggested to extrapolate the observations carried out on laboratory-scale drying to the refractory lining of industrial equipment. Such partnership and mutual learning is crucial for safely reducing the drying time of monolithic materials to ensure higher profitability and minimization of the carbon footprint of this process - a demand that becomes progressively more urgent as extreme weather events become more frequent. Recent studies on this topic have been limited to exploring small-sized samples due to the constraints of the commonly available techniques. Therefore, in addition to theoretical investigation of the size effect on the drying behavior, a direct collaboration with TATA Steel Netherlands (one of the world's top ten steel producers in terms of production volume) has already started, which aims to expand the use of monolithics in steel ladles, process step that is currently limited by long drying curves. Such an industry-academia partnership will validate the models, attain vital knowledge on an industrial scale, and ultimately apply the proposed methodology to provide pathways for optimizing refractory castable drying. Additionally, as the refractory industry often adds polymer fibers as additives to mitigate explosion risks, advanced in-situ visualization techniques will be proposed to complement the results obtained from neutron tomography conducted during the candidate's doctoral studies, where the crucial role of thermally activated physical transformations in increasing permeability and facilitating the drying, as well as its complex nonlinear behavior, were identified. For that, the present project aims to make use of X-ray tomography in collaboration with the MOGNO group at Sirius (LNLS - Brazil) and neutron tomography through the already established partnership with researchers at the Institut Laue-Langevin (ILL - France) to understand the acting mechanisms of these fibers on the permeability increase of refractory concretes, which will enable in the future the design of more efficient additives.