A Modified Rotating-Finger Test Aiming to Quantify Refractory Wear Based on Fundamental Equations Governing Refractory Dissolution and Erosion

Design of wear-resistant refractories necessitates an in-depth under-
standing and accurate quantification of the continuous wear. However, the experimental methods reported in the literature are mostly phenomenological and unable to reveal the physicochemical background of continuous wear. Main goals of this work are scientific investigation of continuous refractory wear and acquisition of data for quantitative simulation of continuous wear to design wear-resistant refractories. A modified rotating-finger test (RFT) device was equipped with high-resolution laser to scan the sample surface for dimension measurement. Generally, refractory dissolution in molten slag is controlled by diffusion through a boundary layer and diffusivity is the most important parameter to quantify dissolution. The data obtained from modified RFT studies were applied to accurately determine effective binary diffusivity using simulation method or mass transfer equation. Also, results of erosion studies were applied for inverse calculation of erosion parameters. Continuous wear of alumina in silicate slag will be exemplified here.