CONTAINER%20GLASS%20FEEDERS%20:%20RECENT%20DEVELOPMENTS%20IN%20THE%20CHOICE%20OF%20REFRACTORY%20MATERIALS

1
CONTAINER GLASS FEEDERS RECENT DEVELOPMENTS IN
THE CHOICE OF REFRACTORY MATERIALS

• AFGM Edsa Shangri-la MANILA
• SEPTEMBER 21, 2006

2

• It is clearly understood that feeders play a
  crucial rolein the quality of glass produced by
  the furnace.
• Any defects generated in the feeder zones could
  wellbe found in the finished product, since the
  glass at thisstage works at relatively low
  temperatures and has a low capacityto absorb
  any flaws.
• In addition, market demands for quality are
  constantly on theincrease. Defects and flaws
  which were acceptable in the recentpast are now
  often cause for rejecting the glass. This
  jeopardizesboth yield and profitability of
  glass production.
• Regardless of the design used to channel the
  glass from thedistributor to the machines,and
  to condition it thermally for forming,the
• choice of the refractories in glass contact is
  increasingly important.

3
SAINT-GOBAIN SEFPRO
GLASS CONTACT PRODUCT RANGE
4
Product Range AZS Product Range AZS
Brand name ER 1681 RN ZA 33
Type of product Fused cast Bonded
Chemical analysis Al2O3 ZrO2 50.9 32.5 75.5 10.5
Physical characteristics Bulk density Open porosity Expansion at 1000 C () 3.5 2 0.9 3.0 16 0.7
Glass quality Bubbling index 1100 C-1h (0-10) Stoning index 1250 C- 36h (0-5) AZS cat scratches Corrosion resistance (MGR 72 h 1350 C) 1-2 0-1 100 1-2 1-2 80
5
Product range Alumina Product range Alumina Product range Alumina
Brand name JARGAL M SCIMOS M BPAL ARKAL 60 PR
Type of product Fused cast Bonded Bonded
Chemical analysis Al2O3 ZrO2 95.0 - 93.0 - 68.0 -
Physical characteristics Bulk density Open porosity Expansion at 1000 C () 3.17 3 0.75 3.10 14 0.80 2.57 15 0.52
Glass quality Bubbling index 1100 C-1h (0-10) Stoning index 1250 C-36h (0-5) AZS cat scratches Corrosion resistance (MGR 72 h 1350 C) 0-2 0 0 100 1-2 0-1 0 80 4-5 2-3 0 45
6
Out of these 5 types of products, which one is
the best technico-economical candidate to be used
as feeder channel blocks for containers?
7
Corrosion curves as a function of temperature (
PFT test )
Corrosion in mm
12
ER 1681
9
6
JARGAL M
3
BPAL ZA33
1200
1300
1400
1500
1600
1350
Temperatures in Celsius
8

• These curves show clearly that, for feeder
• applications, where temperatures commonly occur
• between 1200C and 1280C, corrosion resistance
• difference between BPAL/ZA33 and fused cast AZS
  or
• Alumina is very low.
• For campaigns 8 12 years, which is the usual
  lifetime in containers, no need to use fused cast
  channel blocks.

9
What about  CAT SCRATCHES ?

• One of the types of flaws most often
• encountered in container glass are flaws
• known as  cat scratches .
• Market sensitivity to this flaw is constantly
• growing, and the flaw affects not only white
• and flint glass, but also colored glass.

10
CAT SCRATCHES definition

• Vitreous defect,

• Band of fine parallel cords,

• Located at the outside surface of the article,

• Diameter between 5 and 30 µm.

Microprobe analysis are done on the cat
scratches section
11
CAT SCRATCHES refractory characteristics
Throat
Feeder
Working end
Melting / Refining
Decrease of the glass potential to dissolve
defects
1350C
Corrosion rate or temperature
1550C
1200C
Main characteristic
Defect formation potential
Corrosion
12

• Based on several decades of experience in
• expert appraisals of glass inclusions, the
• research teams at Saint-Gobain SEFPRO
• have developed highly precise typology of
• these cat scratches.
• In 85 of the cases, they are characterized
• by the simultaneous presence of significant
• amounts of zirconia and alumina.

13

• Research into the ZrO2/Al2O3 ratio, and the
• presence of certain elements which clearly show
• a fusion origin (V2O5 for example in the case of
  
• fuel-heated furnaces) have helped identify the
• origin, which, in 80 to 90 of the cases, is
  the end
• zone of the furnace distributor and feeders.
• This understanding has led many glassmakers to
• reduce the use of Zircon-Mullite type materials
  as
• much as possible, and generally speaking to
• reduce the use of any material with significant
• amounts of zirconia, in their feeders.

14

• As a consequence of these results
• A good way to significantly decrease AZS
  cat-scratches is to remove ZrO2 from
   cold-end 
• - Working end JARGAL M / SCIMOS M
• - Feeders BPAL

15
BPAL channel blocks feasability
TO-DATE inside width 1500
mm 60  bottom/walls thickness
150 mm 6  lenght 610
mm 18  inside height 300
mm 12   Bigger sizes on request.
16
BPAL references ABOUT 500 FEEDER LINES SINCE
1990 WORLDWIDE
17
BPAL
18
BPAL
19
BPAL
20
Baby-food/flint glass/8.5 years campaign
BPAL
21
Baby-food/flint glass/8.5 years campaign
BPAL
22

• LAST DEVELOPMENT (2005-2006)
• ON BONDED ALUMINA FEEDER CHANNEL BLOCKS
• HPAL
• Even better corrosion resistance vs BPAL
• Almost no blistering in contact
• with extra-white soda-lime glass

23
New alumina product for feeder
24
ABOUT BLISTERING

• Beside  cat scratches  , market can also be
• sensitive to another type of flaw,
• particulary for white glass Blisters.
• In the bonded Alumina range of products for
• channel blocks one can find differences on
• blistering, going more deeply in the
• laboratory testing.

25
Blistering test Le Pontet

• - 1100C 1h immersed sample in the glass
• - Scale 0-1 (very low blistering) ? 10 (very
  high blistering)

• 1100C 1h, white / flint soda lime glass (Fe2O3
  1000 ppm)
• No big differentiation

HPAL
2
0
JARGAL M
BPAL
1
26
New crucible blistering test
- 1250C 30h or more glass inside crucible,
like in the feeder. - Scale 10 (low blistering)
?100 (high blistering). - Closer to feeder
running conditions (T, air, ) - More blistering
differences than in LP test. - Need more tests
in order to have a large data base
27
New crucible blistering test
1250C 30h white / flint soda lime glass
More differentiation
high Alumina product
JARGAL M
BPAL
HPAL
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
28
New crucible blistering test
1250C 30h extra-white soda lime glass (Fe2O3
lt 300 ppm)
high Alumina product
JARGAL M
BPAL
HPAL
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
29
New alumina product for feeder
HPAL
First two orders to be delivered end 2006
30
NEW PRODUCTS IN THE FIELD OF EXPENDABLES

• Spouts with Zirchrom 85 inserts
• ZA33 LB Low seeding after starting up
• ZA33HR Higher thermal shock resistance
• to prevent fracturation

31
SPOUT with ZIRCHROM 85 insert
ZA 33 (11 ZrO2) or ZIRAL 61 (19 ZrO2)
Patented high chrome product (83,5 Cr2O3) with
better thermal shock resistance than any other
More than 3 times the life of monolithic spouts
32
Spouts with bonded chrome insert (ZIRCHROM 85)
Case story 1 - Cascade bowl ZA 33/ZIRCHROM
85 insert - soda-lime glass CHR - spout
temperature 1225 C - average pull 80/100 T
pd - average ring changes every 8 weeks -
spout change 8 hours, glass to glass -
Service life 26 months (furnace repair) -
ZA33/F.C insert life (average) about 12
months  
33
Spouts with bonded chrome insert (ZIRCHROM 85)
Case story 2 Pre-heating procedure 6 h 6 h 6
h Daily pull 50 tpd 40 tpd 15 tpd Gob
temperature 1170 C 1180 C 1280
C Glass flint flint flint Average job
changes/ Months 4 2 7 Service Life 20 to 26
months ZA 33 mono service life 6 to 8 months
34
Expendables ZA33LB Reduction of Seeding after
starting up and during production

• Target table-ware / flaconnage
• - short runs
• - critical problem mainly with plungers
   seeding  during 1 to 10 h or more after
  starting, whatever the supplier
• production losses 8 to 12 K EUR/hour (EUROPE)

35
Blistering test for expendables
Test conditions _at_ 1250C, after 30h or with a
record of the blistering during the test.
36
Blistering after 30 h
Test conditions Extra White soda lime glass, _at_
1250C 30h
Index 4

• 333 seeding during the starting hours (gt30h
  within conditions of the present test)
• ZA33 LB Lower blistering, decreasing with time

Index 1
blisters
37

EXPENDABLES new product ZA33 Tubes fracturation
during production

• worldwide problem with any type of tube from any
  supplier
• - breakage during heating-up
• - breakage after 1,2,3 weeks of production
• - breakage frequency unpredictable
• difficulties to differentiate products (333,
  ZIRAL 61, competition) with standard thermal
  shock tests (USA thermal shocks test)
• a specific test has been developed by R D in
  order to differentiate products

38
A new thermal shock testing method
Methodology
Our methodology is based on the study of the
impact of the thermal shock on the mechanical
properties of the materials. Samples of the
material are first submitted to one or multiple
severe thermal shock (rapid heat up to the test
temperature followed by a thermal quenching in
cold water) and then mechanically characterized
(typically flexural strength MOR). The residual
MOR of the material is compared to the original
strength of the material, and a characteristic
ratio is calculated TR () ( MOR before
quenching MOR after quenching ) x 100
MOR before quenching The lower the ratio, the
better the material withstands thermal
shocks. Among a family of materials having the
same crystallographic properties, the best
material thermal shock wise is the one with the
lowest MOR loss ratio and higher residual
strength after quenching. MORModulus of rupture
39
A new Thermal shock testing method
Equipment

• Samples
• 120 x 20 x 20 mm bars are sampled and dried in
  oven _at_ 110 C
• Procedure
• Samples are machined, 2 sets of 5 from same bloc
• 5 samples are loaded in the furnace preheated at
  the test temperature, and soaked for 20 mn
• samples are removed from the furnace and
  immediately quenched in water
• once cool, samples are dried in an oven
• flexural modulus of rupture are measured at room
  temperature on both sets of samples

Cold Water box for quenching
Electrical furnace
40
New product ZA33
Whatever the quenching temperature is, the new
product presents always lower MOR losses (and so
a better thermal shock resistance). MORModulus
of Rupture
41
New product ZA33
This better thermal shock resistance remains
available after 1, 2 or 3 shocks.
42
 
Standard
 
THERMAL SHOCK 1250
C- 20C  
 
New
43
Saint-Gobain SEFPRO - R D

• Saint-Gobain SEFPRO is permanently looking for
  high
• perfomance refractories in partnerships with
• customers thanks to its strong RD, dedicated
  to
• glass industry.
• Saint-Gobain SEFPRO has the largest Research
• Center in the world specialising in refractories
  and
• their interactions with different types of
  glass. 140
• engineers and technicians in the RD use the
  most
• progressive, multidisciplinary technologies.

44

• Thank you