Development of Magnesia Spinel brick using Pre-synthesized and in-situ spinel

Abstract

This Project is about designing the Development of magnesia-spinel brick using pre-synthesized and in-situ spinel. The spinel’s are a class of minerals of general formulation A 2+B3+2O2-4 which crystallize in the face centered cubic (isometric) crystal system, with the oxide anions arranged in a cubic close-packed lattice. The cation A fills the tetrahedral sites and cation B fills the octahedral sites. A and B are divalent and trivalent cations respectively. Pre-synthesized spinel refractory is the refractory where the spinel material is synthesized separately and is then added into the brick composition. Where as in-situ spinel refractory is the refractory where the spinel forms inside the brick during the firing stages at higher temperatures. The brick compositions of pre synthesized spinel and in-situ spinel were taken and pressed to form bricks. The bricks upon sintering at 1550C and 1600C led to increase in density. The in-situ spinel brick was found to have higher BD, lower porosity and higher shrinkage as compared to the pre synthesized spinel refractory brick.