Why the Service Life of Honeycomb Ceramic Heat Storage Bodies Not Long?

What are the reasons? Why the service life of honeycomb ceramic heat storage bodies not long? At present, the service life of honeycomb ceramic heat storage bodies is not very long. The main problems that occur during use are melting, softening, rupture, blockage, and corrosion. There are special cases where a large amount of fragmentation occurs after only one week of use, and there are also those whose service life reaches 2 years due to the large heating capacity or the low service temperature. However, the service life of most heat storage heating furnaces is generally 8-12 months, and the average life is generally short. Common reasons for damage to the honeycomb ceramic heat storage body and short lifespan are analyzed as follows:

Honeycomb Ceramic Heat-Storage Material
Honeycomb Ceramic Heat-Storage Material

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    1. Small hole blockage

    Blockage of small holes is one of the most common causes of damage to the honeycomb ceramic heat storage body. After the small holes of honeycomb ceramic heat storage bodies are blocked, it not only directly causes a significant reduction in its heat storage and smoke exhaust performance. It also causes uneven smoke exhaust and heat exposure of the honeycomb ceramic heat storage, which can easily cause cracks and aggravate its damage.

    The Small Holes of Honeycomb Ceramic are Blocked
    The Small Holes of Honeycomb Ceramic are Blocked
    1. Low load softening temperature

    If the load softening temperature is low, during long-term use in normal high temperature environments or when abnormal high temperature occurs, the lower honeycomb ceramic heat storage body will not be able to withstand the combined effect of high temperature and load, and will soften, compressive deformation. This causes the row of honeycomb ceramic heat storage bodies to collapse, and even causes the adjacent honeycomb ceramic heat storage bodies to collapse together, resulting in the blockage of the lower heat storage chamber. The upper part forms a high-temperature channel gap without honeycomb ceramic heat storage body, and the high-temperature flue gas is directly discharged. The heat in the flue gas cannot be effectively recycled, the smoke exhaust temperature is high and the heating capacity is significantly reduced.

    1. Local high temperature and secondary combustion

    Under normal circumstances, although the furnace temperature exhaust gas exhaust temperature does not exceed 1300℃, the combustion temperature of the flame is much higher. According to the fuel combustion temperature calculation, when the blast furnace gas is preheated to 1000℃, its flame combustion temperature can reach 2400℃. The flame combustion temperature of high-calorie gas fuels, such as natural gas and acetylene, can be as high as 3000℃. Therefore, when secondary combustion or local high temperature channels appear in the heat storage chamber, the temperature it receives has exceeded the load softening temperature and the refractory tolerance limit. The honeycomb ceramic heat storage body will naturally soften, even shrink holes, or severe ablation into clusters.

    The honeycomb ceramic heat storage body ablation into clusters
    The honeycomb ceramic heat storage body ablation into clusters
    1. Poor corrosion resistance and poor slag resistance

    The honeycomb ceramic heat storage body near the first row of the high temperature side reacts with the molten iron oxide or iron oxide small particles brought by the flue gas. The crystal phase inside the honeycomb ceramic heat storage body changes, causing the refractory resistance, load softening temperature, and slag resistance to a sharp decline. Adhesion, shrinkage, blockage or even collapse occurs between each other.

    1. Poor ability to withstand cold and heat

    Due to the frequent heat storage and heat release of honeycomb ceramic heat storage bodies, the temperature changes are severe, causing the walls of the honeycomb ceramic heat storage bodies to be subjected to tensile and extrusion stress alternately. And cracks are generated by the action of thermal stress, and severe fractures will occur. At the same time, collapse will also occur, resulting in the blockage of the lower part of the honeycomb ceramic heat storage body and a hollow space on the upper part, which cannot be used normally. Therefore, the working characteristics of the honeycomb ceramic heat storage body with frequent changes in heat force are the main reasons for its shorter life.

    1. Poor volume stability at high temperature and large deformation of refiring

    During use, most honeycomb ceramic heat storage bodies are installed in cold state and used in hot state. Since the honeycomb ceramic heat storage body has poor high temperature volume stability and large refiring deformation and shrinkage, a gap without honeycomb ceramic heat storage body will be formed on the upper part of the heat storage chamber during use. At this time, the honeycomb ceramic heat storage body itself is not damaged, but most of the flue gas slips directly from the upper gap and gradually forms a high-temperature channel in the upper part of the heat storage chamber. The high temperature causes the nearby honeycomb ceramic heat storage body to rupture, and the channel further expands, thereby accelerating the rupture and damage of the honeycomb ceramic heat storage body.

    1. Biased flow problem

    In the heat storage chamber, the heat exchange process is roughly as follows: in the exhaust stage, when the flue gas flows through the honeycomb ceramic heat storage body, the sensible heat is stored in the honeycomb ceramic heat storage body, heating the honeycomb ceramic heat storage body. In the combustion stage, the air (or gas) is heated when it flows through the honeycomb ceramic heat storage body, and the residual heat is brought back to the furnace. In any of the above stages, if the gas has a biased flow in the heat storage chamber, after several reversals, it is easy to cause local high temperature of the honeycomb ceramic heat storage body and generate thermal stress. When the temperature stress generated exceeds its tolerance limit, the honeycomb ceramic heat storage body will break.

    1. Fire barrier brick problem

    The fire barrier brick plays a dual role of fixing and fire barrier protection for the honeycomb ceramic heat storage body, so it also has an important impact on the service life of the honeycomb ceramic heat storage body. If the material selection or shape and size design of the fire barrier brick is improper, there will be problems such as low brick strength or excessive gap, which will cause the honeycomb ceramic heat storage body to directly contact the flame or secondary combustion. As a result, the honeycomb ceramic heat storage body is prone to rupture, collapse, melting, softening and other problems.

    1. Influence of water vapor in gas pipeline

    When a large amount of condensed water is precipitated from the end of the gas pipeline and enters the heat storage chamber, or when the cooling water pipe in the furnace breaks and flows into the heat storage chamber along the furnace wall, the heat storage body in a high temperature state is very easy to break when encountering liquid water. At the same time, when water enters the heat storage chamber, the viscosity of dust impurities in the fuel gas and iron oxide powder in the flue gas increases, and chemical changes occur, increasing the corrosiveness of impurities. Therefore, it is easy to cause blockage and corrosion of the honeycomb ceramic heat storage body, which accelerates the shortening of the service life of the honeycomb ceramic heat storage body.

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      How to Choose Honeycomb Ceramic Regenerator?

      In recent years, honeycomb regenerative furnaces have developed very rapidly. Since the regenerator can be miniaturized and integrated with the burner, and each burner maintains its independence, it becomes a regenerative burner. It truly achieves extreme waste heat recovery and ultra-low NOX emissions. The energy-saving effect brought by regenerative combustion technology is very obvious. It can absorb the heat of high-temperature flue gas to the maximum extent and avoid heat waste. Honeycomb ceramic regenerator is the key and core component of regenerative high-temperature combustion technology.

      RS Honeycomb Ceramic Regenerator for Sale
      RS Honeycomb Ceramic Regenerator for Sale

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        How to Choose the Honeycomb Ceramic Regenerator?

        The selection of a honeycomb ceramic regenerator is very critical. Improper selection will cause blockage, burning, collapse, and other phenomena during use, causing the furnace temperature to rise slowly, failing to reach the temperature, and in serious cases causing furnace shutdown accidents. It affects production and increases gas consumption.

        Therefore, when selecting a honeycomb body, in addition to considering the rapid cooling and rapid heating resistance of the honeycomb ceramic regenerator, load softening temperature, compressive strength, thermal expansion coefficient thermal shock resistance, and other indicators. The heat release characteristics of the honeycomb ceramic regenerator also need to be considered. It is necessary to select a honeycomb ceramic regenerator made of materials with a large specific surface area, large blackness, large heat capacity, and fast thermal conductivity. In this way, the honeycomb ceramic heat storage body absorbs and releases heat faster and more, and can effectively absorb the heat of the flue gas. Significantly increase the preheating temperature of gas and air, increase the combustion temperature of the heating furnace, and achieve the purpose of reducing gas consumption.

        Silicon Carbide Honeycomb Ceramic Regenerator

        The silicon carbide honeycomb ceramic regenerator is an improvement based on the formula of the corundum-mullite honeycomb ceramic regenerator. A certain amount of high-purity silicon carbide is added to improve the performance of the original honeycomb ceramic regenerator. Silicon carbide honeycomb ceramic regenerator combines the advantages of silicon carbide, zirconium chromium corundum, and other materials. It has the characteristics of good antioxidant, slag resistance, high-temperature resistance, high blackness, and fast thermal conductivity. Its high-temperature strength can be maintained up to 1600°C, making it the material with the best high-temperature strength among ceramic materials. Due to its fast thermal conductivity and high blackness, it has better energy-saving properties than a corundum-mullite honeycomb ceramic regenerator. According to relevant customer usage statistics, the use of silicon carbide honeycomb ceramic regenerators can significantly reduce the exhaust temperature of exhaust gas and reduce gas energy consumption by more than 5-10% compared with other honeycomb ceramic regenerators. Silicon carbide honeycomb ceramic regenerator is mainly used as the heat exchange medium for high-temperature regenerative industrial kilns above 1250°C.

        Large Holes Honeycomb Ceramic Regenerator
        Large Holes Honeycomb Ceramic Regenerator

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          Large Holes and Big Eyes Honeycomb Ceramic Regenerator

          The hole shapes of honeycomb ceramic regenerators often include square holes, round holes, hexagonal holes, etc., and the hole spacing is usually between 3-6mm. Among them, the hexagonal hole surface layout is more uniform and the structure is more stable. It is currently the most commonly used hole type. In addition to matching the medium pressure, flow rate, burner combustion capacity, and other factors, the selection of hole type and aperture should also pay attention to the actual medium quality conditions. For exhaust gas with high dust content, the hole diameter and wall thickness should be appropriately increased. Choose a honeycomb ceramic regenerator with large holes and large eyes to reduce the clogging and corrosion hazards caused to the honeycomb ceramic regenerator.

          The honeycomb ceramic regenerator with large holes and large eyes is mainly used to deal with the harsh working environment of some industrial furnaces and the high dust content in the flue gas. During use, the small holes of the honeycomb ceramic regenerator often become blocked. After the small holes of the honeycomb ceramic regenerator are blocked, not only will its heat storage and smoke exhaust performance be significantly reduced. It also causes smoke exhaust and uneven heating of the honeycomb ceramic heat storage body, which is prone to cracks and aggravates its damage. In regenerative industrial furnaces with harsh working environments and high dust content in flue gas, the use of honeycomb ceramic regenerators with large holes and large eyes can effectively avoid clogging the small holes of conventional honeycomb ceramic regenerators.

          RTO Incinerator Honeycomb Ceramic
          RTO Incinerator Honeycomb Ceramic

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            RTO Incinerator Honeycomb Ceramic Regenerator

            The honeycomb ceramic regenerator of the RTO incinerator has the characteristics of high softening temperature under load, small expansion coefficient, strong resistance to rapid cooling and rapid heating, and long service life. The basic principle of an RTO incinerator is to oxidize organic waste gas at high temperatures (>760℃) to generate CO2 and H2O. The use of honeycomb ceramic regenerators can maximize the recovery and reuse of heat energy, with a heat recovery rate greater than 95%. The geometric characteristics of the RTO honeycomb ceramic regenerator are generally made into columnar regenerators with dimensions of 150mm×150mm×150mm and 150mm×150mm×300mm and are integrated into the RTO regenerator. The number of holes in the cross-section of a piece of packing that airflow passes through is called the hole density, also expressed by the number of holes per square inch (CSI). Usually from 13×13 (number of holes 169) to 60×60 (number of holes 3600).

            The greater the hole density, the larger the surface area per unit volume, which can provide a larger heat transfer area and thereby improve the heat transfer efficiency. The organic waste gas is heated to above 760°C, causing the VOC in the waste gas to oxidize and decompose into carbon dioxide and water. The high-temperature gas generated by oxidation flows through the special ceramic heat storage body, causing the ceramic body to heat up and “storage heat”. This “heat storage” is used to preheat the subsequent incoming organic waste gas. This saves fuel consumption for exhaust gas heating.

            The honeycomb ceramic regenerator of the RTO incinerator should be divided into two or more zones or chambers. Each regenerator goes through the procedures of “heat storage-heat release-cleaning” in turn, starting over and over again and working continuously. After the regenerator “releases heat”, part of the clean exhaust gas that has been processed should be introduced immediately, and the regenerator should be cleaned to ensure that the VOC removal rate is above 95%. Only after cleaning is completed can the “heat storage” program be entered.

            Honeycomb Ceramic Regenerator from Rongsheng
            Honeycomb Ceramic Regenerator from Rongsheng
            Corundum Mullite Cordierite Honeycomb Ceramics
            Corundum Mullite Cordierite Honeycomb Ceramics

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              Honeycomb ceramic regenerator is the key material of regenerative industrial kilns, and it is the heat exchange medium of regenerative industrial kilns. The honeycomb ceramic regenerator absorbs and stores the heat from the waste gas in the industrial kiln, and then uses the stored heat to heat the air and fuel. This not only increases the calorific value of the fuel, lowers the emission temperature of exhaust gas, and saves energy, but also reduces the emissions of CO2 and NOX, which is helpful for environmental protection. The cross-sectional holes of honeycomb ceramic regenerators mainly have square, regular hexagonal, and circular three-hole structures. Moreover, the pores are straight channel structures that are parallel to each other. This structure greatly reduces the resistance of the pores to flow through and greatly improves the single-hole volume heat transfer efficiency of the honeycomb ceramic regenerator. The main materials of the honeycomb ceramic regenerator of the RTO incinerator are dense cordierite, high alumina, corundum mullite, chromium corundum, zirconium corundum, silicon carbide, etc. Contact us for a free quote.

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