This week a new paper has been published in the IFRF Combustion Journal (http://www.journal.ifrf.net/) entitled:

Alkali Induced Corrosion of Silicon Carbide Heating Elements in a High Temperature Furnace

by:

S. Arvelakis, F. Frandsen and K. Dam-Johansen

ABSTRACT:

The effects of temperature and gas composition on the mechanical properties of sintered a-SiC heating elements were studied during the pre-melting stage of Si-rich ashes resulting from the co-combustion of biomass and coal in a high temperature, (1600C), furnace. The use of elevated temperatures, approximately 1600C, for the pre-melting of the ashes in combination with the composition of the tested samples often causes ruptures of the SiC heating elements resulting to reduced availability of the furnace as well as too high economic costs for the replacement of the destroyed elements. Depending on the temperature and the composition of the ash sample, failure of the SiC heating elements happens even after 12-15h of operation. The working temperature is shown to be the leading factor for this problematic behaviour, while the presence of carbon impurities in the ash samples in combination with alkali chlorides, carbonates and sulphates shown to significantly accelerate the process.

Corresponding Author:

Flemming Frandsen
CHEC research group
Department of Chemical Engineering
Danish Technical University
Building 229, Lyngby 2800
Denmark.

Tel. No.: 45 45 25 28 83
Fax No.: 45 45 88 22 58

E-mail: ff@kt.dtu.dk

Keywords:

corrosion, alkali metals, ash, silicon carbide heating element

FULL PAPER

The full paper may be downloaded from the server, in the “New Papers” section (http://www.journal.ifrf.net/articles.html), by clicking on the Acrobat PDF icon alongside the title.

Publication in the Journal

The Editor-in-Chief (See associated article in this edition of the MNM) would like to remind all potential authors that publication in the Journal is open to all. If you have interesting results to publish in the field of, or related to, industrial combustion, we invite you to prepare a paper according to the guidelines given in the Author’s Guide on the website

http://www.journal.ifrf.net/

Papers may be regular “articles” (typically up to 20 pages) or Communications (typically up to 4/5 pages). Review papers can of course be longer. Remember that figures and graphics in general can be in full colour. This advantage should be encouraged.

All manuscripts and associated files, proposed for publication should be sent by the Corresponding Author in a compressed/zip file, as an email attachment to journal@ifrf.net. This file should include a statement that the proposal’s content is unpublished material that has not being submitted for publication elsewhere. When an article by the author(s) is cited in the proposed article as “in press”, a copy of this article should accompany the proposed article and should be included in the compressed file.

The Editor-in-Chief looks forward to receiving your proposals.