Thermo-mechanical behavior of refractory masonry linings: An overview on numerical simulation

Refractories are unique materials used in linings of vessels to contain and process fluids at high temperatures. They can withstand complex combination of thermo-mechanical stresses and chemical wear generated by fluids and chemical agents during process. The main challenges for the usage of refractories are linked to the cost, availability of raw material and environmental regulations. This paper presents an overview of recent developments of numerical models using a multi-scale approach in order to identify the impacts of various parameters on the overall behavior of the masonry linings in industrial structure. The results presented in this paper provide, for specific boundary conditions and thermal loading, the evolution in time of the displacements, strains and temperature profiles on laboratory models. The overview of numerical models their results further help to validate models at industrial scale, reducing the burden of laboratory testing and ultimately, can be used for optimizing refractory linings, thus extending an economic and environ-mental benefits to the refractory industries.