API 936: Refractory Installation, Inspection and Testing

PART - III
IMPORTANT POINTS FROM STANDARD API 936

IMPORTANT POINTS FROM STANDARD API 936

This standard provides installation quality control procedures for monolithic
refractory linings. The responsibilities of inspection personnel who monitor and
direct the quality control process are also defined in the standard.

Definitions
1.

Abrasion resistance: The ability to withstand the effects of

eroding particles

for an extended period without significant loss of material or other damage.

2. As-installed

testing:

Testing

of

refractory

materials sampled from the

installation to confirm that they meet specified physical property standards.

3. Biscuit:

refractory

piece

formed

within

an

area completely enclosed by

the anchoring system.

4. Cold

Crushing

Strength:

(CCS)

measure

of

a refractory's ability to

resist failure under a compressive load as determined at room temperature after

drying and/or firing.
5. Cold wall: An insulating refractory lining system with a metal shell temperature
less than 500F (260C).
6. Dry-out: The initial heating of a newly installed castable lining in which heating
rates and hold times are controlled to safely remove retained water without explosive
spalling and to form a well distributed network of shrinkage cracks in the lining.
7. Firing: The process of heating refractories to develop desired properties.
8. Gunning: The application of monolithic refractories by means of air placement
guns.
9. Hot wall : A thin refractory lining system with a metal shell temperature greater than
500F (260C).

10. Pre-wetting

(gunning):

technique

used

with

dry gunning machines

where a small quantity of water is mixed into the dry refractory before charging into
the gun to reduce rebound and dust, and to improve wetting of the
cement in the gunning operation.
11.Wet

gunning:

Pneumatic

placement

of

premixed castables (including

water) where flocculating agents and placement air are added at the nozzle.

Responsibilities
1.Owner
1. The owner shall prepare a detailed specification. The specification shall include the
following design details.
a) Lining products, thickness, method of application, and extent of coverage.
b) Anchor

materials,

geometry,

layout

and

weld details. Suggested color coding for

metallic anchors is provided in Annex B.

c) When used, details of metal fiber reinforcement including dimensions, concentration, type,
and metallurgy.
d) Curing

and

dry-out

design temperature

procedures,

limits

and/or

including constraints on dry-out heating (e.g.

maximum

differential temperatures that shall be

maintained to avoid damaging the unit and/or components).

2. The owner shall provide quality requirements covering the following.
a) Physical property requirements to be used for qualification and installation quality
control by specific product, installation method and location where the product will be
utilized. These requirements shall be in accordance with Annex C

unless

amended

by prior agreement with owner.

b) Sampling

frequency

as

applicable

for

the products intended use in either

erosion service or other service.

c) Required lining thickness tolerances.
d) Criteria for hammer testing and the extent of cracking and surface voids permitted.
3. The owner shall approve the engineering drawings, execution plan and dry-out
procedure prior to any installation activity.

2.Contractor: The contractor shall prepare a detailed execution plan in accordance

with this standard and the requirements of the owner's specification and quality standards.
3.Inspector: The inspector shall be responsible for the following.
a) Ensure that material and applicator qualification test results are fully documented.
b) Monitor qualification, production work and dry-out (when applicable) conducted by the
manufacturer(s) and

contractor

to

ensure

compliance

with

job

specifications and agreed-to quality practices.

4.Inspector Qualifications
The inspector shall have no commercial affiliations with the contractor or manufacturer(s).
The inspector shall be certified in accordance with API 936 Annex D.
The inspector shall possess this standard, owner specifications, the project execution
plan, and other job specific requirements outlined by the owner, contractor, and/or
manufacturer. The inspector shall have working knowledge of these documents.

Refractory materials Storage and Testing

1.Temperature
Refractory materials shall be stored at a temperature of 40F to 100F (5C to 38C).
2. Testing
General : Testing of refractory lining shall be in strict accordance with ASTM procedures
as modified below. The laboratory conducting the test procedures shall be subject to
audit and approval by the owner. Quality control testing shall consist of density,
cold

crushing strength (CCS), permanent linear change (PLC), abrasion loss

applicable), and workability index (plastics only).

3.Abrasion (Erosion) Resistance
Testing shall be in accordance with ASTM C704 and API 936 the following.
4.Permanent Linear Change (PLC)
Testing shall be in accordance with ASTM C113 and API 936

(when

5.Pre-shipment Refractory Qualification Testing

Refractories to be

installed

by

gunning,

casting,

or hand/ram

packing shall be tested to ensure that they comply with specified physical property
requirements
6.Forming of Refractory Test Specimens
For cast installations, refractory shall be cast in the same manner as the installation. For
vibration cast installations, vibration shall

be

used

in

the

forming of the test

specimens.
a) For pump cast installations, refractory shall be poured into forms.
b) For hand packed installations, refractory shall be hand packed.
c) For gunned installations, refractory shall be gunned to produce a large panel.
7.Application Period
Refractory shall be applied within four months of the initial qualification tests.
8.Casting
A

mock-up

shall

be

prepared

by

each applicator, for each mixing/installation

procedure, and for each refractory being installed. Refractory cast in the mock-up shall be
cured for 12 hours minimum prior to stripping the forms. Heat-setting, plastic refractories
shall be allowed to air dry for a minimum of 24 hours followed by oven drying in a form
suitable for drying temperatures.
9.Oven dry:
hold for 12 hours minimum at 220F to 230F (104C
convection

to

110C)

in

forced

air,

dryer. Heating to this level shall be in accordance with manufacturer's

recommendations. Heat setting plastics shall be oven dried in the forms.

10.Oven fire:
heat at 300F/h (170C/h) maximum to 1500F (815C), hold for five hours at 1500F
(815C); cool at 500F/h (280C/h) maximum to ambient. Remove heat setting plastics
from the molds after oven drying and before oven firing.
Water used for mixing in the refractory shall be potable. The chloride content of the water
shall not exceed 200 ppm. When refractory is installed on stainless steel surfaces
the chloride content shall not exceed 50 ppm.

Refractory installation
1. Refractory installation shall not begin until completion of welding, postweld heat
treatment, and pressure testing.Structural members, nozzle extensions, and other items
within the limits of the lining shall be wrapped with 1/8 in. (3 mm) thickness of a
nonabsorbent material to prevent moisture absorption from, or bonding to, the refractory
lining. The wrapping shall be taped smoothly into place.
2..Application Temperature
The temperature of the air and shell at the installation site shall be between 50F and
90F (10C and 32C).Temperature limits for refractory and mix water shall be in accordance
with the manufacturer's requirements. In the absence of manufacturer's mix temperature
limits, mix temperature shall be between 60F and 80F (15C and 27C). During dryout heating shall be controlled using temporary thermocouples

to

monitor

gas

temperatures throughout the lined area(s). Thermocouples shall be located within 1/2
in. (13 mm) of the refractory surface.

Points from Report ACI-547

1. The report presents background information and perspective on the history and current
status of the technology.
2. Scope of report Refractory concrete is concrete suitable for use at temperatures up
to about 3400 F (1870 C).
Following types of refractory are covered
a) Acid Refractories
b) Apparent Porosity (Astm C20)
c) Basic Refractories
d) Calcium Aluminate Cement
e) Castable Refractory
f) Ceramic Bond
g) Explosive Spalling
h) Heat Resistant Concrete i) High Alumina Cement
j)Refractory Aggregate
k) Softening Temperature

3. Brick has a number of disadvantages when compared to monolithic refractories.

These disadvantages include multiple joints, complicated anchoring, higher placement
costs, more difficult repair procedures, the need to maintain expensive inventories of
special or scarce items, a certain inflexibility in structural design, and higher fuel
requirements during manufacture.
4. Plastics are generally placed without use of forms. With the exception of some
specialized tabular alumina castables, plastics have a somewhat higher service limit than
castable refractories. Their main disadvantages are greater shrinkage and crack
development.
5. Gunning

mixes

generally

have

low

rebound

loss,

are predominately used for

patching or resurfacing brick or other refractories, have a strong internal bond, and exhibit
excellent adhesion or bond to the existing refractory lining. They find extensive use in basic
oxygen, electric arc and open hearth furnaces, among other applications.
6. Alkalies can effect the service life of refractory concretes. The furnace charge can give
off both alkalies (K 2O) and the fuel sulfur compounds (SO2) as vapors. These can
penetrate into the pores of the refractory concrete and react; their reaction products cool,
solidify, and expand, sometimes causing the hot face of the refractory to peel or shear away.
7. Binders The binders principally used in refractory concretes are calcium aluminates
cements.
8. Temperature stability of the aggregate determines the maximum service conditions
below approximately 2400

F (1320

C).. For conditions above 2400

0
F (1320
C),

binder purity also becomes a design factor. Generally, the low purity binder can be
used with proper aggregates up to 2700 F (1480 C), intermediate purity to 3000

0
0
0
(1650 C) and high purity to 3400 F (1870 C).

9.The

recommended

maximum

service

temperature

will normally assume that the

castable will be used in a clean, oxidizing atmosphere, such as is present when firing with
natural gas. The maximum service temperature is usually determined as the point above
which excessive shrinkage will take place. It is about 150-200 F (70-90 C) below the
actual softening point of the concrete.
10.Most normal weight refractory concretes will have less than 0.5 percent permanent

0
0
linear shrinkage after firing at 2000 F (1090 C).