Case 01/   Cement Australia’s Railton

In November 2004 during the course of a regular plant shutdown a refractory lined cyclone was found to have a section of the “hot face” lining missing and other areas were found to be potentially unstable. 

It could be seen when looking in from outside the vessel that a section of the cyclone roof was missing.  The vessel roof was tested using the P-Response technique.

The diagram below shows the approximate location of each test point.   After initial testing was carried out the company was advised that the majority of the roof was unsound.  The roof was secured with props and slowly demolished. 

The general condition of the refractory lining was recorded during demolition allowing for later assessment against the P-Response results. 

In summary, the assessment of the refractory lining condition using P-Response was undertaken externally.  In this case vessel entry was a significant safety issue, as unsound slabs of refractory concrete can result in a severe injury or fatality to personnel. 

Case 02/   Visy Paper Brisbane

In July 2005 the fluid bed boiler roof and side walls at Visy Paper were tested using the P-response system. 

The roof was tested and core drilled and it was found to be in good condition even though it was several years old.  The mobility at the test points was low which means the lining is in good condition.

Visual inspection of one section of the east wall found the anchors had failed and a gap of approximately 30mm was present.  The mobility at this point was higher than others. 

Visy paper boiler roof

Case 03/   Comalco Alumina Refinery Gladstone

In August 2005 the alumina calcination vessels at Comalco’s Alumina refinery were tested using the P-response system. 

A duct was core drilled and the lining inspected. Visually the lining looked to be in good condition.  The area around where the duct was core drilled was tested with the P-response technique.  The results found that the mobility at these points was less than 0.2

Thus the P-response technique confirmed that the lining is in good condition.

Comalco Gladstone – cyclone roof

Testing using the P-Response technique has demonstrated that it can be used to:

• Evaluate the integrity of refractory linings before maintenance.
• Detect the extent of failed refractory areas for shutdown planning.
• Evaluate the quality of installed concrete.