Failure in which carbon monoxide breaks down to carbon and carbon dioxide inside a refractory, catalyzed by iron oxide spots, in a band roughly between 400 and 700 C. The carbon grows inside pores and cracks like a wedge until the brick swells, cracks and crumbles. It threatens blast furnace stacks, direct reduction plants and other CO-rich vessels; low-iron, well-fired materials resist it, and ASTM C288 tests for it.
Stack brick passed the carbon monoxide disintegration test, so the cracking is from something else, check the cooling plates.
Also heard as
- CO disintegration
- carbon deposition
- carbon bursting
Related terms
Spalling
Cracking off of pieces or layers from the hot face of a refractory lining.
Alkali attack
Damage from potassium and sodium compounds that react with alumina-silica refractories and swell them apart.
Fireclay
Alumina-silica clay refractory, the classic firebrick, graded from low duty to super duty.