A honeycomb of stainless steel strip, typically about 20 to 25 mm deep, welded to the inside of FCC cyclones, risers, standpipes and other equipment hit by abrasive catalyst flow. Each cell is hand-packed with a phosphate-bonded or low-cement erosion mix, so the steel grid armors the edges and holds the lining if it cracks. Failure shows as empty cells and hex metal standing proud of the lining.
Cyclone barrel has twenty empty cells in the hex mesh, pack them with the phos mix and ram them tight.
Fill and ram each cell completely before moving on. Half-filled cells under a skin of mix are the first to blow out.
Also heard as
- hexmesh
- hexmetal
- hex steel
- hex grid
Related terms
Anchor
Metal or ceramic tie welded to the shell to hold a monolithic lining in place.
Abrasion resistance
How well a refractory stands up to scouring by moving solids, usually measured by the ASTM C704 test.
Plastic refractory
Moist, workable refractory delivered ready to use and pounded into place with a pneumatic rammer.