The inside surface of a lining, in direct contact with flame, gas, slag, metal or product. The opposite side, against the steel shell or backup layer, is the cold face, and the temperature drop between the two sets the shell temperature and heat loss. Lining designs pick a hot-face material for the attack it will see and back it with insulating layers chosen for the lower temperatures behind it.
Hot face is at 1350 and the shell's reading 180, so the backup insulation is doing its job.
Also heard as
- hot-face lining
Related terms
Working lining
Innermost refractory layer in contact with the process, designed to wear and be replaced on a schedule.
Safety lining
Refractory layer behind the working lining that holds molten metal back if the working lining fails.
Thermal conductivity
How readily a material conducts heat, the number used to size lining layers and predict shell temperature.
Hot spot
Area of a vessel or kiln shell running hotter than normal because the lining behind it is thin or gone.