Radiant Refractory Tubes: Properties & Applications

Articles & Posts

December 2020

$Radiant refractory tubes$

High temperature thermal processing is an extremely challenging industrial niche with various conflicting performance indicators demanding time and resources. At the most fundamental level, it can be difficult simply generating the temperatures necessarily to carry out key processes. Higher up – at the decision-making level – pressures range from pushing greater productivity to drastically reducing maintenance costs; all in the name of improving profitability.

Radiant refractory tubes are a novel burner solution engineered to satisfy strict demands across the full spectrum of the production chain.

What is a Radiant Refractory Tube?

Industrial heat treatment typically breaks down into direct or indirect methods, where combustion occurs directly in the processing environment or in an isolated chamber. The latter is preferable in any process where combustion gases inhibit product quality or raise health and safety concerns. Here, gases are usually burned within a heat exchanger which transfers heat into the processing environment via convection. This demands a high-quality part capable of withstanding extreme process temperatures and radiating heat uniformly in all directions. Radiant refractory tubes excel in this area.

Our Radiant Refractory Tube Specifications

Comprising a straight tube-in-tube design made using high-purity silicon-infiltrated silicon carbide (SiSiC), Saint-Gobain radiant refractory tubes can output as much as twice the energy of standard alloy radiant elements into furnace environments. To put that into context, high-temp steel alloys used in industrial heating typically reach a maximum net heat output of 25 kWatts per meter squared (kW/m²) compared to the 50 kW/m²of our reaction bonded Silit® tubes.

They protrude into the chamber – horizontally or vertically – and radiate heat outwards as fuel gas is burned within the hollow core, providing high thermomechanical stability up to temperatures of 1380°C.

Applications of our Radiant Refractory Tubes
Saint-Gobain radiant refractory tubes are ideal for industrial heating applications associated with high temperatures and significant thermal wearing of induction elements. They are routinely deployed in metalworks to drive profitability through greater efficiency and reduced maintenance costs. Typical processes include aluminizing and galvanising of steel alloys, as well as standard annealing and metal heat treatment processes.

Total Burner Solutions from Saint-Gobain

At Saint-Gobain Performance Ceramics & Refractories, we strive to deliver excellent product solutions through material expertise. Our refractory radiant tubes comprise just a segment of our total burner solutions and can be coupled with various inserts and recuperators to improve the performance parameters that matter most to you. Additional burner solutions that are compatible with our radiant refractory tubes include:

If you would like to learn more about our proprietary refractory radiant tubes or want to discuss performance enhancing thermal designs with a member of the Saint-Gobain team, simply contact us today.