Chemical Degradation of Refractories—An Iterative Thermodynamic Simulation Framework for Corrosion

ABSTRACT

In the field of refractories, service conditions—often involving high temperatures and extended duration—make the systems more likely to evolve according to the thermodynamics laws. In steelmaking ladles, the chemical degradation of the refractory lining is a critical factor determining its performance and durability. This work revisits the application of thermodynamic to explain the chemical resistance of Al ₂ O ₃ –MgO–C (AMC) refractories used in ladles by the introduction of an iterative thermodynamic simulation framework to cover both oxidation and slag corrosion behavior, demonstrating it as a powerful analytical tool. In contrast to the most common thermodynamic calculations, the iterative method consists in successive calculations, each of them using critical data from the previous one, in order to simulate how the corrosive process proceeds and ends. Four different bricks were studied under distinct high‐temperature conditions in order to assess two processes: oxidation by air and slag corrosion. The analysis focuses on linking the thermodynamic data with experimental indicators to validate the explanatory/predictive power of the simulation models. The simulation for slag corrosion successfully predicted the resistance ranking of all materials while the oxidation model offered a consistent explanation for the materials behavior, related to the graphite consumption, for three of the four AMC bricks. The thermodynamic simulation correctly identified that higher MgO content leads to the lowest slag corrosion resistance, while the presence of Si antioxidant significantly reduces the sensitivity to the atmospheric oxygen attack. The findings demonstrate that the proposed iterative thermodynamic simulation is a time‐saving, and cost‐effective method for anticipating wear resistance and optimizing refractories design, although its reliability depends on the effect of dismissed factors such as the materials’ texture. This approach directly contributes to increasing resource efficiency and promoting more sustainable practices in the steelmaking industry.