Refractory Solutions for
Nonferrous industry
JHYRef provides refractory lining design and system solutions for copper, lead and zinc smelting furnaces, matching magnesia-chrome bricks, chrome-corundum bricks, castables, ramming materials and refractory mortars to the actual working conditions of each furnace zone.
Instead of recommending one material for the whole furnace, we design around the real damage mechanism: slag corrosion, molten bath scouring, matte penetration, thermal shock, alkali attack, mechanical wear and local lining failure at furnace mouth, tuyere, slag line, bath, burner, oxygen lance, reaction shaft and uptake shaft.
28 years
Focused on nonferrous refractories
500+
Furnaces served worldwide
100+
Nonferrous industry customers
10+
Countries and regions served
What We Solve in Smelting Furnace Linings
Copper, lead and zinc smelting furnaces rarely fail because of a single factor. Lining loss is usually the result of combined high-temperature corrosion, scouring, penetration, thermal cycling and local mechanical wear. JHYRef designs the refractory system around the furnace condition first, then selects the material system.
- Slag corrosion: iron-silicate slag and complex smelting slag attack the working lining.
- Molten bath scouring: high-speed melt movement damages reaction, bath and tuyere zones.
- Matte penetration: matte and metal phase infiltration weaken lining structure.
- Thermal shock: repeated heating and cooling causes cracking, spalling and joint failure.
- Mechanical wear: furnace mouth repair, tuyere maintenance and charging operations create impact and abrasion.
Furnace-Specific Refractory Design
The same refractory grade should not be used across every part of a smelting furnace. JHYRef separates high-wear zones from standard lining zones and recommends materials according to furnace type, slag system, temperature, wear mechanism and campaign-life target.
| Furnace Type | Critical Wear Zones | Main Damage Mechanism | Recommended Material Direction |
|---|---|---|---|
| PS converter | Furnace mouth, tuyere, slag line | Melt scouring, iron-silicate slag corrosion, hot-cold cycling, mechanical impact | Magnesia-chrome brick system; upgraded grades for furnace mouth, tuyere and slag-line zones |
| Flash smelting furnace | Reaction shaft, settler bath, slag line, uptake shaft | High-temperature scouring, chemical corrosion, matte/slag contact, hot-gas and alkali attack | MAGROME D for severe reaction zones; MAGROME B/D for bath and slag line; MAGROME Z for uptake shaft |
| Ausmelt furnace | Bottom working layer, straight barrel section | Melt penetration, bath scouring, slag corrosion | CHROS chrome-corundum bricks or MAGROME magnesia-chrome bricks according to slag system and wear severity |
| Side-blown furnace | Tuyere, slag line, bath body | Turbulent bath erosion, slag corrosion, local tuyere wear | MAGROME system for furnace body; higher-grade MAGROME or CHROS for tuyere and slag line |
| Bottom-blown furnace | Oxygen lance zone, bath, slag line | Matte penetration, slag corrosion, gas-flow scouring | Higher Cr2O3 magnesia-chrome bricks for oxygen lance zone; selected MAGROME grades for other body areas |
| Anode refining furnace | Tuyere, burner, furnace mouth, slag line | 1150-1200 C refining temperature, oxidation/reduction cycling, local erosion | High-grade magnesia-chrome or alumina-chrome bricks for tuyere/burner; quality magnesia-chrome bricks for mouth and slag line |
| Fuming furnace | Tuyere, slag line, metal outlet, slag outlet | Complex feed, unstable composition, high slag volume, multi-mechanism corrosion | MAGROME and CHROS systems; upgraded grades for high-damage zones |
| Kaldo furnace | Rotary working lining, bath zone, gas phase zone | Rotary operation, staged reduction/blowing/refining, thermal and chemical attack | MAGROME D, MAGROME B and CHROS selected by zone severity |
Material Systems
MAGROME
Magnesia-chrome brick systems for severe slag corrosion, matte penetration, high-temperature melt scouring and thermal cycling. Includes directly bonded, fused rebonded and fused semi-rebonded grades.
CHROS
Chrome-corundum brick systems for zones where alumina-chrome chemistry provides better resistance to corrosion, erosion and high-temperature working conditions.
CALUS
Chrome-corundum and corundum-mullite castables for monolithic lining, repair areas and local reinforcement where brick-only construction is not ideal.
CALUM and NIRLAY
Magnesia-chrome castables, ramming materials and refractory mortars for lining construction, masonry bonding, joint matching and repair support.
Engineering Support Behind the Lining
Refractory selection for smelting furnaces should be supported by testing, simulation and production control. JHYRef uses R&D equipment and engineering analysis to understand lining failure and improve material selection.
R&D and Testing
- SEM for microstructure, pore and corrosion-interface observation
- XRD for phase and crystal composition analysis
- EDX and XRF for elemental and chemical composition analysis
- Thermal shock, load softening, creep, expansion and conductivity testing
Simulation and Production
- Thermal field, stress field and fluid behavior evaluation
- Corrosion, erosion and thermal-shock performance assessment
- Material and structure optimization for lining life, energy use and cost
- Intelligent production and full-process construction control