E-mail:lizhi@pxball.cnIn the complex system of modern industry, there are many seemingly insignificant but crucial materials, and inert ceramic balls are one of them. With its unique performance, it plays an irreplaceable role in many industries and has become a key element in promoting the efficient and stable operation of industry.
I. Characteristics: Outstanding performance builds the foundation of industry
Inert ceramic balls possess a series of remarkable properties. Its high strength enables it to withstand tremendous pressure. Whether in high-pressure reaction vessels or in working environments frequently impacted by materials, it can remain intact and is not prone to breakage. High hardness endows it with excellent wear resistance. During long-term use, the degree of surface wear is extremely small, significantly extending its service life.
Chemical stability can be regarded as the core advantage of inert ceramic balls. It is like an indestructible guard, capable of resisting the erosion of acids, alkalis, salts and various organic solvents. In a complex chemical reaction environment, it always adheres to its own chemical properties and does not react with surrounding substances, ensuring the purity and stability of the entire reaction process. Meanwhile, its excellent thermal stability enables it to maintain stable physical and chemical properties even when facing drastic temperature changes. It can handle both low and high temperatures with ease without deforming or cracking due to temperature fluctuations.
Ii. Application: Widely involved in key links of multiple industries
(1) Petrochemical industry
In the petrochemical industry, inert ceramic balls play an indispensable and important role. Among various reactors, it shoulders the important responsibility of supporting and covering the catalyst. When the reaction materials enter the reactor, they will exert a strong impact on the catalyst. However, inert ceramic balls act like solid shields, buffering this impact, effectively protecting the expensive and fragile catalyst, extending the service life of the catalyst, and reducing production costs. At the same time, it can also improve the distribution of liquid and gas in the reactor, enabling the materials to fully contact the catalyst, enhancing the reaction efficiency, and facilitating the more efficient and stable operation of petrochemical production. For instance, in the hydrogenation reactor during the oil refining process, the presence of inert ceramic balls ensures that hydrogen and oil products can come into uniform contact with the catalyst, facilitating the smooth progress of the hydrogenation reaction and enhancing the quality of the oil products.
(II) Environmental Protection industry
With increasingly strict environmental protection requirements, inert ceramic balls have also found a broad application field in the environmental protection industry. In waste gas treatment equipment, it can be used as a filler to increase the contact area between the gas and the treatment agent, enabling the harmful substances in the waste gas to react more fully with the agent and thus be effectively removed. In some wastewater treatment processes, inert ceramic balls also play a significant role. They can provide carriers for microorganisms to attach and grow, promoting the decomposition and transformation of pollutants in wastewater by microorganisms, enhancing the wastewater treatment effect, and facilitating the purification and recycling of water resources.
(III) Natural Gas Industry
Inert ceramic balls also play a key role in the extraction, transportation and processing of natural gas. In natural gas purification devices, it can help separate impurities and moisture from natural gas, improve the purity of natural gas, and ensure that the quality of natural gas meets the usage standards. Meanwhile, in natural gas storage and transportation equipment, the presence of inert ceramic balls can enhance the stability and safety of the equipment, prevent corrosion and damage caused by the presence of impurities and moisture, and ensure the normal operation of the natural gas industry.
Iii. Classification: Multiple categories meet different needs
According to the different aluminum content, inert ceramic balls can be classified into common ceramic balls, medium aluminum ceramic balls, high aluminum ceramic balls, etc. Ordinary ceramic balls have a relatively low aluminum content, possess certain strength and chemical stability, and are suitable for some conventional industrial scenarios where performance requirements are not particularly strict. They are also relatively affordable. The aluminum content of Chinalco ceramic balls is moderate. They perform relatively evenly in terms of strength, chemical stability and thermal stability, and can meet the general needs of most industrial production. Their application range is relatively wide. High alumina ceramic balls have a relatively high aluminum content, and their performance is even more outstanding. They can still maintain good performance under extreme working conditions such as high temperature, high pressure, and strong corrosion. Therefore, they are often used in high-end industrial fields with extremely high requirements for material performance.
In addition to being classified by aluminum content, there are also some special types of inert ceramic balls. For instance, the perforated ceramic ball is an innovative design based on the common inert ceramic ball, with holes made around the diameter of the ball. This unique design enables it to retain certain mechanical strength, chemical stability and thermal stability, while increasing the specific surface area and porosity. In practical applications, it can significantly increase the dispersion and flux of materials, reduce the resistance of the system, and is particularly suitable for some process procedures with high requirements for the dispersion and flow of materials. The concave-convex porcelain balls are made by adding protruding beads on the surface. This is also to increase the specific surface area and porosity of the balls, reduce the bulk weight, increase the flux, and lower the system resistance. As a new type of highly efficient catalyst support and cover packing, they have been widely used in the petroleum, chemical, and natural gas industries.
Iv. Production Process: Meticulous craftsmanship ensures high-quality products
The production process of inert ceramic balls is rigorous and meticulous. Its main raw materials include α -Al ₂O₃ alumina, kaolin and malleable refractory clay, etc. At the same time, feldspar, quartz and binders and other auxiliary materials will also be added. First of all, careful batching is required. According to the performance requirements of different types of inert ceramic balls, the proportion of various raw materials should be precisely controlled. Then it enters the ball milling stage, where the prepared raw materials are ground into fine and uniform powder to ensure the consistency of the materials in the subsequent processing. Then, impurities are removed through sieving to ensure the purity of the raw materials. After that, iron removal treatment is carried out, as iron impurities may affect the performance of the ceramic balls.
After the above pretreatment, the raw materials are made into clay with good plasticity by vacuum mud-making process. The forming process is of vital importance. Common forming methods include semi-isostatic pressing (dry bag method) forming, isostatic pressing forming and rolling forming, etc. Different forming methods are suitable for the production of ceramic balls of different specifications and performance requirements. The formed green body needs to undergo drying treatment to remove moisture and enhance its strength. Finally, the dried green body is placed in a high-temperature sintering kiln for sintering. Common sintering kilns include high-temperature tunnel kilns and shuttle kilns, etc. During the high-temperature sintering process, a series of physical and chemical changes occur inside the green body, eventually forming inert ceramic balls with high strength, high hardness, chemical stability and thermal stability. Throughout the entire production process, through strict process control and quality monitoring of raw materials, clay, semi-finished products and finished products, it is ensured that the surface of the products after sintering is smooth, the porcelain texture is dense, and there are no sandwich or delamination phenomena inside, thereby meeting the high-quality requirements of industrial production for inert ceramic balls.
