Definition
Alumina balls for the ceramic industry are ceramic spheres made from alumina powder as the main raw material through high-temperature sintering. They possess high hardness, excellent wear resistance, superior chemical stability, and high mechanical strength. Widely used in petroleum chemical, coal chemical, natural gas purification, chemical fertilizer, metallurgy, environmental protection and other industries, they serve as supporting, covering or filtering materials for catalysts in reactors.

Classification by Function and Application
Grinding Ceramic Balls

• Core function: Used for grinding and dispersing materials, reducing material particle size and improving uniformity through their own hardness and wear resistance.
• Common materials: Mainly alumina ceramic balls and zirconia ceramic balls; different materials are selected according to grinding precision requirements.
• Application scenarios: Material grinding processes in ceramic, coating, new energy, pharmaceutical and other industries.

Inert Supporting Ceramic Balls

• Core function: Acting as supporting, covering or filtering materials for catalysts in reactors, they do not participate in chemical reactions and only play roles in structural support and fluid distribution.
• Common materials: High-alumina ceramic balls and corundum balls, requiring chemical stability and high-temperature resistance.
• Application scenarios: Inside reactors and adsorption towers in petroleum chemical, coal chemical, natural gas purification and other industries.

Precision Ceramic Bearing Balls

• Core function: Replacing metal bearing balls, they are used in high-precision, high-speed, corrosion-resistant bearing systems to reduce friction and extend service life.
• Common materials: Silicon nitride ceramic balls and zirconia ceramic balls, with extremely high requirements for roundness and surface finish.
• Application scenarios: High-end machine tools, aero-engines, medical equipment, precision instruments and other fields.

Application Cases of Inert Alumina Ceramic Balls

1. Petroleum Chemical Industry: Case of a Refining Enterprise’s Reforming Unit

The precious metal catalyst in the enterprise’s reforming unit was prone to wear due to gas flow impact, with high replacement costs. It adopted high-purity inert alumina ceramic balls of φ38mm with a compressive strength of 40kN, filled at the bottom and between layers of the reactor catalyst bed. After application, the ceramic balls effectively buffered the impact of reaction materials on the catalyst and optimized material distribution, extending the catalyst replacement cycle from 12 months to 18 months, significantly reducing equipment maintenance costs and shutdown losses.

2. Coal Chemical Industry: Case of a 600,000-ton/year Coal-to-Methanol Project

The coal gas filter in the project needed to solve the problems of uneven gas distribution and impurities affecting subsequent reactions. The project adopted a three-stage particle size gradient filling scheme in the coal gas filter, laying three layers of inert alumina ceramic balls of φ100mm, φ50mm and φ25mm. This gradient filling design allowed gas to be evenly split when passing through the filter, and impurities to be intercepted in grades. Finally, the gas distribution uniformity reached 98.7%, significantly improving the utilization rate of the catalyst in the shift converter and helping the entire set of equipment stably reach the designed production capacity.

3. Coal Chemical Industry: Case of a Methanol-to-Synthetic Oil Plant

The reactor of the enterprise’s 100,000-ton methanol-to-synthetic oil plant operated under high-temperature conditions of 650℃ for a long time, requiring strict high-temperature resistance and structural stability of internal fillers. It selected corundum-type inert alumina ceramic balls as reactor fillers, which have an alumina content of ≥99% and can withstand high temperatures and complex corrosion of the reaction system. In practical application, the ceramic balls operated continuously for 18,000 hours without structural failure, ensuring the continuous and stable progress of the methanol-to-synthetic oil reaction and reducing the number of unplanned shutdowns.

4. Chemical Fertilizer Industry: Case of the Secondary Reformer in an Ammonia Synthesis Plant

The reaction system in the secondary reformer of ammonia synthesis contains fluorine compounds. Ordinary fillers are prone to react with them, causing bed blockage, and the high-temperature environment will affect catalyst activity. The project used 99% high-alumina inert alumina ceramic balls as catalyst supporting materials. The silica content of the ceramic balls is <0.5%, which can avoid reacting with fluorine-containing compounds to form impurities and block the bed. At the same time, the low thermal expansion coefficient of the ceramic balls is suitable for the high-temperature working conditions of the reformer, ensuring the stability of the catalyst bed, improving the reaction conversion rate of ammonia synthesis, and optimizing the purity of subsequent products.

5. Environmental Protection: Case of an Industrial Waste Gas Catalytic Combustion Device

In a waste gas treatment project of a chemical park, the catalyst in the catalytic combustion device had insufficient reaction and low purification efficiency due to uneven waste gas flow. The project filled inert alumina ceramic balls in the upper and lower layers of the catalyst bed of the catalytic combustion device. The ceramic balls guided the waste gas to form laminar flow, avoiding turbulence and reaction dead zones, and enabling full contact between the waste gas and the catalyst. According to actual measurements, the waste gas purification rate increased to more than 90%, effectively solving the problem of excessive emission of volatile organic waste gas and meeting the environmental protection emission standards of the park.

6. Environmental Protection: Case of an Industrial Sewage Treatment Biological Filter

In the sewage treatment system of a pharmaceutical enterprise, the poor adhesion of microorganisms in the biological filter led to insufficient treatment efficiency of organic wastewater. It filled porous inert alumina ceramic balls in the biological filter. The porous structure on the surface of the ceramic balls provided a stable attachment and growth carrier for microorganisms, promoting the reproduction of microorganisms that degrade organic pollutants. After application, the removal efficiency of COD and ammonia nitrogen by the biological filter was significantly improved, the effluent quality was stably up to standard, and the ceramic balls were resistant to acid and alkali corrosion of wastewater, with a service life of more than 10 years, reducing the frequency of filler replacement.