Kiln Insulation

[allhan]

Are there any safe ceramic fibres out there.
I need to insulate a kiln sidewall that is currently standard insulation brick but didnt want to use ceramic fibre because of the Health and Safety issues.
I managed to get hold of some Ultralite ceramic pellets from a company in Stoke and made some tiles from it. They performed reasonably ok and I can probably get them better still but they wont go over the kiln arch so i might have no choice but use RCFs.
Any advice would be appreciated.

 

[EdStainless]

What is unsafe about fiber? It is used in furnace and kiln insulation frequently. It must be covered contained, since it has no mechanical integrity. Usually thin metal (Aluminum or stainless steel) is often used as covering for fiber.

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Rust never sleeps
Neither should your protection

http://www.trent-tube.com/contact/Tech_Assist.cfm

 

[m777182]

Ceramic fibres (not asbestos fibers!) are exelent for your task.
m777182

 

[allhan]

Ceramic fibres will do the job but as I understand they are now classed as a grade 2 carcinogen, at least here in the uk, almost the same as asbestos, so I'm a little nervous about using them. The trouble with covering them in a furnace is that at 1100-1200 there are no practical materials that will do the job.

 

[unclesyd]

You should look into using a rigidizer on your ceramic fiber insulation. Rigidizers can alleviate a lot of potential problems with dusting and erosion. Here a just two many many on the market.

http://www.zircarceramics.com/pages/cem-rig/index.htm

http://www.mid-mountain.com/products/rigidizers.html

If your kiln is of any size you might want to look at the following systems.

http://www.foamfrax.com/

Can you comeback with any more details of your application?

 

[allhan]

Cheers unclesyd
Thats pointed me in the right direction I think.
There are a couple of companys in the uk who market those rigidisers.
I think I will go with the lightweight ceramic panels i've made up using the Ultralite for the sides and do the arches with rigidised RCF.
At least on the roof part its not going to get knocked about.
Thanks for the help
Allhan

 

[unclesyd]

One point that I forgot to mention is that you should always use a ceramic fiber that is rated at least 200 degrees above you normal working temperature. This is.
a little more expensive up front but will pay off in the long haul.

You might want to look at the use of insulating firebrick especially for the walls and as a backer for the floor. They make a wash for this type brick that almost completely eliminates dusting.

Here is one of many companies that produce insulating firebricks.

http://www.bnzmaterials.com/zelienople.html

 

[phickser49]

allhan, I graduated from Alfred University in the Alfred, NY USA with my ceramic engineering degree in '85. I have been around the ceramic industry for 25 years. I am quite familiar with high temperature insulation. Did you make your decision or would you like some more information?

 

[allhan]

Thanks for all the help.
Done what I wanted to, ie Fibre roof and Ultralite tile walls and its working fine for me.