The Line of Producing Mineral Insulation Material on the Base of Water Repellent Basalt Fiber - Thermo

The following is used to produce mineral wool:

• rocks: basalt and porphyrite, obtained in the Urals and Karelia
• dolomite as deoxidizer

Raw materials are supplied by railway, unloaded at storage sites, carried by trucks to loading bins, where they are sifted out, weighed and measured.

Raw materials get into cupola by belt conveyor.

Inside the cupola the materials undergo melting process with the help of coke energy. Air draft (air blast) goes through 18 tuyeres straight into the cupola melting zone. During the melting process ferric oxides from raw materials are reduced with carbon from coke. Melted iron goes through the cupola bottom several times a day.

Cupola bottom has double walls for cooling. Cooling water vaporizes from cupola heat. Steam goes to a cooling tank, partly condenses and gives warmth to the water used for room heating.

The middle part of the cupola is also cooled by water and equipped with a pipe bend to extract smoke exhaust which goes to a cleansing and reheating plant for combustion from CO to CO2. Part of energy returns and is used for preheating of air draft, thus decreasing coke consumption.

Binder and dust emulsions are prepared in a special compartment with the help of a mixing device, separately for the binder and emulsion. Containers with the substance are weighed to prepare the necessary amount. The binder, according to the quality of the fiber obtained, is supplied to the centrifuge with a dosing pump.

Melt from the cupola flows out through siphons and trays to quickly rotating centrifuge rollers, where it turns to thin fiber. The fiber is moistened with the binder. Quantity of binder depends on the characteristics of end item. Centrifuge rollers are cooled by water.

Air flow, coming along the centrifuge rollers, takes the fiber to a forming chamber where it is precipitated on an inclined platform-type punched conveyor. Next, mineral wool goes to the receiving conveyor, then downwards with the help of a special handler that lays fiber in cross direction onto a feed conveyor under the handler. On the feed conveyor secondary mineral wool is formed with the constrained characteristics of width and thickness. Balance and speed control lines are used to maintain the fixed mass.

Mineral wool goes through compression and crimping. A special pressing device – crimper - is used for vertical and lengthwise compression of mineral wool layer.

After crimping the mineral wool goes into polymerization chamber, where polymerization takes place, ie the binder is fixed. Exhaust system of the polymerization chamber takes away part of circulating air that contains steam from the binder and water.

Compressed and compacted layer of mineral wool goes from the polymerization chamber though the cooling zone, where it is cooled down to ambient temperature with the help of the exhaust system.

From the lateral surface irregular compactness clipping is made. Clipping return system mills it in granulators and carries it back to the forming chamber.

Mineral wool is cut to necessary width with lengthwise saw.

Mineral wool polymerized layer is cut by lengthwise saw into plated of the necessary length.

Stocking machine puts plates into bundlers.

Packing machine wraps bundlers in film.

Dust, appearing during mineral wool cut, is drawn off through dust filters.

Operation Factors of Mineral Insulation Material Thermo Line

The line works 24/7 with one stop a week for operational check. Annual productivity of equipment is 33,000 tonnes per year.