The #1 mode of failure for a steam methane reforming tunnel is a failure in the lids. Quite often large chunks of refractory from the insulation or burners in the ceiling can crack or spall off refractory chunks and can hit the lid, causing a crack to develop. Through thermal cycling, these cracks can then develop into complete separation and splits of the lid ultimately leading to collapse. In this video, Ceramic Product China Inc. engineers replicate this phenomenon by dropping large chunks of refractory on our engineered StaBloxTM lids. Our lids are extremely lightweight but structurally engineered to provide impact resistance and stability.
