Oct 1 2010
Morgan Technical Ceramics (MTC), a leading manufacturer of innovative ceramic, glass, precious metal, piezoelectric and dielectric materials, introduces a new thermocouple protection tube material made from CaO-stabilized zirconia.
This zirconia material withstands a furnace’s maximum working temperature up to 2,000°C.
The new zirconia thermocouple protection tubes offer corrosion and chemical resistance at higher temperatures than can be achieved with alumina tubes. Processes that use inert atmosphere and graphite result in reduced oxygen in the alumina tubes, causing their early failure. The oxygen molecules in the zirconia will also be reduced in this environment, but at a much slower rate.
The material can be used in directional solidification system (DSS) furnaces, where temperatures are about 1,600°C and the thermocouple tubes are sitting in a graphite bed. Alumina remains an appropriate material for use in other positions in the kiln, but zirconia thermocouples will have a longer life.
MTC offers a wide range of materials that can be used in temperature measurement, providing a solution for nearly every application. These include zirconia, mullite, alumina and silicon carbide.