UralNIIstrom Ltd., Chelyabinsk, Russia

R. M. Akhmedyanov, Deputy Director General for Research, Candidate of Engineering Sciences
E. A. Gamaliy, Head of the Research Department, Candidate of Engineering Sciences

Chelyabinsk Zinc Plant, Chelyabinsk, Russia.
S. A. Zagrebin, Deputy Head of the Technical Directorate, Candidate of Chemical Sciences
M. V. Boshnyak, Head of the Reconstruction and New Technology Department, e-mail: mvb@zinc.ru

The Chelyabinsk Zinc Plant, the largest Russian manufacturer of high-quality metallic zinc and zinc-based alloys, is constantly working on large-scale reduction of current operating costs at all stages of the technological process. Thus, in the smelting shop, induction furnaces and casting machines for metallic zinc and zinc-based alloys are used. Pumping of molten zinc is carried out by specialized graphite submersible pumps, for the assembly of the components of which an imported cementing material made in the USA was previously used. It must be applied manually to the mating parts of the graphite pump, after assembly of which it is subjected to heat treatment at a temperature of 150 °C for 8 hours. The Chelyabinsk Zinc Plant, together with the scientific group of Ural- NIIstrom Ltd., carried out a set of studies to develop a new composition of the cementing material, the key task of which was to manufacture the material of a similar composition, which in its physical characteristics is not inferior to the imported analogue. The results of the set of scientific research works on the original imported cement showed that this material is a composite on a sodium liquid glass binder, with a silicate modulus of ~2 and with a mineral aluminosilicate filler, the strength of which is ensured by dehydration of liquid glass during drying. Due to the fact that there are no materials used in the production of imported cement on the domestic market, the composition of its replacement should be determined, first of all, during the experimental selection of components, with the obligatory achievement of physical characteristics no worse than those of the original.

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