Sadri A., Gebski P., Ghorbani H., McGarrie G., De Vries T.
Hatch Ltd., 2800 Speakman Dr., Mississau-ga, ON L5K 2R7, Canada; Hatch Ltd., Gallo Manor, South Africa; Anglo Platinum, Polokwane Smelter, South Africa
Sadri, A., Hatch Ltd., 2800 Speakman Dr., Mississau-ga, ON L5K 2R7, Canada; Gebski, P., Hatch Ltd., 2800 Speakman Dr., Mississau-ga, ON L5K 2R7, Canada; Ghorbani, H., Hatch Ltd., 2800 Speakman Dr., Mississau-ga, ON L5K 2R7, Canada; McGarrie, G., Hatch Ltd., Gallo Manor, South Africa; De Vries, T., Anglo Platinum, Polokwane Smelter, South Africa
Cooling elements in operating furnaces, such as waffle coolers, finger coolers, cooling staves, and plate coolers, are subject to wearing and deterioration over time. Ultrasonic (UT) pulse echo is an efficient nondestructive testing methodology to monitor the thickness and quality of the cooling blocks through periodical inspections; however, the highly dampening properties of copper and the high temperatures on the hot face of the cooling elements could cause errors in UT thickness measurements. To eliminate potential errors in UT measurements, a study was conducted to determine the correct temperature and velocity distributions and relationship in waffle coolers. In this study, a combination of mathematical modeling and experimental work was used to establish a relationship between the temperature and the speed of ultrasonic waves in copper elements.