Novel cordierite cementless refractory castable based on silica sol. Its properties and comparison with classical CAC cordierite castable

Abstract The aim of this study is to investigate the properties of refractory cordierite based cement-free castable utilizing silica sol as a binder. An additional objective is to compare the performance of this novel material with that of conventional cordierite refractory castable based on calcium aluminate cement. The findings are intended to evaluate the feasibility of applying the proposed material in the production of various monolithic components of thermal units operating under relatively low-temperature conditions (up to 1200°C), but subject to frequent and intense thermal cycling—such as coke oven doors or household waste incineration chambers.A significant advantage of silica sol–based concrete is the absence of chemically bound water, enabling complete drying at 110°C within 10 hours. In contrast, conventional concrete requires drying at 350–550°C for 20–80 hours, depending on the size of the component. This property significantly reduces both time and energy consumption during the manufacturing process.