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Videos

StaBlox 3D animation:
a precast tunnel and a brick tunnel side by side

An animated comparison of how a StaBlox flue gas tunnel and a brick and mortar tunnel are built.

Two reformer tunnels go up at the same time.
One course by course in brick, one block by block without mortar.

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Inside a finished precast flue gas tunnel with rows of round side openings
In short

The StaBlox 3D animation builds a precast StaBlox flue gas tunnel and a conventional brick and mortar tunnel side by side, so you can compare the number of parts, the joints and the time each one takes. It shows the modular, interlocking blocks of the StaBlox system going together without mortar, while the brick tunnel needs every course laid and pointed.

What the video shows

The animation starts from the furnace floor of a top-fired steam methane reformer. On one side, a brick tunnel is laid in firebrick and mortar, with buttresses and openings formed from half bricks. On the other side, the StaBlox tunnel rises from its five parts: base blocks, hollow side wall blocks, tie rods, lids and orifice inserts in the openings.

Because the comparison runs in parallel, the difference in steps is easy to follow. Each StaBlox block replaces about six bricks, and nothing has to be mixed, cut or cured.

The facts behind the animation

  • Side wall blocks are 18 by 9 inches, hollow, with two 4.5 inch openings and a fiber seal in the joints.
  • Each block weighs under 50 lb, and the tunnel weighs up to 60% less than a brick tunnel.
  • Tie rods replace buttresses and lock with a quarter turn, so they can be removed for inspection.
  • At two US ammonia plants in 2018, one 43 ft tunnel was set in about 4 hours and nine tunnels in about three days.

What the comparison reveals

The brick tunnel is finished when the last joint is pointed, while the precast tunnel is finished when the last block is set, and that difference is what decides the critical path of a turnaround.

Two workers setting precast tunnel blocks inside a reformer furnace

What you take away

The animation is a quick way to explain the system to a turnaround team or a refractory contractor before the first meeting. It shows the build logic, not the flow design: the bore of each orifice insert is chosen for its position in the furnace, and that is what evens out the flue gas flow.

The full design, the field data and the material values are on the page for the StaBlox flue gas tunnel system. To see the real parts going together, watch the StaBlox build demonstration.

Frequently asked

Questions about the animation

Is the build time in the animation a field value?

No. The animation compares the sequence. Field values come from the first installations in 2018: about 4 hours for one 43 ft tunnel and about three days for nine tunnels.

Does a StaBlox tunnel need mortar?

No. The blocks are set dry, with fiber seals in the joints, and each block takes up its own thermal expansion.

Can StaBlox replace a single brick tunnel?

Yes. One collapsed tunnel can be rebuilt with StaBlox while the other tunnels stay in place.

View along the top of a precast tunnel wall

Planning new tunnels
for your reformer?

Send the tunnel dimensions and the furnace layout. A Blasch engineer works out the blocks and the opening plan.

Talk to an engineer Call 1-800-550-5768
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