Method for sealing an oxygen transport membrane assembly

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9969645-B2
Application number	US-201314134276-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 19, 2013
Priority date	Dec 19, 2012
Publication date	May 15, 2018
Grant date	May 15, 2018

Abstract

An improved method of sealing a ceramic part to a solid part made of ceramic, metal, cermet or a ceramic coated metal is provided. The improved method includes placing a bond agent comprising an Al 2 O 3 and SiO 2 based glass-ceramic material and organic binder material on adjoining surfaces of the ceramic part and the solid part. The assembly is heated to a first target temperature that removes or dissolves the organic binder material from the bond agent and the assembly is subjected to a second induction heating step at a temperature ramp rate of between about 100° C. and 200° C. per minute to temperatures where the glass-ceramic material flows and wets the interface between adjoining surfaces. The assembly is rapidly cooled at a cooling rate of about 140° C. per minute or more to induce nucleation and re-crystallization of the glass-ceramic material to form a dense, durable and gas-tight seal.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method of sealing a first ceramic part to a second ceramic part configured to receive the first ceramic part, the method comprising the steps of:
placing a glass-ceramic bond agent comprising a glass-ceramic material and organic binder material in a volumetric ratio of from about 4:1 to about 1.5:1 on one or more adjoining surfaces of the first ceramic part and the second ceramic part, wherein said glass-ceramic bond agent comprises a blend of from about 2 mol % to about 15 mol % of Al 2 O 3 , from about 40 mol % to about 70 mol % SiO 2 and from about 20 mol % to 55 mol % BaO, SrO, CaO, MgO or combinations thereof;
heating the first ceramic part, the second ceramic part and the bond agent to remove or dissolve the organic binder material;
further heating the first ceramic part and the second ceramic part at a rate of greater than about 100° C. per minute to temperatures where the glass-ceramic material reacts with carbon from the organic binder material and the glass-ceramic material flows into or wets the interface between adjoining surfaces of the first ceramic part and the second ceramic part; and
cooling the first ceramic part and the second ceramic part at a rate of greater than about 100° C. per minute to nucleate and re-crystallize the glass-ceramic material disposed between adjoining surfaces of the first ceramic part and the second ceramic part and form a hermetic or gas-tight seal between the first ceramic part and the second ceramic part, said seal able to withstand temperatures of >800° C. and pressures of >100 psi, wherein the steps of heating and cooling the first ceramic part and the second ceramic part further comprise using an induction heating element to effect the temperature changes.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the organic binder material is a combination of phosphate ester, polyvinyl butyrai and butyl benzyl phthalate, and said glass-ceramic bond agent is a paste, slurry, film, ribbon, or tape disposed on one or more adjoining surfaces of the first ceramic part and the second ceramic part.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of cooling the first ceramic part and the second ceramic part further comprises cooling the first ceramic part and the second ceramic part at a rate of between about 120° C. per minute to about 160° C. per minute to nucleate and re-crystallize the glass-ceramic material disposed between adjoining surfaces of the first ceramic part and the second ceramic solid part.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of heating the first ceramic part and the second ceramic part to temperatures effective to flow and wet the glass-ceramic material further comprises heating the first ceramic part, the second ceramic part and the glass-ceramic material at a rate of between about 200° C. per minute to about 250° C. per minute.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of maintaining the temperature of the first ceramic part and the second ceramic part for a prescribed duration of between about 30 seconds to 360 seconds, the step of maintaining the temperature to be effected between or during the heating and cooling steps.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first ceramic part is a tubular oxygen transport membrane.

Assignees

• Gonzalez Javier E
• Grant Arthur F
• Praxair Technology Inc

Inventors

• Gonzalez Javier E
• Grant Arthur F

Classifications

• C04B35/6264

  Mixing media, e.g. organic solvents · CPC title

• H01M8/0286

  Processes for forming seals · CPC title

• C03C10/0018

  containing SiO2, Al2O3 and monovalent metal oxide as main constituents · CPC title

• C04B2237/708

  of one or more of the interlayers · CPC title

• C04B35/638

  Removal thereof · CPC title