Process For Mineral Wool Production

Mineral wool has a unique range of properties combining high thermal resistance with long-term stability. It is made from molten glass, stone or slag that is spun into a fibre-like structure which creates a combination of properties that no other insulation material can match. It has the ability to save energy, minimize pollution, combat noise, reduce the risk of fire and protect life and property in the event of fire. Mineral wool: Production and properties describes the technological process of mineral wool production and the physical characteristics of the melt and theoretical bases of multiregression and dimensionless theory. This is followed by the introduction of the fibre cooling model in the blow-away flow and the influence of temperature in the melt film (on the rotating centrifuge wheels) on the thickness of forming fibres. The second part predominantly focuses on the use of computer-aided visualisation: tools for the diagnostics of fibre and primary layer formation. Special attention is given to the study of aerodynamic characteristics of the airflow which significantly influences the quality of the final product. Mineral wool: Production and properties is suitable for engineers, researchers and for graduate and postgraduate students who want to broaden their knowledge of experimental methods in this field.

The first part of the monograph describes the technological process of mineral wool production. It is followed by the presentation of physical characteristics of the melt and theoretical bases of multiregression and dimensionless theory which represents the basic tool for the formation of phenomenological models of mineral wool fiberisation. It is followed by the introduction of the fibre cooling model in the blow-away flow and the influence of temperature in the melt film (on rotating centrifuge wheels) on the thickness of forming fibres. The second part of the monograph is predominantly based on the use of computer-aided visualisation: tools for the diagnostics of fibre and primary layer formation. The aerodynamic characteristics of airflow which significantly influences the quality of the final product are studied. In the conclusion, the polymerisation process in the curing chamber and procedures of measuring temperature profiles along the curing chamber are discussed

Manufactured vitreous fibers (MVF), also known as synthetic vitreous fibers, are considered to be less hazardous than asbestos to human health. They are used in many thermal- and acoustical-insulation applications as an asbestos substitute or as a filtration medium. The Navy uses MVF in shipboard and onshore applications. To protect Navy personnel from harmful exposures to MVF, the U.S. Navy Environmental Health Center (NEHC) developed occupational exposure standards. The documentation assists industrial hygienists, occupational medicine physicians, and other Navy health professionals in assessing and controlling the health hazards linked with exposure to MVF. In 1997, the National Research Council (NRC) was asked to conduct an independent review of the Navy's toxicological assessment of MVF and to evaluate the scientific validity of its exposure standard of 2 fibers per cubic centimeter of air (f/cm3). The NRC assigned the task to the Committee on Toxicology, which established the Subcommittee on Manufactured Vitreous Fibers, a multidisciplinary group of experts, to determine whether all relevant toxicological and epidemiological data were correctly considered in developing the exposure standard; and to examine the uncertainty, variability, and quality of data and the appropriateness of assumptions used in the derivation of the exposure standard. The subcommittee was also asked to identify deficiencies in the MVF database and, where appropriate, to make recommendations for future research and data development. Review of the U.S. Navy's exposure Standard for Manufactured Vitreous Fibers represents the subcommittee's final report. The committee had expanded its review when in January 1999, the Navy revised its Occupational Safety and Health Program Manual (CNO 1999), changing the occupational exposure limit for MVF to the American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists (ACGIH) threshold limit value (TLV) of 1 f/cm3. The report features recommendations by the subcommittee as well as information gaps found throughout investigation. Overall, the subcommittee found that the Navy made a good start in assessing the health effects of MVF, but needed further research.

"This publication represents the views and expert opinions of an IARC working group on the evaluation of carcinogenic risks to humans, which met in Lyon, 9-16 October 2001."

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