Refractory tile system for boiler tube/heat exchanger

A refractory tile system for use on a wall of a boiler, the system comprising:

• a plurality of tiles disposed on the wall in spaced, movable relation to one another;
• said tiles being sized and shaped to provide a gap between adjacent ones of said tiles, the gap being sufficient to substantially prevent macro-scale bowing of said tiles during exposure to operational temperatures of the boiler;
• and
• a corrosion barrier fluid disposed between said tiles and the wall to substantially prevent corrosion of the wall, said corrosion barrier fluid comprising a coating applied to the wall and adapted to adhere to the wall while being free from adherence to the tiles.

A method for increasing the useful life of a wall of a boiler, said method comprising the steps of:

• (a) providing a plurality of tiles having a floating fastener system engagable with the wall to maintain said tiles in spaced, movable relation to one another;
• (b) sizing and shaping said tiles to provide a gap between adjacent ones of said tiles, said gap being sufficient to accommodate dimensional changes of said tiles exhibited during exposure to operational temperatures of the boiler;
• (c) disposing a corrosion barrier fluid on the wall, said corrosion barrier fluid comprising a coating applied to the wall and adapted to adhere to the wall while being free from adherence to the tiles;
• and
• (d) engaging the floating fastener system with the wall, wherein the tiles are superposed with the wall and the corrosion barrier is disposed therebetween.