Rongjian manufactures inert ceramic balls in alumina porcelain, used as catalyst support and covering media in reactors and as packing support in towers. The balls are fired from alumina and silica at high temperature into a dense, chemically stable sphere that does not react with the process. Their job is to hold and protect the catalyst, spread the gas and liquid evenly across the bed, and fill the space at the bottom of a reactor or tower so the pressure drop stays low.
The common grade runs Al₂O₃ 17 to 23%, with a specific gravity around 2.3, water absorption below 2%, acid resistance above 90% and a working temperature to about 1000°C. Higher-alumina grades are made for hotter, heavier-duty service. We supply balls from φ3 to φ50, sorted and crush-tested, and graded into the bed in layers of different sizes. We also make refractory and heat-storage ceramic balls for high-temperature duty.
Typical specifications for Rongjian inert ceramic balls, common alumina-porcelain grade. Higher-alumina grades, with more strength and a higher working temperature, and refractory and heat-storage balls are available on request. Balls are crush-tested and graded into the bed by size.
| PROPERTY | VALUE |
|---|---|
| Material | Alumina porcelain (Al₂O₃ + SiO₂) |
| Al₂O₃ Content | 17–23% |
| Specific Gravity | 2.3 g/cm³ |
| Bulk Density | 1.3–1.35 g/cm³ |
| Water Absorption | ≤2% |
| Acid Resistance | >90% |
| Alkali Resistance | >85% |
| Mohs Hardness | >6.5 |
| Max Operating Temp | ~1000°C |
| Thermal Shock (to cold water) | 10 cycles |
| Crush Strength | ≥0.3 kN (φ3) to ≥15 kN (φ50) |
| Sizes | φ3, φ6, φ10, φ13, φ16, φ19, φ25, φ38, φ50 |
| Colour | Off-white |
Inert ceramic balls go wherever a catalyst or a packing bed has to be held, protected and fed evenly, and wherever a hot bed needs stable, non-reactive filler. The four duties below cover most of what buyers order them for.
We have produced ceramic balls since 2010, out of Jiangxi in China, and ship them to refiners, petrochemical plants and tower builders around the world as catalyst support, covering and packing-support media. Because we run the common grade and higher-alumina grades, the ball is matched to the reactor temperature and the catalyst rather than forced to fit one stock product.
We hold inert, refractory and heat-storage balls and set the size and grade to the order, graded into layers where a bed needs it. Standard supply runs from sample quantities up to full reactor charges by the tonne, with the test report shipped against every batch and a reply on quotes within a day.
The balls run from small spheres around three millimetres up to large ones near fifty, and a reactor bed usually uses several sizes at once. Large balls fill the bottom of the vessel and carry the load; medium balls bridge the gap; and small balls sit just under the catalyst to hold it without blocking flow. We grade the sizes into the layers a bed needs, so the charge is built for the vessel rather than a single size poured in.
Every grade is crush-tested, because a ball at the bottom of a tall bed carries the weight of everything above it. A ball that crushes under that load sheds fines, drives up the pressure drop and can foul the catalyst or the distributor below, so each grade is tested to a crush strength and the balls are sorted round, sound and free of cracks before they ship. The support layer then holds the bed for the life of the charge.
We ship ceramic balls to over a hundred countries. Because the balls go into catalyst beds, they are packed clean and dry in drums or lined bags so no dust or contamination reaches the reactor, and palletised by the tonne for the container. From a sample to a full reactor charge, the order is packed and documented for export.
We are a factory, not a trading company. Every product ships from our own production lines in Pingxiang. You deal with the people who actually make the product.
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Inert ceramic balls hold and protect a catalyst bed and support packing in a tower. They sit above and below the catalyst in a reactor to take the feed's impact, spread the gas and liquid, and keep the pressure drop low, and they rest on the support plate in a packed column to hold the packing. They are inert, so they do not react with the process.
No. The ceramic balls are inert filler and support; they do not catalyse the reaction. Their job is to protect and hold the catalyst, distribute the flow and fill the bed, while the catalyst does the chemistry. Keeping the support inert is the point, because it must not interfere with the process or contaminate the product.
The bed is graded by size. Large balls go at the bottom on the support plate, then smaller balls in layers up to the catalyst, and often smaller balls again on top. This graded stack spreads the feed evenly, holds the catalyst without letting it fall through, and keeps the flow open. We set the size mix to your reactor.
The common alumina-porcelain grade works to around a thousand degrees, and higher-alumina grades take more heat and more load. More alumina means a stronger ball and a higher working temperature, so we match the grade to the reactor. For very hot service we supply refractory balls rated higher still.
Yes. By spreading the gas and liquid evenly and holding the catalyst up off the outlet, the support balls keep the pressure drop low and stop the feed from cutting a channel through the catalyst. That protects the catalyst from being crushed or unevenly used, which is what extends a catalyst charge's working life.
Yes. We make refractory ceramic balls for direct high-temperature duty in furnaces and hot-gas lines, and heat-storage balls for pebble-bed regenerators that recover heat. Both are fired to hold their shape and strength at high temperature. Tell us the temperature and the duty and we match the grade.
The minimum order depends on the grade and size, and full reactor charges ship by the tonne while samples are smaller. Lead time runs from stock for standard sizes to a few weeks for special grades or large graded beds. Send the sizes and quantity and we will confirm both on the quote.
Inert ceramic balls are dense alumina-porcelain spheres that hold and protect a catalyst bed and support packing in a tower. They are fired from alumina and silica at high temperature so they are hard, low in porosity and chemically stable, which means they carry load and heat without reacting with the process or contaminating the product. Two things set the choice: the alumina grade, which fixes the strength and working temperature, and the size, which is graded through the bed.
In a fixed-bed reactor the catalyst sits in the middle and inert balls sit above and below it. The top layer takes the impact and weight of the incoming feed, spreads it across the full width of the bed and stops it cutting a channel through the catalyst. The bottom layer holds the catalyst up off the outlet, supports its weight and keeps the pressure drop low. Without this support, the catalyst would crush, channel and foul far sooner.
The support is laid as a graded bed: the largest balls rest on the outlet support plate, then progressively smaller balls in layers up to the catalyst, and often a covering layer of small balls on top. Each size step is small enough that the layer above cannot fall through the layer below. This graded stack distributes the flow, retains the catalyst and keeps the bed open, and the size mix is set from the reactor internals and the catalyst size.
The common grade runs Al₂O₃ 17 to 23% with a specific gravity around 2.3 and a working temperature near 1000°C, which covers most catalyst-support duty. Where the bed runs hotter or carries more load, higher-alumina grades give more crush strength and a higher temperature rating. Acid resistance above 90% and low water absorption keep the ball inert in corrosive and wet service.
In distillation, absorption and scrubbing columns, inert balls rest on the support grid and carry the random or structured packing above them. They spread the liquid and gas entering the column, stop fine packing from falling through the grid and keep the pressure drop even. The same low porosity and chemical stability that suit a reactor make them reliable in a corrosive tower.
Beyond inert support, we make two high-temperature ball products. Refractory ceramic balls, fired from calcined alumina and high-alumina bauxite, take direct furnace heat and resist thermal shock. Heat-storage balls, used in pebble-bed regenerators and hot-blast stoves, soak up heat from a hot gas and release it to a cold one, recovering waste heat the way a honeycomb regenerator does but in ball form. Both hold their shape where ordinary filler would soften.
| GRADE | Al₂O₃ | DENSITY | MAX TEMP | TYPICAL USE |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Common porcelain | 17–23% | ~2.3 g/cm³ | ~1000°C | Catalyst support, tower packing support |
| Mid-alumina | 23–40% | ~2.4 g/cm³ | Higher | Hotter, heavier-duty support |
| Refractory ball | High | Varies | Very high | Direct furnace heat |
| Heat-storage ball | High | Varies | Very high | Pebble-bed regenerators |
What keeps a support bed reliable is crush strength and low water absorption. Each size is crush-tested, from the smallest ball up to fifty millimetres, and the dense firing keeps water absorption low so the ball stays inert. Balls are sorted for shape and finish before they ship, because a cracked or out-of-round ball at the support plate is where a bed starts to fail. Low porosity and verified strength are what let a charge run for years.
