API 982 - Refractory Inspector Practice Questions — 10 Free (2026)

What puts refractory concrete into the door jambs and lintels of a cyclic brick kiln?

• A. To eliminate the joints through which heat would otherwise be lost
• B. To resist the abrasion caused by ware being charged and drawn
• C. To redirect the expansion effect of circular fireclay arches ✓
• D. To provide a surface that can be patched while the kiln remains hot
• E. To lower the heat capacity so that cycling is faster and cheaper

Circular fireclay arches push their expansion outward in a way that suits a jamb badly. Refractory concrete at the jambs and lintels of a cyclic kiln sends that push somewhere more useful. API TR 979, 5.3.1.1

Over what temperature range is the ceramic bond usually achieved?

• A. 600 deg F (315 deg C) to 1000 deg F (540 deg C)
• B. 1000 deg F (540 deg C) to 1600 deg F (870 deg C)
• C. 1600 deg F (870 deg C) to 2500 deg F (1370 deg C) ✓
• D. 2500 deg F (1370 deg C) to 3000 deg F (1650 deg C)
• E. 3000 deg F (1650 deg C) to 3200 deg F (1760 deg C)

Ceramic constituents sinter and vitrify, and the bond that comes out of it holds its strength at temperature. That happens somewhere between 1600 deg F and 2500 deg F. API TR 980, 6.3.2

How can a multi-layer lining affect the hammer-strike sound?

• A. The sound is unaffected, since only the hot face is struck
• B. The sound is always duller regardless of the backup material
• C. The sound cannot be interpreted at all in multi-layer systems
• D. Only the anchor spacing affects the resonance of the strike
• E. The gap between layers or the backup material alters it ✓

What the hammer tells you changes with what sits behind. An interlayer gap alters it, and so does the backup, since fiber blanket or board does not answer like lightweight castable. API 982, 6.2

What color are high-purity calcium aluminate cements typically?

• A. Black to dark grey when reduced iron oxide is present
• B. White ✓
• C. Light brown when the iron present has been oxidised
• D. Light grey when reduced iron oxide is present in the clinker
• E. Tan when the iron present has been fully oxidised

Colour runs anywhere from black through to white, depending how much iron is present and what state it is in. White generally means high purity. API TR 978, 5.2

What construction and mortar type applies to gravity and vertical lined walls?

• A. Dry stacked construction with no mortar used at any of the joints
• B. Bonded construction using a heat-setting phosphate bonded mortar
• C. Mortared construction using a hydraulic calcium aluminate mortar
• D. Bonded mortared construction with air-setting mortar ✓
• E. Bonded construction using colloidal silica as the jointing medium

Bond and mortar these walls. The mortar has to be air setting, and it has to suit the firebrick it is laid with. API 560, 11.2.3

How many silicon carbide globars heat the panel test furnace?

• A. Four globars ✓
• B. One globar
• C. Two globars
• D. Three globars
• E. Six globars

Four silicon carbide globars wired in parallel series supply the heat, with silicon carbide plates set to spread it evenly across the panel. API Pub 935, 3.5

Which question about the abrading medium is raised for future work?

• A. Whether silicon carbide should be replaced by equilibrium FCCU catalyst
• B. Whether the grit quantity should be raised from 1000 gm to 3000 gm
• C. Whether SiC variability in size, shape and composition can be reduced ✓
• D. Whether the grit should be pre-screened to remove the finest fraction
• E. Whether a second grit grade should be introduced for softer materials

One open question for future work is whether SiC grit could be made more consistent in shape, in size and in composition. API TR 977, 11

Why was that laboratory selected to perform all the testing?

• A. It was the only laboratory holding accreditation for both standards
• B. It is located closest to the majority of the participating manufacturers
• C. Both specimen types can be run there in the very same furnaces ✓
• D. It agreed to perform the work at no cost to the participating companies
• E. It had previously conducted the ASTM C704 round robin evaluations

Testing all went to one laboratory, Orton Memorial, because DIN and ASTM specimens could be run there in the same furnaces. That removes furnace-to-furnace variation from the comparison entirely. API TR 981, 2

What flatness and parallelism tolerance applies to the Pilkington octagonal specimen?

• A. Plus or minus 0.001 in.
• B. Plus or minus 0.005 in.
• C. Plus or minus 0.05 in.
• D. Plus or minus 0.10 in.
• E. Plus or minus 0.01 in. ✓

Both octagonal faces have to be flat and parallel to within plus or minus 0.01 in., and the specimen is taken to a thickness between 1 in. and 3 in. API Pub 935, 3.2

Which casing condition should the Refractory Inspector report?

• A. Only the external paint condition observed on the equipment casing
• B. Only the presence of external insulation covering the casing surface
• C. Only the manufacturer nameplate details stamped onto the casing shell
• D. Only the date on which the casing was last painted during maintenance
• E. Corrosion, thinning, cracking, warpage or earlier hot spot damage ✓

Casing and vessel wall condition is reported: warpage, corrosion, cracking, thinning, damage left by a previous hot spot, or any other deterioration. API 982, 4.2.4