Effects of storage temperature and time on false setting behavior of CPI-S Portland cement

Abstract The false setting is when cement stiffens prematurely in a few minutes after adding water. Some variables could cause false setting in CPI-S-32 Portland cement, for example, alkali concentration in the cement, the formation of alite (C3S) with low reactivity, and cement storage temperature and time in silos. Temperature increases cause calcium sulfate dihydrate to dehydrate, forming hemihydrate (CaSO4.0.5H2O) or anhydrite (CaSO4), which causes the false setting. In this study, the influence of cement storage temperature (100, 105, 110, 120, and 130 °C) combined with the cement storage time (30, 60, and 120 min) in a silo was studied regarding the CPI-S-32 false setting behavior. It was verified that temperatures above 110 °C and storage time above 60 min are conditions that favor the false setting of CPI-S-32 cement. Physicochemical analysis, TG/DTG, XRF, and XRD were applied as complementary analyzes for the false setting assays of CPI-S-32.