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In this Issue:
- Sales Bulletin: Worldwide Refractory Price Hike Increases Thermbond Advantage
- Trade Show Schedule
- Interview with Technical Director Jens Decker on the New Thermbond Formula 2000 Series Refractories
- Application Report: TLE Transfer Line Exchanger Cone Refractory Replacement
Worldwide Refractory Price Hike Increases Thermbond Advantage
High demand and short supply of raw materials have driven up costs and reduced availability among all refractories suppliers, including Thermbond. In order to minimize the impact to its valued customers, management at Stellar Materials is working closely with material suppliers and vendors to manage the situation and meet the needs of our customers.
Because of the Olympics, China has slowed down industrial production to improve air quality, and Bauxite mining operations are affected, resulting in worldwide shortages and price increases.
Jim Knicley, Plant Manager for Stellar Materials reported that "Stellar has secured sufficient quantities of all raw materials to assure adequate supply of Thermbond to meet the demands of our customers through the summer months."
Tom Atkins, VP Worldwide Sales for Stellar Materials explained, "Due to raw material shortages, customers may be unsure about future availability of refractory, especially in the event of an unplanned shutdown."
"The Thermbond Advantage of repairing existing linings means our customers use less refractory," Atkins continued. "While it's impractical for most operations to stock enough refractory for a complete reline, maintaining inventory of Thermbond for refractory repair is quite prudent, and even more cost effective."
 Testimonial from an engineering manager at a west coast refinery:
"I have been specifying and engineering Thermbond installations since 1996 for many different applications. The various Thermbond formulations are very unique and well suited for the refinery industry. They can be the refractory material of choice in quite a number of installations where time or longevity of service is critical. I am happy to spread the word."
Stellar Materials Exhibits at Two Major Trade Shows in May!
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CastExpo comes once every three years.
Visit Stellar at booth 2619, our largest ever! |
May 17-20, 2008 Stellar is exhibiting at CastExpo '08, the joint exposition of the American Foundry Society (AFS) and the North American Die Casting Association (NADCA). Held in conjunction with the 112th Metalcasting Congress, this year's event will be held in Atlanta, May 17-20, at the Georgia World Congress Center, Hall C. www.castexpo.com
If you are planning to attend CastExpo and you need passes for the show, please contact ashley.garcia@thermbond.com. Be sure to stop by our booth and pick up your invitation to our Happy Hour.
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Stellar Materials is an associate member of NPRA,
the National Petrochemical and Refiners Association. |
May 20-23, Stellar is exhibiting for the first time at the NPRA 2008 Reliability & Maintenance Conference and Exhibition,
Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center in San Antonio, Texas. www.npra.org
Visit us at booth 350, and be sure to stop by and pick up your invitation to our Happy Hour!
For more information, contact ted.hagberg@thermbond.com
Testimonial from a maintenance manager at a gulf coast power generation facility:
"We have had a local contractor gunite Thermbond Formula 6-AG for 2 years now to do all of our burner throat repairs as well as new refractory throats. Thermbond Formula 6-AG holds up better than any other refractory to our knowledge because of its bonding capabilities and the ability to start the unit up rapidly."
Interview with Technical Director Jens Decker on Thermbond Formula 2000 Series Refractories
Stellar Materials Incorporated, manufacturers of Thermbond® Refractories launched a new Formula 2000 series of refractories in 2007. Specific formulas have application for petrochemical, aluminum, and waste incineration industries.
In this interview, Technical Director Jens Decker explains the advent and advantages of the 2000 Series.
Why was Formula 2000 Series developed?
Jens Decker: The driving factor behind our new 2000 Series was requests from our customers for stronger abrasion resistant refractories. For example, Formula 2112 was developed for our waste incineration customers in Europe where waste slides over the refractory, and quickly wears it down. The refractory surface is smooth, and the coarser aggregate and modified binder system of Formula 2112 versus Formula 12 Series anchors deeper in the matrix so it is stronger, and therefore more resistant to abrasion.
When do you recommend 2000 Series Refractories?
JD: In the Hydrocarbon Processing Industry, FCC units generally use hex mesh, and the larger aggregate of 2112 is a little too coarse for hex mesh. That's why we recommend Formula 12 series for this application. Formula 12 Series has been successfully installed in many FCCUs and demonstrates superior abrasion resistance to conventional refractories and of course cures fast, heats up fast and is resistant to chemical attack.
In the Aluminum Industry, both Formula 2104-L and Formula 4-L are used extensively. Formula 2104-L is an excellent choice for higher wear areas such as the sill on an aluminum surface where the scraper slides over the surface. In general, we recommend moving up to 2104-L, and the 2000 Series products in general in applications where previous experience with Thermbond’s first generation binder system has shown more wear than is desirable.
What independent testing has been done on Formula 2000 Series?
JD: Of course an entire battery of tests have been run at independent laboratories on the 2000 Series products, just like on all Thermbond products. A particularly interesting independent field test was done when a special reactor at one of our customer’s sites in the HPI industry tested four parallel test panels in their unit over two years. They ultimately chose Formula 2112 over other materials because they saw better performance in operation. Formula 2112 exhibited less cracking directly as a result of the improvements in the 2000 Series binder system.
Testimonial from a plant manager at a primary aluminum melter:
"We have been utilizing Thermbond Refractories in our furnaces for over 3 years now with great success. The Formula 4-L is used below the metal line in critical areas such as the hearth. The Formula 5-L is used above the metal line and the Formula 3-L is used in the furnace roof. Thermbond has saved us in the scope of repair work due to its unique bonding to existing refractory and in down time due to Thermbond's rapid heat up capabilities."
Application Report: TLE - Transfer Line Exchanger Cone Refractory Replacement - Cast
Industry: Petrochemical
Description of Equipment: 3 Transfer Line Exchanger (TLE) Cones
Problem: Originally specified conventional refractory lining did not deliver expected service life. Refractory became coke-impregnated and vitrified. Material failed in operation shortly after one year of service. Customer was looking for a refractory product that resisted coke penetration and provided much longer life.
Solution: Customer contacted Stellar looking for a Thermbond product that might provide extended refractory service life. Speed of turnaround was also a high priority. A Thermbond refractory lining was the ideal solution due to the ability to resist coke penetration, fast installation, and no heat cure required to put back into service.
Photos:
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Internal collapsible mandrel assembled
ready for insert inside TLE cone. |
Thermbond Formula 6-L during pouring of
area between mandrel and internal surface
of TLE cone. |
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Completed pour of Thermbond after mandrel removal.
Note cosmetic imperfections were caused by a plastic
film covering used on mandrel surface. |
Product Being Replaced: Conventional monolithic refractory
Production's Required Turnaround Time: ASAP - unit was offline
Actual Turnaround Time Using Thermbond: 2 days
Products Applied: Thermbond Formula 6-L
Method of Installation: Cast-vibrated
Equipment Used: Internal plastic-coated steel mandrel, form vibrators, hobart mixer, miscellaneous tools.
Scope of Work: Mixed and cast continuous monolithic pour of Thermbond Formula 6-L. Internal mandrel was vibrated by external clamp-on vibrators. Three cones were lined in one day. Total material required per cone was 64 units.
Installation Date: September 2006
Follow Up: March 2007 no problems. Plant continues to use Thermbond to replace conventional monolithics.
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Stellar Materials Incorporated is a privately-held corporation headquartered in Boca Raton, FL with manufacturing facilities in
Whitmore Lake, MI, stocking warehouses worldwide, and wholly-owned subsidiaries in Rotterdam, NL and Abu Dhabi, UAE. |
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Stellar Materials Incorporated
7777 Glades Road, Suite 200
Boca Raton, Florida 33434
USA
(561) 330-9300 |
Stellar Materials International, LLC
Nieuw Mathenesserstraat 39 - 41 Unit 1 B
3029 AV Rotterdam
The Netherlands
+31 (10) 2460264 |
Stellar Materials M.E. FZE
P.O.Box No 10559
Ras Al Khaimah
United Arab Emirates
+971506891327 |
Thermbond and Phoscrete are registered trademarks of Stellar Materials Incorporated.
Copyright 2008 Stellar Materials Incorporated. All Rights Reserved.
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Last modified at 7/15/2008 12:44 PM by Ashley Garcia
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