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In this Issue:
- THERMBOND: Delivering Value in Difficult Times Part IV
- Sale of the Month: Petrochemical Application in Venezuela
- Workshop Reminder
- Farewell and Best Wishes to Stellar's Quality Assurance Technician, SheaAnn Janus
- Application Report: Flexicoker Gasifier/Heater Vessel Repairs
Testimonial from a production manager in the aluminum industry:
I have used Thermbond for seven years in my melting and casting furnaces. It is a great material for repairs because it bonds so well to the existing refractory and can be heated up quickly to get my furnaces back in service. I have used Thermbond in troughs were the non-wetting characteristics made for easy maintenance. I have used it in floors, upper and lower walls where time and time again it has saved money by providing a fast turn around and superior service life.
THERMBOND: Delivering Value in Difficult Times
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by Tom Atkins, Vice President Worldwide Sales
Part four in a series:
Make Good Purchasing Decisions
Based on Dollars and Sense |
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Over the past few months, I wrote about ways that Thermbond can provide tremendous value to users, especially in the current economic climate. The key to uncovering whether that value exists requires looking deeper than just the cost per unit of the product purchased.
Thermbond account managers and our strategic partners are trained to analyze each opportunity and consider all factors that impact the overall cost of the job including:
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Total cost of refractory needed for repair using Thermbond vs the amount of conventional refractory required for a reline.
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Additional labor expense to tear out all the old refractory.
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Cost savings by reducing downtime using Thermbond when extended curing or delayed fire-up are required with conventional refractory.
Thermbond delivers value in many refractory applications, but it is not the best solution for every application.
If a thorough analysis of a particular application reveals that Thermbond is not the best value then we have done our job to help the customer make that determination.
In these difficult economic times, making good decisions is key to everyone's success. If Thermbond is the right choice, outstanding. If not, outstanding as well. And, if the facts on the ground change, count on Thermbond to get you online fast.
We are all stronger when decisions are made on sound analysis and not just on cost per unit of material. Our goal is to help you make good decisions based on dollars and sense!
Testimonial from a Customer in the Power Generation Industry, in Southern California:
"We like the fact that Thermbond does not need any outside heat source to attain good strengths. We would normally have to completely replace the top 2 to 3 feet of the ash hopper in each unit every other year. When we switched to Thermbond in most cases we only needed to flash over the top 2 to 3 feet. This has saved us a lot of time and money by not having to tear out and replace the refractory over and over again."
Thermbond Application in Venezuela
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Refinery Process Unit - Furnace Burner Throat Tiles |
Stellar Materials was recently contacted by a refinery in South America to supply brick linings for a bank of burners in a large ethylene furnace. The original design required 10 different shapes of brick to complete the set, for a total of more than 200 pieces to line each throat. Stellar Materials offered an alternative by redesigning the shapes and making them larger and in a shiplap fashion. The new design was accepted.
16 burner throats comprising a total of 40 pieces each were cast with Thermbond. 912 units of Formula 6-BL were required to cast the shapes. The burners are L.M.V. Combustor Type 450 design. The order was shipped in crates that each hold tiles for one burner throat, along with sufficient phos-bond 85% Al2O3 mortar to lay into place.
Because the Thermbond Formula 6 Series family can withstand extreme thermal stress, the Thermbond-cast tiles did not require heat curing to 1,500°F prior to installation.
Further, because Thermbond does not require dry-out, it is possible to manufacture burner tiles "just in time" with installation into service right after setting.
Stellar Materials Sales Director, William O'Connell expects to receive future orders to reline other furnaces of this same nature in this refinery.
To learn more about Thermbond Formula 6 Series, please click the title below to receive your free E copy, "Technical Requirements of Refractory Materials for Burner Tile Applications - The Advantage of a Liquid Phosphate Binder System." This paper was presented to the American Ceramic Society by Jens Decker, Tom Atkins, and David Mintz of Stellar Materials and Roy Ovink and Karel Hoeksma of Corus Research.
Testimonial from a maintenance manager in Southern California:
"I have used Thermbond for seven years in my melting and casting furnaces. It is a great material for repairs because it bonds so well to the existing refractory and can be heated up quickly to get my furnaces back in service. I have used Thermbond in troughs where the non-wetting characteristics made for easy maintenance. I have used it in floors, upper and lower walls where time and time again it has saved money by providing a fast turn around and superior service life.”
Thermbond Workshop Reminder
Thank you to those of you who responded to our previous article regarding Thermbond Workshops. We value your feedback. We are receiving positive responses from customers and strategic partners interested in attending our Fall Workshop. We will keep you posted on the planned dates and our progress.
Some of the topics to be covered are:
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Fundamentals of Refractory Technology
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Industry Specific Discussions: Aluminum, HPI, Power, Cement and Rock Products
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Installation Equipment and Installation Techniques
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Uncovering the Thermbond Advantage
If you or someone you know can benefit by attending a Thermbond Workshop at our manufacturing facility in Whitmore Lake, Michigan, please email our Marketing Coordinator Ashley Garcia at ashley.garcia@thermbond.com
We welcome your input. Any comments or suggestions for activities or topics to include are greatly appreciated.
We hope to see you at a future Thermbond Workshop!
Testimonial from a plant manager in the power industry:
"There are 96 gas fired burner throats that we have repaired as well as new installation of burner throats using Thermbond Formula 6-AG for gunning an overlay and new throat linings. We have also used Thermbond Formula 15-R for overlay repairs installed by hand packing that have bonded to the existing refractory and has lasted over 18 months and is still in service."
Farewell and Best Wishes to Stellar's Quality Assurance Technician, SheaAnn Janus
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Former Quality Assurance Technician
SheaAnn Janus |
SheaAnn Janus, Quality Assurance Technician, left Stellar Materials in March to relocate to Georgia with her husband and children.
SheaAnn worked at Stellar's manufacturing facility in Whitmore Lake, Michigan beginning in August 2006, and reported to Vice President of Engineering, Jens Decker. SheaAnn oversaw quality control, improving and expanding on the quality assurance procedures, and preparing test certificates. She was a great asset to the company and we value her accomplishments during her tenure at Stellar.
"SheaAnn has a wonderful personality. She has the technical and emotional skill sets that made it possible for her work well with many different personalities on a daily basis. She built strong relationships with all of the plant personnel. Everyone here respects and admires her. She is a true leader and she will do well wherever she goes next." says Jens Decker.
From everyone at Stellar, "Farewell Shea, we wish you the best in everything that you do."
Employment Opportunity: Anyone interested in applying for this quality control position, please email your resume to jobs@thermbond.com.
Testimonial from a Customer in Hungary
"We are always looking for better solutions for our customers. In summer 2006 we decided to cast a one-piece aluminum tank with F 5-L. After 8 months life-time now we have best result:
- no sticking of aluminum to the sidewalls
- less corundum
Within the next months we will realize the same Thermbond application again. We hope that this method will become standard for all plants of our customer worldwide.Thanks for your support and help to use Thermbond as a better solution."
Application Report
Flexicoker Gasifier/Heater Vessel Repairs
Industry: Hydrocarbon Processing - Refining
Equipment and Operating Conditions: The gasifier is a large diameter vessel where fluidized coke is charged from the heater vessel and reacted with air and steam to produce fuel gas products consisting of CO, H2, CO2,and N2. The gas flows from the top of the gasifier to the bottom of the heater where it serves to fluidize the heater bed and provide heat for the reactor. The heater is a fluidized bed vessel and its primary function is to transfer heat from the gasifier to the reactor. This is an ExxonMobil licensed technology.
Problem: Refractory replacement was required from the top of the grid to an approximate height of 20’, and other random areas extending to the top section of the sidewalls. The total area replaced was around 2,400 sq ft with an 8” thick refractory lining. Use of conventional refractory would have required a specialized heat treatment company to complete a thermal dry out prior to unit start up.
Solution: Thermbond Formula 8-G was installed in the gasifier sidewall areas (over 6,000 units), and Formula 5-AG (336 units) was installed in the inverted conical wall below the grid in the heater vessel. The nozzle transition between the transfer line and the annulus of nozzles through the heater sidewalls was also repaired with Thermbrake 402 insulating material.
Product Being Replaced: ExxonMobil Type 4 Special Medium Weight Heat Insulating Refractory in the gasifier sidewalls, and Erosion Resistant Heat Insulating (Type 3) in the heater vessel conical wall.
Savings Using Thermbond: The refinery estimated a total savings of $4.5 million USD by eliminating the lengthy controlled heat cure prior to unit start up.
Products Installed: Thermbond Formula 8-G, Formula 5-AG, and Thermbrake 402
Method of Installation: Gunning and Casting
Equipment Used: Allentown N2 for gunning Formula 8-G and 5-AG
Installation Date: February 2006
For additional information regarding this application report, please contact Stellar's Director of Business Development, Ted Hagberg: Direct: (713) 805-7438, Email: ted.hagberg@thermbond.com
To view this application report in a printable format, please click here.
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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 2009 Stellar Materials Incorporated. All Rights Reserved.
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Last modified at 4/15/2009 10:45 AM by Ashley Garcia
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