High Temperature Times™

This Halloween, join us for this paranormal investigation into the most haunted furnaces in the world. With several hundred years of blast furnace history, it's incredible to see how the technology, the structures and the workforce have changed to keep up with the extreme demands of the iron and steel industry. Follow along as we look at three historical blast furnaces, learn how things have changed, and see why so many blast furnaces end up on haunted history series. Even more, listen in to ...

To say that there have been some pretty big changes in the refractory industry this year would be somewhat of an understatement. The merger of HWI and Calderys means that there are quite a few new things coming your way. One of those new things is the new portfolio of products becoming available. So, to introduce these new products to HWI customers, Research Engineer Fielding Cloer joins HTT to talk through the new brand families available in the HWI portfolio: SPARCAST, SPARCON, SPARFIRE, SP...

Refractories are tough and they specialize in their ability to withstand extremely high temperatures. However, their Achilles heel might be that you need to be conservative when ramping up or cooling down your refractory lined vessel, as many materials are prone to thermal shock. This month on HTT, we look at what thermal shock is, the main drivers of thermal shock and how we can engineer our refractory materials to be more resistant to thermal shock. And if you'd like to get more out of your...

It's Shark Week! A time for witnessing awesome power, learning about incredible aquatic creatures, and optimizing tundish performance with HWI's new impact offering: JAWS. Listen in to hear marketing manager Fred Adkins talk about how the JAWS impact pad system can help increase minimum residence time, promote surface flow, increase tundish volume utilization and improve inclusion floatation efficiency. For more information about JAWS or to learn more about how to optimize your tundish perfor...

This month on High Temperature Times™, we continue looking at the various refractory materials used to make high quality refractory products. This month, we are joined by Application Specialist Jonathan McBride to dive into the wild world of MagChrome brick. These brick, often used in the heavy non-ferrous industry, utilize unique bonding technologies to combat the various wear mechanisms they face. Join in to learn about the raw materials, the processing steps, the bricks, and why it all mat...

When it comes to mortar selection, it's a pretty universal thought to just use what you're comfortable with. But is that mortar right for the job at hand? When determining refractory linings, you want to get the best performance possible by selecting the best refractory possible. So why not do that with your mortar too? This episode, we'll be talking through mortar technologies like bonding types, water retention, consistencies, and strengths, as well as running through of some of the hall of...

This year, HWI will begin producing brick for the steel industry at its new manufacturing plant, Alabama1. To celebrate this, we're talking with Senior Director of Commercial Operations in Steel, Jim Skelly, Director of Application Technology, Crawford Murton, Director of Engineering at Alabama 1, Jason West, and Alabama1 Plant Manager, Mike Carter. Listen in to learn about what it was like rebuilding the Fairfield plant for basic brick production, new high efficiency technologies implemented...

In the refractory-consuming industry, increasing lining lifetime and decreasing downtime is the name of the game. Sometimes, that means going for more highly engineered or higher grade materials, but you can also achieve better performance by utilizing the intrinsic properties of minerals and additives to keep those destructive mechanisms at bay. This month, we look at how hydrophobicity, or non-wetting materials, help improve refractory performance in various industries. Listen in to learn w...

This month on High Temperature Times™, Application Specialist Marc Palmisiano joins to talk about the not-so-cold science behind freeze planes. When designing and operating aluminum furnaces, understanding freeze planes and where they should be in your refractory lining is critical to getting the best performance out of your refractory. This is especially important in these days of running furnaces harder, while also being more thermally efficient. One tool great for calculating freeze planes...

This month on HTT, we're joined by Application Support Manager Deno Biondillo to talk about mortars. With a whole slew of mortars to choose from in just way too many options, understanding mortar selection and proper use is critical to a successful refractory installation, even if it is just that eighth of an inch between the highly engineered refractory brick. Listen in, learn about different types of mortars and how to apply them, and then reach out to us at [email protected]...