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 ...

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 Technical-Marketing@ThinkHWI.com...

Approaching these cold winter months, it's important to think about insulation. And in the refractory industry, there is no better insulation than refractory ceramic fiber (RCF). This episode, learn about what RCF is, how its made, and some key features that make it such an important aspect to our industry. If you'd like to learn more about HWI's refractory ceramic fiber product line, INSWOOL, or any other product mentioned on the show, reach out to us at Technical-Marketing@ThinkHWI.com.Be s...

It's Thanksgiving 🦃! A time for turkey, stuffing, and being thankful. This month on HTT, Director of Application Technology Ben Stanton and Senior Director of Industrial Sales join in to talk about HWI's contractor/installer network, or C/I Network for short, and how we're thankful for their critical contribution to this industry. Their technical skills in installing refractory are key factors in achieving the high performance needed in refractory lined vessels. To view a list of contractor/i...

This Halloween, grab an apple cider, nosh on some of your kid's candy, and listen in to learn about the creepiest aspect of the refractory industry... creep. This episode, we talk about the science behind, the testing of, and some real world implications of creep in refractory materials. To handle the last point, HTT brings in Director of Application Technology Bryn Snow to talk about creep in glass tank crowns and Application Leader Stephen Karns to talk about creep in sulfur recovery units....

As environmental sustainability continues to become a bigger and bigger talking point across all industries, it helps to read up on success stories and those industries where sustainability has taken root. Two great examples of this are the glass and aluminum industries, where recycling processes have proven to be not only environmentally sustainable, but also economically beneficial. Application specialists Marc Palmisiano and Paul Stipanovich join HTT this month to talk through some of thos...

In this short episode, we go through key differences and considerations for dryout of pre-cast shapes. Unlike field dryouts for refractories placed against a vessel's shell, pre-cast shapes require a slower and more deliberate dryout to ensure enough water is removed to be thermodynamically stable, while still retaining key strength needed for final installation. For more information about pre-cast shapes or a dryout schedule for your pre-cast operation, contact us at Technical-Marketing@Thin...

Summertime means spreading on some sunblock, freezing some popsicles and doing whatever you can to beat the heat. But refractory materials take enduring high temperatures to a whole new level. But how hot can they get? A surprisingly challenging question with no easy answer. And to explain why that is, what we can utilize, and what we should really look at, Application Specialist Ryan McDonald joins in to walk through some refractory materials in a few example applications where you might thi...

Mixing castable refractories is no easy feat, regardless of how user friendly they claim to be. But, the right setup, tools and mindset will help tip the scales in your favor and Research Scientist Maggie Raughley joins High Temperature Times this month to do just that. From identifying the best mixers, to understanding the importance of water additions and mix times, to getting the material well homogenized, Maggie has all the info you need to get the material mixed and ready to cast. In add...

The refractory industry is vast and full of technical expertise, but sometimes you need to learn a little about adjacent industries to get the most out of your refractory install. That's why, this month, we'll be taking a short trip in the metallurgical side to discuss stainless steel needles used in monolithic refractories. Join in to learn about different types of stainless steel, why they're used, how they're made, and necessary limitations to their use. And for those applications that rea...

Gearing up for this year's AISTech Conference this May, HWI's entire steel application technology team join High Temperature Times to talk about new refractory technology, installation partnerships, and market trends in the steelmaking industry. Listen in to hear Crawford Murton, Fred Adkins, Mary Lucarino, Korey Skala, Alexis Neumann and Mark Smith give their insight on the latest ongoings in the steel market and how HWI is intensely focused on helping our customers succeed. To learn more ab...

This month on High Temperature Times™, Application Specialist Chris Hersh joins us to outline and discuss the many facets of the incineration industry. Despite the sheer diversity of applications and units in this market, Chris shows how similar approaches and refractory technologies can be implemented to support his customers. Chris also covers some of the more interesting challenges and case studies covered within the industry and shows how HWI utilizes is breadth of technologies to support...

Deno Biondillo, Project Manager for HWI's Value Added Services (VAS) group, joins High Temperature Times™ this month to share tips and tricks from his 40 years of experience in bricklaying. Bricklaying is a skill that is unlike any other. From the consistency required across laying thousands of brick, to the measuring and cutting to transform dimensions, to the precision and accuracy required to achieve high performance, the process of becoming a master bricklayer is a long one. So if you're ...

This month on High Temperature Times™, we start a new series looking at refractory materials and what makes them so special. To start of this multi-part series, Analytical Research Scientist Stephen Wisneski joins to talk about alumina based materials and their role in refractory technology. Starting from the dirtiest of dirt and working our way to high purity materials, we discuss the important work done by HWI's analytical team at the Advanced Technology Research Center and how they keep th...