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...

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 ta...

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 re...

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 floata...

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...

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...

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...

In the refractory-consuming industry, increasing lining lifetime and decreasing downtime is the name of the game. Sometimes, that means going for more highly engineere d 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...

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 furn...

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 differen...

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...

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 ar...

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...

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 . Applicatio...

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...

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 joi...

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 wel...

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...

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 ong...

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 s...

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 requir...

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...

This holiday, finding items on your gift list can be a real hassle thanks to the complications in the supply chain brought on by the pandemic. Things are no different with the supply chain in refractory raw materials . Director of Procurement Jennifer Cunningham joins High Temperature Times™ this month to help understand what exactly is going on in the world that's leading to these raw materi...

Nothing says Thanksgiving like watching the Detroit Lions get notably trounced over a couple cold brewskis. Beers that you probably wouldn't be enjoying without refractory expertise like that held by HarbisonWalker International . This month on High Temperature Times™ , aluminum application specialist Marc Palmisiano and glass application specialist Paul Stipanovich join to discuss the manufa...

For this Halloween Special of High Temperature Times™, we pay homage to the movies for their crucial role in making Halloween great. But in true HTT fashion, we’re diving deep into the high temperature scenes of movies to look at the refractories involved. Listen in to learn about the industries and refractories used in movies like Diamonds are Forever ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zjRdmvzIk4k...