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Rath combines tradition and innovation in an ideal way.

The result is optimal refractory solutions for different

applications. Our wide product range is coming from our

own production. We guarantee high quality through

chosen material and precise techniques of processing.

Our technicians have all excellent knowledge and are

fully motivated. Therefore they are highly qualified

partners to analyse all kind of problems of our customers

and offer the best engineering services.

In times of increasing energy costs and strong environmental

awareness our products assure saving of energy and

protection of environment. For all industries it is an

essential factor.

FAIRS – glasstech 2010 – ALUMINIUM 2010 | MARKETS – Challenges and Opportunities for the Refractories Industry | INTERVIEWS – Almatis/NL – Magnezit/RU – Basstech/US | REPORTS – Confe-rence Moscow | TECHNOLOGY – Refractory Materials for Casting – Corrosion Behaviour of RefractoryMaterials in the Systems Cr2O3 and Cr2O3/Al2O3 | PAPERS – Effect of Flake Graphite Size on the ThermalConductivity – Aggregate Effects on Thermal Shock Resistance of Spinel-Forming Refractory Castables

Refractories_Titel_3_2010:Layout 1 09.08.2010 12:41 Uhr Seite 1

refractories WORLDFORUM 2 (2010) [3] 1

Dear Readers,

In spite of the difficult business environment last year we decided to launch refracto-ries WORLDFORUM. This technical and scientific publication aims to bridge the inter-ests of industry and applied research in the refractories sector and all fields of appli-cation for high-temperature materials in general.We have already achieved the ambitious aim of placing refractories WORLDFORUM inthe market on a global scale. Of course there are still plenty of international events andfairs that we shall have to address in future too.As the field of applications for refractories has many facets (iron and steel, non-ferrousmetals, aluminium, cement, lime, glass and ceramics industry, as well as foundries, pe-trochemistry, power generation, waste incineration), the topics covered by our publi-cations are widely spread. Taking this into consideration, we are delighted to announce that next year refracto-ries WORLDFORUM will be published quarterly (volume 1/2009: 2 issues, volume 2/2010: 3 issues).This will give us a larger editorial volume. In addition, an online subscription will be available.New is also the newsletter “refractories WORLDFORUM - hot topics”, whichwill also be issued quarterly to update the readers on “Global News” between the re-gular issues.For suppliers to the refractories community we are setting up the refractories sup-pliers directory. Until 31st December 2011 the on-line registration of product entrieswill be free of charge.We should like to thank the international members of our Industrial and Scientific Editorial Boards and our various international cooperation partners (ACerS/US;DFFI/DE; DGM/DE; FOGI-VDMA/DE; PRE/EU, MORE/DE, DGG/DE; FIRE/CA; TARI/JP;IRMA/IN; Refractories Window/CN, Stahlinstitut/DE, SEVC/ES), who have supported usduring the launch of this publication, and we are looking forward to afurther fruitfulcooperation with them.In the fourth quarter of 2010 we shall be personally present at the following meetings:International Refractories Colloquium in Aachen/DE and the fairs Aluminium in Essen/DE; IFAT in Munich/DE and glasstec in Düsseldorf/DE.We shall be pleased to discuss with you media planning for next year. We should alsobe delighted if you got in touch with us by email using the contact form atwww.refractories-worldforum.com

Looking forward to see you soon.

Yours

Dipl.-Ing (FH) Karin Scharrer Dipl.-Ing (FH) Rosemarie [email protected] [email protected]

ISSN 1868-2405Publisher and Publishing HouseGöller Verlag GmbH, Aschmattstraße 8, D-76532 Baden-BadenPhone +49(0)7221-502-200Fax +49(0)7221-502-222VAT ID-No.: DE 143 462 142Internet: www.goeller-verlag.de

ManagementUlrich Göller

Editorial DepartmentRosemarie Vocht-Mields (RVM) (responsible)Phone: +49(0)2645-3436E-mail: [email protected] Scharrer (KS) Phone +49(0)7221-502-241 E-mail: [email protected]

Internetwww.refractories-worldforum.com

Scientific Editorial BoardC.G. Aneziris/DE, (Chairman), F.O.R. Fischer/DE, F. Golestani-Fard/IR, M. Huger/FR, W. Lee/GB, V.V. Martynenko/UA, V.C. Pandofelli/BR, Y.W. Li/CN, P. Quirmbach/DE, H. Harmuth/AT, J. Poirier/FR, M. Rigaud/CA

Industrial Editorial BoardA. Al-Rousan/SY, A. Ansorge/DE, L.M. Akselrod/RU,N. Tsukamoto/JP, L.R. Bittencourt/BR, A. Buhr/DE, H. Dittrich/DE, H.B. Führ/DE, H. Grote/DE, H. Jansen/DE, V. Kozhelupenko/UA , R. Krebs/DE, N. Kreuels/DE, J.H. Liu/CN, C. Parr/FR, S. Pirker/AT, J. Pischke/DE, C.E. Semler/US, A. Spitsin/RU, G. Wünning/DE

Advertisement DepartmentCorinna Zepter (Advertisement Manager)Phone +49(0)7221-502-237Fax +49(0)7221-502-4237E-mail: [email protected] DiStefano (Advertisement Administration)Phone +49(0)7221-502-211

Advertisement Representatives Chandra Wachholz (foreign)Phone +49(0)7221-502-226Fax +49(0)7221-502-4237E-mail: [email protected] Iannelli (foreign)Phone +39-0332-240285Fax +39-0332-280900E-mail: [email protected]

Printing HouseKRAFT-DRUCK GmbHIndustriestr. 5–9D-76275 Ettlingen

Subscription Rates4 issues per year. EUR 143,00 + 7% VAT (single copy: EUR 39,00) plus postage.Subscription orders remain effective for a minimum subscription period of 12 months.

Reprinting etc.Any type of copying – photocopies, microfiches etc. – or storage in data retrieval systems and any translation, even in part, can only be done with the written permission of the publishing house.

EDITORIAL

refractories WORLDFORUM MANUFACTURING & PERFORMANCE OF HIGH-TEMPERATURE MATERIALS

2 refractories WORLDFORUM 2 (2010) [3]

GLOBAL NEWS5 Welcome Address

Company News

Personal News

Market News

Events

TECHNOLOGY NEWS11 Washington Mills Breaks Ground on SiC

Expansion

12 VELCO Injection Installation at HKMBlast Furnace B

FAIRS13 glasstec 2010

20 ALUMINIUM 2010

MARKETS& ECONOMY23 Challenges and Opportunities for

the Refractories Industry- An Academic Perspective

INTERVIEWS33 Almatis: 100th Anniversary

of Speciality Aluminas

37 A Global Player in MgO Raw Materialsand Refractories – the Magnezit Group

39 Basstech: International Sourcing and Distribution

COMPANY PROFILES41 Allentown: Leading Shotcrete Solutions

for Refractory Applications

44 Refmin – a Reliable Partner in RefractoryRaw Materials

46 ArcelorMittal Refractories – a Major Producer in Europe

47 LAEIS - 150 Years as a Partner for theCeramics Industry

51 Tellus Ceram – High-quality Firebricks forApplications up to 1850 °C

TECHNOLOGY NEWS

SiC Expansion Injection Installation

11–12

COMPANY PROFILES

Allentown/US; Arcelor Mittal/PLLaeis/LU, Tellus/FR, Refmin/CN

41–52

INTERVIEWS

Almatis/NL, Magnezit/RU, Basstech/US

33–40

COVER PAGEThe glass industry is one of the most important customer groups of Rath. We support our customers with our high quality refractoryand insulating products for high temperature applications i.e. for regenerator, melting furnace and forehearths applications as shown on the title. RATH AG, 1015 Vienna/AT, www.rath-group.com


REPORTS

Reviews on Conferences, Meetings and Fairs

REPORTS53 The World of Glass Experts Met in

Magdeburg

57 The 2010 Annual Meeting of the U.S. Refractories Industry

61 Refractories and Metallurgy Experts Met

66 Raw Materials Day 2010 in theRhineland Palatinate

68 FIRE – Federation for International Refractory Research and Education atCIMTEC

69 Refractories Symposium at CIMTEC 2010

73 One of the World's most Modern FloatGlass Plants in Operation

TECHNOLOGY TRENDS76 Effects of Temperature on the Synthesis

of SiAlON and SiAlON Composite Material from Aluminium Dross

81 Refractory Materials for Casting Manganese Alloyed TRIP Steels

87 Additives for High Purity Reduced Cement Castables

93 Corrosion Behaviour of Refractory Materials in the Systems Cr2O3 andCr2O3 – Al2O3 against Glass Melts inSubject to their Composition and theThermal Conditions

PAPERS97 Heat Transfer Design Considerations

for Refractory Linings and Stell An-chors, Part 2

102 Aggregate Effects on the Thermal ShockResistance of Spinel-Forming RefractoryCastables

107 Effect of Flake Graphite Size on the Thermal Conductivity of Blast FurnaceCarbon Refractories

REGULAR FEATURES1 Editorial, Imprint

4 Cooperations Partners

111 Calendar

112 Preview, Index to Advertisers

53–75

TECHNOLOGY TRENDS

The Latest Technology Trends in the Refractories World

76–96

PAPERS

Refereed Papers 97–110

Visit our homepage to read updatesin the GLOBAL NEWS section

www.refractories-worldforum.com

refractories WORLDFORUM Cooperation Partners


Based on layered silicates, these special additives offer solutions for the most varied ceramics requirements.

If you have any questions, please call us!

SÜD-CHEMIE AGOstenrieder Str. 15 · 85368 Moosburg· GermanyPhone: +49 8761 82-645 · Fax: +49 8761 82-512www.sud-chemie.com

Fireproof!CERATOSIL® – SPECIAL ADDITIVESFOR REFRACTORIES


Like other key technologies in a marketwhere global networking is steadily increas-ing, refractories will maintain its technologi-cal leadership only through swiftly paced in-novation. This presupposes intensive activi-ties in applied research and developmentwhich, in turn, demands excellent personnelin efficient education and innovation sys-tems.The financial support available from thestate government of Rhineland-Palatinate

with moneys from European funds haspaved the way for a new European Refracto-ries Centre to be established in Höhr-Grenz-hausen. This project is coupled with the si-multaneous expansion of the FGK researchinstitute for inorganic materials (Forschungs-institut für anorganische Werkstoffe Glas/Keramik GmbH) and the setting up of theECREF (European Centre for Refractories) atthe same location. The European refractories industry will thushave access to a campus for research activi-ties close to both Koblenz's University ofApplied Sciences in Höhr-Grenzhausen, withits research institute for materials engineer-ing / glass and ceramics and also KoblenzUniversity itself. Chairs have been newly es-tablished for Materials Analysis at the Uni-versity of Applied Sciences and for TechnicalChemistry and Corrosion Sciences at theUniversity of Koblenz's Institute for Integrat-ed Sciences. This has laid the foundation fora joint Master's Degree Programme in Ce-ramic Science and Engineering.For the industry, however, the linking and in-tegration of engineering technicians' train-ing with this strengthened field of study isjust as important. In fact, plans are under-way to step up the focus on ceramics even insecondary schools. This will allow ceramicsas a subject to be followed right throughfrom school level onwards and then inte-grated into the existing activities in Höhr-Grenzhausen (BFZK) and Koblenz.All these measures are part of the innova-tion cluster "Metals – Ceramics – Plastics"set up in Rhineland-Palatinate in 2007. By 2013 the individual fields will be organ-ized and equipped in such a way that an in-terlaced network initiated by project workcan be created by 2019. The objective is tointegrate all the agents and institutions, withall their varying approaches and contents,

into a knowledge and innovation society inits own right.Industrial companies will then have accessto a broad-based network that keeps educa-tion and further education up to date andhelps to advance innovations for the refrac-tories industry and its user sectors swiftlyand on an integrated and practice-orientedbasis.We are proud to have had and grasped theopportunity to found a European platformsuch as the ECREF, with support from PREand the European Commission. This supportmeans bids had to be invited on an interna-tional scale and that has, of course made thepreparatory phase more complex and exten-sive. However, European orientation is a fun-damental element in safeguarding the futureof our activities, so it was absolutely essen-tial that we took the time required for theseprocedures.Our thanks go to all our German and inter-national partners who have been and stillare as committed as we are to this ideal.This commitment is the bedrock on whichopportunities for cooperation in all its formswill flourish in the future.

Education – Research – Innovation The Success Recipe (or the Implementation of the Knowledge Triangle) for a Thriving European Refractories Industry

Targeted vocational and techni-cal education and training in linewith the needs of the economy,and consistent encouragementof the younger generation at alleducational levels – fromschools to technical and engi-neering education and, finally,PhD programmes – are the pil-lars that will support strategicdevelopment in the Europeanrefractories industry.

International Refractories Colloquium Aachen 08 – 09 September 2010

Peter Quirmbach ECREF European Centre forRefractories gGmbH

56203 Höhr-GrenzhausenGermany

Fig. 1 Peter Quirmbach


FranceKerneos Erects New Briquetting LineKerneos, the leading producer of calciumaluminates, has announced the investmentof EUR 4 million in a new briquetting line atits Dunkirk factory in Northern France.Kerneos is a major purchaser of bauxite andis facing increasing difficulties in using thequalities of bauxite available from its tradi-tional sources, principally in China andGreece. Changes in calcining technology used toprocess bauxite in China and supply frailtiesin Greece require Kerneos to take increas-ingly higher percentages of fine bauxitesfrom both sources rather than the largeblock bauxite that is ideally suited to its fur-nace technology. The new plant is currentlyunder construction and will come on streamin the second quarter 2011. Pierre Baillagou, Vice President manufactur-ing, commented: “The reduced availability oflarge block material requires us to make ourown blocks to guarantee our ability to meetthe growing demand for our cements. Blockmaterials are essential in maintaining highlevels of energy efficiency. We have madestrenuous efforts in recent years to minimiseour energy consumption and it is not ac-ceptable to allow our energy efficiency orproduct quality to fall because of raw mate-rial supply difficulties. Whilst briquetting rawmaterials adds to our costs it was the leastexpensive solution to the quality and supplyproblems we face and by far the most ac-ceptable from an environmental point ofview. In spite of these constraints of raw ma-terials, we confirm our commitment to im-prove the quality of our products and servic-es.” www.kerneos.com

covering after last two years challenges.Looking at some steel numbers: the crudesteel production in EU27 for 6 months of2010 was close to 90 Mt, which is 44 %more in comparison to 2009 but still 17 %less than in 2007. Generally, mature markets(Germany, France) are in positive mood butthere are still some threats (Spain, Italy). Thevery positive phenomenon can be observedin the East European countries (Russian,Ukraine). Górka analysis says that if econo-my will go smoothly by 3rd and 4th quarters2010 the bad times should be overcome.Hoping that good times are coming and tocomplete the offer, Górka created the Górkal80 material, chemically pure, high aluminacement with contents of 80 % Al2O3. Thematerial perfectly fits to present range ofcalcium aluminate products. Górkal cementsare available with Al2O3 contents from 40 %up to 80 %. And the company´s philosophyis to offer the pure cement (no modifications– “black boxes” – of any Górkal products inplace). Górkal 80 cement is in launchingprocess. Górka runs two separate lines (onefor calcium aluminate cements and the sec-ond for high alumina materials). The G80project and already commercially availablenew high alumina cement, Górkal 70F (veryreactive, chemically pure, alumina binder)should give to the customer new featuresand better utilization of high alumina ce-ments line (white cements: Górkal 70,Górkal 70F and Górkal 80) for the company.The calcium aluminate cements line (grey ce-ments: Górkal 40 and Górkal 50) thanks tounique technology of production – sintering– is working very well, even in situations ofraw bauxite supply frailties.

Sri Lanka Bogala Graphite Sees Lubricant Helping Recovery from LossesGraphite miner and exporter BogalaGraphite said support from ist German par-ent firm and manufacture of new lubricantproducts should help it recover from losseslast year. The company, a subsidiary ofGraphit Kropfmuehl AG of Germany, hasseen a slight increase in orders in the lastquarter of 2009. Losses in the financial year2009 rose to 127,7 million rupees from aloss of 100 million in 2008, revenues de-clined from 383 million rupees to 241 mil-lion. Orders received in the last quarter 2009showed a marginal increase.

IndiaCUMI is Setting up a BFA plantCarborundum Universal Limited (CUMI), aMurugappa Group company based in Chen-nai, supplies RS 50 – 75 crore for setting upa brown fused alumina (BFA) plant in Kutchdistrict of Gujarat. The project is likely to bedeveloped in joint venture with state-ownedGujarat Mineral Development Corporation(GMDC).The company has identified Nakhatrana areaof mineral rich Kutch region for the brownfused alumina project. The proposed plantwill have a capacity of 35 000 t/a and it willbe operational after 18 months from thedate of the plants construction start. Thecompany also has plans to set up a coal-based 20 MW power plant along with theproject. CUMI has already entered into a memorandum of understanding withGMDC. Kutch has large reserves of bauxite. In fact,Gujarat's total bauxite reserves are estimat-ed at around 170 Mt and the state has po-tential to generate 1 Mt of alumina. Apartfrom brown fused alumina, CarborundumUniversal also makes semi-friable alumina,white fused alumina and ceramic aluminaand caters to various markets such as refrac-tory, bonded abrasives, coated abrasives etc.

PolandGórka Cement – 10 Years Member of Mapei GroupThe Polish calcium aluminate cement pro-ducer, Górka Cement celebrates 10 years asmember of Mapei Group (www.mapei.com),a world leader in building materials, “mak-ing available”: Group R&D support and en-gineering knowledge, which helped Górkato become the key European supplier for re-fractory and building material branches. Asthe results of mutual collaboration, togetherwith positive sales and financial results,some 2009 soft indicators can be given:0,13 % of tonnage claimed in 2009, nohealth incidents on site from January 2009.To express gratitude for the Górka crewcommitment, the company will perform anEmployee Open Day. Workers and their fam-ilies can enjoye the barbeque menu andsome open-air invents on the green area ofGórka site.Górka is serving the refractory and buildingmaterials branches close to 100 years. Therefractory business seems to be slowly re-

Company News

The new briquetting line will be constructed in the Dunkirk facility (Courtesy: Kerneos)


The company is one of the world's few veingraphite producers and used to exportaround 6000 – 6500 t of value-addedgraphite each year before the global reces-sion. Chief executive Amila Jayasinghe said Bo-gala Graphite last year broke away from thetraditional grades of graphite and with helpfrom the parent firm started a successfulcampaign in India to market graphite-basedlubricants. The product will be initially pro-duced in Germany from raw material export-ed by Bogala Graphite. The full benefit ofthese exercises is expected to bear fruit inthe first quarter of 2011 when the manufac-ture of the lubricants is moved to BogalaGraphite from Graphit Kropfmuehl.The relocation of a ball mill from the UnitedKingdom to Sri Lanka two years ago also en-ables Bogala Graphite to produce high valueclassified graphite powder. The firm cut costslast year and further reduced the work force

China is 92 % owned by TRL, and the re-maining 8 % is owned by a Chinese jointventure partner. The expansion, which willcost an estimated INR 500 million (USD 11million), is expected to be completed by De-cember 2010.According to the World Steel Association, In-dia's steel demand maintained stablegrowth during the global economic crisis.Demand is expected to grow by 13,9 % in2010 and 13,7 % in 2011, after 7,7 % in2009. In 2011, India's steel use will reach71,6 Mt.TRL is currently exploring the possibility ofacquiring magnesite mines in China. TRL isalso in the process of establishing a refrac-tory unit in Vishakhapatnam, AndhraPradesh, to produce mainly synthetic rawmaterials for refractories and eventually high alumina refractories. To meet future refractory raw material needs in India, the company also has plans to acquire

to 183 at the end of 2009 from 295 in 2008.The main shareholder Graphit Kropfmuehlgave a soft loan to fund the restructuring, in-cluding a voluntary retirement scheme, andhelped repay high interest rupee loans. Italso agreed to convert a 150 million-rupeeloan taken by Bogala Graphite and technicalfees payable to it into capital.

China / IndiaTata Refractories Ltd. is Working towards Expanding MagnesiteTata Refractories Ltd. (TRL), a leading Indianproducer of refractories, has confirmed thatits Chinese subsidiary, TRL China, is workingtowards expanding its magnesite-based re-fractory unit in Bayuquan, North-East China,from 54 000 t/a to 90 000 t/a capacity. In India refractory demand is growing bysome 17 %/a. Production at the plant willsupply mainly the Indian market, and some10 % will go to the Chinese market. TRL

* warning more than 10 years the same 2, ugly faces, contact guys…

Close to 100 years in

Close to 100 years under

More than 10 years with one, sole, strategic owner - Mapei SpA...


dolomite and quartzite production facilitiesin India.

USAMagnesita and Krosaki Harima Establish Joint VentureMagnesita Refratários SA of Brazil andKrosaki Harima Corp. of Japan, are to joinforces to supply the North American marketthrough a new joint venture based in the USstate of Indiana. The joint venture, split 40 to60 % between Magnesita and Krosaki re-spectively, will be headquartered at CrownPoint, Indiana, where technical and engi-neering services will be managed. The re-fractory plant will be located at York, Penn-sylvania, the site of LWB Refractories' US op-erations (refractories and dolomite produc-tion), which were acquired by Magnesita in2008.This aims at supplying steel flow con-trol refractories used in continuous castingto steel producers in the USA, Canada, andMexico. And the companies can share tech-nology, products, and manufacturing facili-ties in North America. Hiroaki Miyahara, theCEO of Krosaki Harima Inc. will also act asCEO of the joint venture. This move repre-sents an increasing interest in Magnesita bythe Japanese group. In 2007, Magnesita wasacquired by Brazilian private equity firms GPIand Gávea, but during the year Krosaki alsoacquired a 2,71 % share of the Brazilianmagnesia and refractories group.

VenezuelaSidors Output down, Requested to Re-duce Refractories ImportsSidor saw ist production of liquid steel dropby 63,5 % to 308 000 t during the firstquarter 2010, compared to the same periodin 2009. The works are currently producingat a monthly rate of 100 000 t with a pro-jection of reaching 600 000 t for the firsthalf of the year and then rising in secondhalf year to reach a total of 2,1 Mt for theyear, the lowest output level in a decade.Sidor's production is still at low levels de-spite promises of imminent reactivation, butthe nationalized steelmaker continues to im-port material it needs to operate, causingfriction with domestic suppliers. According tolocal reports, the country's main refractoryproducer Calderys de Venezuela is request-ing that the government stop encouragingSidor to import refractories to support itsoutput. Sidor started importing refractories

last year to maintain output levels in supportof other state-owned companies.

Germany50 Years Ceramic Additives Suppliedby Zschimmer & Schwarz Zschimmer & Schwarz, a medium-sized,chemical company located in Lahnstein, isan international supplier of auxiliaries forthe fibre, ceramic, leather and fur industriesand of manufacturing surfactants for thecosmetics and cleaning agents industries.Today their ceramics division offers a stan-dard programme of more than 600 specialproducts for the ceramics and powder met-allurgical industries, which are applied in in-dividual technological steps, e.g. adjustingdefined rheological properties or for dispers-ing, plasticizing and binding.In 1960 the first activities in the ceramics in-dustry were started by Werner Weiand, whoheaded up the ceramics division until his re-tirement in 2002. A special product range forthe refractories industry became soon a spe-cial focus to enhance process technology inthis user segment.

TurkeyKumas Starts up a Second FusedMagnesia FurnaceTurkey's top dead burned magnesia (DBM)producer, Kümas Kütahya Manyezit Islet-meleri AS (Kumas), is starting up a secondfused magnesia (FM) furnace, boosting itstotal FM production capacity to 13 000 t/a.Kumas started to install the new furnace inJanuary 2010. The new furnace will produce97,32 % MgO and 98,24 % MgO grades forrefractory applications. Kumas is therebynow almost totally independent of having touse Chinese fused magnesia. Its fused mag-nesia capacity has been developed to servethe own requirements at present. However,the plant has been built with the capabilityto expand production to supply externalmarkets in the future if the market demands.Kumas prompted to expand DBM and de-velop FM capacity in view of the high priceand shortage of Chinese exports of DBM/FMduring 2007/2008. Kumas' feedstock for itsFM production is dead burned magnesia,not the more commonly used caustic cal-cined magnesia.The Turkish steel industry, a major consumerof refractories, had declined some 6,5 %during 2008/2009 and with it demand for

DBM and FM. The recovery from recessionhas also allowed Kumas to approve an earli-er devised plan to build a new 25 000 t/aDBM shaft kiln, which is expected to go onstream in early 2011.

Russia / SlovakiaMagnesit Group to Increase Production of Refractories in EuropeMagnezit Group is implementing an invest-ment project to re-equip and modernize thecompany’s European production facility –the Slovmag factory in Lubenik, Slovakia.This project will help the Group substantial-ly strengthen its position in Europe and oth-er countries by increasing the production ofstate-of-the-art periclase carbon refractoriesfor the steel industry and spinel refractoriesfor the cement industry.The project, which is to be completed by2011, calls for a production increase of up to25 000 t/a for carbon oxide products and of30 000 to 35 000 t/a for fired products. In addition, these products will be madefrom “Russian magnesite,” meaning high-quality refractory materials, including fusedpericlase or sintered clinker with an MgOcontent no less than 97 %, manufactured bythe Group’s enterprises from high-qualitymagnesite deposits in Russia. Production will be increased by applyingmore efficient methods and modernizing fa-cilities, which include machines for process-ing, ragging and grinding fused periclase.Moreover, the company will install state-of-the-art mixing and pressing equipment andrebuild the machines for treating items inovens as well as introduce the production ofresin-bonded refractories.Magnezit Group is developing the Satkaproduction facility in the Chelyabinsk Regionin Russia, where it intends to construct addi-tional production lines for dense-sinteredpericlase clinker. The company is also building a cutting-edgeproduction facility for fused periclase anddecarbonized magnesite in the KrasnoyarskTerritory. With its high-quality resource baseand cutting-edge technology, the companyplans to consolidate its position and reach anew level of development. Slovmag, the largest producer of refractorymaterials in Eastern Europe, was incorporat-ed into the Magnezit Group in 2008.

Personal NewsHarald Dittrich Appointed HRMS General ManagerGerman refractory raw materials tradingcompany, Hargreaves Raw Material ServicesGmbH, has appointed Harald Dittrich as itsGeneral Manager. Before he was 25 yearswith LWB Refractories GmbH in several leading positions. From his nearly 30 years ofexperience in refractories production heknows refractory consumers needs. Thisknowledge will help him in developing newcustomer-oriented materials with HRMS inthe future.

Market News

IndiaRefractories Market is to Reach 1,5 Mt in 2010While most of the world's refractories indus-try suffered under the global downturn, In-dia remained relatively resilient and its steelmarket – the greatest consumer of refracto-ries – is expected to grow by 12,1 % in2010. India, with China, was among theemerging economies which started to im-prove in 2009.

The main discussion during the meeting wascentered on the definition of the new re-search themes to be announced in 2011, atthe upcoming UNITECR 2011 in Kyoto/JP,and to be started early in 2012.The main decision, approved unanimously,was to welcome two new partners at theFIRE Annual General Meeting of the mem-bers, to take place in Vancouver, 6th and 7th

October 2010. Those new partners are theWuhan University of Science and Technolo-gy, Hubei Province/CN, to be represented byProf. Yawei Li, and Henan Gengsheng Re-fractories Co. Ltd., Henan Province/CN, lo-cated in Gongye and to be represented by itschairman Shunqing Zhang.In reviewing FIRE activities, it was noticedthat since the beginning of its academic ac-tivities, in September 2006, FIRE had grant-ed 14 MSc diplomas, one PhD diploma atthe end of 2009, 6 more MSc and one PhDare to be granted by the end of 2010.Presently 7 MSc and 6 PhD students are in-volved in different FIRE projects. As of June2010, FIRE students, researchers and associ-ates have published more than 61 papersand 27 technical reports have been circulat-ed to the FIRE members.Finally, new plans have been discussed to re-cruit more students and new industrial mem-bers, mainly users of refractories, in order tomonitor FIRE growth at a reasonable rate.

Over 80 % of new refractory demand in2012 is expected to be attributable to Chi-na, Asia continuing to be the fastest growingregion in the world within the next twoyears, while China will account for much ofthe region's gains. India is expected to show advances abovethe world average. Over the last five years,India's refractories output increased byabout 67 % from 780 000 t in 2002 / 2003to 1,30 Mt in 2007 / 2008. The sales turnover in 2007 / 2008 increasedby about 21 % over 2006 / 2007. The totalmarket size in India for 2010 is about 1,5 Mtwith an estimated value of INR 4600 (USD1000 million).

Events

ItalyFIRE Meeting at CIMTEC During the FIRE Board Members Meetingtwenty-five members present had the privi-lege to listen to three special guests whopresented their views on the research needsthey had identified in their own company: M.Michel Varlez spoke for Vallourec Research,Michaele Martino on behalf of Riva andChristian Rampitsch for Voest-Alpine.

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GermanyYoung Academics’ Workshop on Innovative Refractory CeramicsIn late March, doctoral students involved inthe Priority Programme 1418 “Refractory -Initiative to Reduce Emissions – FIRE“ meetin Hardheim to join seminars and workshopson the manufacturing of refractory materials,related technological principles and industri-al processes.From 29 March to 1 April 2010, the PriorityProgramme 1418 of the German ResearchFoundation invited doctoral students andproject coordinators to its first Young Acade-mics’ Workshop. Held in Hardheim in coop-eration with the Maschinenfabrik GustavEirich GmbH & Co. KG, the workshop aimedto foster participants’ research on the gener-ation of innovative refractory ceramics.The three-day workshop offered lectures andseminars as well as opportunities to visit fa-cilities of leading German refractory manu-facturers. Participants were invited to ac-quaint themselves with technological stan-dards and processes required for manufac-turing refractory materials for various appli-cations. The Priority Programme, dedicatedto the development of an entirely new gen-eration of high-performance refractory ce-ramics, is uniting researchers and doctoralstudents from 10 German universities. Theprogramme is focusing on the development of low-carbon and carbon-free thermalshock resistant ceramics applicable for clean and smart refractory components.While significantly reducing CO2 emissions,the new materials will help improving thequality and energy efficiency of metallurgicprocesses. The German Research Foundationis providing an annual fund of EUR 1,8 mil-lion. Contact: Prof. Dr.-Ing. habil. Christos G.Aneziris ([email protected]).

PortugalINFUB 2011 – 9th European Conferenceon Industrial Furnaces and BoilersThe main objective of the conference in Es-toril from 26 to 29 April 2011 is to providean improved up-to-date understanding ofthe fundamentals, principles and practicesassociated with the design and operation ofindustrial furnaces and boilers and, in abroader view, of industrial systems andprocesses generating, transforming or usingthermal energy from combustion. The con-ference will be a means of disseminating in-

formation concerned with recent researchand development activities in the field of fur-nace and boiler technology and related ar-eas such as process and combustion control,efficiency optimization of high-temperatureenergy application, and reduction of pollu-tant emissions. It is intended that waste incineration, bio-mass and oxy-fuel combustion will all featureheavily in the conference programme as wellas more conventional aspects of combustion. The conference will provide a forum for del-egates involved in research, development,design and operation of furnace and boilersystems, and will also be of interest to thoseworking in areas such as combustion sci-ence, fuel technology, energy managementand air pollution control. Abstracts should besubmitted to: [email protected]

GermanyRecord Number of Exhibitors at IFAT ENTSORGA 2010IFAT ENTSORGA 2010 in Munich opens atthe fairgrounds of Messe München GmbHfrom 13 to 17 September. IFAT ENTSORGAwill occupy one more hall than IFAT 2008 tobe able to host the enlarged number of ex-hibitors (approx. 2700).Messe München and the BDE, Bundesver-band der Deutschen Entsorgungs-, Wasser-und Rohstoffwirtschaft e.V., (Federation ofthe German Waste, Water and Raw Materi-als Management Industry) have agreed on acooperation coming into effect as of 1 Janu-ary 2010: ENTSORGA will be moving to Mu-nich, and IFAT became therefore IFATENTSORGA.Within this cooperation, the successful con-cept pursued so far at IFAT will be further ex-panded. In addition to the already compre-hensive sections on water and sewage treat-ment, there will now, through ENTSORGA,be a stronger section on waste and recy-cling. It will provide greater coverage of thebroad field of raw materials recovery andutilisation, for example, and the savings thisbrings in terms of carbon emissions, on theroad towards achieving climate goals. IFATENTSORGA is therefore reflecting increasingawareness that with the depletion of naturalresources there is an ever more urgent needto use the available resources efficiently byemploying innovative technologies and serv-ices. Refractories play an important in thethermal technology of waste treatment and

recycling processes. IFAT ENTSORGA willtake place now every two years, with a run-ning time of five days. After this fair the nextdates are in 2012 from 7 to 11 May.www.ifat.de

JapanUNITECR 2011 – Call for PapersThe Technical Association of Refractories,Japan (TARJ) hosts the 12th United TechnicalConference on Refractories to be held on 30October to 02 November 2011 in Kyoto un-der the motto „Refractories – Technology toSustain the Global Environment“. Deadlinefor abstract submission of papers is 31 De-cember 2010. Abstracts should be send to:[email protected]

Peru2010 XXXVI ALAFAR Congress 2010 inLimaALAFAR – The Latin American Associationof Refractory Manufacturers – will organizeits XXXVI Congress in Lima from 6 through9 December of this year under the maintheme „Technological Innovation in the Re-fractories Industry“. Technical papers about the main theme orother papers related with the refractory in-dustry, which could contribute to the enrich-ment of the Congress should be submittedto: [email protected] has 32 members manufacturing re-fractories and 16 affiliate members: raw ma-terials, machine and equipment producerssupplying the refractory industry.

GermanyOptimization of Industrial Fuel Technology and Thermal Process Technology The conference and exhibition organized byVDI Wissensforum is addressed to users offuel technology in the field of thermal tech-nology in the segments metal, glass and ce-ramics. Attend shouldexperts of engineeringoffices, equipment suppliers as well consult-ants and members of universities and insti-tutes. Central themes are : new plant, fur-nace and burner concepts, energy saving,emissions, life cyle analysis, energy efficien-cy, process automation, SPS-integrated ener-gy balances. The conference will take placeat Best Western Queens Hotel Karlsruhe/DEfrom 21 to 22 September 2010 . www.vdi-wissensforum.de

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