Calderys’ fast-dry technology delivered a full aluminium furnace relining with more than a 50% reduction in dry-out time.

A 25-ton aluminium melting furnace required a full refractory relining as part of a planned shutdown.

Historically, such projects have been executed using split refractory scopes, with Calderys supplying specific zones such as hearth, or hearth-related areas in the furnace.

However, the customer was facing increasing pressure to reduce shutdown duration, lower energy consumption during commissioning, and optimise overall relining costs, without compromising operational reliability.

They requested a refractory solution that would not require any repairs or revamping for the next 12 to 15 months period.

The Calderys technical analysis identified that a conventional refractory approach would not allow the client to achieve the desired reductions in downtime and energy consumption.

Furthermore, while its Fast Dry (FD) / Steady Dry (SD) technologies had demonstrated strong performance in partial furnace repairs, almost no reference existed for a complete furnace relining using exclusively FD/SD products.

The analysis concluded that a fully integrated FD lining concept, combined with strict installation control and an adaptable dry-out strategy, could meet the customer’s objectives while managing technical risks.

Therefore, Calderys developed a 100% FD & SD-based castable refractory concept, engineered specifically for the furnace design and operational constraints.

The solution delivered benefits, including:

  • Reduced dry-out time reduced by more than 50% compared to conventional practice.
  • No damage observed during or after dry-out (no explosive spalling or repair requirements).
  • Reduced burner runtime during commissioning, leading to lower energy consumption and associated CO2 emissions.
  • Use of a single refractory concept for the entire furnace.
  • Accelerated production restart, which has since operated continuously without any refractory-related issues.

The project marked the first successful deployment of a 100% FD/SD castable concept for full furnace relining.

The full case study can be viewed here.