Calderys launches CALDE® FD range to accelerate dry-out and reduce downtime

Calderys is expanding its CALDE® FD and ALKON® FD ranges of products to offer all refractory customers a robust solution to the issue of slow, sensitive dry-out processes.

Dry-out is a basic feature of cement-bonded castables, but the process has typically been slow and resource-intensive. Additionally, customers face the challenge of a long window between installation and handover – a period of downtime in which equipment is unavailable, and production is stalled.

A full-furnace solution that supports other applications

Calderys previously had fast-drying solutions available to customers, but with some material restrictions, such as only being compatible with certain refractory linings, and use-case limitations – for example, fast-dry being brought in to expedite handover during emergency repairs. 

Previously, users wouldn’t apply a single material across an entire furnace because of the limitations on different applications and functions, depending on which materials and elements were interacting. Now, Calderys is proud to offer CALDE® FD and ALKON® FD as a range of solutions for full-furnace application.

Divyendu Tripathy, Calderys Marketing Director, EMEA, says: “One of the key benefits for customers now is how widely applicable CALDE® FD is. If you were only able to apply it to certain areas of the furnace, there would still be no reduction in the overall drying time. The process would be bottlenecked by the dry-out of non-CALDE® parts.”

 A complementary extension that protects products’ original properties
“Another notable advantage is that CALDE® FD provides all the capabilities of previous fast-dry solutions,” Divyendu continues.
“Typically, bringing in a new solution would create uncertainty in the process, but we’ve proven at lab scale that CALDE® FD doesn’t degrade the other properties of the products it’s interacting with. There’s no change to the original properties – it’s simply fixing the challenge of slow dry-out.”

“This means that CALDE® FD can be seen as an extension to existing solutions, minimizing the disruption of bringing in new solutions,” adds Uwe Klippel, Technical Manager for Calderys. “One such existing solution is CALDE® SD (Steady Dry) which complements the medium cement-containing refractory portfolio within Calderys.

“Both CALDE® FD and CALDE® SD can be considered complementary to customers’ existing configurations; they don’t have to change their processes, but can simply apply these as an extension. 

“There’s no limit to CALDE® FD in the sense that all monolithic refractories can use it – it’s a series of solutions applicable to all our markets – for example, iron and steel, non-ferrous metal, foundries. It’s easy to install and adjust to varying climate conditions, making it suitable to a variety of global markets.”

A stable and more efficient dry-out process
As well as being readily applicable to all customers, the CALDE® FD range aims to reduce process inefficiencies. 

Improving the downtime isn’t the only advantage for customers. 

“By having CALDE® FD or ALKON® FD applicable to the full furnace, this simplifies the dry-out process,” Uwe continues.

“The simpler the dry-out, the fewer the resources required, in terms of employee or contractor time and training. CALDE® FD delivers both efficiency and effectiveness; a faster dry-out process that’s more stable. This is vital not just for process efficiency in preventing equipment damage, but it’s crucially about protecting all workers involved in the process.”

 Furnace dry-out reduces downtime and emissions

Additionally, customers may see the benefit of reduced emissions. 

“The robustness of CALDE® FD’s construction allows customers to use their furnace’s main burners for the dry-out. This means no more slow, gradual dry-out with external burners – helping customers reduce both downtime through faster handover and their emissions,” Uwe adds. "Ultimately, dry-out is a basic feature of castables, so it’s about doing it as efficiently as possible.”

CALDE® FD allows furnace operators to save more than 72 hours to reach a temperature of 1,200°C, helping them save energy during their operations.

“Previously, CALDE® FD capabilities were simply used for repair," Divyendu concludes. “Now, we’ve overcome that limitation. CALDE® FD can already be built in and applied to furnaces as standard from the outset. This allows us to bring more volumes to customers. CALDE® FD will work faster, increase production and speed up unit handover to customers, mitigating additional resource use on their side. This will be a differentiator for our customers, in a competitive market.”