MANUFACTURING / JAPAN SOURCING
Replacing a refractory part: service conditions to include in the RFQ
Send the location, materials in contact, heating and cooling history, and damage record with the dimensions. Ask which material and installation details need review before ordering a replacement.
Show where the replacement will be used
Imagine replacing a shaped refractory block during a planned furnace shutdown. Its drawing and a catalogue temperature are available, but the supplier has not seen what touches the hot face or where the old block lost material. A part that fits the opening still needs a material and service review.
Mark the hot face, surrounding lining, joints and attachment or support on the drawing. Identify the current grade if known; label an inferred grade as unconfirmed. Keep original dimensions separate from measurements taken from a worn piece. Do not copy erosion or a crack into a new-part drawing as an intended feature.
Describe the cycle and contact, not just the peak
Give the normal and exceptional temperature history, heating and cooling sequence, duration and frequency of operation, and the location of the temperature measurement. Describe the atmosphere and the solids, liquids or deposits touching the part, using available process information rather than guessing their chemistry.
Nippon Steel describes different mechanisms of refractory damage and the use of condition assessment in repair and replacement.[1] Use that distinction when assembling the enquiry: a photograph of a crack is an observation, not proof that thermal shock caused it. Record what changed in operation and ask the supplier or responsible furnace engineer what further evidence is needed.
- 1Location: mark the hot face, support and the adjacent lining
- 2Service: link the location to contact materials and heating/cooling history
- 3Observed condition: identify photos, measurements and the inspection date
This is an information map, not a furnace section or heating curve. The depicted mark does not diagnose a failure, define remaining life or approve continued operation.
Keep observations separate from the replacement proposal
Use an existing inspection report or records obtained through the site’s inspection arrangements. Give each photo a location, direction and date; link measured loss, cracks or deposits to the same position. Record the measurement method and any areas that could not be checked. A retained piece may help an investigation, but its origin and handling need to be known.
Ask for the proposed grade and supplied form, the basis for selecting them, and assumptions that remain open. A higher catalogue temperature alone does not answer the contact, cycling, support or installation questions. The comparison below is an enquiry record, not a set of service limits.
| Record | Information to provide | Decision to request |
|---|---|---|
| Part and location | Information to provideDrawing revision, hot face, joints and support | Decision to requestWhat interfaces and dimensions need confirmation? |
| Operation | Information to provideTemperature history and measurement location; starts and stops | Decision to requestWhich service conditions govern the proposed material? |
| Contact | Information to provideKnown process materials, atmosphere and deposits | Decision to requestWhat compatibility information or analysis is missing? |
| Damage | Information to provideDated, located photos and measurements with method | Decision to requestWhat investigation is needed before selecting the replacement? |
| Supply and work | Information to provideFinished shape or site-installed material; responsible parties | Decision to requestWhich design, installation and restart tasks are included? |
Separate material supply from installation and restart
SHINAGAWA lists design, installation and maintenance within its engineering services.[2] For your enquiry, state which of those activities you need. Ask whether the quote covers a finished block, associated mortar or other materials, a site survey, installation support and the required documentation. Clarify responsibility for interfaces and any proposed material change.
If the proposal uses a castable or another site-installed material, request the current instructions for that exact product and installation. AGC’s monolithic-refractory information distinguishes drying conditions by product and installed thickness.[3] An old furnace schedule or a table for a different product is not an agreed restart procedure for the new proposal.
Before purchase, keep the reviewed drawing, material designation, stated service conditions, inspection requirements and work scope in the same revision. Send HAM that package, quantity, destination and shutdown constraints. A sourcing enquiry can begin while decisions remain open; the responsible technical review still needs to resolve them before the replacement is used.
Questions to send your supplier
Open supplier questions
Equipment and exact part location; hot-face direction: Current material grade and its evidence, or grade unknown: Drawing revision, interfaces, joints and support: Original dimensions versus worn-piece measurements: Operating temperature history and measurement locations: Heating/cooling cycles, stops and exceptional events: Contact materials, atmosphere and available analyses: Located damage photos, dates, measurements and inspection method: Which observations or failure causes remain unconfirmed? Proposed grade, supplied form and basis for selection: Material supply, installation, drying/restart documents and responsibilities: Inspection and approval needed before use: Quantity, destination, shutdown constraints and open questions:
Sources
- Nippon Steel Technical Report 415 — Damage evaluation of steelmaking refractories
Read page 81 introduction and diagnostic overview: several damage mechanisms and condition assessment before repair/replacement. Steelmaking cases do not set limits for another furnace.
- SHINAGAWA REFRA — Engineering Services
Design, installation and maintenance are named service scopes. No availability, export, delivery or HAM partnership claim.
- AGC Ceramics — Drying monolithic refractories
Read single-page notes and product-specific schedule headings. Castable drying is product/thickness dependent; no heating rates, hold times or operating procedure reproduced.