Innovation through Research and Development
Building products and systems that deliver optimal thermal management performance, to improve processes and protect people
Developing new technologies for our customers and our business drive our research and development teams. We focus on delivering products that meet the growing demands of our customers, to reduce energy, to improve the safety of people and processes, and to reduce CO2 emissions.
We are driving process optimisation by improving our manufacturing capabilities and technologies, to deliver best-in-class thermal management and passive fire protection solutions.
Superwool Low Biopersistent Fibres
Our Fibre Centre of Excellence, in collaboration with customers and operations teams, have extended our Superwool® LBP portfolio to include Superwool XTRA, a fibre with a classification temperature of 1450°C (2600°F).
Key benefits:
- Exonerated from the carcinogen classification and not classified as hazardous by IARC or by any national regulation (globally)
- Superwool XTRA does not form crystalline silica when exposed to high temperatures
- Proven in targeted applications, and now in use for more than four years
- The only exonerated fibre on the market proven to perform better than RCF with most industrial furnace pollutants, especially alkali metals
- With higher thermal expansion, Superwool XTRA heals shrinkage gaps in the furnace insulation as the furnace heats up
- Designed to replace RCF 1400°C applications
- Scientifically formulated to be an enhanced product in the market place
Kaolite AHR Monolithics
Alkaline Hydrolysis (AH) is a problem associated with un-dried refractory insulating castables (in fired heater linings) which has hampered the petrochemical industry for decades.
AH is costly and disruptive to the petrochemical industry which led our Technology Centre (based in the Americas), to partner with industry leaders to develop a monolithic that would mitigate the risk of AH formation. An accelerated AH test was developed to study the phenomena.
- AH is due to the Calcium Aluminate Cement Hydrate Phases carbonating, when they react with the CO₂ in the air.
- Laboratory experiments showed that when a modified bond is used, the carbonation reaction is suppressed.
Through this development work we were able to develop a solution - Kaolite® AHR Monolithics.