How to learn from mistakes, how to analyze occurrences of damage, and how to develop methods and processes from them so as to reduce the probability of recurrence in the future – all issues which are particularly close to the heart of everyone involved in the refractory technology sector. No wonder, then, that a regular run of discussion arose around this key topic at what was already the third Freiberg Refractory Symposium, which was again organized in co-operation between the German Ceramics Society (Deutsche Keramische Gesellschaft, DKG), the Technical University of Freiberg, and RATH AG. Some 170 experts from the industrial furnace and plant construction sector, as well as from the field of application technology, installation companies, representatives from research and development, and refractory product manufacturers passed two fascinating days providing presentations and taking part in discussions in the Middle Saxony town Freiberg, making new findings and exchanging experiences in the investigation, interpretation, and, finally, the avoidance of occurrences of damage.
Mastering physical processes has always been one of the great challenges facing mankind. But even when one understands the physics, sometimes there is still only a limited control over the events themselves, and that is an experience which all the Symposium participants had in common. “That makes it all the more important to analyze instances of damage right down to the smallest detail, and then, based on what we gain from the findings, to develop methods and processes thanks to which the probability of this being repeated in the future can be reduced”, said Andreas Pfneiszl, CFO/CSO of RATH AG, in his opening speech. It is often the case that the obstacles are formidable which face companies dealing with cases of damage, because the possible consequences include loss of image and loss of business too, but also far-reaching legal liability. “All the more important it is to note that at this Symposium we address this issue collectively and discuss it quite openly”, Pfneiszl continued. “Pioneering new findings and experiences in the investigation, interpretation, and, finally, the avoidance of occurrences of damage will be featured at our Symposium, and shared with the sector as a whole. This is an important and also a significant exchange, and it is not something which would happen simply as a matter of course.”
Represented particularly strongly at this year’s event was the industry itself, including a large number of companies with whom RATH has worked together closely and successfully for many years, such as Corning, NGK, Thyssenkrupp Steel, Schott, Ineos and Eisenmann.
What was originally a seminar for a limited group of participants became, in September 2014, a symposium with around 100 interested people attending, which rapidly led to the decision to make this an event to be held regularly in a two-year cycle. It has since become a fixed institution, and a symbol of engagement with technological process techniques and exchanges of expertise at a very high level.
The presentations and discussions this year focused, for example, on technological observations in the manufacture of refractory materials and new, complex testing methods and equipment for refractory materials in order to assess the success of linings. As well as this, new methods of calculation in heat engineering, thermomechanical stress conditions, and wear behaviour, in the sense of reducing the application risk, were all presented and discussed. Likewise on the programme were analyses of corrosion processes (such as by way of experimental systems and pilot plants), as well as fault analyses of refractory installations.
Even if this year’s symposium focused in particular on the topic of avoiding damage, there were plenty of other themes just as relevant to refractor technology also under discussion, such as “Climate targets and their effects on the thermoprocess industry”, and “Sustainability in refractory management“.
_{(Source: RATH)}