Refractories are enabling high temperature processes. The transition of industrial high temperature processes is ongoing and therefore also the refractory needs to adapt.  

In recent years, the requirements have increased considerably as a result of higher operating temperatures and stricter operating requirements. Due to the transformation of the refractory applying high temperature industry such as iron and steel the Institute of Mineral Engineering (GHI) of RWTH Aachen University is concerned with the development and optimization of ceramic refractory products in order to meet this growing challenge. 

In addition to the development of new solutions tailored to the respective application, the testing of industrially used materials is also a central field of activity of the refractory group. Standardized procedures as well as specially developed test routines and test rigs are available for this purpose. The possible characterization steps start with the examination of the raw materials and extend via non-destructive methods to destructive testing under bending or compressive stress, through to post-mortem analysis by X-ray diffraction and the assessment of samples by means of scanning electron microscopy. 

Within the TWINGHY project RWTH-GHI is involved in the following refractory tasks:  

• Creating a database for refractories and process conditions: Data gathering on refractory material as used in demonstrators and case studies as well as process data, atmosphere, temperature, time, etc., accumulation 
• Practical evaluation of refractory on process pairing for steel: Collection of process data achieved during the project and refractory samples to evaluate the active retrofitting effects on refractories for steel applications 
• Mapping of established and possible refractory and process pairing: Creating an overview on refractory solutions in regard to process conditions 

Author: Thorsten Tonnesen

My name is Thorsten Tonnesen and I have an engineering degree and a PhD in metallurgy and materials. Currently I am a senior scientist and head of the Refractory Research Group of the Department of Ceramics at RWTH Aachen University/Germany.
Our role in the TWINGHY project is the scientific cooperation of the refractory tasks with the industrial partners of the particular processes as well as the refractory material supplier. Mainly the corrosion behaviour and the change of microstructure and properties, e.g. mechanical strength, after changing the furnace combustion atmospheres are in focus of our research.