MATERIALS FOR FURNACE, LADLE, BOILER AND PROCESS UNIT LININGS
Thermbond refractory materials
Thermbond is a brand of monolithic refractories and insulating systems, produced since 1990 and now based in Whitmore Lake, Michigan, USA; since 2019 it has been part of Unifrax, and current technical sheets name Alkegen as the trademark owner.
Most products are two-component: a dry mix and a liquid activator that form an ionically bonded refractory once mixed.
Directions by brand
The data and application reports come from the manufacturer's pages. Technical data sheets are issued through the manufacturer's app or on request, so densities and limiting temperatures for the Formula Series are not published. We do not publish prices, lead times or payment terms and do not declare EAEU, TR TS, CE or REACH certificates. We are neither a dealer nor a representation.
Formula Series: two-component refractories
The core Thermbond line: a dry mix and a liquid activator in pre-measured units, marked red. The mix is prepared for 45 seconds to 2 minutes and placed at once, because the set is fast and exothermic. It bonds chemically to existing refractory, so a repair needs no full tear-out. Water must never be added: the guide warns of explosive spalling. Heat-up rates of up to 500 °F per hour are stated. Suffixes: L and E longer working time, R ramming, G gunning, P patch, A abrasion resistance, W washcoat.
Grade with suffix and number of units
7200 Series: water-based monolithics
The third generation of the line: one bag covers casting, ramming, gunning, shotcreting, pumping and hand packing. Setting takes under an hour and firing is about twice as fast as conventional castables. 7204: density 2.95 g/cm³, abrasion 3.1–3.5 cc at 1,500 °F against 5.8 cc, hot modulus of rupture 4,500 psi. 7206 contains 60 % Al₂O₃, 7229 has 50 % Al₂O₃ and 20 % SiC; the N versions suit molten aluminium. For 7206 and 7229: 4.5–5.5 % water, a 10–12 hour hold and an example dry-out of 29 hours against 56.
7206-N ramp, 7229 nose ring, 7204 lower walls
7000 Series: dense water-mixed grades
A line for full-thickness linings and pre-cast shapes where higher strength and thermal stability are required. Mixed with water, it sets more slowly than the two-component grades, needs its own heat-up schedule and does not bond to existing refractory, so it goes on as a new layer. Supplied in 55 lb (about 25 kg) and bulk bags, shelf life 12 months, or six for 7000-CS. In the reports 7002 went on aluminium furnace sills and 7004 on a ramp where the previous material wore out in two months.
7002 for a sill, 7004 for a ramp
Thermbrake and Heatbrake: back-up insulation
Lightweight two-component materials for repairing or replacing the insulating layer behind the working lining. Thermbrake, marked blue, is the lightweight grade; Heatbrake, marked yellow, is light to medium weight where volume stability at high temperature is critical. Both are a dry mix plus an activator with a fast exothermic set. Supplied in bags and jugs or bulk bags and drums. In the reports Thermbrake 403-G was gunned beneath Formula 4-AG in a power boiler.
403-G by gunning, 508 under a sub-hearth
Concrete Series: concrete areas
Dense fast-setting materials for concrete exposed to intermittent heat: equipment pads, foundations, flues and pits. They bond chemically to a concrete substrate and restore spalled areas without replacing the whole mass; the marking is purple and the shelf life one year. In the reports Concrete 602 went on aluminium furnace floor tiles, and Concrete 601-G on a fertilizer storage bay and in an ash pit. Selection needs the service temperature, whether heating is continuous or intermittent, and the repair area.
602 floor tiles, 601-G pads and pits
Thermblock: pre-cast shapes
Thermblock is the brand for pre-engineered, pre-cast shapes made from Thermbond materials. The manufacturer engineers the shape, selects the material and the attachment systems, and a certified pre-caster produces it to the manufacturer's tolerances. The range includes the Air Blaster, Damper and Butterfly Damper, the Feed Shelf, the Ladle Cover and the Nose Ring. A request needs a dimensioned drawing, the unit type, the working temperature and the attachment method. One ladle lip ring lasted 500–1,000 heats against about 100 for the previous steel ring.
Dimensioned drawing and attachment method
Saffil 72+ insulating systems
Engineered insulating systems for long-term and cyclic high-temperature service, based on Saffil 72+ polycrystalline fibre. Blankets are fixed over deteriorated insulation with Thermbolts: the old layer is not torn out and downtime is cut. Applications include ladle covers, furnace doors, hanging curtains, filter box lids, roofs and panels; industries include aluminium, forging, steel, hydrocarbon processing, power and minerals. In one report a ladle lid lining lasted 20 months against a quarter for the castable it replaced.
Thermbolts and washers come with the system
Aluminium furnaces: selection by zone
For melting and tower furnaces the manufacturer publishes a zone map: sills and lintels, jambs, doors, floor tiles, upper and lower side walls, ramps, hearths, sub-hearths and roofs. Sills and lintels: Formula 4 and 2104 or water-based 7206 and 7229. Ramps: 7004, 7229-N and 7204-N; lower walls 7204-N; sub-hearths 7208 and 7209. Doors: Saffil 72+ and 7206; floor tiles Concrete 602 or Formula 2104. A hearth repair with 2104-L took one shift with a 12-hour hold and saved 30 days of production; a hot reline cut installation time by 30 %.
State the zone: sill, ramp, hearth, walls
Steel: tundishes, ladles, furnaces
Repairs without a full reline: Formula 6-L for tundishes bonds to the existing lining, so a repair replaces a full reline and the repaired area needs no heat-up. For ladles the range includes Thermblock lip rings and covers, and Saffil 72+ insulation for covers. In the reports a ladle lid lasted 20 months instead of a quarter, a lip ring lasted 500–1,000 heats, and reheat furnaces received insulating solutions for roofs and walls.
For a tundish: grade and wear zone
Refining: FCCU, SRU, ethylene
For units with high erosion and tight shutdown schedules. Formula 12-L is hand packed one inch thick into hex-mesh and then pneumatically rammed to the top of the cells, protecting FCCU regenerator cyclones, the air distributor, the flue gas slide valve and the lampshade. Formula 18-G and 18-R replaced conventional castable and firebrick in a sulphur recovery unit: the lengthy dry-out was eliminated and the shutdown was three days shorter. Formula 16-L in ethylene quench headers is self-curing.
12-L hex-mesh, 18-G and 18-R in an SRU
Power: boilers and burners
Gunning, ramming and casting in boilers: burner throats, dampers, ash areas and circulating fluidised bed boilers burning refuse-derived fuel. In one report on a 660 MW boiler the segmented tiles in 28 burners were replaced by ramming: the material went onto a clean, sound surface of the remaining refractory and formed a permanent bond instead of tiles that came loose. For the RDF-fired boiler, 2104-AL, 2104-G, 12-L, 15-R, 6-AG, 6-P and Thermbrake 403-G were cast, gunned and rammed zone by zone to avoid a long dry-out.
6-AG throats, 2104 and 12-L fluidised bed
Chip and scrap melting furnaces
Here the lining suffers from the chemical attack of the charge and from mechanical loads: conventional materials build up corundum and wear quickly. In one report four new chip melting furnaces were fully lined with Formula 2104-L, 1,060 units in total, for strength against mechanical abuse, non-wetting behaviour and resistance to corundum growth.
2104-L withstands chips and impact
Cement and rotary kilns
The main wear point of a rotary kiln is the nose ring at the discharge end: a cast lining spalls within a few months. In one report pre-cast shapes made of a conventional castable were replaced with 7229: reheating was faster and easier, and the kiln ran for a year without further repairs. Ready-made Thermblock Nose Ring shapes are available for a specific diameter; selection depends on thermal stability, abrasion resistance and the shell geometry.
State the unit type and the lining zone, the working temperature and its variation, contact with molten metal or slag, abrasion and impact loads, the application method and the volume of work. For a pre-cast shape, a drawing and the attachment method.
Materials and packaging
Two-component grades are supplied in units: a bag of dry mix and a jug of activator, with bulk bags and drums for large volumes. Formula, Thermbrake, Heatbrake and Concrete grades have a two-year shelf life, 7000 Series 12 months, 7200 Series and 7000-CS six months, stored dry at 0–37.7 °C. Adding water to Formula Series products is prohibited. Thermblock shapes are cast to a drawing.
Send the unit, the zone and the operating conditions
State what is required: a grade for a zone, a repair before the next shutdown, replacement of an insulating layer, a pre-cast shape to a drawing, or regular supply. Add the operating temperatures, the loads and the destination city. We will state what the manufacturer's documentation confirms and what needs separate checking.
