Results of the performance evaluation, Braskem Idesa. Mexico.

The new global crisis originated by the Covid-19 has changed the world as we knew it. Now, the priority is to reduce the number of people involved in the installation process, to have enough distance between them, and to reduce the working time, to avoid risks of spreading the disease.

In this sense, Alfran recommends the best solution to install dense refractory castables: Alfranjet Shotcrete Technology. Alfran is #1 with Shotcrete Technology through its patented Alfranjet®, with more than 25 years of experience and worldwide references in Cement, Steel and Energy industries among others.

Why Alfranjet® Shotcrete?

1. Reduced number of people. This highly improves safety operating conditions.
2. High quality and performance. Accurate control of mixing liquid (WET PROCESS).
3. High-speed installation: Average of 30 tons / 12h-shift.
4. High efficiency & Energy Savings. < 10% losses.

Alfran offers specialized refractory solutions for the maintenance in lime furnaces, vertical cylinder or Maerz type. Our services include opening and closing inspection doors, scaffolding, demolition and cleaning, supply and installation of refractory materials.

We have a range of refractory castables, specially designed for lime furnaces, which can be installed by vibrocasting, such as ABR Clean + or by gunning, such as CAST 80 GL, in addition to our wide range of insulating castables.

We are available to our customers in the lime sector, to offer them, as we have done for more than 100 years, our Solutions in High Industrial Temperature.

ALFRAN commits to integrating the basic principles of health promotion at work. The Luxembourg Declaration, promoted by the European Network for Workplace Health Promotion (ENWHP), establishes the main principles of action and the reference frame for good management for workers’ health. With this certificate, ALFRAN reinforces its strong commitment to the health of all company collaborators.

Within the power generation industry, Alfran offers detailed engineering solutions for refractory materials supply, installation and drying for biomass boilers.

From Alfran´s Technical, Operations and Sales Departments and with the support of another company of the Group, Intec-Heat, for the drying of the refractory, we provide turnkey solutions.

Our dense refractory castables, such as Tix 35 SiC or Cast 35 SiC, as well as the insulating refractory castable, Alfran Lite 10/14, are ideal for these biomass boilers.

We are available to our customers to offer, as we have done for over 100 years, our Industrial High Temperature Solutions.

The National Association of Manufacturers of Refractory Products, Materials an Related Services (ANFRE) held in Seville, between March 11 and 14, the II Edition of Refractories Engineering Course.

It is a course taught by and for members of ANFRE that aims to train new generations of employees.

The course combines theoretical and practical training to obtain a global vision of the sector. In addition, the participants had the opportunity to visit both Siderúrgica Sevillana and our Alfran plant in Seville.

The following topics are found in the content of this course:

• Refractory materials
• Introduction to the design of coatings
• Refractory application
• Drying, heating and cooling
• Safety and Quality Control

From Alfran, we want to thank the entire Association for the organization of these courses.

Continuing with the goalof converting Health and Safety into a VALUE for Grupo Aldomer, we emphasize the importance of safety when working at height.

In Spain, around 50 workers die each year from blows as a result of falls, being the third most common form of fatal accident during work hours (10%), behind non-traumatic pathologies (44%) and personal protective equipment ( 14%).

For the possible explanation and search for causes for this type of work accidents related to falls in height, we could find many different factors:

• Lack of training and information
• Use of personal protection equipment that is wrong or in poor condition.

In the specific case of working at height, worker training is essential, due to the complexity of the equipment intended for this purpose and its misuse; 25% of workers who at some point have to perform work with a risk of falling from a height, do NOT use the appropriate EPIS or PPE or use them in a scenario that requires a specific fall arrest system and with configuration and design parameters Associated with each situation. Depending on the Health and Safety campaign, we comment on the following:

Remember:

• Any work over 2 meters without effective protections (individual or collective) is prohibited.
• Hold the handrail on stairs and move carefully.
• Always keep 3 points of contact when using vertical ladders.
• The anti-fall PPE should only be used in cases where the protection of collective protections is not technically possible, since they do not prevent the materialization of the risk (fall in height), they simply reduce the consequences.

When using a harness:

• Adjust it properly. A badly placed harness can cause serious injury in the event of a fall.
• Check that it is in good condition and that it has no visible damage.
• Make sure you anchor to a sturdy point of sufficient height to stop the fall before impact. Whenever possible, do it above the head and on the same vertical, to reduce the drop factor and the pendulum effect.
• Do not jump between different levels.
• Do not run.

Before climbing a scaffold:

• Check that you have a green label with an effective date and follow all the indications reflected.
• Make sure the maximum scaffold load is adequate and respect it.
• Verify that the scaffold is not damaged and that it adapts to the needs of the work.
• Keep the hatch of the access ladder closed except when you are climbing or going down the stairs.
• Any modification of the scaffolding by personnel outside the specialized company that installs and certifies it is strictly prohibited.

To combat the risks of accidents and damage to health, the application of technical and organizational measures is a priority. These measures are designed to eliminate risks at source or to protect workers through collective protection provisions.

When these measures are not enough, the use of personal protective equipment (PPE) is imposed. The PPE act fundamentally reducing the consequences derived from the materialization of the risk. The protective efficacy will depend on the adequacy of the individual protection equipment at the pre-existing levels of risk.

The correct selection and use of the appropriate PPE will minimize the consequences and damages should the risk materialize. Therefore, the mandatory use of them is of vital importance.

Awareness campaigns in Alfran

With the aim of raising awareness among all employees towards active behavior in the prevention of occupational hazards and advancing their integration at all levels, different Awareness Campaigns will be carried out during 2019.

For this, maximum involvement and collaboration is necessary, highlighting the members of the Health and Safety Committee, Delegates and Prevention Technicians, Intermediate Managers and Project Managers.

The Management and Prevention Department request the involvement of all to achieve the proposed objectives.

Since 2007, Refractarios Alfran has been the main player in both the refractory materials supply and installation at Votorantim Cimentos plants, in southern Spain.

Alfran has been the company chosen thanks to its knowledge of the facilities, the quality of its materials and our qualified personnel, mastering all installation methods and knowing perfectly the material requirements in each area, in the different maintenance shutdowns carried out at its plants in Cordoba and Niebla (Huelva).

We must highlight that castables such as ALFRAN CLEAN 85 G, ALFRAN ABR CLEAN, or DRYTECH 70 are commonly used in these cement plants, with exceptional performances.

In the dynamic and demanding industrial world, the need for safe and efficient solutions has never been more critical. Robotic demolition has become an essential tool for the modernization and maintenance of infrastructure across industrial sectors. These advanced technologies not only enhance the precision and safety of operations but also reduce execution times, manpower requirements, and associated costs.

Alfran, a leader in the supply and installation of refractory materials with innovative solutions for the industry, has embraced and refined robotic refractory demolition as part of its service offering. This commitment to innovation enables our company to tackle complex challenges and deliver optimal results to our clients. In this article, we take a closer look at what robotic demolition of refractories entails, its benefits, and some of Alfran’s notable success stories in this field.

WHAT IS ROBOTIC DEMOLITION?

Robotic demolition is an advanced method that uses remotely controlled robots to dismantle structures and materials. These robots are equipped with specialized tools such as hydraulic hammers, enabling them to carry out demolition tasks with unmatched precision and efficiency.

Unlike traditional demolition methods, which can be dangerous and less accurate, robotic demolition offers a range of significant advantages. Robots can operate in confined and hard-to-reach areas within industrial furnaces, where it would be risky for human workers. Moreover, their ability to handle heavy tools and perform repetitive tasks without fatigue leads to increased productivity and enhanced workplace safety when removing refractory materials.

BENEFITS OF ROBOTIC DEMOLITION

SAFETY AND EFFICIENCY

Safety is a key aspect. Robotic demolition significantly reduces the risk of injury by eliminating the need for workers to be in hazardous zones, particularly close to refractory linings. Robots are operated remotely from a safe location, allowing operators to supervise the process without exposure to danger—especially during hot refractory demolitions.

One of the greatest advantages of robotic demolition is efficiency. Robots can work continuously without breaks, significantly accelerating the demolition process. Their high precision also minimizes the risk of collateral damage to surrounding structures, which is critical in densely packed industrial environments.

ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT

Robotic demolition also offers environmental benefits. These systems generate far less dust than traditional methods, contributing to a cleaner and safer work environment. Additionally, the precision of robotic demolition facilitates better recovery and recycling of refractory materials, supporting more sustainable practices.

ALFRAN’S SUCCESS STORIES IN ROBOTIC DEMOLITION

At Alfran, we have completed numerous successful projects using robotic demolition. These include work in preheater towers, furnaces, coolers, and other equipment in cement plants, as well as reverberatory furnace demolitions in the aluminum industry—all marked by a significant reduction in safety incidents and accidents.

In the steel sector, rolling mill furnace demolitions are common. Our robots accessed confined spaces and performed demolitions with a level of accuracy impossible to achieve using traditional methods. This not only led to faster completion times but also increased safety and reduced costs for our clients.

THE FUTURE OF ROBOTIC DEMOLITION AT ALFRAN

At Alfran, we are committed to the continuous innovation of our robotic demolition techniques. Our investment in research and development keeps us at the forefront of technology, ensuring we can offer our clients the most advanced and efficient solutions available. In addition to conventional robotic demolition equipment, we have developed our own CASTBREAKER system—a breakthrough solution for vertical equipment demolition that eliminates the need for scaffolding and uses only hoisting.

Furthermore, the ongoing training and development of our personnel ensure our operators and technicians a

In all work activities, to achieve an acceptable level of safety, it is vitally important to ensure and maintain adequate conditions of order and cleanliness. The lack of order and cleanliness in the facilities is a risk factor that deserves special attention since it is the cause of many accidents, falls due to stumbles or slips, bumps or steps on objects, and deterioration of equipment or facilities, which can lead to results other than those expected.

To achieve the goal of keeping the company “clean and tidy”, all staff must assimilate concepts such as:

1. Eliminate the unnecessary and classify the useful:

– Have the means to eliminate what is useless, prioritizing the elimination according to its usefulness.

– Classify according to utility and collect the useless in containers.

– Separate those elements that should not be in contact with others.

– In the case of flammable products, use metal drums with a fire-resistant lid.

– Machines with possible leaks must have a collection and drainage system.

– Act on the reasons why waste accumulates.

2. Store the material in appropriate places so that it can be easily located:

– Put everything in its place and eliminate what is useless.

– Collect tools on shelves that are easy to locate and identify.

– Designate the locations based on their functionality and speed of placement.

– Delimit and indicate the location of things.

– Classify waste properly.

3. Avoid dirtying and, if it gets dirty, clean immediately:

– Eliminate and control everything that can dirty.

– Cleaning is the means of controlling the state of things.

– Cleaning people must be properly trained and equipped.

– Quickly eliminate residues or substances that can contaminate and cause accidents.

– Avoid slippery floors due to oils or grease. Windows will be cleaned to allow light to enter.

– Keep changing rooms, showers, etc. clean.

– Involve staff in cleaning the environment.

– Control the critical points that generate dirt.

4. Generate work habits aimed at favoring order and cleanliness, etc:

– The characteristics of the floors, ceilings, etc. They shall be such as to allow easy cleaning.

– Standardize procedures by order and cleanliness.

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