The 2017 Alumina Refractory Raw Materials Technology Exchange Conference concluded successfully, sharing industry wisdom and technological innovation

On April 21, 2017, the highly anticipated "Alumina Refractory Raw Materials Technology Exchange Conference" was held in Shandong. The conference was jointly hosted by Shandong Zhongnai High Temperature Materials Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as "Shandong Zhongnai") and Shandong Hengjia High Purity Refractory Raw Materials Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as "Hengjia High Purity"), and more than 60 well-known companies and more than 120 industry elites from all over the country gathered together. The China Refractory Industry Association and the media platform China Refractory Window Network participated in the coverage throughout the event, providing strong support for the successful holding of this event.

The opening ceremony of the conference was hosted by Mr. Chen Zhiqiang, former senior engineer of Luoyang Refractory Research Institute and former general manager of Elkem Asia Pacific. Mr. Liu Wei, President of China Refractory Industry Association and Chairman of Shandong Refractory Group Co., Ltd., and Mr. Sun Jian, Party Secretary of Linchi Town, Zouping County, Binzhou City, Shandong Province, delivered speeches respectively, expressing congratulations on the successful holding of this conference and warm welcome to the guests.

Mr. Liu Wei pointed out in his opening speech that Shandong Province's refractory industry has always provided a continuous driving force for the development of the industry with its profound technical accumulation and innovative spirit. However, in recent years, due to the continuous decline in demand for refractory materials, coupled with the impact of multiple pressures such as funding and environmental protection policies, the industry is facing unprecedented challenges. In particular, the refractory capacity reduction policy issued by Zibo City has reduced the original 3.3 million tons of capacity to 1.5 million tons, which has brought severe tests to the sustainable development of enterprises.

Faced with a complex market environment, Shandong Zhongnai and Hengjia High Purity have continuously increased their investment in technology research and development and successfully developed a series of new refractory raw materials, such as alumina powder and plate-shaped corundum products. With their excellent performance and stable quality, they have been widely used and highly recognized by refractory companies at home and abroad. This has not only brought a good market reputation to the company, but also made a positive contribution to improving the overall level of the refractory industry.

This technical exchange meeting brought together first-class refractory technology experts from home and abroad to share many cutting-edge scientific research results and industry insights. At the beginning of the meeting, General Manager Shao Changbo delivered an opening report on the theme of "Discussion on the Application of Tabular Corundum and α-Al2O3 in Refractory Materials". He deeply analyzed the performance characteristics, production process and application fields of alumina micropowder and tabular corundum series products, and explained the important role of these products in refractory materials and their future development trends.

In the subsequent report, Professor Ye Guotian from the School of Materials Science and Engineering of Zhengzhou University gave a report on "The influence of micro powder morphology on the fluidity of pumped castables in pipelines", which proposed the key influence of micro powder morphology on the fluidity of castables and provided targeted technical guidance for industry technicians. Dr. Xu Guotao, chief expert of refractory materials at Wuhan Iron and Steel Research Institute, analyzed the technical challenges and solutions of alumina raw materials in iron system refractory materials from the perspective of steel industry application, and provided valuable industry practical experience.

Mr. Gu Ligang, former R&D Director of Vesuvius Asia Pacific, introduced the test results of cement-free silicon-alumina castables, demonstrated the application of the new binder "Si Ao" in refractory materials, and proved its excellent performance with data and charts. Professor Wang Zhoufu of Wuhan University of Science and Technology shared the report "Hydration Behavior and Regulation of Hydrable Alumina", expounding the application of hydratable alumina in amorphous refractory materials and the influence of its hydration behavior on material properties.

At the end of this technical exchange meeting, Mr. Jiang Hong brought a report on "Discussion on the Application of High-quality Refractory Aggregates and Powders in Iron Trench Materials" to the guests, further discussing the current status and prospects of the application of refractory aggregates and powders in iron trench materials, and emphasizing the significant advantages of tabular corundum in improving material wear resistance and thermal shock stability.

During the meeting, the guests also visited Shandong Zhongnai and Hengjia High Purity Company, and gained an in-depth understanding of the company's outstanding achievements in the research and development and production of refractory materials. In order to ensure the stability of product quality, Shandong Zhongnai and Hengjia High Purity invested more than 8 million yuan to establish an alumina-based refractory material research and development center, equipped with advanced testing equipment such as scanning electron microscopes, XRD phase detectors, and fully automatic thermal shock resistance testing machines. This series of R&D investment provides solid technical support for product quality assurance and enables the company to provide customers with more accurate and scientific raw material testing services.

This technical exchange meeting not only provided a platform for in-depth communication for the participants, but also demonstrated the outstanding technology and innovative achievements of Shandong Zhongnai and Hengjia High Purity in the field of alumina refractory raw materials. Through this meeting, industry experts discussed the development trend of refractory materials and the path of technological innovation, providing important guidance and inspiration for the future development of the industry.

Participants generally said that this conference is not only a sharing of technology, but also a gathering of industry wisdom. They look forward to more similar conferences in the future to bring new ideas and breakthroughs to the industry. Shandong Zhongnai and Hengjia Gaochun rely on their "professional, dedicated, and single-minded" spirit, focus on product quality and technology research and development, and continuously promote the development of alumina refractory raw materials. In the future, they will occupy a more important position in the domestic and foreign markets and contribute more to the take-off of my country's refractory industry.