Today, REFRA.reSources announces a new software product in support of their mission to provide high level analytic and historian support to the refractory community and their continuousimprovement goals. Pyro-process industries consume vast quantities of thermal energy converting feed stocks or natural minerals into commodities that support our manufacturing, construction and transportation infrastructure.

Factories rely on the skill of their operators and process engineers to extend the continuously operated campaigns as long as possible until the refractory protection that insulates the system inevitably wears out and they are shut down for repair. Refractory companies, in turn, strive to supply advanced insulations that resist failure in such abrasive environments where temperatures can exceed 3000 degrees Fahrenheit. Coming after the success of last year’s release of REF.refTM which provided 3-D modeling, a refractory historian and optimized refractory decision making , engineers at REFRA.reSources, looked closer into providing better presentstate documentation and creating refractory budgets.

Intended for the advanced organization with thorough technical support and skill, REF.exTM still provides the refractory modeling and mapping clients have come to expect from REFRA.reSources but now the “Refractory Experts”, are in control, creating their own models and updating the important database functions. REF.exTM is further expanded to provide new Design Journals allowing clients to document, with each inspection or repair, the critical details of that inspection/repair with models, JPGs, photos, tables…even spreadsheets and customized budget and design tables. Finally, a fully customizable cost/budget reference allowing budget and cost histories along with forecasting future repairs to three, or even five-year, projections after
inspecting and documenting the condition of the refractories. “Our products support a variety of hi-temperature processors, from the small shop to the international conglomerate.

Advanced organizations with the advanced skillsets to model in 3D and manage SQL databases needed a tool like REF.exTM that removed them from dependence on third party support”, said Ken Rone, principal at REFRA.reSources. “This new proprietary application fills that void allowing those with expert skills to independently advance the value that our products bring to their best-practices initiatives.