Minneapolis, July 11 - Refractory Service has joined the Minnesota Bio-Fuels Association (MN Bio-Fuels) as a vendor member.

“To reach net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by mid-century, ethanol production facilities will increasingly need modern equipment and technologies that make the production of low-carbon ethanol more efficient and durable. That’s why we’re pleased that Refractory Service is joining the MN Bio-Fuels as our newest vendor member. We look forward to working with them to reduce energy usage and maintain a strong ethanol industry into the future,” said Brian Werner, executive director at MN Bio-Fuels. 

Established in 1959, Refractory Service provides the ethanol industry with servicing, updating and troubleshooting all refactory-lined equipment including pollution control equipment such as thermal oxidizers and regenerative thermal oxidizers, as well as dryers and boilers.

“We noticed that the lifespan of such equipment has declined dramatically, in many cases to a fraction of what it once was. Over the past five years, Refractory Service has determined the root causes for the decline in refactory life and has developed new materials and installation methods to combat the decline,” said Mark Sullivan, director of sales and marketing at Refactory Service. 

With offices in South St Paul and Jackson, WI, he said the company’s new refactory solution can dramatically extend the life of high-temperature refractory linings, reduce or even eliminate the need for routine scheduled maintenance to address alkali-induced shrinkage in refactory linings, drastically reduce the likelihood of sudden refactory failure, reduce energy usage by as much as 20 percent due to improved thermal performance and extend the life of original equipment by reducing or eliminating additional damage to the steel shell of equipment by decreasing the likelihood of hot spot development and/or acid condensation. 

“The reason we are excited to join the Minnesota Bio-Fuels Association in a word is exposure. As ethanol plants have evolved since the early days, they have continued to push the limits of their process to maximize output. The downside to this is the toll it takes on the process equipment,” Sullivan said. 

Learn more about Refractory Service here. 

Picture caption: Refactory Service personnel at work