Refractory Removal with the Aqua Cutter 410

Water Jet Refractory Removal is just one of many of the wide range of unusual tasks that require our specialist knowledge and skills at Hydroblast. A recent job required us to use the Aqua Cutter 410 in order to safely remove refractory at an energy from waste plant (a great way of stopping household waste ending up in landfill)

What is refractory?

Refractory the material that is used in an energy from waste incinerator  to insulate it. If it were a household open fire, then you would refer to this as the fire bricks. Due to the conditions in an incinerator,  Refractory Removal is often necessary for it to be replaced in order to make sure that the energy from waste process is done safely.

Why Water Jet Refractory Removal?

In the past, refractory removal was done in a labour intensive way. A number of men would enter the plant and use pneumatic breakers to remove the refractory, however the issues with this were threefold:

• The risk of HAVS – hand and arm vibration syndrome – it’s the cause of significant ill health (painful and disabling disorders of the blood vessels, nerves and joints)
• Risk of damage – the central heating pipes in a energy to waste plant are near to the refractory and as such using cumbersome machinery that isn’t overly precise is a risk that can cause down town
• Down time – the process of men and pneumatic breakers is one that costs the plant time and money by lack of activity, as it is time and labour intensive. An energy from waste plant can burn 1000 tonnes of waste in 24 hours the council will pay £250 per tonne for disposal, and this system makes money back from the sale of energy to the grid, resulting in huge savings.

Using the Aqua Cutter 410 for Water Jet Refractory Removal is a safer and more efficient way of handling the task. Water jets are a precision method of removing a wide range of substances and refractory removal is no different.

Contact Hydroblast today for more information on the benefits of using waterjetting for a range of tasks such as cleaning or demolition projects.