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FURNACE
​HOTWORK
SERVICES

DGC AFRICA has more than 90 years of experience in providing multidisciplinary services to large industrial furnaces across the complete range of metals smelting, mineral processing, chemical, refining and thermal power industries.

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Dickinson Hotwork Services; a subsidiary of DGC AFRICA was initially established in 1994 and has for more than 25 years been providing services to various industries worldwide. The company specializes in on-site heat treatment; utilizing mobile gas or diesel-fired equipment.

 

The company has a large number of High-Velocity Burner sets, with the capacity to undertake numerous furnace refractory drying-out and heat-up projects simultaneously, ensuring that our customers receive the highest quality service and expertise.

 

All our technicians are trained in-house according to the OEM manuals to operate all the equipment optimally and safely. Our technicians are graded annually to ensure that they are well qualified to undertake our furnace hotwork services in accordance with our safety and quality standards

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  • Glass Furnaces

  • Steel & Coke Making

  • Cement & Minerals

  • Non-Ferrous Metals

  • CFB Boilers

  • Incinerators & Biomass

  • Aluminium Furnaces

  • Copper & PGM Furnaces 

  INDUSTRIES  

  SERVICES  

  • Refractory Dry Out

  • Furnace Heat Up

  • Furnace Cooldown

  • Furnace Expansion Control

  • Regenerator Cleaning

  • Insulation Coating of Regenerators

  • Furnace Hot Repairs

  • Temperature Monitoring

  • Post-weld heat treatment (stress relieving).

  • Internal firings or temporary furnaces, utilizing diesel or gas burners.

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  FURNACE REFRACTORY 

 DRYOUTS  

Residual moisture in refractories during furnace dry-out operations may be converted into steam too quickly, resulting in explosions, which may adversely impact the efficiency and life of the refractory linings. This is because most conventional process heat sources are not suitable for carrying out the initial dry out as they do not afford close temperature control in the lower ranges. Our Refractory Dry-Out Services involve controlled heating and ventilation of a furnace to remove all the moisture in refractory mortars and monolithic materials.

 

DGC AFRICA's technology is based on the use of gas or diesel-fuelled High-Velocity Burners that are portable and can be positioned in the most appropriate manner to provide uniform temperature distribution throughout the entire volume of the furnace. By passing large volumes of hot gases over the refractory surface, the system provides an even temperature distribution that removes all moisture from the refractory. This will not only save time and money from fuel consumption; it also protects the initial investment in the expensive refractory and enhances the furnace refractory lifetime.

FURNACE HEAT-UP

  OUR COMPANY'S SPECIALIZED HEAT-UP TECHNOLOGY AND EQUIPMENT IS SUITABLE FOR THE HEAT UP OF ALL TYPES OF FURNACES 

The systems make use of High-Velocity Burners operating on excess air, producing a positive furnace pressure that assures uniform temperatures throughout the designated areas of the furnace.

 

The systems ensure precise temperature control and can be regulated at all stages between 60°C and 1200°C; simultaneously eliminating hot spots and stagnant areas within the furnace.

 / CONTRACTION CONTROL  

  FURNACE EXPANSION 

The correct and timely adjustment of the furnace steelwork during the refractory expansion, or contraction, is a very important aspect of every furnace start-up or shutdown as it has a bearing on a furnace’s stability and lifespan. DGC AFRICA's Refractory Dry Out & Heat Up Services Technicians have successfully completed numerous furnace expansion control projects with different requirements and procedures giving them the flexibility to respond to any challenges.

  GLASS FURNACE  

 CULLET FILL IN  

In the case of Glass Furnaces, the company provides services for Cullet Fill In; the process of gradually feeding raw material into the system while carefully controlling the temperatures until a constant flow of glass throughout the furnace is achieved. The glass flow then gradually increases resulting in the molten glass passing through the furnace process allowing the furnace to trickle and commence production.

  FURNACE ON-LINE REPAIRS  

Dickinson Hotwork Services provides world-class services to the metals smelting and mineral processing industries. Our company has the ability to execute hot flux line- and throat-over coating with no downtime and with little to no production losses.

 

Our personnel is experienced in working under hot conditions and production parameters, with the understanding that the customer needs to achieve minimal production losses and time delays.

 

DGC AFRICA also has the capability and experience to execute hot crown or furnace roof repairs, including the installation of refractory materials for the extension of its lifespan, as well as the hot repairs of ‘rat holes’, and the crown/roof expansion joint sealing.