Shinagawa Refractories Australasia (Shinagawa) has established an enviable reputation for the manufacture and supply of quality refractory and insulating materials to the Australasian, South East Asian and Pacific Rim markets.
The Aluminium and Alumina Industry

Shinagawa Refractories Australasia has long been a dominant supplier to aluminium smelters and alumina calciners. High purity SHIRAL fireclay and insulating brick are the industry standard in anode baking furnaces. In reduction cells SHIRAL fireclay brick and our insulating boards are the products of choice. For melting and holding furnaces, Shinagawa manufactures a wide range of aluminium resistant products such as SHIRAL nonwetting brick, SHIRACRETE monolithics and a host of back up insulating castables and boards. SHIRACRETE, SHIRAGUN and SHIRAPLAS products are proven in alumina calciners where campaign lives have been extended considerably.

AZoM - Metals, ceramics, polymers and composites - An unfinished carbon bake furnace as used in the aluminium industry

Figure 1. An unfinished carbon bake furnace.
SHIRAL - Alumina Refractory Bricks

Shinagawa offers a complete range of high quality dry pressed alumina bricks, ranging from 35% to 95% in alumina content. These materials are manufactured with state of the art equipment, including computer controlled hydraulic presses that tightly regulate brick sizing and compaction pressure.

Firing is accomplished in multi-stage kilns to ensure even and accurate burning and consistent properties. Strict quality control standards control brick appearance and inherent variables such as strength, density and porosity. This quality approach serves three product groups in the SHIRAL dry pressed brick line:

· Fired High Alumina Bricks – these are produced from premium grades of alumina’s and bauxite’s and include brick with very low porosity, high strength, high thermal shock resistance and metal slag resistance. Some special grades are manufactured with phosphate bonds or andalusite aggregate for specific applications.

· Chemically bonded High Alumina Bricks – these high alumina, phosphate bonded brick are ideally suited to steel ladle or molten aluminium furnace applications due to their unique chemistry, including special aggregates and additives.

· Superduty and Fireclay Bricks – these lower alumina grades of brick are produced to the same exacting standards as the high alumina grades. These brick exhibit good strength and spall resistance over a range of service conditions and find use in a variety of applications.
SHIRACRETE – Low Cement Castables

The SHIRACRETE range of low cement, high technology monolithics is based on ‘state-of-the-art’ refractory castable technology using the highest quality aggregates, cements and additives. These products vary in alumina content from as much as 90% down to 45%. Superior physical properties are evident throughout the range. Low porosity plus outstanding strength and abrasion resistance are standard features of the SHIRACRETE low cement castable line.
SHIRAGUN – Low Cement Gunning Refractory

SHIRAGUN is a revolutionary range of low cement gunning products. SHIRAGUN low cement gunning materials combine the excellent physical properties of low cement castables with the speed and ease of installation by gunning. These materials were developed through an extensive research and development program over a number of years. The technical advantages of SHIRAGUN products over conventional gunning products include improved strength at all temperatures, excellent abrasion resistance, very good hot properties such as creep and hot MOR and very low porosity. SHIRAGUN low cement materials also show low dust and rebound characteristics and installs overhead with no slumping due to its excellent adhesion. The patented Shinagawa Inline Preform Mixer installation system can be used to further enhance the installation characteristics and physical properties of this product range.
SHIRAPLAS – Clay and Phosphate Bonded Mouldables

Shinagawa manufactures and supplies a wide range of mouldables. These vary in alumina content from 85% down to 55%. Both clay and phosphate bonded versions are available. SHIRAPLAS products have strength and volume stability throughout their temperature range and are easily placed by pneumatic ramming as a result of their uniform consistency. They are ideal for aluminium furnaces and calciners, tundish linings, furnace hearths and electric furnace spouts and roofs. SHIRAPLAS PATCH® products, which boast exceptional stickiness and abrasive strength, are recommended for applications such as hot face damage repair and for thin original linings. High grade rammable products and special gunning mouldables are also available.