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Intermediate programme

Refractories from the Chemical Point of View

Refractory selection and failure understood chemically, not just as a materials catalogue.

Duration
5 days
Level
Intermediate
Next date
2 to 6 November 2026
Fee from
US$995live online

Read the programme brochure

ClassroomLive onlineIn house

Overview

Refractory lining is one of the largest maintenance costs in cement and most premature failure is chemical rather than mechanical. This week approaches it from the chemistry: refractory mineralogy and phase behaviour, the attack mechanisms by alkalis, sulphur and chloride, redox effects in a reducing atmosphere, and what alternative fuels change about all of it. Selection by zone and installation practice follow, so that the material choice and the way it is installed are treated as one decision.

It runs 7 times over the published calendar, in 6 cities and live online. Every date is the same programme with the same content and the same certificate.

What you will be able to do

  • Describe refractory classes and their chemical behaviour.
  • Explain alkali, sulphur and chloride attack mechanisms.
  • Account for redox and atmosphere effects on lining life.
  • Select materials by zone and by the conditions actually present.
  • Diagnose a failure from the evidence in the removed lining.

Who should attend

Refractory engineers and specialists, kiln and maintenance engineers, process engineers whose operation affects lining life, and procurement staff specifying refractories.

Is the level right for you?

This is an intermediate level programme. It assumes you are working in or moving into the area it covers, and it is built around your own material rather than a case study. If you are unsure, ask an advisor before registering rather than after.

Ask an advisor

How it is taught

Short input, then work. Across 5 days of roughly 6 teaching hours each, the balance sits deliberately with the second: a programme where the trainer talks for six hours produces notes rather than capability.

  • Your own material

    Exercises run on situations delegates bring, not on a case study written for a different organisation in a different decade.

  • A capped cohort

    Small enough that everybody is asked something. Executive programmes are capped tighter still.

  • Practice under scrutiny

    The difficult conversation, the challenged assumption, the decision defended out loud. Judgement is not built by watching.

  • Something to take back

    Each day ends with a thing you can use on Monday rather than a slide deck you will not reopen.

The programme, day by day

Day 1Materials

Materials

  • Basic, high alumina and insulating refractories
  • Phase composition and thermal behaviour
  • Bricks, castables and their different failure modes
Day 2Chemical attack

Chemical attack

  • Alkali attack and alkali bursting
  • Sulphur and chloride infiltration
  • Clinker liquid penetration
Day 3Atmosphere

Atmosphere

  • Reducing conditions and redox damage
  • Alternative fuels and the species they introduce
  • Thermal cycling and spalling
Day 4Selection

Selection

  • Zone by zone requirements
  • Coating behaviour and its interaction with the lining
  • Cost against expected life
Day 5Installation and diagnosis

Installation and diagnosis

  • Installation quality and heat up schedules
  • Anchoring and expansion allowance
  • Reading a removed lining for the cause of failure

What you leave with

  • A zone by zone refractory specification.
  • A failure diagnosis from a real case.
  • An installation and heat up specification.

The certificate

A GATI certificate recording what you attended, issued after the programme has run and attendance has been taken. Attending at least 80 per cent of the days earns a certificate of completion; attending less earns a certificate of attendance stating exactly what was attended.

Every certificate carries a code that anybody can check against GATI's own record, which is what makes it worth holding. It records participation. This site will not imply one it does not have.

Questions

Who is Refractories from the Chemical Point of View for?
Refractory engineers and specialists, kiln and maintenance engineers, process engineers whose operation affects lining life, and procurement staff specifying refractories. It runs at intermediate level within Cement Manufacturing, so it assumes you are working in or moving into that area rather than meeting it for the first time. If you are unsure whether the level fits, ask an advisor before registering rather than after.
How long is it, and what does a day look like?
5 days, running to roughly 6 teaching hours a day. Sessions are built around your own material rather than a case study, so a day alternates between short input and working on something you brought. The full outline is on this page, day by day.
What does it cost, and what is included?
The next published date is Live online at US$995 per delegate. The fee covers tuition, all programme materials and the certificate. Travel, accommodation and visas are arranged by the delegate. Fees vary by city, and every published date shows its own.
Can it be delivered for my organisation only?
Yes. Any published programme can run as a private cohort, on dates that suit you, in your city or online, built around your own material. That is a different conversation from registering an individual, and it starts with what capability you are trying to build rather than with a course title.
What certificate do I get?
A GATI certificate recording what you attended, issued after the programme has run and attendance has been taken. Attending at least 80 per cent of the days earns a certificate of completion; attending less earns a certificate of attendance stating exactly what was attended. Every certificate carries a code that anybody can check against GATI's own record.
Is the online version the same programme?
Yes. The same faculty, the same material, the same cohort cap and the same certificate. It is not a recording and it is not a reduced version. It exists because travel budgets and visa timelines rule people out of a room they should be in. The classroom version runs in Dubai, Cairo, Nicosia, Dar es Salaam.

Want to take this further?

Register on a published date, or tell an advisor what you need and they will come back with something specific rather than a brochure.

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