This guide supports early procurement discussion. Final material selection, installation and heat-up decisions must be confirmed for the actual project.
Define the lining scope and responsibilities
Before work starts, identify the equipment, exact zones, lining functions and layers shown in the approved design, service conditions, access and shutdown window.
State who is responsible for design, material approval, drawings, installation, inspection, curing, dry-out, heat-up and final acceptance. The material supplier manufactures the agreed supply to approved drawings and contract requirements; site bricklaying and installation records normally remain with the qualified installer, owner or appointed supervisor unless the contract states otherwise.
- Equipment and exact lining zones
- Approved design and material responsibility
- Installation and inspection responsibility
- Dry-out, heat-up and sign-off authority
Use approved drawings and a controlled material schedule
The buyer, owner or appointed designer should issue the approved lining drawings and current revision before manufacture and installation. The supplier should manufacture against those controlled drawings rather than treating a product photograph as an erection drawing.
For brickwork, define shape codes, quantities, critical dimensions, tolerances, mortar-joint requirements, expansion provisions and traceable marks. For monolithic linings, define thickness, anchors, interfaces, penetrations and the approved installation method.
- Controlled drawing revision
- Brick or shape schedule and quantities
- Critical dimensions and acceptance method
- Recorded approval for deviations or substitutions
Verify products, production lots and storage
Check product identity, grade, production batch or lot number, quantity, packaging condition and shelf-life information where applicable. Segregate damaged, wet, unidentified or expired packages until they are reviewed.
For shaped products, reconcile marks and dimensions with the approved brick schedule. For monolithics, confirm that the product, water, binder or other additions and installation instructions belong to the same approved system.
- Grade and production batch or lot
- Package condition and storage controls
- Shape marks and dimensional checks
- Current product instructions and approved additions
Inspect the substrate, anchors and material interfaces
Before lining work, confirm that the shell or substrate condition, cleanliness, geometry and access match the approved design. Where anchors are used, check material, layout, attachment, orientation and condition against the project drawing and inspection plan.
Burners, doors, tubes, supports, penetrations and transitions between materials may require separate hold points. The owner, installer or appointed supervisor should define and record those checks in the project quality plan.
Control brickwork through drawings, joints and bricklaying sequence
Brick installation should follow the approved brick or shape schedule. Confirm orientation, bond pattern, line, level, radius, support, lock-up details and adjacent-material interfaces as applicable.
Numbered or special shapes should remain traceable to the approved drawing and brick schedule. Package marks can identify the intended installation location where that location is defined by the controlled project documents; numerical pallet order alone is not an installation instruction. Mortar, joint thickness and expansion allowances must follow the approved design.
- Brick or shape code and drawing reference
- Mortar-joint and expansion requirements
- Templates, pre-assembly or first-work approval
- Traceable package marks linked to the bricklaying plan
Control monolithic work through current product instructions
Casting, gunning, ramming and hand packing are different installation methods. The approved method, equipment, mixing sequence, specified water, binder or other additions, working time, placement, consolidation, thickness and sampling plan should match the selected product and project specification.
Record the material batch, installation area, time, additions, ambient conditions, installer and inspection results as required by the quality plan. Test panels, specimens or applicator qualification should be used when the governing specification requires them.
Use project hold points instead of final appearance alone
A practical inspection plan may include document review, incoming-material checks, substrate or anchor approval, first-work approval, in-process dimensional or workmanship checks, repair approval and final inspection. The installer, owner or appointed supervisor should define, witness and retain the records required by the contract.
Photographs can document visible workmanship and progress, but they do not prove material identity, hidden construction, test results or service life. Link photographs to dates, areas and inspection records when they are used as project evidence.
Separate installation, curing, dry-out and heat-up approvals
Completion of installation does not automatically authorize heat input. Curing, dry-out and heat-up are separate stages with different purposes, especially for monolithic linings and silica-brick systems.
There is no universal dry-out or heat-up curve for every furnace. The approved procedure should identify prerequisites, responsible parties, instrumentation, monitoring locations, hold points, abnormal-condition response and final sign-off for the actual lining and equipment.
Agree the handover records before work starts
The manufacturer's supply records may include the quality certificate or certificate of conformity, product inspection report, and agreed dimensional or appearance records for the supplied materials. Installation logs, substrate and anchor checks, curing or dry-out records, repair records and as-built documentation normally come from the installer, owner or appointed supervisor unless the contract assigns them differently.
Keep guaranteed contract data separate from typical brochure values and distinguish manufacturer records, installer records, owner inspection and third-party reports.
Send a complete installation-support inquiry
Identify the equipment and zone, new-build or repair scope, process conditions, approved drawings, lining construction, current or proposed materials, quantities, site location, access, utilities, shutdown window, inspection requirements, documentation language and required completion date.
For repairs, also provide damage photographs, the existing lining specification, remaining condition, operating history, repair boundary and planned restart conditions. Ask the quotation to list responsibilities, exclusions and information still required.
Public references used for this guide
These references support the classification and procurement framework. They do not replace the current product data sheet, project specification or contract acceptance criteria.
- American Petroleum Institute: API 936 Refractory PersonnelOfficial API reference identifying API 936 as installation quality-control guidance for monolithic refractory linings and materials.
- American Petroleum Institute: Standards PlanOfficial API standards record distinguishing API 936 for monolithic linings from API 975 for refractory brick systems and materials.