Industrial Specialists, a BrandSafway company and a member of the American Welding Society, is introducing Quik-X™, a refractory anchoring system that is designed specifically for use in FCCUs (Fluid Catalytic Cracking Units) cyclones and air grids and increases efficiency by almost 50 percent.

“We are committed to developing innovative solutions that increase productivity and quality for our clients,” said Dave Witsken, president of the Energy & Industrial Division at BrandSafway. “The BrandSafway Quik-X anchor enables nearly a 50 percent reduction in the number of welds per square foot without sacrificing quality. This can generate significant cost and outage cycle time benefits.”

Quik-X, an alternative to the traditional “hex mesh,” is a half-hexagon shaped, castable anchor grid and can be manufactured with a variety of alloy types, ranging from carbon steel to exotic stainless steels. It is primarily designed for, but not limited to, use in FCCUs, which can withstand the high temperatures used to crack petroleum crude oils into more valuable gasoline, olefinic gases and other products. Quik-X reinforces refractories against cracking and falling, which protects the integrity of the structure and allows it to be used with MIG (metal inert gas), TIG (tungsten inert gas) or stick welding and is specially designed to be used with BrandTech™ Precision Welding.

“We modeled Quik-X after anchoring systems that have been used for the past 50 years to keep the design similar to what our customers are familiar with and make it easy to use,” said Eduardo Almeida, director of Innovation, Research and Development (R&D) for Industrial Specialists by BrandSafway. “In addition, Quik-X works with existing welding technologies as well as new technologies like BrandTech.”

In addition, Quik-X has been shown to reduce metal volume by 6.29% per square foot in refractory linings when compared to other single-cell anchors, and the less metal used in refractory linings, the more efficient its abrasive properties become. Quik-X also offers a minimum 7.17% surface area increase per square foot for imporved anchoring grip.

Both design and utility patents for Quik-X are pending. For more information about Quik-X, visit https://brandsafway.com/quik-x-refractory-anchoring-system.

About Industrial Specialists by BrandSafway

Industrial Specialists by BrandSafway provides customers with more than 35 years of refractory installation experience. With 600-plus expert refractory specialists and supervisors, Industrial Specialists offers solutions for all phases of refractory construction, including turnarounds, major revamps, maintenance and new construction projects. Industrial Specialists has three locations in Louisiana and Texas, providing superior capabilities and delivering results that are safe, on time and on budget—even in the most challenging environments. For more information, visit: www.indspec.com.

About BrandSafway

With a commitment to safety as its foremost value, BrandSafway provides the broadest range of services, products and solutions, with the greatest depth of expertise, to the industrial, commercial and infrastructure markets. A portfolio company of Clayton, Dubilier & Rice, BrandSafway offers access, industrial services and forming and shoring solutions to more than 32,000 customers through a workforce of approximately 35,000 employees, who support our network of 330 strategic locations across 30 countries. With its global footprint, rigorous operating processes and extensive service offerings—a full range of work access, insulation, coatings, specialty industrial services and forming and shoring solutions—BrandSafway supports customers’ maintenance and refurbishment needs as well as new construction and expansion plans. Today’s BrandSafway—large enough to leverage economies of scale to increase safety and productivity, while also remaining nimble and responsive—delivers unmatched service with local labor and management.