Background on the Refractory Ceramic Fiber Industry

Composition and Uses of Refractory Ceramic Fiber (RCF)

RCF is a synthetic vitreous fiber (SVF) first discovered in 1942 and fully commercialized in the early 1960s.  It is an energy efficient insulation; it is lightweight with low thermal conductivity, low heat storage capacity and excellent thermal shock resistance.  RCF is a refractory material, capable of very high temperature service, replacing brick and hard refractories in applications up to 2800F.  RCF products are important materials for industrial furnaces, petrochemical heaters and reactors and for heat containment units in chemical, fertilizer, steel, heat-treating, nonferrous metals, glass, ceramic, foundry, cement and forging industries.  Other uses are in fire protection, automotive catalytic converters, heat shields, air bags, aerospace and defense applications.

As a member of the SVF group of man-made products, as are fiberous glass and mineral wool, RCF is an amorphous aluminosilicate material.  Like other SVFs, RCF is produced under highly controlled conditions, using a melt fiberization process.  A variety of product forms can be manufactured, including bulks, blankets, vacuum-formed shapes, modules, papers and cements.  RCF represents the smallest portion of the SVF industry, accounting for less than 2% of the total worldwide production.  Globally, RCF plays an important conservation role by controlling high temperatures and reducing fossil fuel consumption to save energy and protect the environment.

Small Cohort of Exposed Workers

RCF is manufactured in five plants in the United States operated by four companies.  Three of these companies, representing over 95% of the US production, are members of an industry association called the Refractory Ceramic Fibers Coalition (RCFC).  Production of RCF in the US is estimated at 100 million pounds annually.  Fewer than 1,000 workers are involved in the production of RCF and less than 30,000 are estimated to be exposed to RCF on a regular basis.

Energy Savings

The US production is sold primarily into industrial heat containment markets, with annual savings of an estimated 27.8 million barrels of oil or nearly $1.5 billion. These industrial applications represent up to 50% savings in energy over furnaces operating with conventional refractory linings. Additionally, RCF is used in fire protection and automotive safety devices as life saving components of engineered systems.

PSP 2002

In 1990, RCFC and its member companies formalized their comprehensive Product Stewardship Program (PSP), designed to assist manufacturers and end users in evaluation, control and reduction of RCF exposures.  More recently, OSHA has endorsed the industry’s PSP efforts in a program called PSP 2002.  PSP 2002 was developed with the support of OSHA, NIOSH and EPA, with input from organized labor, associated industry groups, end users and other interested parties.  RCFC member companies have adopted a recommended exposure guideline (REG) of 0.5 f/cc (8-hour, TWA) based on a database of exposures collected over 14 years.  This REG is not based on a conclusion of any relative hazard or risk, but rather on prudence with the general assumption that the lower the technically achievable workplace concentration, the lower the possibility of risk.