Factors that have been empirically
found to be critical to the fouling process are:
- Temperature - polymerization occurs above
194° F (90°C)
- Pressure - the extent of fouling is proportional
to pressure level
- Surface Finish - the smoother the surface
the less apt the component is to foul
- Gas Composition - fouling is proportional
to concentration of reactable hydrocarbon
in the process (inlet) gas
Steam Turbine & Fouling: Impurities
carried by or dissolved within steam entering a turbine
deposit on internal surfaces. The rough, hard crust which
forms compomises operating efficiency. Frictional resistance
to gas flow is increased, cross sectional area available
for flow is reduced and airfoil pressure distributions
are negatively impacted. In addition to loss of efficiency,
fouling in steam turbines increases risk of corrosion damage
to components. Fouling due to boiler carryover has been
shown to be one of the most significant performance penalizers
when it comes to turbine operation. Heavy deposits have
been shown to cause efficiency losses in excess of 10 percent.
Anti-fouling coatings are designed to
minimize efficiency and reliability penalties caused by
mineralization fouling and corrosion in a steam turbine.
Driven Compressor Components & Fouling:
The hydrocarbons which can be inherent to
the process gas or formed during the compression
process, can bond tenaciously to the component
base metals and lead to significant performance
loss of the machine. Deposits of this type have
been found in compressors used for hydrocarbon
processing, coke gas blowers and other units where
the gas contains sufficient amounts of hydrocarbons
under the right conditions of pressure and temperature.
Coating Applications
SermaLon is designed to be used on ferrous substrates such as:
- Centrifugal compressors exposed
to wet chlorides or excessive fouling
- Steam turbine components exposed
to corrosive steam; e.g., nozzles, diaphragms, blades,
wheels, packing areas, rotors and cases. (Note: Not
intended to resist water droplet erosion.)
- IGV's of industrial gas turbines.
SermaLon
The patented three-part SermaLon coating
system was developed primarily to provide anti-fouling
and corrosion protection to driven compressor components
and industrial turbine components exposed to wet chloride
attack, as well as steam turbine components.
SermaLon is covered by US Patents 5,985,454;
6,159,547 and foreign patents.
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