February 2020
Maintenance and Reliability
Apply ceramic coatings to extend radiant tube life in process heaters
Process tubes in refining applications are typically steel alloy (ASTM A335 P22, P5 or P9), which contain 2.25%, 5% and 9% Cr, respectively. These grades oxidize at operating temperatures, and scale will grow continuously on the surface, often reaching 2 mm in thickness in higher-temperature/high-heat-flux units. The layers of scale are very insulating and represent a significant barrier to conductive heat transfer to the process.
The Author
John Bacon worked for 41 yr with the Foseco Group in various research and development and senior management positions, with products and services for the steel, glass, non-ferrous, oil refining, petrochemicals and power generation Industries. Since 1995, he has worked with Cetek, initially a division of that same group, from its inception to retirement in 2015. He has been retained by Cetek on a consulting basis, assisting senior management with technical, commercial and marketing aspects of the day-to-day business. In 2017, he helped steer the acquisition of Cetek by IGS. Mr. Bacon holds a BSc degree in physics from Leeds University in the UK and completed postgraduate work in ceramics, also at Leeds University, under the sponsorship of the UK Atomic Energy Authority.
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