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Protection
A new generation of coatings : Smart coatings to tackle thermal shock and ( microbial ) fouling
Dr Arezoo Assarian has over 30 years of experience working with special protective coatings ; she has made it her life ’ s work to reduce the use of chemicals in the coatings industry and promote the importance of protecting equipment in harsh environments . Originally from Croatia , Dr Assarian established the company Eninco Engineering B . V . in the Netherlands in 2018 , specialising in the manufacturing of innovative coatings as well as offering research , consultancy , and inspection services .
By Ellie Pritchard
Eninco produces coatings which can be adapted to suit a customer ’ s needs , with the intention of reducing the need for maintenance , repair , and replacement . “ Based on the application of the equipment , for example in a power plant or on an offshore platform , we can change certain properties of the coating to be more effective ,” Dr Assarian explains . “ We now have a range of three commercial coatings , but all can be adapted to provide maximum protection in any number of applications and environments .” These three base products are as follows : Eternal - a direct to metal coating ; Acrylcoat - direct to plastic coating for all kinds of plastic ; and Super Lotus - direct to wood coating for any soft or hard wood . The aim of all these coatings is to reduce required layers , drying time , and the number of long term re-applications . “ All are designed to have a maximum of two layers although , in some cases , one very thin layer of coating is enough to give resistance against all mechanical and chemical damage .”
Protecting heat exchangers For heat exchangers , it is possible to reduce the coating thickness even for heat resistant coatings . But Dr Assarian is confident that her coatings are capable of addressing at least two more issues for heat exchangers : thermal shock damage and fouling ( microbial fouling in particular ). “ Thermal shock is a defect which can directly influence the resistance and durability of a coating as micro cracks develop and the equipment becomes vulnerable to failure via various mechanisms such as but not limited to microbial corrosion ,” she says . “ There is a big difference between the external ambient temperature and the temperature inside of the heat exchanger , often shown as ∆T . So , we took the high temperature inside and decided to protect the surfaces against the damages caused by rapid changes in temperature .” “ The basic technology used in our manufactured coatings rests on smart , encapsulation nanotechnology . This , in very simplified terms , would mean that the coating “ obeys ” us . Therefore , we can encode into the coating whatever property we want . We can “ program ” the coating in such a way to withstand the mechanical stresses induced due to fluctuations in temperature . Given that heat exchangers work on the principle of lowering temperatures , what we mentioned about the programming of coatings to withstand thermal shock makes this smart coating the best option to protect such assets .”
It is estimated that corrosion costs countries such as the Netherlands EUR20 billion per year . www . heat-exchanger-world . com Heat Exchanger World October 2022
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