Investigation of low fouling surface alloys made by ion implantation technology

Despite numerous investigations and industrial mitigation strategies, formation of deposits on the heat transfer surfaces is still the major problem in design and operation of industrial heat exchangers. This article describes the development of stainless steel surfaces with low surface energy by ion implantation, which experience considerably reduced fouling without the inherent disadvantages of surface coatings, chemical additives and mechanical on-line cleaning methods. Fouling experiments during pool boiling of CaSO4 solutions demonstrate that thermal fouling is significantly reduced for all investigated conditions of heat flux and CaSO4 concentration. (C) 1997 Elsevier Science Ltd.