Cetek Ceramic Coatings for Fired Heater Efficiency

Integrated Global Services (IGS) is the market leader in the design and application of Cetek Ceramic Coatings for process tubes and refractory within CRUs, DCUs, SMRs and other fired heaters in Malaysia.

Cetek Ceramics Technologies increase fired heater productivity, maintain a steady-state fireside environment at the same time yielding typically less than a one-year return on investment.

1. High Emissivity Coatings for Heater Refractory Surfaces

Uncoated refractory linings reflect ~55% of the radiant energy, preventing it from reaching the process tubes. Cetek coatings increase refractory linings’ emissivity, so only 8% of the radiant energy is reflected and 92% is absorbed and re-radiated.

Cetek pioneered the use of high emissivity ceramic coatings applied to the refractory surfaces in radiant sections of fired heaters and tubular reformers. It has now become an accepted means of improving the efficiency of radiant heat transfer, leading to energy savings as well as environmental and reliability benefits.

At the process heater operating temperatures, new ceramic fiber linings, for example, have emissivity values of around 0.4. Insulating fire brick (IFB) and castable materials have emissivity values around 0.6. These materials have been designed with structural considerations and insulating efficiency as the primary requirements. They tend not to handle radiation in the most efficient way. Cetek Ceramic Coatings, however, with emissivity values above 0.9, have been designed specifically to supplement the radiation characteristics of the refractory surfaces.

2. Ceramic Coatings for Process Tubes

Oxidation, Corrosion and Carburization Protection

Cetek Ceramic Coatings provide a durable, protective, thin-film layer on the outer surfaces of process tubes, which prevents oxidation, corrosion, and carburization of the metal and maintains the tube thermal conductivity coefficient close to new tube conditions.

Oxidation and scale formation on the outer surfaces of process tubes reduces conductive heat transfer, resulting in low production rates and/or excessive fuel consumption. Cetek’s High Emissivity Ceramic Coating system ensures optimum maximum conductive heat transfer for the process.

Layers of fouling/scale prevent accurate determination of tube metal temperature, reducing the reliability of those measurements. Because the thin layer of Ceramic Coating provides a consistent temperature differential between the outside surface and the metal tube, the reliability of tube metal temperature determination is improved significantly.

The coatings are applied by Cetek’s highly trained, experienced technicians, following thorough cleaning of the tube surfaces. Coating systems are available for every type of metal substrate and process temperature.

3. Dual Emissivity Coating Optimizes Heat Flux Distribution to Prevent Heater Tube Coking

Cetek’s patented Dual Emissivity Ceramic Coating technology manipulates and optimizes the heat flux distribution in DCU heaters which would otherwise be susceptible to coking inside tubes.

The process consists of the application of coatings to the refractory. We also remove all tube scale, and install a uniform ceramic coating system to the tube surfaces.

This dual emissivity coating system effectively shields the tube surfaces in high heat flux areas but increases heat absorption in lower heat flux areas. This prevents rapid coke formation while at the same time eliminating uneven scale formation, thus allowing accurate tube metal temperature measurements.