Introduction
Fouling chokes productivity long before you schedule a turnaround. Every micron of deposit drives fuel use up, throughput down, and CO₂ emissions higher. Curran’s Rare-Earth Oxide (REO) Surface Treatment promises to flip that script—delivering an ultra-thin layer that resists coking, survives furnace temperatures, and adds virtually zero thermal resistance . Below is a quick-hit preview of the new white paper Chevron and Curran International just published.
Why Fouling Still Wins And Why It Can’t Anymore
- Deposits slash heat-transfer efficiency, forcing higher firing rates and premature cleanings.
- Traditional barrier coatings struggle at 400 °C+ or flake off in thermal cycling.
- Curran’s REO Surface Treatment bonds integrally to the alloy—nothing to delaminate, no added wall resistance.
Inside the REO Chemistry
- Water-borne suspension of Y₂O₃ nanoparticles mists or dips onto any stainless, super-alloy, or finned geometry .
- A single 1 h, 400 °C cure activates the layer and locks it in place.
- Result: surface energy falls from ~45 mN/m to ~27 mN/m and polarity drops to near-zero, creating a hydrophobic, low-adhesion interface fouling struggles to stick to .
Lab Proof: 80 % Less Coke, Far Easier Clean-Off
- Vacuum-residue rig at 538 °C: REO-treated 316 SS tube cut coke formation by ~80 % vs. untreated baseline .
- Post-run inspection showed dramatically lower adhesion—deposits peel off with minimal scraping.
Field Proof: Zero ΔP After Two Years
- Vacuum column wash bed (installed July 2020)—still running clog-free after ~24 months; no pressure-drop rise recorded.
- Coker furnace tube (347H SS)—IR scans five months in show lower skin temps and visibly less coke than adjacent stock tubes.
- Full heat-exchanger bundle (summer 2022 install) targets double-digit efficiency gain and CO₂ cut.
What It Means for Your Unit
- Longer runs: Reduced fouling keeps design-rate operation deeper into the cycle.
- Fuel & CO₂ savings: Less fouling = lower firing rates and smaller carbon footprint.
- No process limits: REO surface treatment matches base-metal temp rating—unlike organics.
- Retrofit friendly: Spray/dip inside or outside tubes, flats, fins, even structured packing.
Key Takeaways at a Glance
| Metric | Untreated | Curran’s REO Result |
|---|---|---|
| Coke formation (lab) | 100 % | ≈ 20 % remaining |
| Surface polarity | 11–33 % | ≤ 0.9 % |
| Added thermal resistance | N/A | Negligible |
| Field ΔP after 2 yrs | Rising | Flat line |
Ready for the Deep Dive?
👉 [Read the Full White Paper]—discover the surface-science data, contact-angle plots, and step-by-step application procedure behind these numbers. (Email gate will pop up.)
P.S. Prefer to talk ROI? Schedule a 20-minute consult with our fouling-mitigation team—bring your toughest exchanger challenge.
FAQ (Preview)
Does Curran’s REO Surface Treatment affect heat-transfer coefficients?
No. The oxide layer is 1–2 µm and integral to the alloy, adding virtually zero thermal resistance.
What’s the temperature limit?
None beyond the base metal; the REO layer survives >750 °C furnace conditions.
How is it applied on the tube ID?
Dip, rotate, or spray; the water-based slurry wets complex geometries and cures in one furnace cycle.
(More FAQs inside the full paper.)
Cut fouling, cut fuel, cut carbon—Curran’s REO Surface Treatment turns your heat exchanger into its own defense system. Dive into the complete study to see how.